Mark MacDonald (bishop)


Mark Lawrence MacDonald is an Anglican bishop. Since 2007, he has served as the National Indigenous Anglican Bishop for the Anglican Church of Canada; as such, he has pastoral oversight over all indigenous Canadian Anglicans. He previously served in the Episcopal Church as the Bishop of Alaska and as the assistant bishop of the Navajoland Area Mission.

Ordained ministry

Episcopal ministry

MacDonald was consecrated as a bishop on 13 September 1997. From 1997 to 2007, he served as Bishop of Alaska in the Episcopal Church. In 2006, it was announced that he had been appointed assistant bishop of the Navajoland Area Mission, and he was affirmed in that appointment in 2007. He held the appointment co-currently with his Canadian bishopric until his term as assistant bishop ended in 2009.
In January 2007, it was announced that he would become the first National Indigenous Anglican Bishop in the Anglican Church of Canada. As such, he has pastoral oversight over all indigenous Canadian Anglicans. He took up the appointment on 22 June 2007. He has also been World Council of Churches President for North America since 2013. His post was elevated to the status of an archbishopric in 2019.

Personal life

On 11 November 1989, MacDonald married Virginia Sha Lynn. Together they have three children; two daughters and one son.
MacDonald is classified as a non-status Indian in Canada. He has native ancestry through both his parents.

Honours

In February 2013, MacDonald was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his "spiritual leadership while serving Aboriginal communities and his contributions to environmental awareness of Canadians".