The Rev. Canon Janet Waggoner is among the candidates on the slate announced on Thursday, November 8, 2018, by the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine.
The electing convention for the 10th bishop of Maine will be held on Saturday, February 9, 2019 (with Saturday, February 23, as a snow date) at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine.
“I am humbled and delighted to be invited to continue this journey of discernment with Episcopalians in the Diocese of Maine,’ Waggoner said. “I am grateful to the Discernment Committee for their diligence, care and leadership as they have guided the process to this point. I ask your prayers for me and the other nominees, and for all in the Diocese of Maine who are prayerfully engaged in calling their next bishop.”
Bishop Scott Mayer said, “I have full confidence that Canon Waggoner has the gifts and experience to serve the Church as a bishop. Janet, her family, and the Diocese of Maine will be in our prayers during this upcoming period of discernment. May God’s will be done.”
The other candidates are:
- The Rev. Kenneth H. Brannon, Rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Sun Valley, Idaho
- The Rev. Thomas James Brown, Rector of The Parish of the Epiphany in Winchester, Massachusetts
- The Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee, Executive Vice President and Chief Ecclesiastical Officer of The Church Pension Group, New York, New York
- The Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, Rector at Trinity Episcopal Church, in Everett, Washington
Read more at the Diocese of Maine
Waggoner is the second woman priest from this diocese to be part of an episcopal election this year. The Rev. Carlye Hughes, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, was elected bishop of the Diocese of Newark in May and consecrated in September.
TIMELINE
According to the Diocese of Maine website, significant points on the timeline of this process include:
- January 18-20— Presentations of Nominees across the Diocese via face-to-face meetings, social media and web posts. Candidates meet separately with clergy in special gathering.
- February 9 —Election of Tenth Bishop in Special Convention (with snow date February 23).
- March-May 2019—Consents are obtained from Standing Committees of the majority of Dioceses of The Episcopal Church.
- March-June 2019—Transition period for both 9th and 10th Bishops of Maine.
- Saturday, June 22 —Consecration of the 10th Bishop of Maine.
Waggoner’s biography
Waggoner was named Canon to the Ordinary by Bishop Rayford High in May 2013. She received her MDiv from Yale Divinity School and served parishes in Connecticut for more than a decade. She and her family moved to Fort Worth in August 2012 when her husband, Dr. Ed Waggoner accepted Brite Divinity School’s invitation to become the first Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Chair in Episcopal Studies. Prior to being named canon, Waggoner served as Interim Pastor at Rejoice Lutheran Church, Coppell.
In her work with individuals, congregations and the community, Waggoner seeks to facilitate transformation through leadership, preaching, education, conciliation and the arts. She is a board member of WIKS-USA, partnering with Kenyans to provide quality education for underprivileged children. She also serves as an Academy 4 mentor for 4th graders in a local public school with a targeted improvement plan. Waggoner is a clergy coach, as well as an Advisor in Title IV disciplinary processes in The Episcopal Church. She is a long-time member of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross, an Episcopal women’s group committed to intercessory prayer, social justice and simplicity of life. Waggoner is the Chair of the church-wide Task Force on Church Planting and Congregational Development.
A student at Brite Divinity School, Waggoner is in the final project phase of a DMin in Transforming Practices: Spirituality, Leadership and Justice.
She and her husband are the parents of two children, Wynne, 16, and Benjamin, 13. Their household also includes a 4 year-old rescue dog named Comet.