Frank Tracy Griswold III was an American clergyman who served as the 25th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church best known for supporting the ordination of women and gay people as priests. He was the first Bishop to consecrate the denomination’s first gay bishop, ordained women as priests and formed a communion with Lutherans. Griswold studied at Harvard College, where he majored in English literature, graduating in 1959. He furthered his studies earning a BA degree in theology from Oriel Col... moreFrank Tracy Griswold III was an American clergyman who served as the 25th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church best known for supporting the ordination of women and gay people as priests. He was the first Bishop to consecrate the denomination’s first gay bishop, ordained women as priests and formed a communion with Lutherans. Griswold studied at Harvard College, where he majored in English literature, graduating in 1959. He furthered his studies earning a BA degree in theology from Oriel College, Oxford in 1962 and the following year he was ordained as an Episcopal priest. He went on to serve at three parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania before being consecrated a bishop on March 2, 1985. As a bishop, Griswold oversaw 140 congregations in Chicago from 1985 to 1996. From 1998 to 2003 he co-chaired the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission and contributed to the church’s 1979 Book of Common Prayer. He was also an author of countless sermons, letters, and papers. He published four books: Going Home: An Invitation to Jubilee, Praying Our Days: A Guide and Companion Tracking Down the Holy Ghost: Reflections on Love and Longing in 2017. Griswold's term as presiding bishop ended on November 1, 2006.
