Rev Jeffery William Rowthorn

04/09/1934 - 07/23/2025

Salem - The Rt. Rev. Jeffery William Rowthorn, a Welsh-born Bishop in the Episcopal Church, liturgical scholar, and author of widely sung hymns, died July 23, 2025, in Bloomfield. He was 91.

Bishop Rowthorn served as suffragan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut from 1987 to 1994, and subsequently as Bishop in Charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe until his retirement in 2001. A theologian, educator and ecumenist, he is known for his contributions to liturgy and church music, including the popular hymn "Lord, You Give the Great Commission."

Born April 9, 1934, in Newport, Wales, Rowthorn served in the Royal Navy before studying modern languages at Christ's College, Cambridge. He earned a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York in 1961, and returned to England for ordination in the Church of England in 1962. He ministered in parishes in the dioceses of Southwark and Oxford and taught at Cuddesdon College.

Rowthorn met Ann Long Wheeler in San Francisco, and they were married in Salem, Mass. in 1963. They were married for 60 years until her death in 2023. The Rowthorns co-authored a book of prayers for the environment, "God's Good Earth: Praise and Prayer for Creation," which was published in 2018. In the U.S., Rowthorn joined the faculty of Union Theological Seminary, later moving to Yale University and Berkeley Divinity School, where he was the first to hold the Bishop Goddard Chair in Pastoral Theology. He also helped establish Yale Divinity School's Institute of Sacred Music and was a founding member of the North American Academy of Liturgy. Elected bishop in 1987, Rowthorn oversaw the eastern half of Connecticut as suffragan bishop. In 1994, he became Bishop in Charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe. He is remembered by colleagues and parishioners for his intellect, wit, pastoral presence and deep faith.

He is survived by his three children, Virginia, Christian and Perry; their spouses, Michael, Hiroe and Hayley; his brother Robert; and his grandchildren: Anna, Nathaniel, Kieran, Hannah, Jackson, Beckett and Juliette.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, at Christ Church Cathedral, 45 Church Street, Hartford. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Salem Land Trust, P.O. Box 2133, Salem, CT 06420 or by visiting, www.salemlandtrust.org.