The Reverend Ed Bacon [J. Edwin Bacon, Jr.] is a priest in the Diocese of Los Angeles in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and has been the rector of All Saints Episcopal Church (Pasadena, California) since 1995.
Born in Jesup, Georgia, (February 14, 1948) Bacon graduated from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia in 1969 and from the Candler School of Theology at Emory in 1979. Prior to coming to All Saints Church, Bacon served as Dean of the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Jackson, Mississippi; Rector of St Mark’s in Dalton, Georgia; and Dean of Students and Campus Ministry at Mercer University.
Bacon has received numerous honors for his peace and interfaith work, including the 2005 Peace & Compassion Award from the Islamic Center of Southern California; the 2006 Religious Freedom Award from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California and the 2007 Faith Award from the Pasadena NAACP.
A progressive spokesperson on issues of faith and justice, Bacon has been featured in national media including The Oprah Winfrey Show. In January 2009 his statement to a call-in viewer that “being gay is a gift from God” received national attention.[1] He is a contributor to Truthdig[2] and Oprah.com.[3]
In 1999 his alma mater, the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, named him their Whiteside Distinguished Preacher. His undergraduate school, Mercer University, conferred an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree in May, 1999; and in May, 2005, Church Divinity School of the Pacific conferred an honorary Doctor of Ministry degree. In December, 2005, he was named an Honorary Canon of the Cathedral Center of St. Paul, Los Angeles by Bishop J. Jon Bruno.
He is married to Hope Hendricks-Bacon and they have two adult children and two grandchildren.