Phoebe Alison Roaf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Right Reverend Phoebe Alison Roaf |
|
|---|---|
| Bishop of West Tennessee | |
| Church | Episcopal Church |
| Diocese | West Tennessee |
| Elected | November 17, 2018 |
| In Office | 2019–present |
| Predecessor | Don Edward Johnson |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | July 9, 2008 |
| Consecration | May 4, 2019 by Michael Curry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 8, 1964 Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
Phoebe Alison Roaf, born on March 8, 1964, is an American religious leader. She is currently the fourth Bishop of West Tennessee. This means she leads the Episcopal Church in that area.
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Early Life and Education
Phoebe Alison Roaf was born in Michigan on March 8, 1964. She is the oldest of four children. Her mother, Andree Layton Roaf, was 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. He is even in the NFL Hall of Fame!
When Phoebe was five, her family moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas. She grew up attending Grace Episcopal Church. There, she became very involved in the youth group. She also joined the state diocese's youth group.
School and College
Phoebe went to Harvard University and earned a bachelor's degree in history. After that, she studied at Princeton University. She received a master's degree in public policy from Princeton. Later, she earned a law degree from the University of Arkansas Little Rock School of Law. In 2008, she graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary. She earned a Masters of Divinity degree there.
Career and Ministry
Before becoming a religious leader, Phoebe Roaf worked in different jobs. For six years, she was a researcher and analyst in Virginia and Philadelphia. After law school, she worked for a judge in New Orleans for two years. Then, she worked in commercial real estate in New Orleans. She left this job in 2005 to go to seminary. Seminary is a school where people study to become priests or ministers.
Becoming a Priest
In 2008, Phoebe Roaf made history. She became the first African American woman to be ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. She was 41 years old when she became a priest. Many people know her as "Mother Phoebe."
She served as an associate rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in New Orleans. She was the first person of color to serve as a priest there. In 2011, she was called to be the rector of St Philip's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. She was the first woman rector in that 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. Three women were on the ballot for this important role.
She officially became a bishop on May 4, 2019. This special ceremony is called a consecration. It took place at Hope Church in Memphis. This church was chosen because it had large facilities. No Episcopal church in the area was big enough. At the time she was elected, she was leading St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. This was the largest historically African American Episcopal Church in Virginia.
Bishop Roaf is the first woman and the first African American to serve as 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.
