The College of Bishops
The Rt. Rev. Albert Chambers - from whom we trace our Apostolic Sucession
(L-R) Bp. Michael, Bp. McNeley, Bp. King, Bp. Kinner, Bp. Kleppinger, Bp. Seeland (seated)
The Diocese of the Resurrection
The Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Kleppinger - Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese and Acting Metropolitan
Ordained Deacon and Priest in 1970 and Consecrated Bishop in 1974. Subsequently received Baptism through Consecration Sub-Conditionae in the Chambers' Succession, being perhaps the only person to make this claim. Present at the Congress at St. Louis while serving as Bishop Coadjutor of The Anglican Episcopal Church of North America, which later entered into union with The Anglican Catholic Church. The second Rector of The Church of the Ascension, moving the parish into their location in the historic Old Stone Church in Centreville, VA, which was organized on Ascension Day, 1968. Second Rector of The Church of the Incarnation, Quakertown, PA, since 1988 and the first Bishop Coadjutor and the second Bishop Ordinary of The Diocese of the Resurrection. Senior Bishop Ordinary in The Anglican Catholic Church by virtue of date of Consecration and Acting Metropolitan of The Holy Catholic Church, Anglican Rite. Married to Matushka Erminia. Served four years in the U.S. Navy as a Radarman attaining the rate of Petty Officer Second Class. Studied at The Reformed Episcopal Seminary in Philadelphia, PA, and The Evangelical Seminary in Myerstown, PA. B.D. from Berean Christian College and Seminary, Wichita, KS. Honorary D.D. from Geneva Theological College.
The Diocese of the Holy Trinity and Great Plains
The Rt. Rev. J. Leo Michael - Bishop Ordinary
The Right Reverend Leo Joseph Michael, a native of India, left his home at age 14 to join the Salesians of Don Bosco Minor Seminary, a religious order dedicated to youth ministry. After five years of minor seminary and a year of novitiate formation in Nashik, Maharashtra, India he became an official member of the Salesians of Don Bosco. He earned his bachelors in philosophy in Darjeeling. His work and experience included serving in orphanages, schools, parochial settings, and social service settings among the poverty-stricken from the hills of Darjeeling to villages of rural Tamil Nadu. After Michael had completed his years of practical training he entered his Theology formation at Kristu Jyoti (Christ the Light) College, Bangalore, which is affiliated with the Pontifical Salesian University of Rome. After eleven years of formation, he was ordained in 1992. The next eight years, along with his regular pastoral duties he served as youth director, counselor, teacher, principal and dean of Don Bosco Schools in various locales of South India, while earning his Master’s Degrees in English Literature, Education, and Counseling Psychology. Michael came to the United States in August 2000 to serve the Arkansas Diocese of Little Rock in three locations; priest chaplain at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rogers, associate pastor at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Rogers and pastor of St. John’s Catholic Church in Huntsville. Then on December 12, 2001, driving toward his Huntsville parish, he was involved in an auto accident that injured him, totaled his car and became the catalyst in severing his priestly ministry in the Roman Catholic Church. The newly appointed bishop in the Diocese of Little Rock dismissed him from his pastoral duties. Leaving in excellent standing with the church, Michael left for India. Michael returned to the US and accepted a position as Rector of St. Gabriel’s Anglican Church in Springdale, Arkansas in April 2003. He was appointed as Archdeacon of the United Episcopal Church in April 2005 and then in April 2006 he was consecrated Suffragan Bishop. November 2007, Michael was licensed to serve in the Holy Catholic Church-Anglican Rite assisting Bishop James McNeley in the Diocese of the Holy Trinity-Great Plains. In 2008, Michael became Bishop Elect and succeeded Bp. McNeley upon Michael’s Enthronement on June 12, 2008. He is a US Citizen, married to Holly Michael and resides in Springdale, Arkansas.
The Rt. Rev. James R. McNeley - Bishop Emeritus
The Rt. Rev. James R. McNeley was born on December 30, 1931 in Fort Scott, Kansas. He was Confirmed in St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on April 9, 1944 and served in the United States Navy from 1952 to 1956. He married Madelyn on December 26, 1953 and they have two daughters: Gina Karleskint of Fort Scott, Kansas, and Mary Katherine McNeley of Grant’s Pass, Oregon. They also have six grandchildren and one great grandchild. Bp. McNeley was Ordained to the Diaconate August 12, 1980 by The Rt. Rev. James O. Mote and Ordained to the Priesthood on July 16, 1981 by The Rt. Rev. Louis W. Falk. He served as Deacon and Priest at St. Francis Anglican Church in Fort Scott, Kansas from 1980 to 1984 and served as Archdeacon for 8 years under Archbishop Falk. McNeley served as Rector at St. James Anglican Church in Kansas City, Missouri from 1985 to 2003. He was Consecrated Bishop on January 25, 1992 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Retired as Bishop Ordinary in 2008.
The Rt. Rev. Kenneth Kinner - The Missionary Jurisdiction of American Indian People
Bp. Kinner was consecrated in Holy Family Church, Casper, Wyoming, June 3, 2004. Married to Priscilla S.Kinner, four married sons, Mark, Paul, Stephen & Christopher, twelve grandchildren. Served in U.S. Navy as an Aerographers Mate, BA. Trinity College Hartford, CT and MST Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. Deacon by Bishop Walter H. Gray and priest by Bishop Robert Hatch. Served Episcopal Churches in Connecticut. Dean of the Episcopal Churches of Greater Bridgeport, CT. Founded inner city Youth Center in East Bridgeport. Worked part-time on American Indian Reservations in South Dakota and Wyomng. Joined the Anglican Catholic Church in 1980, founded four congregatons in Wyoming, including the Church of the Morning Star, Wind River Indian Reservation.
The Diocese of Pacific and Southwest
The Rt. Rev. Henry King - Bishop Ordinary
The Rt. Rev. Arthur David Seeland - Bishop Emeritus
The Rt. Rev. Arthur David Seeland
The Rt. Rev. Anthony Frank Rasch - Bishop Coadjutor
The Right Reverend Anthony Frank Rasch was born August 18, 1939 in Los Angeles, California. Bishop Rasch is celibate and an Oblate of the Order of Saint Benedict. He was baptized and Confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church and did his undergraduate study at California State University, Los Angeles. At age nineteen he left the Roman Church and became an Episcopalian.
He experienced a Call to the Episcopal priesthood in 1961 and did his first two years of theological training in England during 1963-1964 at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, Yorkshire (a theological college operated by the monastic Community of the Resurrection). He did his third and final year of preparation in 1965 at the General Theological Seminary, New York City.
He was ordained deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles on September 10, 1966 and a priest in the same diocese on March 11, 1967. He served first as Curate then as Associate Rector at St. Luke’s of the Mountains parish in La Crescenta, California. Beginning in March of 1969 he relocated to Orange County to first serve as Vicar and then as Rector of the Episcopal Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Placentia, California.
Following the unfortunate General Convention of 1976, Father Rasch made his decision to leave the Episcopal Church. He attended the Congress of St. Louis where he swore his allegiance to Bishop Albert Chambers and was one of the first nine priests to formally leave the Episcopal Church, officially tendering his resignation from the parish, the diocese and the national Church in December of 1977.
In March of 1978 he founded the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Orange, California, then within the Diocese of the Holy Trinity of the Anglican Catholic Church. Nine years later he resigned and moved to Los Angeles, and began assisting at two parishes of the Province of Christ the King, with the knowledge and consent of Bishop Mote of the Holy Trinity Diocese and Bishop Robert Morse of the Province of Christ the King. (After twenty years, he still provides an early morning Sunday Mass alternately for the two parishes).
In January of 1989 he accepted the Call to serve as Rector of Saint Mary the Virgin Church in Chatsworth, California. He subsequently moved his residence to Van Nuys, California. During his tenure at Saint Mary the Virgin, Bishop Arthur David Seeland named him Dean of the Deanery of Los Angeles, of the Diocese of the Pacific and Southwest.
On March 11, 2006 he celebrated his fortieth anniversary in the Priesthood.
In March of 2008, Bishop Seeland asked Father Rasch if he would allow his name to be placed before the College of Bishops for consideration as Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese. At a meeting in Wichita, Kansas, on June 10, 2008, Bishop Henry Joseph King was elected by the College to succeed Bishop Arthur David Seeland (retiring for reasons of health) as Diocesan and Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of the Pacific and Southwest and Father Rasch was elected as Bishop Coadjutor on the same day.
At a joint ceremony on Saturday, September 20, 2008, in Riverside, California, Archbishop Thomas Kleppinger enthroned Bishop Henry Joseph King as Diocesan and Ordinary of the Diocese of the Pacific and Southwest, and the Archbishop together with Bishop Leo Michael and Bishop Henry Joseph King (and a gracious Letter of Consent to Consecration, by Bishop Seeland) consecrated Bishop Anthony Frank Rasch as the first-ever Bishop Coadjutor of the diocese. The new bishop will continue to serve Saint Mary the Virgin Parish, Chatsworth.
