Bulletin Insert: The Feast of William White – July 13, 2025

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On July 17, the church commemorates William White, first bishop of Pennsylvania, first and fourth presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, first and fourth president of the House of Deputies, and United States Senate chaplain. He stands as a foundational figure in the history of The Episcopal Church, shepherding our particular expression of Anglicanism through and beyond the wake of the American Revolution.

White was born in Philadelphia and educated at the College of Philadelphia, now the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1765. In 1770, he sailed to England for his diaconal ordination, returning again in 1772 for his priestly ordination. He was called to become rector of Christ Church, Philadelphia, and subsequently chaplain to the Continental Congress.

Deeply rooted in both Anglican tradition and early American ideals, White saw the need for an autonomous church that would retain historic faith and order while adapting to a completely new, democratic context. He wrote and distributed a pamphlet, “The Case of The Episcopal Churches in the United States Considered,” which envisioned a church governed not by bishops alone but with broad lay and clerical participation. This was a radical idea for its time, though, of course, it was proposed within the other social constraints of the time. His vision was one of shared authority, unity in diversity, and responsive leadership.

In 1787, White again traveled to England to be consecrated bishop, eventually taking his seat in Pennsylvania. In 1789,  he became the first presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, which at that time was a position that rotated between the existing bishops (there were only three). In 1795, the position was adjusted to be given to the most senior bishop in the House of Bishops. His time was marked by a growing church that established an American line of bishops, participating in the consecration of more than two dozen colleagues. He ordained Absalom Jones, the first African American priest in The Episcopal Church. And he presided over a church that struggled to find a foothold as an institution tethered to English spirituality as other formal connections frayed and snapped. In an era when institutions are questioned and authority is shifting, we do well to recall a bishop who helped build something lasting, not by power alone, but by patience, prayer, and a commitment to the truth.

Collect for the Feast of William White

O Lord, who in a time of turmoil and confusion raised up your servant William White to lead your church into ways of stability and peace; Hear our prayer, and give us wise and faithful leaders, that, through their ministry, your people may be blessed and your will be done; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.