FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Liverpool, NY–August 6, 2016
CENTRAL NEW YORK CHURCH ELECTS THE VERY REVEREND DR. DEDE DUNCAN-PROBE AS BISHOP
Episcopalians and Episcopal clergy representing the entire Central New York church elected the Very Reverend Dr. DeDe Duncan-Probe as the eleventh Bishop of the Diocese in a special convention held August 6, 2016. Pending a churchwide confirmation process, she is expected to be consecrated as bishop on December 3, 2016.
Following a yearlong nationwide search process, Duncan-Probe was elected from a slate of five candidates by delegates representing 73 congregations and thousands of Episcopalians from communities across Central New York, including Syracuse, the greater Finger Lakes region, Utica, Binghamton, Watertown and Ithaca.
“My heart is filled with joyful gratitude for God’s mercy and grace, and I am humbled to accept the call to serve as your 11th Bishop,” Duncan-Probe said in a statement read to the Convention. “I have been inspired, encouraged and emboldened by the faithful ministry of the Episcopal Church in Central New York and by these churches’ sincere dedication to living the gospel of Jesus Christ in service to others. The honor of joining the Diocese of Central New York in ministry is a profound moment, and I am especially mindful of the people God has called us to serve.”
Duncan-Probe has served as the rector of St. Peter’s in the Woods Episcopal Church in Fairfax Station, Virginia since 2009, guiding the parish through significant growth and revitalization. Previously, she has served Episcopal parishes in Stoneham, Massachusetts, McLean, Virginia, and Vienna, Virginia. Before her ordination to the priesthood in 2004, Duncan-Probe served as a church youth director and as an educator and co-founded an engineering consulting firm with her husband. In addition to a number of leadership positions in her current home diocese, The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, she also serves on the Board of Regents of The Goodwin House, a nonprofit care organization for aging adults, and is an adjunct professor at The Virginia Theological Seminary.
Duncan-Probe holds a B.S. in education from Stephen F. Austin State University, an M.A. in Psychology from Pepperdine University, a Master of Divinity from The General Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Theology from The Foundation House/ Oxford University.
She and her husband, Chris Probe, have three children, Chasen, Ryan and Grace.
Duncan-Probe will succeed The Right Reverend Gladstone B. “Skip” Adams III, who served the Diocese of Central New York for more than 15 years.
# # #
Established in 1868, The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York is made up of faithful Christians worshipping in 87 Episcopal congregations and chapels, including one college chaplaincy. The diocese is part of The Episcopal Church in the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese extends to 14 counties in the center of New York State: Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Seneca, Tioga and Tompkins.
PRESS CONTACT: Meredith Kadet Sanderson, (315) 569-3767 (cell), mksanderson@cnyepiscopal.org.
