Diocesan bishop Fred Hiltz and Susan Moxley embrace at the news of her election as suffragan bishop of Nova Scotia and P.E.I.
The diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island has elected a well-known priest and social justice advocate as its suffragan, or assistant, bishop.
Susan Moxley is the diocese’s first female bishop and the third woman to be elected to Canada ‘s house of 42 active bishops.
The 417 lay and clergy delegates to the electoral synod considered five nominees: Ms. Moxley, Ron Cutler, Reg MacDonald, Dianne Parker and Robert Richmond. Although Bishop-elect Moxley led on all ballots, it took three ballots to elect her by a clear majority in both lay and clergy houses. Due to extensive damage to the diocese’s All Saints Cathedral from a September hurricane, synod was convened at St. James church, Armdale, in Halifax.
Ordained to the diaconate in 1984 and to the priesthood in 1985, Bishop-elect Moxley has a bachelor and master’s degree in arts from the University of Western Ontario, a master’s in psychology and a PhD in education and psychology from the University of Michigan. She received her master’s degree in divinity in 1984 from the Atlantic School of Theology, where she served as a part-time faculty member from 1990-96.
She has served parishes in the diocese of Nova Scotia and P.E.I. and a number of diocesan councils and committees. At the national church level, she served on the program committee from 1989-95 and chaired the committee from 1992-95. She was a member of the National Executive Council (a predecessor of the Council of General Synod, or CoGS), the finance committee, the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples (as a non-native member), and CoGS. Currently, she is a member of the eco-justice committee, the indigenous justice working group and the healing fund committee. At the local level, she has served on numerous community boards.
Bishop-elect Moxley will take up the suffragan position on March 1, 2004, assisting diocesan bishop Fred Hiltz in serving the large diocese which comprises more than 300 congregations. She will be ordained and installed March 25, on the Feast of the Annunciation. She is currently rector of St. Mark’s, Halifax, honorary canon of the Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax, and a member of the international Anglican Consultative Council.
Bishop-elect Moxley and her husband, Bruce, have two grown daughters: Ruth and Tanya, a member of the General Synod information resources committee.
With files from Paul Sherwood