Yesterday, the newly installed Episcopal bishop of Dallas, the Rt. Rev. Robert Price formally took pastoral oversight of every parish in the diocese and, at the same time, delegated pastoral oversight for marriage rites at four parishes that already offer same-sex weddings. Price described the move as a pastoral accommodation meant to keep the diocesan family intact while allowing those congregations to use the trial-use marriage liturgies close to home. His letter explains that similar arrangements will be open to other parishes that request them after a period of conversation and study.
What the bishop announced
In a pastoral letter released yesterday, Price wrote that he has "a canonical duty to provide pastoral support for couples, clergy, and parishes who wish to celebrate same-sex marriage liturgies," according to the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. To meet that obligation, he said he has asked the Rt. Rev. Dean E. Wolfe to provide Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) for marriage rites at the four parishes that currently offer same-sex marriage.
Dean Wolfe steps in
Price named Dean Wolfe, who is listed as "Bishop in Residence" at Saint Michael and All Angels, to take on that delegated oversight, according to Saint Michael and All Angels. Wolfe is a nationally known Episcopal leader with prior experience as a diocesan bishop and as rector of large parishes, and his role will let couples in those congregations marry locally under his pastoral care rather than looking elsewhere.
Where this fits in church rules
The arrangement relies on a pathway created by General Convention in 2018 (Resolution B012), which extended trial-use marriage rites to all dioceses and instructed bishops who decline to participate to "invite, as necessary, another bishop" to offer pastoral support, as explained by Episcopal News Service. Dioceses with more conservative bishops have previously used DEPO to balance diocesan oversight with parish requests for access to these rites, and Price is now tapping that same tool.
Next steps and local implications
Price said he will continue making visitations, celebrating the Holy Eucharist, and offering the Sacrament of Confirmation throughout the diocese, and that clergy should expect a detailed briefing on changes to the discernment process for holy orders at the clergy conference in April, according to the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. Religious outlets that received the mailing noted that the decision keeps same-sex marriages within the diocese while routing oversight through Wolfe, and Anglican.ink published the letter and its text.
For Dallas Episcopalians, the immediate impact is concrete: couples who live and worship in the participating parishes can now pursue marriage rites close to home under Wolfe’s pastoral care instead of traveling outside the diocese. Over the coming months, parish leaders and diocesan staff will be guiding the conversations, Bible study, and discernment that Price says he expects before any additional parishes ask for delegated oversight.
