Frank T. Griswold III, former Episcopal Church presiding bishop, passed at age 85. He spent much time in Montgomery County, as reported by Gary Miles for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Born in 1937, Griswold was baptized and confirmed at the Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Harvard University and a master’s degree in theology at Oxford University.

Griswold ministered for four years at the Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr and a decade at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Chestnut Hill.

He was chief pastor, president, chief executive officer, and chair of the executive council of the 2.5 million-member national Episcopal Church from 1996–2005.

In an Inquirer story from 2000, Griswold defined his calling: “… [M]y role is very much a minister of communion, encouraging deep and open conversation within the community so that the divergent points of view can be heard and become part of a common search for a greater truth.”

He married in 1965 and, with his wife, Phoebe, raised two daughters.

His family praised his “warmth and wit.” His daughter Hannah characterized his essence, saying, “His talent was his spirituality.”

Further detail on the life of Frank T. Griswold III is at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

_____

Frank T. Griswold presented this sermon in Dec., 2019.