Date: February 3, 2026
Tonight, Virginia Theological Seminary hosts the Mollegen Forum with Mariann Edgar Budde, offering a thoughtful conversation at the intersection of faith and public life. As Bishop of Washington, she serves congregations and Episcopal schools across the District of Columbia and four Maryland counties. The first woman elected to this role, she also chairs the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, stewarding the ministries of Washington National Cathedral and its schools.
A passionate witness to the gospel of Jesus and the Episcopal Church’s vocation, Bishop Budde calls the Church toward spiritual depth, growth, and new expressions of Christian community. She emphasizes Jesus’ summons to justice, peace, and respect for the dignity of every human being, and she leads a diocese marked by commitments to mercy and spiritual maturity. Her close partnerships with interfaith leaders in the Washington area reflect a shared pursuit of the common good.
Consecrated in 2011, Bishop Budde previously served for eighteen years as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Minneapolis. She earned her B.A. from the University of Rochester and both her M.Div. and D.Min. from Virginia Theological Seminary. A widely published preacher and author, her books on preaching, discipleship, and courage have reached readers of all ages. It will be a joy to hear her address us this evening.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary.