This is the fourth and final video in the 2023 series recognizing key African American figures in the Episcopal Church and beyond.

Michael Curry is the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, the first African American to hold the position. He was born on March 13, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in Buffalo, New York. He attended Hobart College in Geneva, New York, and received his Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School in 1978.

Curry was ordained as a deacon in 1978 and as a priest in 1979. He served as the rector of St. James’ Church in Baltimore, Maryland, from 1988 to 2000, and later as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina from 2000 to 2015.

In 2015, Curry was elected as the 27th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, succeeding the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori. As Presiding Bishop, Curry has been a prominent voice on social justice issues, and has advocated for marriage equality and immigration reform.

You can watch the video by clicking on the button above or watch the video on YouTube by clicking on the button below.

The Rt. Rev. Diane M. Jardine Bruce is Bishop Provisional of The Diocese of West Missouri, serves as secretary to the House of Bishops, and on the board of the Church Pension Group.