Phoebe Alison Roaf facts for kids

Phoebe Alison Roaf (born March 8, 1964) is an American religious leader. She is currently the fourth Bishop of West Tennessee in the Episcopal Church.

Early Life and Education

Phoebe Alison Roaf was born on March 8, 1964, in Michigan. She is the oldest of four children. Her mother, Andree Layton Roaf, made history as the first Black woman to serve on the Arkansas Supreme Court. Her father, Clifton Roaf, was a dentist. Phoebe's brother, Willie Roaf, is a famous football player and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

When Phoebe was five, her family moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas. She grew up attending Grace Episcopal Church. She was very active in the church's youth group and later in the state diocese's youth group.

Phoebe studied history at Harvard University and earned a bachelor's degree. She then received a master's degree in public policy from Princeton University. Later, she earned a law degree (Juris Doctor) from the University of Arkansas Little Rock School of Law. In 2008, she completed her Masters of Divinity degree at Virginia Theological Seminary.

Career and Leadership

Before becoming a religious leader, Phoebe Roaf worked in research and analysis for six years in Virginia and Philadelphia. After law school, she worked for a judge in New Orleans for two years. She then worked in commercial real estate in New Orleans until 2005, when she decided to attend seminary to study for ministry.

In 2008, Phoebe Roaf became the first African American woman to be ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. She was 41 years old at the time. Many church members affectionately call her "Mother Phoebe." She served as an associate rector (a type of assistant priest) at Trinity Episcopal Church in New Orleans. She was the first person of color to serve as a priest there.

In 2011, she became the rector (the main priest) of St Philip's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. She was the first woman to hold this position in the church's 150-year history.

Becoming a Bishop

In November 2018, Phoebe Roaf was chosen to be the Fourth Bishop of West Tennessee. Delegates at the Annual Diocesan Convention voted for her. She was officially made a bishop on May 4, 2019. This special ceremony, called a "consecration," took place at Hope Church in Memphis. A larger church was needed because no Episcopal church in the area was big enough for the event. At the time of her election, she was the rector of St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. This church was the largest historically African American Episcopal Church in Virginia.

Bishop Roaf is a trailblazer. She is the first woman and the first African American person to serve as a bishop in West Tennessee. She is also the first in any of Tennessee's Episcopal dioceses. She is the fifth woman bishop in the entire history of the Episcopal Church. Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry consecrated her. He spoke about the hope her election brings, saying she was chosen because of her commitment to Jesus and His message of love for everyone.