{{short description|American Lutheran bishop}} {{Infobox Christian leader | honorific_prefix = The Right Reverend | name = Katrina Foster | honorific_suffix = | title = Bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod | image = | caption = | church = Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | diocese = Metropolitan New York | see = | enthroned = | term = 2025–present | ended = | elected = May 3, 2025 | predecessor = Paul Egensteiner | successor = | ordination = December 4, 1994 | consecration = November 22, 2025 | consecrated_by = Yehiel Curry | other_post = | birth_name = Katrina D. Foster | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | buried = | denomination = Lutheranism | residence = | parents = | spouse = Pamela Kallimanis | children = 1 | education = Newberry College (BA)<br/>Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (MDiv)<br/>Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (DDiv) }} '''Katrina D. Foster''' is an American Lutheran prelate who has served as the Bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since May 3, 2025. She is the first woman and the first openly gay person to serve as bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod.
== Education == Foster earned a bachelor of arts degree in religion, philosophy, and sociology from Newberry College in 1990.<ref name= mnys>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= |title= Bishop Katrina Foster|url= https://www.mnys.org/about/bishop-katrina-foster/|website= Metropolitan New York Synod|location= |publisher= |access-date= September 30, 2025}}</ref><ref name= elca/> She earned a master of divinity degree from the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 1995 and a doctorate of divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia in 2008.<ref name= mnys/><ref name= elca/>
== Career == She was ordained on December 4, 1994 and served as a pastor at Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church in New York City from 1994 to 2010.<ref name= mnys/> She risked being defrocked in 2007, prior to a change in the Evangelical Lutheran Church, for coming out as gay and marrying a woman.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date= Nov 25, 2007|title= Gay Pastor in the Bronx Could Lose Her Collar |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/nyregion/25pastor.html|website= The New York Times|location= New York, New York|publisher= |access-date= September 30, 2025}}</ref> She later served as a pastor at St. Michael's Lutheran Church in Amagansett and at Incarnation Lutheran Church in Bridgehampton from 2010 to 2015.<ref name= mnys/> From 2015 to 2025, she served as a pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church in Brooklyn.<ref name= nytimes>{{cite web |last= |first= |date= Jan 7, 2025|title= The Church Fixer|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/04/business/church-turnaround-fundraising-outreach.html|website= The New York Times|location= New York, New York|publisher= |access-date= September 30, 2025}}</ref><ref name= livinglutheran>{{cite web |last= Bringle|first= Jennifer|date= February 24, 2025|title= “Reimagine how we do ministry” ELCA pastor finds congregational revitalization in community-building and financial stewardship|url= https://www.livinglutheran.org/2025/02/reimagine-how-we-do-ministry/|website= Living Lutheran|location= |publisher= |access-date= September 30, 2025}}</ref>
=== Episcopacy === On May 3, 2025, Foster was elected to serve a six-year term as the bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.<ref name= elca>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= May 13, 2025|title= Katrina Foster Elected Bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod|url= https://www.elca.org/news-and-events/katrina-foster-elected-bishop-of-the-elca-metropolitan-new-york-synod|website= Evangelical Lutheran Church in America|location= |publisher= |access-date= September 30, 2025}}</ref> She was elected on the fifth ballot with 196 votes, finishing ahead of Rev. Stephanie Jaeger of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Manhattan, who received 144 votes.<ref name= elca/> She succeeded Bishop Paul Egensteiner.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= May 14, 2025|title= Rev. Dr. Katrina Foster Elected Bishop of Metropolitan New York Synod|url= https://www.gcsynod.org/news/rev-dr-katrina-foster-elected-bishop-of-metropolitan-new-york-synod|website= Grand Canyon Synod|location= |publisher= |access-date= September 30, 2025}}</ref> Foster is the first woman and the first openly gay bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod.<ref name= nytimes2>{{cite web |last= Barron|first= James|date= November 21, 2025|title= A Gay Woman Becomes New York’s Lutheran Bishop|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/nyregion/gay-woman-lutheran-bishop.html|website= The New York Times|location= New York, New York |publisher= |access-date= November 24, 2025}}</ref> She was formally installed on November 22, 2025 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine by Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry.<ref name= nytimes2/>
== Personal life == Foster is originally from Fernandina Beach, Florida.<ref name= star/> She lives in The Bronx.<ref name= mnys/> She is lesbian.<ref name= nytimes/> Foster is married to Pamela Kallimanis.<ref name= star>{{cite web |last= Walsh|first= Christopher|date= January 29, 2013|title= The Pastor Has a Perfect Pitch|url= https://www.easthamptonstar.com/archive/pastor-has-perfect-pitch|website= The East Hampton Star|location= East Hampton, New York|publisher= |access-date= September 30, 2025}}</ref> They have one daughter, Zoia.<ref name= star/>
== References == {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Katrina}} Category:Living people Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people Category:21st-century American Lutheran bishops Category:American women religious leaders Category:Evangelical Lutheran Church in America bishops Category:Lenoir–Rhyne University alumni Category:Lesbian Christians Category:LGBTQ Lutheran bishops Category:LGBTQ people from Florida Category:Lutherans from Florida Category:Lutherans from New York (state) Category:Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia alumni Category:Newberry College alumni Category:People from Fernandina Beach, Florida Category:Women Lutheran bishops Category:Year of birth missing (living people)