The Rt. Rev. Ann Ritonia was ordained and consecrated bishop suffragan for armed forces and federal ministries on Sept. 30 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, she is the first woman ordained to this position in the ministry’s nearly 60-year history.
“God has been preparing [Ritonia] for just this kind of holy work — holy work rounded above all else in her baptism where she was claimed his Christ home forever,”
The Rev. Stephen Hagerty, senior associate rector for discipleship at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Ellicott City, Maryland, and a friend of Ritonia’s, said during the sermon.
“Thank God Rev. Anne has experienced The Episcopal Church as a blessing as how God led her to follow Jesus more closely, always with the spirit’s help. How God has granted her an exuberant curiosity about just where and when Jesus chooses to show up.”
More than 200 people attended the service, including 20 bishops, as well as diocesan and ecumenical leaders, clergy and liturgical ministers. Dozens of military chaplains also attended in uniform with stoles.
The service was livestreamed through St. John’s YouTube channel and shared on The Episcopal Church’s social media pages
The Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, bishop for the Office of Pastoral Development, served as chief consecrator. Joining Ousley as co-consecrators were the Rio Grande Bishop Michael Hunn; Washington Bishop Marian Edgar Budde; former Maine Bishop Chilton Knudsen; Maryland Bishop Eugene Sutton; Michigan Bishop Bonnie Perry; and the Rev. William Gohl Jr., bishop of the Delaware-Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Ritonia succeeds the Rt. Rev. Carl Wright, who resigned in 2022, citing health reasons. Prior to becoming bishop suffragan, Ritonia served as rector at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Ellicott City, Maryland.
The bishop suffragan for armed forces and federal ministries is a member of the presiding bishop’s staff and is elected by the House of Bishops. In this role, Ritonia is responsible for recruiting, endorsing and supporting more than 100 chaplains in the military, veterans’ hospitals and federal prisons.
“Our chaplains are trusted noncombatants who care for the spiritual nurture of all, regardless of their religious affiliation, gender identity, or sexual orientation,” Ritonia said.
“These servant leaders bring light, compassion and mercy into very challenging environments, including our veteran hospitals and federal prisons. They help those they serve see the face of God in others, which brings humanity and God’s love into desperate and sometimes violent situations. All our chaplains are on the front lines of the Jesus Movement.”
