This week in Christian history: Edmond Browning born, battle of Jarnac, St. Matilda dies

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, March 10, 2024

Edmond Lee Browning born – March 11, 1929

Edmond Lee Browning (1929-2016), a former presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church. | Wikimedia Commons/NickGeorge1993

This week marks the anniversary of when Edmond Lee Browning, a former presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church known for ordaining the first female bishop in the denomination, was born in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Browning was elected head of The Episcopal Church in 1986, and, in 1989, oversaw the consecration of the Rev. Barbara C. Harris as the first woman to be ordained bishop in the Anglican Communion.

Browning also championed assorted progressive causes, such as HIV/AIDS awareness, greater support for LGBT inclusion within churches, anti-racism efforts, and opposition to the First Gulf War under President George H.W. Bush.

“Someone asked me how I want to be remembered,” Browning said in his address to the General Convention shortly before his 1997 retirement, as quoted by Episcopal News Service. “I hope I am remembered not just for what I professed, but because I worked for a church where there is respect and room for everyone.”