The Rt. Rev. Robert Lionne DeWitt, bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, 1964-1974, died November 21 in Saratoga Springs, New York. A requiem Eucharist will be celebrated at the diocese's Philadelphia Cathedral at 10 a.m., November 29. The Rt. Rev. Charles E. Bennison, Jr. will be the celebrant; the Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris will preach.
At age 48, DeWitt was the youngest bishop the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania ever elected. A quiet and low-key New Englander, he surprised many with his relentless battle for women's rights, racial equality and anti-Vietnam War stance. At Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia in 1974, he was one of several bishops who first ordained 11 women as priests.
As Andrew Wallace wrote in The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine: [DeWitt] delighted in getting the church, himself and his pastors involved....[He] endorsed the activities of those acting out of conscience rather than rules; he believed that ministering to the poor, the oppressed, the young and black is more important than trying to preserve the comfort of those already in the pews."
After the women were ordained, the Episcopal Church grappled with whether the ordinations were valid, finally deciding they were "valid but irregular" at the church's 1976 national convention. At the 1999 celebration commemorating the event, DeWitt said: "It is ironic that what happened 25 years ago here at the Advocate was for a time seen more as an issue of three misbehaving bishops than as a breakthrough created by 11 pioneering women. Make no mistake, the event was a creative action of, by and for women. The bishops were only accessories."
When he assumed office as bishop, race riots were erupting in Chester, Pennsylvania. He supported the efforts of racial justice there, even taking a midnight ride to Harrisburg to ask the governor to intervene. A year later, he became a significant force in supporting those attempting to break the will of Girard College's founder, a document that excluded blacks from attending the school. He also encouraged the Rev. Paul
Washington, rector of the mostly black, inner-city Church of the Advocate, to become involved in racial justice issues.
When the Black Economic Development Conference (BEDC) presented its Black Manifesto in 1969, demanding $500 million in reparations from churches throughout the country for black economic development, DeWitt urged parishes and clergy "to engage in a creative dialogue" with BEDC leaders. As a result, the diocese's 1969 annual convention created a Task Force for Reconciliation, and its 1970 special convention approved creating a Restitution Fund and a diocesan-wide education program. By 1976, the diocese had given $525,865 in black community development grants and educational grants to 400 black students.
Opposed to the Vietnam War, DeWitt brought onto his staff as urban missioner, the Rev. David Gracie, who was known to counsel young men about the draft and the option of draft resistance. According to Richard Schneider of the Diocese of Pennsylvania's History Committee, conservatives argued that churches "should preach the gospel and leave politics to the politicians," and disaffected Episcopalians formed such groups as the Voice of the Catacombs and the Episcopal Renaissance.
Looking for ways to bring the church and society closer together, DeWitt resigned as bishop in 1974 to become editor of The Witness magazine and president of the Episcopal Church Publishing company. He retired from those positions in 1981 and moved to Isle au Haut, Maine, an island in the outermost reaches of Penobscot Bay. He then wrote "EbbTide" about dealing with his wife's Alzheimer's condition and "Turning Pages," a series of short essays, songs and poems.
He was awarded honorary degrees from Episcopal Divinity School, Haverford College, LaSalle University, Lincoln University, Philadelphia Divinity School, Temple University and Virginia Theological Seminary, He
was awarded the Peace Award from the SANE organization in 1974 and the City of Philadelphia Human Rights award in 1973.
He was bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Michigan and rector and curate of churches in Michigan prior to coming to Pennsylvania.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara, of 65 years and their five children - Rebecca, Laurence, Kathrina, John and Robert - as well as 14 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the Bishop Robert L. DeWitt Memorial Scholarship Fund at The Episcopal Divinity School, 99 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.
