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The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane, D.D. was consecrated the Eighth Bishop of Washington on June 1, 2002.
Bishop Chane serves a diverse diocese of 91 congregations, 21 church related schools, and 45,000 members in the District of Columbia and the Counties of Prince George's, Montgomery, Charles and Saint Mary's in the State of Maryland. The Diocese of Washington is one of the most diverse in the Episcopal Church with five Spanish speaking, one Igbo speaking Nigerian, and four historic African American parishes. Several congregations have memberships representing over 20 different countries from around the Anglican Communion.
Bishop Chane is the President and CEO of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation which oversees the operations of Washington National Cathedral and the three cathedral schools of Saint Alban's, National Cathedral School for Girls and Beauvoir School.
He was named by Washingtonian Magazine as one of the 150 most influential leaders in the District of Columbia and was recognized by the London Telegraph as one of the 50 most prominent leaders in the world wide Anglican Communion. As a graduate of Boston University and the Berkeley Center at Yale Divinity School he has received honorary doctorates from Virginia Theological Seminary, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge.
As a leader in inter-faith dialogue and study he has traveled to Iran on numerous occasions as an invited guest of former President Khatami, speaking to, and studying with numerous religious leaders at seminaries and universities in the cities of Tehran and Qom. He has been a participant and presenter at three conferences held in Oslo, Norway and Tehran, Iran sponsored by the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights, The Club de Madrid and Le Dialogue des Civilizations. Areas of focus have been; "Religion, Politics and Terrorism," "Religion and Politics," and "Gender Equality." He has been an invited guest of the Brookings Institution, Washington D.C. to participate in the annual "U.S. Islamic World Forum," held in Doha, Qatar, and participated in the work of the Council of Foreign Relations in New York City, focusing on "Religion and Terrorism." Bishop Chane has been a speaker on the role of Islam in the geopolitical scene at the National Defense University in Washington and the U.S. State Department's "Secretary's Open Forum." As a respected speaker and preacher, he has been invited on several occasions by the Chautauqua Institution of New York to be their weekly "Preacher-In- Residence."
Globally Bishop Chane has initiated a partnership with the Anglican Province of Southern Africa and the Diocese of Washington, engaged in HIV/AIDS prevention in the country of South Africa, human rights advocacy in the Kingdom of Swaziland, and Malaria control and prevention in Mozambique. Under his leadership the Diocese of Washington recently formed a companion relationship with the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem, a diocese that has jurisdiction in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and Palestine.
Since his arrival in Washington he has participated as a contributor to the Washington Post's "On Faith" series and has appeared on ABC Television's "Good Morning America," National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," International Public Radio's "Inter-faith Voices," the BBC's Radio and Television Network, CNN, Fox News, CBS and NBC television news. He has appeared on CSPAN focusing on Christian/Islamic relations and was featured in a three part PBS Television series entitled "Three Faiths, One God." He is a recipient of the "Inter-Faith Bridge Builders Award" presented by the Inter-Faith Council of Washington and was recognized by The George Washington University for his inter-faith work by being awarded the prestigious President's Medal.
In 2007, Bishop Chane traveled to Cuba to meet with the bishops of that country to discuss the humanitarian concerns of the church as a result of the continuing sanctions against that country by the United States Government. He continues his work on similar issues as a member of The Episcopal Church's Committee on National and International Concerns, and is a prolific writer and speaker, focusing on issues of faith, politics and religion.
He is the co-founder of the Episcopal Church's "Bishops Working for a Just World" that seeks solutions to domestic and global poverty, universal health care and the environmental crisis. Bishop Chane passionately continues to search for ways in which religion and international diplomacy can partner to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, especially focusing on the Middle East.
Prior to his election as Bishop of Washington he served as Dean of Saint Paul's Cathedral, San Diego, California. Before his ministry in San Diego he served parishes in New Jersey and Massachusetts and was Canon Pastor of Saint Paul's Cathedral, Erie, Pennsylvania. From 2003-2005, he served in the dual role of Bishop of Washington and Interim Dean of Washington National Cathedral.
Currently he continues to address local District of Columbia issues surrounding low cost housing, advocacy for the homeless, the aged, those discriminated against because of sexual orientation, and those who suffer from anti-immigration legislation. He is a passionate supporter of the development of the Bishop John T. Walker School for African American Boys, located in one of the most underserved neighborhoods in the District of Columbia.
Bishop Chane was married in 1967 to Karen Mae Albright. He and Karen have been blessed with two sons and three grandchildren. As a former prep school and college football and ice hockey player, the bishop continues to have a love of sport. For several years while a priest in Massachusetts, he was the owner and driver of open wheel sprint cars/modified midgets until a serious racing accident abruptly ended his participation in automotive sports. He now engages in the more pastoral sport of fly fishing.
During the1960's and prior to his ordination as a priest in the Episcopal Church, the bishop toured as a professional drummer in the United States and Canada with several well known rock and roll bands. He continues to play annual charity events around the country with some of his old band mates in a group named after him, "The Chane Gang." In 2005 they recorded a CD entitled "A Bishop, His Band and the Blues," with all proceeds from sales going to the bishop's favorite charities.
Last updated: December 9, 2008
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