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The Very Rev. Richard T. Lawson III will be ordained and consecrated bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham. He will become the 13th Bishop of the Diocese of Alabama, succeeding the Rt. Rev. Dr. Glenda S. Curry.
The Most Rev. Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, will serve as Chief Consecrator. The Rt. Rev. Shannon Rogers Duckworth, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, will serve as preacher.
All parishes and clergy of the diocese have received invitations for the in-person service. The service will also be livestreamed on the website, YouTube, and Facebook pages of the Diocese of Alabama so that Episcopalians and friends across Alabama and throughout The Episcopal Church can participate online.
Lawson was elected bishop on the first ballot during a special electing convention held January 31, 2026, at the Cathedral Church of the Advent. He subsequently received the canonically required consent of a majority of The Episcopal Church’s diocesan standing committees and bishops with jurisdiction.
Prior to his election, Lawson served as dean and rector of St. John’s Cathedral in Denver, Colorado. Before moving to Colorado, he served as rector of Grace–St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and School in Memphis, Tennessee.
Born and raised in Guntersville, Alabama, Lawson became an Episcopalian while attending Auburn University, where he was confirmed at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church. He earned a Master of Divinity from The General Theological Seminary and later received a Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.) from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.
Lawson is married to Katherine, a Birmingham native, and together they have two adult children.
The Diocese of Alabama comprises 86 parishes, two worshiping communities, and eight college ministries across seven convocations, serving more than 29,000 baptized members. More information about the Diocese of Alabama is available at www.dioala.org.
CONTACT
Nana Afia Tenkoramaa
Director of Communications
nana@dioala.org
DIGITAL RESOURCES
About Bishop-Elect the Very Rev. Richard Lawson
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