A lover of mysteries, Patricia a steward of the mysteries of God (I Cor 4:1) and a sleuth amid the ordinary mysteries of life (the abandoned car in the alley, the missing cat, the footprints on the ceiling). Having lived in Ohio, Connecticut, Michigan, and Illinois, she found a home in St. Paul, Minnesota where she served as Dean of Students at Luther Seminary and volunteered as an affiliated pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. Lifetime favorite books include Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan, Mr.Blue by Myles Connolly, Roget’s Thesaurus, and everything ever written by Wendell Berry.
When it comes to thinking about discipleship, main reads for her have been Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship and the narrative voice of Frederick Buechner, particularly the Book of Bebb novels and his commentaries on art and culture.
Patricia attended the College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio, where she majored in religion. She completed her theological education at Yale Divinity School and was elected Bishop bishop of the Saint Paul Area Synod of the ELCA in 2014. She acquired nearly four decades of experience in parish ministry, campus ministry, seminary administration and a faith-based non-profit before taking on the role of bishop. With a longstanding interest in the creative convergence of theology, cultural phenomena and the ongoing reformation of the church, in recent months she has been chewing on a new understanding of vocation, suited to the global and political realities of this century.