Bishop Bena
The Rt. Rev’d David J. Bena joined the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) in March 2007. Bishop Bena, who has retired from his ECUSA post in Albany, now serves as CANA’s Suffragan Bishop, assisting CANA’s Missionary Bishop Martyn Minns with leading the growing number of CANA congregations and clergy.
Bena was a priest for 26 years before being consecrated as a bishop for Albany in 2000. For the past seven years he has served under Albany’s senior bishop, the Rt. Rev’d Daniel Herzog, to help make Albany one of the largest and active ECUSA dioceses in the nation. The Albany diocese is a staunch supporter of the Anglican Communion and traditional theology, so Bishop Bena’s move to CANA is quite natural. CANA is an orthodox Anglican church body which offers Americans an authentic connection to the Anglican Communion.
Bishop Bena stated recently, “I have sensed God’s call to minister to disenfranchised Anglicans around America who are in need of episcopal oversight.” He also said, “I feel extremely privileged to have been asked to take on this ministry.”
Bishop Martyn Minns is glad to have Bishop Bena on the CANA team. Bishop Minns said, “The growing CANA family will be tremendously blessed by the presence of Bishop Bena. He brings years of experience and lots of high energy leadership to CANA. I count David as a personal friend, and am very happy that he’s here.”
Bena served as a Marine officer in the Vietnam War, flying over 200 combat missions in close air support of ground combat. He did his undergraduate work at Stetson University, and completed his seminary training at Virginia Theological Seminary (Alexandria, Va.). He served as both an Air Force chaplain and as a parish priest for over two decades. Dr. Bena has earned a doctorate from the Graduate Theological Foundation, which is an inter-religious faculty based in South Bend, Indiana. He also holds an honorary doctorate from The Episcopal Church’s Virginia Theological Seminary.
David Bena and his wife Mary Ellen have been married for 40 years. They have three grown children and are the proud grandparents of four grandchildren.
