The Rt. Rev. Anne B. Jolly was ordained and consecrated Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Ohio on Saturday, April 29 at The Public Auditorium and Conference Center in Cleveland. Jolly will work alongside the Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., eleventh Bishop of the Diocese of Ohio, until his retirement later in 2023. Hollingsworth has led the diocese since April of 2004. Jolly will be the first woman to serve as Ohio’s diocesan bishop.

Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry was the chief consecrator. Joining Curry as co-consecrators were the Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr.; the Rt. Rev. Jeffrey D. Lee, Bishop of Chicago (resigned); the Rt. Rev. Paula E. Clark, Bishop of Chicago; the Rt. Rev. Chilton A. R. Knudsen, Bishop of Maine (resigned); the Rt. Rev. Douglas E. Sparks, Bishop of Northern Indiana; and the Rev. Dr. Laura H. Barbins, Bishop of the Northeast Ohio Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for the traditional laying-on of hands to consecrate the new bishop.

The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry preached the sermon.

Curry said, “Allow me to offer some reflection based on the fact that this is the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena. Let me offer a text that comes from Luke’s Gospel that I think fits with her emphasis on the fire of love. This text comes from the parable of the Good Samaritan. And at the beginning of the parable, in Luke Chapter 10 verse 25, the text, and I quote, ‘A lawyer stood up to Jesus to test him. “Teacher, Rabbi, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”’ What must I do to inherit eternal life? And down the corridor of centuries, I suspect blessed Catherine of Siena answered the lawyer when she said, and I quote, ‘Be who God made you to be and you will set the world on fire.’ Come on Ohio, light our fire. And we need that fire of love unselfish, sacrificial, that seeks the good and well-being of others as well as the self, we need that fire of love that Catherine spoke of, Lord knows we need it now.”

31 bishops were in attendance. The service included a festive procession of diocesan and ecumenical leaders, clergy, and liturgical ministers, and brought together 130 choir participants from 23 parishes across the diocese. More than 1000 people were in attendance.

After her consecration, Bishop Jolly said, “When the world is as divided, scared, and hurting as ours is today, we know that the deep, reconciling love of Christ is a balm for wounded souls. It is the gift of the church to share this love through loving our neighbor, learning our neighbor’s story, and caring for each other. The Diocese of Ohio boldly proclaims: ‘Love God. Love your neighbor. Change the world.’® and ‘God loves you. No exceptions.’® We know this love does change the world! We are going to have fun serving and working together to share this love in Ohio and beyond.”

The full service is available to view here.