Mathes elected fourth bishop of San Diego

The fourth Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of San Diego will be the Rev. Canon James Mathes from the Diocese of Chicago. During the nominating process he said he wanted to, "Do the ministry of the church to all the people of God." He also expressed the hope that the people of the diocese would "talk with each other and not at each other."

Mathes was elected by a narrow margin from among 7 candidates on the third ballot. From the first ballot it was clear that there were two main candidates: The Rt. Rev. Anthony Burton of Saskatchewan and Mathes. His election will be finalized when a majority of the Standing Committees and bishops of the other dioceses in the United States give their consent.
After the election, Bishop Hughes phoned Mathes at his home. As Bishop Hughes held his cell phone to the microphone, Mathes said, "With humility, expectation and joy I accept your call to be the Bishop of San Diego. I thank the other nominees, candidates, and their spouses who blessed me and taught me much through their participation in the discernment process. I especially thank the people of the Diocese of San Diego for their confidence in me. I pray that together we can build a team for mission that will transform us and the communities that make up the diocese. As Terri, Lee, Sara, and I prepare to make the journey west, we ask for your prayers and assure you of mine."

Mathes currently serves as Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of Chicago. As such, he directs deployment, congregational development and the administration of Chicago's 130 congregations. He guided a strategic planning process that resulted in a $1.6 million grant from the Lily Foundation for a clergy-mentoring program. He was raised in Texas and holds degrees from the University of the South and Virginia Theological Seminary. He was ordained in 1991.
Bishop-elect Mathes will move from Chicago to San Diego after Christmas. He will be ordained and consecrated as Bishop of San Diego on March 5 at the Town and Country Convention Center. There will be a gala dinner on March 4 to celebrate his new ministry. Bishop Hughes will be on sabbatical between now and the end of February. Bishop Hughes will officially retire on March 5.

At the end of the Electing Convention, the Rev. Tom Phillips, rector of St. Paul's, Yuma and chair of the Nominating Committee said, "Jim Mathes is a hard working and capable bishop-elect. My concern is that he was elected by 51%. But then, the nominating committee was like that too." Chuck Howe, chair of the Standing Committee, commented, "The whole process went well and very smoothly. It was guided by the Holy Spirit, as was the election. I am delighted by our new bishop and have great hope for the future." Finally, Bishop Hughes noted, "I'm glad we are done. My prayers are with Canon Mathes and I hope he can be the bishop for the whole diocese."

Nearly 400 people attended the special electing convention on November 13. There were 107 voting clergy and 174 voting lay persons. The Convention started with a Eucharist. Between ballots, Bishop Hughes led the singing of hymns and made some announcements. He asked for prayers for the Rev. Bob Blessing, who will soon be deployed as a chaplain in Iraq. The Rev. Sean Cox gave an update on the progress towards a new church building at St. Thomas, Temecula. Cox also noted that the Diocesan Convention would take place on January 29 and that a special farewell to Bishop Hughes was planned for the end of that day.

The Electing Convention closed with Bishop Hughes thanking the staff at St. Paul's Cathedral, the Nominating and Transition Committees, members of his staff and convention officials.