The Episcopal Church in Colorado has elected the first African-American female bishop in its history.
The Reverend Kimberly "Kym" Lucas was chosen as the eleventh bishop of Colorado's Episcopal diocese over the weekend.
“It’s an amazing honor,” Lucas told The Denver Post. “It’s a groundbreaking thing, and I’m very excited to be a part of it.”
Lucas was one of two candidates, both women. She received the overwhelming majority of clergy and lay people's votes.
The national Episcopal church began ordaining women in 1976. Pauli Murray was ordained as the first African-American female priest in 1977. The first female bishop was elected in 1989.
Pending consent of a majority of the bishops, Lucas will be ordained and consecrated on May 18, 2019, in Colorado by the nationwide church's first African-American Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry.
Lucas previously served as rector of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. She received her Master of Divinity at Union Theological Seminary in New York.
The Episcopal Church in Colorado was established in 1887 and has 30,000 members across 97 parishes and missions, according to the Episcopal News Service.
