The Rt. Rev. John L. Rabb
Bishop-in-Charge
John L. Rabb was elected Bishop Suffragan of Maryland on March 28, 1998 and was consecrated on October 10, 1998 in Alumni Hall of St. James School in St. James, Maryland.
Born in Des Moines, Iowa on October 11, 1944, Bishop Rabb received a B.A. in history from DePauw University in 1966, a M.A. in history from the University of Iowa in 1969 and an M.Div from the Episcopal Divinity School in l976. He has done continuing education with the College of Preachers, 1981, 1982 and 1991, the Institute for Servant Leadership, 1988, 1991 and 1994 and the Alban Institute, 1992 and 1997.
Prior to beginning seminary in 1973, he was a graduate student in history and taught at Eastern Iowa College in Davenport, Iowa. In 1970 he joined the Historical Evaluation and Research Organization (HERO) in Washington, DC as a research associate.
Bishop Rabb began his ordained ministry in 1976 as Curate at the Church of the Ascension in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He was also assistant rector and priest-in-charge. In 1979 he became Rector of the Church of the Holy Apostles, Arbutus, Maryland. In 1988 he was called as Rector of St. Anne's, Atlanta, Georgia.
Bishop Rabb has a deep interest in the development of and nurture of the ordained ministry and served as Chairperson of the Commission on Ordained Ministry in the Diocese of Maryland and the Diocese of Atlanta. He is also deeply concerned about social justice and ecumenism, and served as President of the Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta in 1996.
His wife, Sharon, works for Campaign Consultation, a fundraising firm in Baltimore. They have two daughters: Alison is an attorney in Chicago; Jennifer is a public school teacher in Washington, D.C.
Bishop Rabb is also an avid rosarian.
The Rev. Canon Eugene Taylor Sutton
Bishop-Elect
The Rev. Canon Eugene Taylor Sutton was elected the 14th Bishop of Maryland on March 29, 2008, at St. James' Episcopal Church in Baltimore. The majority of Bishops and Standing Committees of the Episcopal Church consenting, Canon Sutton will be ordained and consecrated a bishop by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and all Bishops of The Episcopal Church present on June 28, 2008 at Washington National Cathedral.
Canon Sutton is canon pastor of Washington National Cathedral, and director of the Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage. A frequent leader of retreats and conferences on prayer, preaching, spirituality and mission, he directs the cathedral’s national and local programs in building spiritual community through pilgrimages, gatherings and courses.
Prior to his call to the National Cathedral, Canon Sutton served as the associate rector for Mission and Spirituality of St. Columba’s Church, and as priest-in-charge of St. Margaret’s Church, both in Washington, D.C.
In addition to his ministry in parishes, he has taught homiletics and liturgics at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, New Brunswick Theological Seminary and General Theological Seminary. He also served as assistant to the bishop in the Diocese of New Jersey. The author of several articles on spirituality and preaching, he is a contributor to the book The Diversity of Centering Prayer.
The Rt. Rev. Michael W. Creighton
Assisting Bishop
The Rt. Rev. Michael W. Creighton served as the bishop of the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania from 1995-2006. He and his wife, Betty, recently moved to Annapolis. They have two adult sons. Chris, Heather and their daughters, Hallie and Kate, live in Indiana where Chris is the football coach at Wabash College. Ken, Olga and son Leo live in London where Ken works for the International Accounting Standards Foundation.
Before being elected in Central Pennsylvania Bishop Creighton served on the West Coast at St. Mary the Virgin, San Francisco, the Episcopal Church in Almaden, San Jose, and St. Stephen’s, Seattle. Prior to seminary he was a line officer in the U.S. Navy. His undergraduate work was at Trinity College, Hartford Ct., and his seminary was The Episcopal Theological School, Cambridge. The Creightons have been friends of the Ihloffs since seminary days, and the Rabbs since 1995.
Bishop Creighton’s main interests have been in social ministry and congregational development. He served on the Standing Committee that gave birth to the “2020 Vision” for The Episcopal Church. He has been devoted to developing healthy congregations where people can grow in grace, in numbers attending and in service.
Bishop Creighton has been involved with HIV/AIDS ministry at the Masereka Foundation in Kasese, Uganda where Central Pennsylvania supports a medical clinic and educates orphans. Central Pennsylvania is Companion to the Diocese of Sao Paulo, Brazil and he has also served on the Episcopal Church/Brazil Bi-Lateral Committee.
He recently joined the 14th Work Crew from Central Pennsylvania helping to rebuild in Pascagoula, Miss. after Hurricane Katrina. He is the author of For Starters – prayers for those who find themselves beginning again, and again, and again.
Bishop Creighton says, “I very much look forward to helping Bishop Rabb and supporting the people of the Diocese of Maryland during this year of transition.”
The Rt. Rev. Rodney R. Michel
Assisting Bishop
The Rt. Rev. Rodney R. Michel is the retired seventh bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Long Island, retiring after 10 years of service. He now lives with his wife, Marie, in Ephrata, Pa. Bishop Michel was born and raised in Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska and Seabury Western Theological Seminary. He served the church in Nebraska, North Dakota, and for 20 years on Long Island.
He served the larger church in a variety of ministries, particularly as chair of the HIV/AIDS Commission and on the House of Bishops Standing Commission on Religious Communities.
The Michels are the parents of four children: Anne, who lives in Arlington, Va. with her husband, Win Boerckel and two daughters, Madeleine and Kathryn. John and his wife Kristy will be moving to Columbia as he takes up his professorial duties at Towson University. David lives in Catonsville and Andrew on Long Island.
Bishop Michel enjoys iconography, walking his labradoodle, Farley, and working in the garden and the kitchen.
