Our Speaker

The Rt. Reverend Daniel G.P. Gutiérrez

Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania

The Rt. Rev. Daniel G. P. Gutiérrez was ordained on July 16, 2016, as the 16th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, the second oldest and fourth largest in the Episcopal Church. He says “Jesus is not simply a priority, He is my center, and everything else in life must flow from Him. I do not want to get Him off my mind or out of my heart. I know Jesus is always with me, guiding, correcting, teaching, listening, and loving.”

Gutiérrez does not see the role of the Episcopacy as “leading” but rather “following Jesus.” He uses the imagery of a shepherd as the model of his journey with God’s beloved in Pennsylvania. He often says, “a shepherd should smell like the sheep.”

He has called his diocese to be different. A place where no one should have to “fit in” at church. Where the church is led by the Spirit to the heart of Jesus. Where everyone finds a place not of only welcome, but a home where they belong. Where faith is the encounter with God and the sacred connection with one another. A different community.

He has called his diocese to be the Church of the poor, compassionate and the loving. To be that gritty and messy Church. Not afraid to take risks. Not afraid to fail. Not afraid to open their hearts. Not afraid to outlove everyone else. A different, counter-cultural and revolutionary church, where all can flourish rather than fade.

Aside from Jesus, Gutiérrez counts as his most important role and greatest responsibility a position he assumed on June 26, 1998, when he became the extremely proud father of his son Jude, a graduate from the University of New Mexico with a degree in criminology. It is a joy he shares with his wife, best friend, and partner of 35 years, Suzanne Fletcher Gutiérrez. The family shares this joy with a household of dogs, turtles, pheasants, foxes, rabbits, owls, and the other miscellaneous “pets” that wander through their lives.