Bishop John W. Howe

John W. Howe became the third Bishop of the Diocese of Central Florida on January 1, 1990, succeeding the Rt. Rev. William H. Folwell. Bishop Howe was born November 4, 1942. He and Karen L. Elvgren were married September 1, 1962. Their children are Katherine Howe Rickwald, John III, and Jessica Jones.

Bishop Howe was ordained deacon in 1967, priest in 1968 and became Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Central Florida on April 15, 1989. The Chief Consecrator was the Rt. Rev. Edmond L. Browning, Presiding Bishop (#630), and co-consecrators were the Rt. Rev. William C. Frey, Bishop of Colorado (#627), the Rt. Rev. Alden M. Hathaway, Bishop of Pittsburgh (#761), and the Rt. Rev. Adrian D. Caceres, Bishop of Eduador (#657).

Bishop Howe earned a B.A. in philosophy, University of Connecticut, in 1964 and M. Divinity, Yale Divinity School, 1967. He was awarded Doctor of Divinity degrees from Yale in October 1989, from University of the South, Sewanee, in 1990 and from Nashotah House in 1991.

He was President of the University of Connecticut Christian Fellowship from 1962 to 1964. He was a staff member of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship 1964-69; Chaplain, The Loomis School, Windsor, Connecticut, 1967-1969; and Chaplain, Miss Porter’s School, Farmington, Connecticut, 1969-72. He became Associate Rector, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Sewickley, PA, serving from 1972 to 1976; then Rector of Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Virginia from 1976-1989. During that time, Truro, located about 15 miles west of Washington, D.C., grew in size to more than 3,000 members with an operating budget of over $3 million, half of which was spent on Missions and Outreach.

Bishop Howe has conducted preaching and teaching missions throughout the United States and in some three dozen other countries around the world. He was founding member of S.O.M.A. (Sharing of Ministries Abroad), an Anglican ministry seeking to bring renewal to indigenous churches. He was also one of the founders of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, in Ambridge, Pennsylvania.

His publications include three books and numerous magazine articles. He was editor of Kerygma magazine, now called Mission and Ministry.

He co-authored the 1988 Resolution on Abortion and the Sanctity of Human Life adopted by the 69 General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Detroit. He is former President and Chairman of the Board of the National Organization of Episcopalians for Life (NOEL) and he is a former president of the Fellowship of Witness.