The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe was elected the provisional bishop of Bethlehem for three years on March 1 at a special convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem. The Diocese of Bethlehem's previous bishop, the Rt. Rev. Paul V. Marshall, retired on December 31 after a terminal sabbatical.

The new bishop, his wife Carly and their one-year-old daughter Lauren will have a home in both suburban Erie and in Bethlehem. He is known for developing transformational leadership and is a Ph.D. candidate in organizational learning and leadership at Gannon University. He is a 2000 graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary and a 1997 graduate of Grove City College. He serves as parliamentarian for the House of Bishops, chair of the Episcopal Church Building Fund, and member of the General Board of Examining Chaplains, the Task Force for Reimagining the Episcopal Church and the Council of Advice to the President of the House of Deputies.

The Northwestern Diocese, of which he is surrently the bishop, comprises 14 counties in northeastern Pennsylvania and includes the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Hazleton, Reading, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.

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