Andrew Dietsche
The Rt. Rev. Andrew ML Dietsche
XVI Bishop of New York
Bishop Dietsche was installed as the 16th Bishop of New York on February 2, 2013 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan. He was elected by the clergy and lay representatives of the parishes of the diocese at a special election convention held at the Cathedral on November 19, 2011. and consecrated a Bishop in March, 2012. From then until February 2 he served as Bishop Coadjutor alongside Bishop Sisk, the 15th Bishop.
“I believe that it is especially a privilege to be the church in uncertain times,” he said at the time. “It is the greatest gift to face challenges which surpass our ability and understanding, for it is only then that we learn what it really means to trust God. We are in a season in which so much of our common life, the life and health of so many churches, and the resources on which our ministries and our mission have depended, can no longer be taken for granted. The particular challenges with which we will contend in this next chapter of our life will test us, but I am certain that, God being our helper, we will prevail over fear and doubt and by the witness of a courageous faith give glory to God.”
Bishop Dietsche was consecrated at a service held in a packed Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine on Saturday, March 10, 2012. From 2001 until his election as Bishop Coadjutor, he served as Canon for Pastoral Care in the diocese – a position in which he was responsible for the pastoral care of the clergy and their family. Before that he was for eleven years the rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Prior to his ordination, Bishop Dietsche was a freelance graphic designer and cartoonist – and he continues to this day to produce award-winning cartoons for the Episcopal New Yorker.