#USA #NC – On May 23, 2026, the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina ordained and consecrated Sarah K. Fisher as its ninth bishop at the Riverfront Convention Center. Fisher, who is openly lesbian and married to the Mandy Brady, became the first woman in a same-sex relationship to lead an Episcopal diocese in the southern United States.
Fisher, 54, previously served as rector of St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church in Marietta, Georgia. Delegates elected her on November 15, 2025, during the diocese’s convention in Goldsboro. She received the required consents from standing committees and bishops across the Episcopal Church in January 2026, clearing the way for her consecration.
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe served as chief consecrator during the service. He was joined by several other bishops, including former Atlanta Bishop Neil Alexander, former Chicago Bishop Jeffrey Lee, Michigan Bishop Bonnie Perry, outgoing East Carolina Bishop Rob Skirving, and Atlanta Bishop Robert Wright, who preached. Bishop Emily Hartner of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America also participated.
The milestone drew national attention as a continuation of the Episcopal Church’s long-standing embrace of LGBTQ+ inclusion in leadership. While the denomination had previously ordained openly gay bishops, Fisher’s installation marked a first for a Southern diocese. A church spokesperson confirmed to reporters that, to their knowledge, no prior openly lesbian bishop had led a diocese in the region.
In her earlier statements, Fisher emphasized themes of unity and service. She noted that her former congregation had not been unanimous on politics or even minor matters like coffee preferences, but remained united in their desire to serve Christ.
The event sparked reactions across Christian communities. Traditionalist voices, particularly within Catholic circles, expressed concern over the appointment, viewing it as emblematic of deeper theological divides between Anglican traditions and historic Christian teachings on ordination and sexuality. Earlier this year, the Anglican Church of England installed its first female Archbishop of Canterbury, who met with Pope Leo last month, although she is in a heterosexual relationship with her husband.
Fisher succeeds Bishop Rob Skirving and will oversee a diocese that includes 67 parishes and two college campus ministries, serving areas with military bases and a significant Latino population.
The installation highlighted ongoing shifts within mainline Protestant denominations on questions of human sexuality and church leadership, even as it underscored persistent differences with more conservative branches of Christianity, including the Roman Catholic Church, which maintains its traditional positions against women’s ordination and same-sex relationships in the clergy.
Image: Episcopal Church bishop Sarah K. Fisher at her instalment celebration.
