Jeffrey Neil Steenson is a former bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 of the Episcopal Church of the United States

Episcopal Church (United States)

The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...

. He served as the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande

Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande

The Episcopal Diocese of Rio Grande is the Episcopal diocese in New Mexico and southwest Texas, the portion of the state west of the Pecos River, including the counties of El Paso, Reeves, Culberson, Jeff Davis, Brewster, Presidio, Terrell, Hudspeth and Pecos. The total area of the diocese is ....

 from 2005 until 2007 when he resigned and entered full communion with the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

.

Steenson is a patristics scholar. He received a Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

 degree from the University of Oxford

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

 with a 1983 dissertation entitled Basil of Ancyra and the Course of Nicene Orthodoxy.

Episcopalian ministry

Steenson served as rector of All Saints’ Church, Wynnewood, Pa., the Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont, Pa., and St. Andrew's Church, Fort Worth.

In October 2004 Steenson was elected bishop coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande; he was consecrated in January 2005. On August 1, 2005, he succeeded Terrence Kelshaw as Bishop of Rio Grande. Steenson was a member of the Board of Trustees of Nashotah House

Nashotah House

Nashotah House is an Anglo-Catholic seminary of the Episcopal Church located in Nashotah, Wisconsin, approximately 30 miles from Milwaukee, in the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. The seminary opened its doors in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847...

 and the Board of Directors of The Living Church Foundation

The Living Church

The Living Church is a biweekly magazine based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin providing commentary and news information on the Episcopal Church in the United States...

.

In September 2007, Steenson announced his decision to resign as bishop effective December 1.

Catholic ministry

Steenson was received into the full communion of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 by Cardinal Bernard Law at a private ceremony on December 1, 2007, at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome. Having petitioned for ordination in the Catholic Church under the Pastoral Provision

Pastoral Provision

The "pastoral provision" or "statute" for United States Episcopalians entering the Catholic Church authorizes some departures for them from the normal practice of the Latin Rite...

, he began studies at the Pontifical Irish College

Pontifical Irish College

The Pontifical Irish College is a Roman Catholic seminary for the training and education of priests, in Rome.-Foundation and early history:Towards the close of the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII had sanctioned the foundation of an Irish college in Rome, and had assigned a large sum of money...

 in Rome. In December 2008 he was ordained deacon by Cardinal Bernard Law. On February 21, 2009, he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the southwestern region of the United States in the state of New Mexico. While the motherchurch, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, is in the City of Santa Fe, its administrative center is in...

 by Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan.

Steenson now teaches at the University of St. Thomas and at St. Mary’s Seminary, both in Houston.