The Right Reverend

Gretchen M. Rehberg
IX Bishop of Spokane
ChurchEpiscopal Church
DioceseEpiscopal Diocese of Spokane
ElectedOctober 18, 2016[1]
PredecessorJames Waggoner[2]
Orders
ConsecrationMarch 18, 2017[2]
by Michael Bruce Curry
Education

Gretchen Mary Rehberg is the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane.[2]

Early life and education

Rehberg was born in Pullman, Washington on July 7, 1964. Her mother, Margaret Rehberg (nee: Boe) was a homemaker and her father, Wallace Rehberg, was a professor at Washington State University. The family had a small farm outside of town.[3] After graduating from Pullman High School in 1982, Rehberg attended Sewanee: The University of the South.

Rehberg's first doctorate was a Ph.D. in chemistry. She received her Master of Divinity degree from General Theological Seminary in 2002.[4] She later received her Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Theological Seminary.[3]

Career

Rehberg was a professor of organic chemistry at Bucknell University until the late 1990s, when she left to enter theological school.[3] For over 20 years, Rehberg volunteered as an EMT and firefighter.[3] She was in New York City on September 11, 2001 and provided first aid to survivors of the World Trade Center attack.[4] Later, she volunteered with a hazmat team doing cleanup at Ground Zero.[3]

Rehberg was rector of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Lewiston, Idaho for 11 years prior to her consecration as bishop.[2] She had also held several diocesan leadership positions.[1] On October 18, 2016, she was elected as the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane, and she was consecrated at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane on March 18, 2017.[1]

Rehberg has pulmonary fibrosis, possibly caused by conditions she experienced in her work in New York after the World Trade Center attack. In 2022, she suffered a flare up that significantly reduced her lung capacity and as of May 2023, is awaiting a double-lung transplant while she continues to travel her diocese in her work as bishop.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Gretchen M. Rehberg consecrated ninth bishop of Spokane". Episcopal News Service. March 28, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Simmons, Tracy (March 19, 2017). "Gretchen Rehberg ordained as first female bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, WA.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Simmons, Tracy (November 18, 2016). "Spokane's new Episcopal bishop brings varied experiences to her role in the church". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, WA.
  4. 1 2 Silver, Jonathan (October 18, 2016). "Gretchen Rehberg '02 Elected Ninth Bishop of Spokane". General News. General Theological Seminary.
  5. ↑ Paulsen, David (2023-05-26). "Awaiting double lung transplant, Spokane bishop travels diocese, feels 'called by God' to ministry". Episcopal News Service. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
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