Bishops of Maine
The Right Reverend Chilton Knudsen
The eighth Bishop of Maine, Chilton Knudsen, was elected at Diocesan Convention in November 1997 and consecrated at the Cathedral of St. Luke, Portland, on March 28, 1998. She served as Bishop of Maine until 2008. She was the 11th woman to be elected bishop in the Anglican Communion.
From the start, Bishop Knudsen expressed her commitment to a shared episcopate and empowered many diocesan groups and all baptized persons to take responsibility for the work of the diocese among the 65 congregations across the state. During her tenure, she led the diocese through many significant mission milestones including: the development of a formation program for deacons, the growth of a partnership with the Diocese of Haiti, and the launch of a $3m Capital Campaign that exceeded its goal. Under her leadership, young vocations to ordained ministry grew and Maine’s 18 summer chapels were drawn into diocesan life to a greater extent.
Following her service as Bishop Diocesan of Maine, Bishop Knudsen served as a missionary in Haiti, a faculty member in Women’s Leadership Development for Sarum College in Salisbury, England, as Assistant Bishop in several dioceses (San Diego, Lexington KY, New York, Long Island, Maryland), and as Assisting Bishop for the Dioceses of Washington and then Chicago.
Bishop Knudsen has a church-wide ministry of coaching and consulting. She is often called in when dioceses encounter challenges in their organizational life. She also coaches and consults with women—and some men—who are in episcopal search processes. She is the co-author of two books: So You Think You Don’t Know One: Addiction in Clergy and Congregations, Church Publishing/Morehouse 2010 and Depending on the Grace of God: A Christian Journey With the Twelve Steps, Forward Movement Publishing 2012. Bishop Chilton has also authored numerous chapters, articles, and educational documents.
In 2006 Bishop Knudsen was inducted into the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame.
Chilton Abbie Richardson Knudsen, Eighth Bishop of Maine Portrait Photograph
