The Rt. Rev. Douglas Hahn, the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Lexington, and his family following his Dec. 15 ordination. Photo/Sarah Smith

[Episcopal Diocese of Lexington] “I come from a family of quilters, who take many different patterns and fabrics, old and new, and blend them together to create something of great, long lasting beauty,” the Rev. Douglas Hahn said to a media conference the day before his consecration. “I believe the role of a bishop is something like the role of the quilter…”

The ordination of the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Lexington on Dec. 15 was planned around the  theme “Quilting our Future Together,” with the Anglican music of cathedral and diocesan choirs, traditional Kentucky musicians, brass choir, a young people’s group, and an arrangement of the 23^rd Psalm from Bobby McFerrin setting a rich context for the new episcopate.  Pleasant Company, a traditional music group from St. Patrick’s in Somerset , Kentucky, provided the voluntary during which Hahn moved toward the examination, with their arrangement of “Ashokan Farewell” by Jay Ungar, which they had played during the counting of the final ballot of the electing convention.  The Old Testament Lesson was read in Haitian Creole and English, to mark the commitment of the Diocese of Lexington to her companion diocese, the Diocese of Haiti; the Gospel was proclaimed in both English and Spanish as a mark of the building of relationship with the local Latino/Hispanic communities throughout the Diocese of Lexington.

The Rt. Rev. Neil Alexander, dean of the School of Theology, the University of the South, was the preacher.  Serving as co-consecrators with chief consecrator Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori  were Alexander, the Rt. Rev. Terry White, bshop of Kentucky, the Rt. Rev. Stacy F. Sauls, chief operating officer of the Episcopal Church and sixth bishop of Lexington; the Rt. Rev. Chilton R. Knudsen, bishop of Maine, retired, and interim assisting bishop of Lexington; and the Rt. Rev. William O. Gafkjen, bshop of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Testimonials were presented by Ann Davis McClain, treasurer and interim secretary of the diocese; Buck Hinkle, chancellor; the Rev. Deacon Mary Kilborn-Huey, chair of the Commission on Ministry;  the Rev. Jan M. Cottrell, president of the Standing Committee;  and the Rt. Rev. George D. Young, bishop of East Tennessee, representing the bishops of the church.  The Very Rev. Carol Wade, dean of Christ Church Cathedral, welcomed the large crowd to the ordination.  The congregation included a large contingent of visitors from St. Thomas Church in Columbus, Georgia, where Hahn was rector at the time of his election, as well as family and friends from across the country.  The mayor of Lexington, the Hon. Jim Gray; and ecumenical and interfaith partners; the Most Rev. Ronald Gainer, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington;  and the Rev. Marian McClure, executive director of the Kentucky Council of Churches also were participants in the ceremony.

On Friday evening, at a pre-consecration dinner near the cathedral and diocesan offices, the Rev. Jan M. Cottrell, president of the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Lexington, acting on behalf of Governor Steve Brashear, presented Kentucky Colonel Commissions to Jefferts Schori and Hahn.

The seating of Hahn at Christ Church Cathedral in will be held during the annual convention of the Diocese of Lexington, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013.

— Kay Collier McLaughlin is deputy for leadership development, transitions and communications in the Diocese of Lexington.