(ENS) – The Rt. Rev. Mark Stevenson, bishop of the Diocese of Virginia, announced Dec. 8 the appointment of the Rt. Rev. Gayle Harris as assistant bishop of the Diocese of Virginia. Harris is currently bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Massachusetts.

“I could not be more thrilled that Bishop Harris has accepted this call to serve as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Virginia,” Stevenson said. “Her wisdom, wide-ranging church experience, and love of Jesus will be a gift to us all. Bishop Harris is prayerful, intentional, and devoted to the Good News that God is love. And personally, I am so very thankful that I will have such a clear thinking and fun-loving ministry partner as we – as a diocese – walk the path that Christ has put before us.”

Harris will play a lead role in broadening and deepening the diocese’s formation ministries for both clergy and lay leaders. She will also share in the full range of episcopal duties, including support of clergy, congregational development, and visitations to churches, schools, colleges, and retirement communities.

“As a former resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I feel honored and richly blessed to be appointed Assistant Bishop by Bishop Stevenson,” Harris said in a greeting to the people of the diocese. “Joyfully, I look forward to joining with you in the proclamation of the Gospel of love and reconciliation in the Diocese of Virginia and beyond. I pray that our ministry together in the name of Jesus, continues to empower us to be God’s agents of healing and transformation in our own lives, and in the world.”

Harris begins her ministry in the Diocese of Virginia on April 1, 2023, and will live in Richmond