Mary Lee Talbot
Staff Writer
“I am following the theme for the Chautauqua week on women as instigators,” said the Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. “Women are underrepresented in Scripture, but they often show up at pivotal moments. They have one-liners that leap off the page and become significant to us.”
Budde will preach at the 10:45 a.m. Sunday Ecumenical Worship Service in the Amphitheater. The title of her sermon is “For Such a Time as This.” She will preach at the 9:15 a.m. Monday–Wednesday Ecumenical Worship service in the Amphitheater. Her sermon titles include, “Where You Go I Will Go,” “Even the Dogs eat the Crumbs from the Master’s Table,” and “Lord, Tell My Sister to Help Me.”
At 9:15 a.m. Thursday in the Hall of Philosophy, Budde will talk about her spiritual journey. At 9:15 a.m. Friday in the Hall of Philosophy, there will be an Ecumenical Communion Service led by members of the Department of Religion and denominational
house chaplains.
Budde served as chaplain for Week One at Chautauqua in 2022. “I feel gifted to be invited back with my family to a house that can include children and grandchildren. I can share something with them that is life-giving and to share meals with those I love. I am working here, but it is uplifting and life-affirming.”
Budde was consecrated as the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington in 2011. Prior to her election, she served for 18 years as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In her role as bishop, she serves as spiritual leader for the congregations and Episcopal schools in Washington, D.C., and four Maryland counties that comprise the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. The first woman elected to this position, she also serves as the chair and president of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, which oversees the ministries of the Washington National Cathedral and Cathedral schools.
Budde is committed to the spiritual vitality and public witness of the congregations in her care. She is proud to serve a diocese committed to justice and mercy. She cherishes her friendship with interfaith leaders in the Washington Metro Area and their joint endeavors in service to the common good.
In looking to the future of the Episcopal Church and other denominations, she noted that young clergy have a horizon that goes beyond them; they need mentoring and support to spread their wings. “I have been ordained for 40 years. We in the mainline churches need to adapt to them, to engage with them and listen carefully to what they need — we need to give them opportunities to learn and grow.”
Her sermons have been published in several books and journals. Budde is the author of three books, including the New York Times bestseller How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith, which has been adapted as a young adult book, We Can Be Brave: How We Learn to Be Brave in Life’s Decisive Moments. A picture book for young children, I Can Learn to Be Brave, is forthcoming in July 2026. She also published Receiving Jesus: The Way of Love, describing spiritual practices to live the way of love.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at the University of Rochester, graduating magna cum laude. She earned both a Master in Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Virginia Theological Seminary.
This program is made possible by Week One Presenting Sponsor Erie Insurance and by the Gladys R. Brasted and Adair Brasted Gould Memorial Chaplaincy.
