The Right Reverend Michael B. Curry—widely recognized as one of the most dynamic preachers of this era— served as the twenty-seventh presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church. As chief pastor, spokesperson, president, and chief executive officer of the Episcopal Church, a position he held until 2024, he emerged as a prominent voice on social justice issues including racial reconciliation, climate change, evangelism, immigration policy, and marriage equality. A 1978 Yale Divinity School graduate, Curry previously received an honorary degree from Berkeley Divinity School (a seminary of the Episcopal Church affiliated with Yale Divinity School) in 2001 and was honored with the Divinity School’s Alumni Award for Distinction in Congregational Ministry in 2015.

Born in Chicago, Curry moved with his family to upstate New York at the age of three. Raised by his father—also an Episcopal priest— and his grandmother, after the passing of his mother, he grew up immersed in the church, witnessing firsthand the impact of ministry on a congregation. He attended public schools in Buffalo before graduating with high honors from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. His theological education extended beyond Yale to institutions such as The College of Preachers, Princeton Theological Seminary, Wake Forest University, the Ecumenical Institute at St. Mary’s Seminary, and the Institute of Christian Jewish Studies.

Ordained in 1978, Curry began his career serving parishes in North Carolina, Ohio, and Maryland. In 2000, he became the eleventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, a role he held for fifteen years before he was chosen to lead the Episcopal Church for a nine-year term. Throughout his ministry, he has championed initiatives supporting families, education, urban communities, and healthcare. His leadership extends to non-profit organizations such as Crisis Control Ministry, which provides short-term emergency services to North Carolina residents, and the Absalom Jones Fund, which supports two Episcopal historically Black colleges and universities) and is named in honor of the first African American priest to be ordained in The Episcopal Church.

“God has given us the gift of life to do our part in helping our world to reflect on what Archbishop Tutu and others often spoke of, as God’s loving dream for all people and the entire creation.”

Curry gained international acclaim in 2018 when he delivered a sermon at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Incorporating rhetoric of the Black ecclesiastical tradition, his remarks on the “unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive” powers of love captivated audiences worldwide. That same year, he was named the Religion News Association’s “Newsmaker of the Year.” His accomplishments have been recognized with honorary degrees from Virginia Theological Seminary, Sewanee: The University of the South, the Episcopal Divinity School, and Hobart College. In 2016 he received the Hobart Medal of Excellence.

A sought-after speaker, Curry frequently appears on national and international media platforms, including “TODAY,” “Good Morning America,” and “Britain’s Got Talent,” and hosts the podcast “The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry.” He is the author of five books: Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus (2013), Songs My Grandma Sang (2015), Following the Way of Jesus: Church’s Teaching for a Changing World (2017), The Power of Love: Sermons, Reflections & Wisdom to Uplift and Inspire (2018), and Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubled Times (2020). In 2020, he delivered a Yale Divinity School Alumni Convocation lecture inspired by his latest book.

Curry and his wife, Sharon (Clement) Curry, reside in Raleigh, North Carolina. They have two adult daughters, Rachel and Elizabeth.