Her parents were Roman Catholic, and they enrolled young Katharine in a school taught by nuns- a move that would plant seeds of faith which would influence her later. At the impressionable age of eight, her parents left the Catholic Church for the Episcopal Church - and public school in New Jersey. She didn't show interest in a religious vocation at that point: in that era females couldn't even serve at the altar. She became a bit of a prodigy with entering college at 16 and becoming a graduate student at 20, all while being athletic- she swam competitively in college. She studied marine biology at Stanford and Oregon State and ended up with a Ph.D in Oceanography. She lived on the west coast, going out to sea to study squids and octopuses in what was then still a male-dominated field. A ship captain once refused to speak to her because she was a woman.
She continued the family tradition of becoming a pilot as a hobby. A pilot friend of hers died in a plane crash, and in her grief , she turned to church. She also met her future husband Richard "Dick" Schori, a professor of mathematics. He shared her interests in hiking, flying, and nature.They married in 1979 and had a daughter Kate, who today is grown up, married and a pilot in the US Air Force.
The oceanography career came to an end in the 1980's due to budget cuts. This devastated Katharine but she was never one to sit idle. She threw herself in volunteer work and charity, all while being active in her church. A turning point came when she as a layperson led Morning Prayer and gave a sermon in church. The topic of ordination came up previously, an idea her husband said in the past was "crazy", but now she was starting to really consider it and listen to the call. She enrolled in seminary and was ordained a priest in 1994. She landed a job as an assistant rector in Oregon, she learned Spanish so she could minister to the Spanish speaking community.
Nevada was searching for a new bishop and Katharine put her name in at the suggestion of other clergy to be considered for election. She took office as Bishop of the Diocese of Nevada in 2001. She piloted her plane to reach the remote locations of churches sprawled over the small 6,000 member diocese. She ministered to the mixed Nevadan population including Native Americans and Hispanics.
In the year 2006, the tri-annual General Convention of the Episcopal Church met. A new Presiding Bishop had to be elected, as the current one was finishing his 9 year term. Her name was put on the ballot, and she was considered a "long shot" because she was female and had not been ordained over 20 or 30 years. Still, she was elected June 18, 2006 to lead the Episcopal Church. Her election was met with emotion: gasps and excitement from convention attendees as well as some opposition. Her support for Gene Robinson, an openly gay bishop, caused some to balk and seek out leaving the national church. She made her acceptance speech both in English and Spanish and lamented that she now had to say goodbye to Nevada for New York, NY- where the Episcopal Church's headquarters are. Excited at the election of the first female Presiding Bishop, and first female Primate in the Anglican Communion's 500 year history, pink "It's A Girl" buttons were made and given out at the convention by the Episcopal Women's Caucus.
The election catapulted her into the spotlight. In a 24 hour period she went from virtually unknown to someone being chased by the press. CNN and MSNBC announced the news of her historic election, and TIME Magazine, Bill Moyers and CBS News persued her for interviews.
She has authored a book, "A Wing and a Prayer- A Message of Faith and Hope" , on the cover she is posed in front of her airplane, which she still pilots. By three years later, the self-described "introvert" had been preaching all over the globe. Some of those sermons were collected in a book called "Gospel in the Global Village- Seeking God's Dream of Shalom". Her husband Dick often travels with her and photographs her to document her journeys.
She still stands admist controversy as some dioceses are divided on certain issues, mainly the ordination of gays and blessing of same-sex unions. While some conservatives have left the Church, she remains beloved in the gay community and beyond for her support. Globally, the Anglican Communion is divided on this issue as well. Some will not recognize her simply because she is a woman. There are still some areas of the world where women are not permitted to be Anglican priests, let alone bishops. Some bishops have indeed refused to take communion with her.
But in many places, she is welcomed with enthusiasm.
Many who have met her- lay and ordained , describe her as kind, down to earth and informal- perferring to be called "Bishop Katharine" rather than by a more formal title.
Her nine year term ends in 2015.
