The Rt. Rev. Stephen Hays Jecko

Seventh Bishop of Florida

Stephen Hays Jecko was elected Seventh Bishop of the Diocese of Florida on December 11, 1993, and was ordained and consecrated on May 7, 1994 at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida.

Bishop Jecko was born in Washington, D.C. on January 15, 1940. He received a B.S. in Civil Engineering at Syracuse University in 1964, an M.Div. at The General Theological Seminary in 1967, and a D.Min. at Virginia Theological Seminary in 1982. GTS and VTS awarded the D.D. to him in the Fall of 1994. The University of the South honored him with a D.D. in May, 1995.

Bishop Jecko began his ordained ministry as a Curate at Christ Church, Binghamton, New York in 1967. In 1969 he became Priest-in-Charge of St. Margaret's Church, Plainview, New York for five years. He was Associate Rector at St. James' in Warrenton, Virginia in 1974, and then Rector at Zion Church, Rome, N.Y. in 1977. He founded and was first Board Chairman of the Zion Episcopal School. In this capacity he saw the per capita giving triple in this urban parish. He served local community organizations and was President of the Rome Clergy Association. He was honored by the Mayor with a citizenship award for community service. His doctoral thesis focused on the introduction of spiritual renewal in the parish. In 1984 he was called to the Diocese of Florida to become Rector at St. Michael's Church in Gainesville. During this ministry the budget went from $100,000 with 1% outreach to $300,000 with 30% outreach and an increase of 20% in net communicant strength.

In 1990 he became Assistant to the Bishop of Florida. In this capacity his primary focus was as Chair of the Commission on Ministry while serving as the bishop's liaison with all the related functions in the ordination process, as well as evangelism, stewardship, Christian education, youth, renewal, social ministry and the Diocesan companion relationship with Cuba. He designed the Vocational Deacon Formation program and the Canon 9 process for the Diocese of Florida.

Bishop Jecko was active in spiritual renewal for twenty years, is a Chaplain with the Order of St. Luke, and a Priest Associate of the Order of The Holy Cross. He helped develop the Province IV Cornerstone Project known as Priestly Formation The First Three To Seven Years. He has worked closely with the people charged with developing "total ministry" in the Diocese and continued to affirm and support these efforts to enhance effective deployment of both lay and ordained ministries in the life of the Church.

During his tenure Bishop Jecko served as a Trustee of the University of the South, Chair of the Board for Episcopal Children's Services, and as a member of the Board of Episcopal High School of Jacksonville, Inc. He is author of Spiritual Renewal & Ministry in A Local Church (doctoral thesis), and Home Fellowship - A Manual for Leaders, and is listed in Who's Who in Religion, 3rd Edition.

Following retirement in January of 2004, Bishop Jecko was invited to serve the Diocese of Dallas as Assistant Bishop, working with Bishop James M. Stanton. He was the Clerical Trustee for the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, and a member of the National Advisory Board for Christian Healing Ministries, both headquartered in Jacksonville, FL. He is a former member of the Board of Trustees of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA.

Bishop Stephen Hays Jecko was taken home peacefully to be with the Lord on June 7, 2007. Bishop Jecko lived with his wife Joan in Plano, Texas at the time of his death. Son, Bryan, former Webmaster for the Diocese of Florida now lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. Son, Sean, founding Webmaster for the Diocese of Florida, lives with his wife Christine and their daughter Ann Elizabeth in Richardson, Texas.