Archdeacon Kathryn Otley elected to be Bishop of Ottawa

The Ven. Kathryn Otley has been elected to be the 11^th bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa.

The election took place on Feb. 28 at Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa. Otley was one of three archdeacons nominated, with the Ven. Brian Kauk and the Ven. Monique Stone, from among clergy in the diocese. She was elected on the second ballot with 53.62 percent of the vote from clergy members of the electoral Synod and 50.39 percent of the vote from lay members. Election requires a majority (more than 50 percent) in both orders.

Archbishop Anne Germond, metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario who offered the homily at a Eucharist worship service prior to the election and chaired the election proceedings, thanked all of the nominees for allowing their names to stand in the election process and for their faithful service in the church.

In a brief word to the Synod after her election was announced, the bishop-elect said she was honoured that “among such gifted colleagues you have elected me to be your bishop, leading our Diocese at a time that is full of challenges, but I believe challenges that we can transform into opportunities together. We do that by calling on the sure and certain hope of our faith. And so, I just want to close with the words of Paul in Romans: ‘May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing that we may overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.’ Amen.”

Otley has been a territorial archdeacon in the Diocese for eight years. She currently serves as incumbent at All Saints Westboro in Ottawa, and prior to that was incumbent at Christ Church in Bells Corners for 10 years, incumbent for the Parish of Fitzroy Harbour for five years, and serve as associate curate at Saint John the Evangelist on Elgin Street. She was first ordained as a deacon in 2006 and as a priest in 2008 after earning her Bachelor of Theology and Master of Pastoral Theology at Saint Paul University.

Serving the diocesan church, Otley has worked on governance committees, clergy wellness and development ministries, been a member of All My Relations episcopal panel. She has served the Anglican Community Ministries as a chaplain to the Well, board member of the Ottawa Pastoral Counselling Center and served on the Community Ministries Committee. She is a member of the Bishops’ Advisory Panel on Housing Issues.

At the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario, she served as diocesan representative for 15 years – chairing the Homelessness and Affordable Housing working group in that time. At the national church level, she now chairs the Public Witness for Social and Ecological Justice Coordinating Committee.

Otley is the first woman to be elected as bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa and joins 12 other women currently serving as bishops in the Anglican Church of Canada. The Rt. Rev. Victoria Matthews was the first woman elected as a bishop in the Anglican Church of Canada in 1994.

The bishop-elect will be consecrated and formally installed as Bishop of Ottawa on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa.