The Right Reverend Douglas J. Fisher, Ph.D.
IX Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts
On December 1, 2012, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori consecrated Fisher as Bishop at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, succeeding The Rt. Rev. Gordon Paul Scruton, who was elected as bishop in 1996.
Fisher was rector of Grace Church, Millbrook , New York for twelve years before election to the episcopate. Prior to that he was Pastor of Holy Innocents in Highland Falls, New York and Chaplain to United States Military Academy at West Point (1997-2000), and Chair of the Standing Committee for the Diocese of New York.
Bishop Fisher is a graduate of St. John’s University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts. He earned a Master of Divinity at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, NY and was honored with the James Newcombe Award for Outstanding Biblical Scholar in 1980. His Doctor of Ministry is from Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge.
Bishop Fisher’s decade of episcopal ministry began with a walking tour of the three corridors of our diocese. He was a vocal opponent of MGM Casino coming to Springfield and is an ardent advocate for gun safety legislation. Bishop Fisher’s membership in Bishops United Against Gun Violence has led to direct engagement and public witness at Smith and Wesson, Corp. in Springfield. Under his leadership the Trustees moved diocesan assets away from fossil fuels. Bishop Fisher has authored resolutions related to gun violence that were passed by the General Convention of The Episcopal Church in 2018 and 2022.
Bishop Fisher appointed a Missioner for Creation Care, an Urban Missioner and a Missioner for Hispanic-Latino Ministry. He has lifted up the ministry of deacons in our diocese ordaining nine in ten years. The Bishop’s early ministry with soldiers at West Point inspired Building Bridges Veterans Initiative – a growing constellation of sites where table fellowship creates community for those who served and their families.
Born and raised in Valley Stream, Long Island, Fisher is married to the Rev. Elizabeth Fisher. They live in Great Barrington, MA. They have three children, and two grandchildren.
