Elizabeth “Libby” Berman consecrated as sixth Bishop of The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai‘i

The Right Reverend Elizabeth “Libby” Berman was ordained and consecrated the sixth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai‘i on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, making her the first woman bishop in the Episcopal Church’s 164-year history in the islands. The historic event was held in The Cathedral of St. Andrew in Honolulu, with 14 bishops in attendance.

While women bishops in the Episcopal Church today are not uncommon, her election has made history in this diocese. After her election, Berman was asked how it felt to be a part of this historic moment as the first female bishop. She replied, “I am thankful to be able to say that, to me, it feels ‘normal’ when women are called to be bishops.”

Berman was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Massachusetts by the Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris, who was consecrated in 1989 as the first woman bishop in the entire Anglican Communion.

“She was an incredibly significant role model for many of us,” said Berman, “especially women leaders across the church. I hope we are moving to a place in our church where we always will choose the person whose gifts and skills are needed for a particular moment in time, rather than having any concern about gender.”

As bishop, Berman now leads over 40 congregations and schools across the Hawaiian Islands, Guam and Saipan. She succeeds the Rt. Rev. Robert L. Fitzpatrick, who has served as bishop since 2007.

Prior to her election, Berman was serving as rector of Church of the Holy Nativity in Honolulu since January 2020. For over 20 years, she has ministered to congregations in the Diocese of Massachusetts including serving as Canon for Congregations as a senior staff member for seven years. She holds degrees from Harvard University and received her Master of Divinity from Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA, before they relocated to New York.

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe was chief consecrator at Berman’s installation. Co-consecrators included Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick (Fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Hawai‘i), Bishop Diana Akiyama (Bishop of Western Oregon), Bishop Philip N. LaBelle (Bishop of Olympia), Bishop Emelyn Dacuycuy (IFI Bishop of Batac), and Bishop David Nagler (ELCA Bishop of the Pacifica Synod).

Delivering the homily was the Rev. Deacon Robert E. Steele, Ph.D.  He and his wife, Jean, were members of Church of the Holy Nativity and Steele worked closely with Berman through her years serving there. He served as an Associate Dean in one of the graduate schools at the University of Maryland and then as head of the Driscoll Art Center there. The Steele’s are major collectors of African-American prints and have donated 55 prints to the Honolulu Museum of Art. They moved to Maryland last year to be closer to family. 

The ordination service’s liturgy featured readings in CHamoru, Tongan, Japanese, Korean and Hawaiian, reflecting the Diocese of Hawai‘i’s diversity. The liturgy included readings from Isaiah 61:1-8, Psalm 100, Hebrews 5:1-10, and John 20:19-23.

Berman was born and raised in Huron, South Dakota, and grew up in the Episcopal Church. With three generations of her mother’s family on O’ahu, she fell in love with Hawai‘i during her first visit at age 10. She and her husband Mark have two daughters, Samantha and Emily.