Episcopal Press and News
Maine Elects Priest from Chicago as Church's Eighth Female Bishop
Episcopal News Service. December 4, 1997 [97-2037]
(ENS) The Rev. Chilton Knudsen, canon for pastoral care in the Diocese of Chicago, was elected the bishop of Maine on November 14. When she is consecrated she will be the fifth female diocesan bishop and the eighth female bishop in the church.
Knudsen is a nationally recognized expert in cases involving sexual exploitation in the church. She succeeds former Bishop Edward Chalfant, who took a one-year leave of absence and resigned in May 1996 after admitting he had violated his ordination and marriage vows by having an affair with an unmarried woman.
Recognizing that the pain and stress from Chalfant's resignation is still evident, Knudsen said her first order of business will be promoting healing and reconciliation in the large diocese, adding, "I have a sense I need to be out there in the congregations for a lot of healing."
In addition to her work in Chicago -- where she developed one of the most comprehensive sexual misconduct programs in the church -- Knudsen has been a consultant to the Presiding Bishop's Office of Pastoral Development, the Executive Council's committee on sexual exploitation, and the Church Insurance Company.
The fourth-ballot election in the Bangor Civic Center was announced in the early afternoon. Other nominees were: The Rev. Randolph Dales, of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire; the Rev. Leander S. Harding of Stamford, Connecticut; the Ven. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., archdeacon of Massachusetts; and the Rev. Linton H. Studdiford of Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
Knudsen, who has served in Chicago since 1987, said in an interview with Anglican Advance, "I'm overwhelmed with gratitude and joy. I expect and hope and trust that the people of Maine are ready to have a shared episcopate," she said. "The most important word after Jesus Christ is 'we.'"
In a description of her plans for ministry as bishop in Maine, Knudsen wrote earlier this year, "I see the bishop as the primary minister of connection. I would establish a practice of gathering together, probably regionally, with clergy and laity in focused meetings to listen carefully."
Knudsen expects to assume her new post by March 1, with a consecration set for March 28.
Knudsen becomes the fifth woman to head a diocese in the Episcopal Church, joining Mary Adelia McLeod of Vermont, Geralyn Wolf of Rhode Island, Carolyn Irish of Utah, and Catherine Waynick of Indianapolis; and three suffragan bishops, Barbara Harris of Massachusetts, Catherine Roskam of New York, and Jane Dixon of Washington.
Presiding bishop-elect Frank Griswold of Chicago said her election is a personal joy for him because "we will be able to continue to work together as bishops." He added that he knew of few people better suited for episcopal ministry. Knudsen "has shown incredible pastoral skill and forthrightness" in dealing with sensitive matter involving clergy and congregations, Griswold said, and has earned "a huge measure of respect" for her skills as a consultant and counselor.
Griswold added that her election "is a further sign of a growing recognition of the value and grace of women's ministry."
Knudsen married Michael Knudsen in 1971 and they have one grown son. She received her bachelor's degree in biology and philosophy from Chatham College in 1968 and pursued graduate studies in biochemistry at the University of Pittsburgh before entering the Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, where she earned a master of divinity degree in 1980. She was ordained a priest in 1981 with four other women -- the first class of female candidates ordained in the Diocese of Chicago. She served St. Benedict's Church in Bolingbrook, Illinois, from 1980-1986 before joining the staff in the Diocese of Chicago, where she also served as part-time interim vicar for three congregations. She also serves as a trustee of the Church Pension Fund.