[Diocese of Kansas] The Rt. Rev. Cathleen Chittenden Bascom, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, has announced that she will step down on January 31, 2026, and has called for the election of her successor in the spring of 2026 with a consecration service in October 2026.
She made the announcement in an email to the diocese on April 4.
“I believe I am called to focus even more fully on creation care. Currently, the opportunity has surfaced to work in a consultant role with Presiding Bishop [Sean] Rowe, his staff, and bishops and green leaders across The Episcopal Church to build out Eco-Region Networks in the U.S. and Province IX,” she said in the announcement. The creation of these networks was authorized by General Convention in 2024.
She also wants to continue work on the networks’ pilot project, Grassland Networks, that will have its initial gathering April 25-26 in Topeka, Kansas.
Bascom, who is 63, said the timeline for the election and consecration of the 11th bishop of Kansas is still under discussion, with the initial dates proposed by the presiding bishop’s office.
Bascom was elected in October 2018 and became the first woman to head the diocese, which includes the eastern portion of Kansas. It also was the first time that a bishop heading a diocese in The Episcopal Church was elected from a slate of candidates who all were women. She has been bishop since her consecration on March 2, 2019.