{{short description|Canadian-American Anglican bishop}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = Bishop | honorific_prefix = The Right Reverend | name = Paul Donison | title = Rector and Dean of Christ Church Plano<br/>Assistant Bishop of Gasabo | image = Dean Paul Donison.png | alt = | caption = Donison during an interview on ''Anglican Unscripted'' | church = Anglican Church in North America<br/>Anglican Church of Rwanda | archdiocese = | diocese = Gasabo | see = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | other_post = Rector and Dean, Christ Church Plano (2016–present)<br/>Gafcon General Secretary (2023–present)<br/>Assisting bishop, Diocese of Christ Our Hope (2024–present) <!-- Orders --> | ordination = | consecration = February 4, 2024 | consecrated_by = Laurent Mbanda | rank = <!-- Personal details --> | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1977}} | birth_place = Canada | death_date = | death_place = }} '''Paul Donison''' (born 1977) is a Canadian-born American Anglican bishop. His primary role in ordained ministry is as rector and dean of Christ Church Plano, the largest church and provincial pro-cathedral of the Anglican Church in North America. Since 2024, he has also served as general secretary of Gafcon and assistant bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Gasabo.
==Early life and education== Donison was born in Canada and earned his B.F.A. in theatre from the University of Victoria.<ref name="ccplano-bio">{{cite web |title=The Very Rev. Paul Donison |work=Christ Church Plano |url=https://christchurchplano.org/welcome/staff-vestry/member-detail/1606627/ |access-date=24 January 2024}}</ref> After university, Donison worked as a professional actor,<ref name="plano-star-courier">{{cite news |title=Christ Church Plano names new rector |url=https://starlocalmedia.com/planocourier/christ-church-plano-names-new-rector/article_9764998e-c95c-11e6-b76e-f3968a79ba4e.html |access-date=24 January 2024 |work=Plano Star Courier |date=December 23, 2016}}</ref> including roles as Laertes in ''Hamlet''<ref name="hamlet">{{cite news |title=UVic students do honest job with modernized Hamlet |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/508931266/ |access-date=24 January 2024 |work=Times Colonist |date=February 15, 1998}}</ref> and Friar Lawrence in ''Romeo and Juliet''.<ref name="romeo">{{cite web |title=Romeo and Juliet (1998, Phoenix Theatre, University of Victoria) |url=https://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Theater/production/stage/1080/index.html |website=Shakespeare in Performance: Stage Production |publisher=Internet Shakespeare Editions |access-date=24 January 2024}}</ref> He later attended Regent College, where he received an M.Div. and a diploma in Christian studies.<ref name="ccplano-bio" />
==Ordained ministry== Donison began his ordained ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada, serving in the Diocese of Fredericton and the Diocese of Ottawa.<ref name="plano-star-courier" /> In September 2009, as part of the broader Anglican realignment, Donison stepped down as rector of the combined South Dundas parish of St. James, Morrisburg, and Holy Trinity, Riverside Heights. He voluntarily relinquished his license in the Diocese of Ottawa and joined the Anglican Network in Canada.<ref name="donison-relinquishment">{{cite web |last1=Donison |first1=Paul |title="My dear friends in the Parish of Morrisburg – Iroquois – Riverside Heights" |url=http://archives.anglicannetwork.ca/pdf/090923lettertoparishofMIRH.pdf |publisher=Anglican Network in Canada |access-date=24 January 2024 |date=September 23, 2009}}</ref> He joined the staff of St. Peter and St. Paul's Anglican Church in Ottawa as associate priest for discipleship and became rector in 2012.<ref name="plano-star-courier" /> Donison was shortlisted for the role of bishop of Pittsburgh in March 2016.<ref name="pittsburgh">{{cite news |title=Pittsburgh nominees announced |url=https://anglican.ink/2016/03/07/pittsburgh-nominees-announced/ |access-date=24 January 2024 |work=Anglican Ink |date=March 7, 2016}}</ref>
In 2016, Donison was elected to succeed David Roseberry as the second rector of Christ Church in Plano, Texas, which was the largest church in the ACNA and host of the investiture of Archbishop Robert Duncan in 2009. After immigrating to the United States, Donison was formally installed by Archbishop Foley Beach and Bishop Todd Hunter in January 2017.<ref name="plano-star-courier" />
Donison and Christ Church hosted the ACNA Provincial Assembly in 2019. In 2021, Christ Church was designated the provincial pro-cathedral for the ACNA.<ref name="cathedral">{{cite news |last1=Walton |first1=Jeff |title=Christ Church Plano's Paul Donison on new Anglican Provincial Cathedral |url=https://anglican.ink/2021/11/19/christ-church-planos-paul-donison-on-new-anglican-provincial-cathedral/ |access-date=24 January 2024 |work=Anglican Ink |date=November 19, 2021}}</ref>
==Global role== In 2023, Donison was elected general secretary of Gafcon, succeeding Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi.<ref name="gafcon-gs">{{cite news |title=New General Secretary for GAFCON |url=https://anglican.ink/2023/11/10/new-general-secretary-for-gafcon/ |access-date=24 January 2024 |work=Anglican Ink |date=November 10, 2023}}</ref> The Gafcon Primates Council determined that "the role of general secretary was episcopal in nature," so Gafcon Chairman Laurent Mbanda consecrated Donison as assistant bishop in the Diocese of Gasabo on February 4, 2024, at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kibagabaga, Kigali.<ref name="donison-consecration">{{cite web |title=Itorero Angilikani ry'u Rwanda ryimitse Paul Danison nka musenyeri wungirije muri Diyoseze ya Gasabo |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzOK_Eyvkhg |website=YouTube |publisher=RwandaTV |access-date=5 February 2024 |language=Kinyarwanda |date=February 4, 2010}}</ref> On February 17, Donison was invested as vicar general for the Texas deanery in the Anglican Diocese of the South in addition to continuing his role as dean and rector at Christ Church.<ref name="gasabo-consecration">{{cite news |title=GAFCON secretary general elected assistant bishop of Gasabo |url=https://anglican.ink/2024/01/17/gafcon-secretary-general-elected-assistant-bishop-of-gasabo/ |access-date=24 January 2024 |work=Anglican Ink |date=January 17, 2024}}</ref> Later in 2024, Christ Church joined several churches from the Diocese of the South and the dissolving International Diocese in forming the Great Plains Missionary District, which was created with a goal of incubating a new ACNA diocese in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and northeast Texas. With this move, Donison became an assisting bishop in the Diocese of Christ Our Hope, the missionary district's canonical home.<ref name="DCH-transfers-2024">{{cite web |title=Transfers into the Diocese of Christ Our Hope in 2024: Missions, Congregations, Church Plants, and their Clergy |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/account-media/22791/uploaded/d/0e18675889_1730899453_dcoh-2024-church-and-clergy-transfers.pdf |publisher=Diocese of Christ Our Hope |access-date=7 January 2025}}</ref><ref name="Donison-GPMD">{{cite web |title=The Rt. Rev. Paul Donison |work=Christ Church Plano |url=https://christchurchplano.org/welcome/staff-vestry/member-detail/1606627/ |access-date=7 January 2025}}</ref>
==Personal life== Donison is married to Monika; they have four children.<ref name="plano-star-courier" /> Donison is a board member at Trinity Anglican Seminary, where he pursued doctoral studies, and East African Christian College in Kigali.<ref name="ccplano-bio" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{S-rel}}
{{s-bef | before= David Roseberry}} {{s-ttl| title=Rector of Christ Church Plano| years=2016–present}} {{s-inc|rows=2}} {{s-bef | before= Benjamin Kwashi}} {{s-ttl| title=General Secretary of GAFCON| years=2023–present}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donison, Paul}} Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America Category:21st-century Anglican bishops in the United States Category:Anglican bishops of Gasabo Category:University of Victoria alumni Category:Regent College alumni Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States