Charles Vaché

Claude Charles Vaché (August 4, 1926 – November 1, 2009) was a bishop of The Episcopal Church in Virginia.^[1]

Early life and education

Born in New Bern, North Carolina, Vaché was the son of Jean Andrew Vaché, an Episcopal priest and his wife Edith Fitzwilson. He served in the U.S. Navy as World War II ended, and then received his bachelor's degree with honors from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa society. He graduated from the Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois in 1952.

Ministry

He served at St. Michael's Church, Bon Air and chaplain to St. Christopher's School in Richmond, Virginia. Called as rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1957, he served there until 1976. He came to embrace television, giving weekly theological commentary on a local station, as well as served on the original board of directors of Westminster Canterbury retirement home in Newport News, and numerous other posts in the diocese.^[2] He was elected coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Virginia in 1976 and consecrated by Presiding bishop John Allin, bishop David Rose of Southern Virginia, and William Creighton of Washington, D.C..

Rt. Rev. Vaché served as Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Virginia from 1978 to 1991. He initially opposed the ordination of women, but later became an advocate of the practice, ordaining Jacqueline Segar Gravatt in 1985.

After his retirement from the Diocese of Southern Virginia (and the accession of Frank Vest as his successor), Rt. Rev. Vaché continued his ministry of reconciliation. He assisted the Diocese of East Carolina (1993-1996) and then the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia (1999-2001)until the election of its seventh bishop. He also served as chaplain of St. George's College in Jerusalem (as well as a trustee for many years, and dean of St. George's Cathedral during a period of especial tension between Jews, Muslems and Christians in the holy city), and Bruton Parish in Williamsburg, Virginia^[3] as well as the Church of the Good Shepherd in Norfolk, Virginia.

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