John Lipscomb

John Bailey Lipscomb (born July 25, 1950)[1] is a former Episcopal bishop who later became a Roman Catholic priest.

Lipscomb's father was a Baptist pastor and Lipscomb grew up in the Baptist tradition.[2][3] In 1997, Lipscomb succeeded as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida where he oversaw around 37,000 Episcopalians.[4] He retired in 2007 after months of medical leave relating to malaria and Parkinson's disease.[5] After his retirement, he joined the Roman Catholic Church and was ordained as a priest in that church in 2009.[6]

As of 2012, Lipscomb was spiritual director of the Bethany retreat center in the Diocese of St. Petersburg.[2]

  1. ^ Episcopal Clerical Directory 2005 (Revised Edition) (2006). New York: Church Publishing Inc. ISBN 978-0-89869-534-2, p. 546.
  2. ^ a b Saunders, Katharine (2012-07-16). "How I met your Father: Married Episcopalians becoming Catholic priests". Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  3. ^ "Fr. John Lipscomb - Former Episcopalian Bishop". The Coming Home Network. October 10, 2018. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  4. ^ Schjonberg, Mary Frances (May 17, 2007). "SOUTHWEST FLORIDA: Bishop Lipscomb announces retirement plans". Episcopal News Service. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  5. ^ Staff Report (May 18, 2007). "Bishop Lipscomb to leave post". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  6. ^ John Barry (December 9, 2009). "Former Episcopal bishop Lipscomb now a Catholic priest". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016.