Wicked Local Winchester: Winchester’s priest to lead the flock of Episcopal Church in Maine: After 10 years of service in tight-knit Winchester, the Rev. Thomas Brown is getting ready to spend a lot of time on the road. As part of his new ministry as the bishop of the Episcopal Church in Maine, he’s expecting to put 40,000 miles on his car visiting the 60 congregations that he will be overseeing.

Although Brown has already been elected through a scrupulous election process with five finalists, other Episcopal dioceses have to give their consent for Brown’s election, a process that he estimates will conclude in March.

Brown’s election also makes history for Maine’s Episcopal church. Brown will become the first openly gay male bishop in Maine, and the second openly gay male bishop in the Episcopal Church, including the church’s dioceses in other countries. Read more here.