Richard Sui On Chang


Richard Sui On Chang was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii from 1997 to 2006.

Early Life and Education

He was born on November 30, 1941, in Honolulu in the then Territory of Hawaii. Chang’s studied at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. He then earned a Master of Divinity from Church Divinity School of the Pacific in 1966. That same year, on March 5, he was ordained deacon and then priest on September 4, by the Bishop of Hawaii Harry S. Kennedy.

Ordained Ministry

After ordination, he became assistant Holy Nativity Church in Honolulu and in 1970, became rector of All Saints' Church in Kapaa, Hawaii, where he remained till 1978. Simultaneously, he also served as Archdeacon of Hawaii from 1970 till 1974. In 1979, he was appointed as the executive officer of the Diocese of Hawaii. In 1986, he moved to New York City to serve as Chief Operations Officer of the Episcopal Church Centre and as assistant to the Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning. He also became an honorary canon of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Paris.

Episcopacy

On June 29, 1995, Chang was elected Bishop of Hawaii on the third ballot, during a special convention held in St Andrew's Cathedral, Honolulu. He was consecrated Bishop of Hawaii on January 4, 1997 by Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning. Chang retired in 2006 and died on August 30, 2017 in Honolulu following an illness.