Elizabeth “Libby” Berman was ordained and consecrated the sixth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai‘i on Saturday at Honolulu's Cathedral of St. Andrew, with 14 bishops in attendance for the ceremony. She becomes the first woman to hold the position in the Episcopal Church's 164-year history in the islands.
The milestone was reported by Maui Now, which noted that Berman succeeds the Rt. Rev. Robert L. Fitzpatrick, who had served as bishop since 2007. Before her election on May 16, 2026, Berman spent about six years and four months as rector of Church of the Holy Nativity in Honolulu, a post she took up in January 2020.
Berman told Maui Now that the significance of her gender in the role doesn't feel especially novel to her personally. “To me, it feels ‘normal’ when women are called to be bishops,” she said, adding that she hopes church leaders are chosen based on what's needed at a given moment rather than gender: “Choose the person whose gifts and skills are needed for a particular moment in time, rather than having any concern about gender.”
A Long Road Through Massachusetts Before Hawai‘i
Berman was born and raised in Huron, South Dakota, and grew up in the Episcopal Church, according to the same Maui Now report. She was later ordained a priest in the Diocese of Massachusetts, where she went on to minister to congregations for more than 20 years, including seven years serving as canon for congregations.
Her academic background includes degrees from Harvard University and a Master of Divinity from the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a school that has since relocated to New York, the outlet's report notes. Berman first fell in love with Hawai‘i during a visit at age 10, long before she would one day lead its diocese. She and her husband, Mark, have two daughters, Samantha and Emily.
Election Followed a Technical Snag in May
Berman's path to the bishopric began at a special diocesan election on May 16, held at ‘Iolani School in Honolulu, according to the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai‘i. The diocese's own account of the process shows it wasn't entirely smooth: Episcopal News Service reported that Berman was elected on the second ballot after the first was canceled because of technical issues.
The Episcopal Church then officially announced her election on June 18, after she received a majority of consents from bishops and standing committees across the denomination, the diocese's transition page states. The Episcopal Church separately reported that those bishops and standing committees attested to knowing of no impediment to her ordination and confirmed the election followed church canons.
A Diocese Spanning Thousands of Miles of Pacific Ocean
As bishop, Berman now leads more than 40 congregations and schools spread across the Hawaiian Islands, Guam, and Saipan, per Maui Now's reporting. The diocese has churches and schools, as well as a camp and a prison ministry. The Living Church, however, has described the diocese as consisting of 36 worshiping communities and seven schools.
Berman pointed to history when discussing what her consecration means within the broader church. She described Barbara C. Harris, who became the first woman ordained a bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion on Feb. 11, 1989, as, in her words, “an incredibly significant role model for many of us.” Harris went on to serve as suffragan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts for 13 years before retiring in 2002.
