916-442-6918
BishopMegan@norcalepiscopal.org
The Rt. Rev. BMegan M. Traqair was ordained and consecrated the eighth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California on June 29, 2019 at the Mondavi Center in Davis, CA.
Bishop Megan is an active follower of Jesus Christ and was raised in Santa Barbara when it was a sleepy town, graduated from Pomona College in Claremont and received her MDiv at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, IL. Ordained in 1992 in the Diocese of Los Angeles she has led congregations in Tucson, towns near South Bend and Indianapolis, and Los Angeles.
When she was Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of Arizona, she ran all aspects of clergy Transition (deployment). She coached clergy and congregations in Conflict Resolution and leads Strategic Planning. She has mentored locally-raised Hispanic clergy and supported the Hispanic Program Group in the diocese. She was a key developer of a non-profit management program for clergy: “Best Skills - Best Churches – What Seminary Didn’t Teach You.” By popular demand it recently expanded to include lay leaders and ecumenical leaders.
Serving churches both in rural and urban areas, Megan has an enduring interest in church growth and the active formation of disciples. She values preaching and good liturgy which speaks to the people and strengthens us for engaging with Jesus and serving the world.
Her interests include gardening, genealogy, hiking and history. Her husband Philip is a pediatrician at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. They have been partners and best friends as well as parents. They have two children: Hannah who teaches high school in Tucson, and Benjamin, who is an engineer in Colorado.
I was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, the only child of a Mormon father and Episcopalian mother. I graduated the University of Utah with a BS in Psychology. I worked for First Interstate Bank for 20 years where I was Vice President and Manager of the Cash Management Department. I left banking in 1988 to attend the Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) where I received a Master of Divinity degree. I served churches in Salt Lake City and St. George Utah and later served a church in La Canada Flintridge, CA. While there I attended Seabury Western Theological Seminary where I received a Doctor of Ministry in Congregational Development. More recently, I served churches in Hanford CA, Tulare, CA and Ukiah, CA. I live with my spouse Gail in Elk Grove CA. and we have two adult children. Our daughter is an attorney in San Joaquin Country and our son is a college professor in New York. We have four grandchildren, Quinn, Keegan, Zoe, and Jonah.
I was born on June 10, 1934 in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. I entered in the Roman Seminary and I stayed there for five years of study, then transferred to the Philippine Independent Church.
On November 24, 1957, I was ordained to the priesthood. I was assigned by the Diocesan Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Manuel Apostol as a missionary to the Diocese of Ilocos Sur, Abra and La Union, Philippines. After three years of missionary work, I served as parish rector in two different parishes in the Diocese of the Second District of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. I spent three years in the Parish of Banna, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. For nine years I served the parish of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, Currinao, Ilocos Norte, Philippines.
I immigrated to the United States of America, Sacramento, California on July 24, 1969. In 1975 I became a naturalized American Citizen. On November 17, 1971, I presented myself to the Bishop of the Diocese of Northern California, the Rt. Rev. Clarence R. Haden, Jr., as a priest of the Philippine Independent Church, a sister church of the Episcopal Church. He granted me the license to celebrate the Holy Eucharist and preach. I served under the vicarship of the Rev. Barry Williams in the Church of our Merciful Savior, Sacramento.
On June 22, 1999, the Rt. Rev. Jerry A. Lamb formally recognized my ministry at St. Mary's Episcopal Church parish and also my transfer to the church in the United States.
My family and I are so happy and grateful that I can help in one way or the other in the growth and success of the church for God's honor and glory.
-Father Restituto "Roy" Coloma
First of all, I wish to thank the community of St. Mary’s for accepting me into their community after being Rector of All Saint’s in Sacramento where I left in my 50’s when a brain injury of 12 years ago started to act up. It was caused by a 104 degree fever which caused a certain part of the brain to shut down and thus after all that time the pension fund helped me decide that I need to leave as a full time Rector.
I was born in Providence. Yes, I am a Yankee, but I don’t act like most Yankees. I am however an avid Red Sox supporter and in 2004, the year my father died, they won the World Series the first time since 1918. I was overwhelmed when the curse of Babe Ruth trade to the N.Y. Yankees was always with them…..so the New York Yankees thought and my father got to see his team win which he never thought he would witness.
I went to Seminary in Rochester, New York at the University of Rochester interfaith Seminary and was ordained a priest on June 2, 1979. I then finally went back to school with the Bishops encouragement and graduated with my Doctor of Ministry in 1995. (I would never suggest anyone going back to the university after a long time from the time you graduate.)
I was Youth Ministry Director for the Diocese of St. Louis, Missouri after being received into the Episcopal Church from the Roman Church. Then I was called to be Rector of St. Alban’s in Providence, Rhode Island and was there for over 6 years. I was then called to Tulsa, Oklahoma with a congregation of about 700 people until 2000 (yes tornado alley, which scared me each time I saw a black cloud) and this is where I had the brain injury while under doctor care for over 4 weeks and they were never sure what caused it because I am ”never” sick”. After a period of recovery I was elected to the smaller congregation of All Saint’s, Sacramento which was smaller and the right size for me to manage. I retired in 2006 with the pension blessing and then this is when I arrived at St. Mary’s since I live in Elk Grove and Father Ray Hess wanted some help and I gladly accepted his offer
It is a pleasure to serve you here but when you don’t see me I am also a supply priest for other parishes of this Diocese, who need a priest because of vacation and other reasons.
- The Rev. Dr. Raymond Potter
Sarah was born and raised in Montana but has since lived in Texas, Pennsylvania, and California. She got her undergraduate degree in History from the University of Montana and her Master of Divinity at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. A cradle Lutheran, Sarah served two calls as Associate Pastor, one in Montana, one in California, before deciding to serve in other ways. She has been the Administrative Assistant at St. Mary’s since February 2018 and loves seeing all of the ways that Lutherans and Episcopalians are similar and different.