Episcopal Diocese of New York
c/o Ms. Arlene Bullard
1047 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, NY 10025
Matthew Heyd is the 17th Bishop of New York.
His ministry is focused on the renewal of the church for the healing of the world through the congregations, chaplaincies, and schools of the Diocese of New York.
Together, the Diocese is re-weaving its pastoral fabric around its local communities, re-structuring to care for clergy and support congregations. The Holy Spirit moves at ground level.
The Diocese has also organized and spoken out in support of immigration and LGBTQ+ rights. It is a sanctuary diocese, providing safety, belonging, and freedom across its local communities.
Before his election as bishop, Matt served as the tenth rector of Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City, which was consecrated in 1868 to be a community for reconciliation and peace. As rector, he engaged with the congregation and staff to create a “bigger table” of deep belonging and wide invitation.
Matt also served as director of Faith in Action at Trinity Church Wall Street. At Trinity, he expanded volunteer engagement with opportunities for children in New York City, New Orleans, Haiti, Panama, and Burundi. He supported the development of the Episcopal Service Corps. He was the third director of the global Trinity Grants Program.
Matt also helped launch Episcopal Charities in the Diocese of New York and served as chief operating officer of a national non-profit connecting students and teachers in schools to service opportunities. He worked with the family of Martin Luther King Jr. on a program to help students celebrate the King National Holiday with service.
He was a Morehead Scholar and student body president at the University of North Carolina. He holds a Master of Arts in religion summa cum laude from Yale University and a Master of Sacred Theology from The General Theological Seminary.
He served as the founding board chair of the Community Learning School initiative in New York City — a collaboration of business, labor, and the faith community to strengthen public schools. He was board president of the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes, now The Episcopal Parish Network. He led a successful funding campaign on behalf of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry for reconciliation with the Episcopal Church in Cuba. He is chair of the Board of Trustees for Episcopal Divinity School.
His spouse, Ann Thornton, is Vice Provost and University Librarian at Columbia University. They have an eighteen-year-old daughter and a fourteen-year-old son.
Matt grew up in Charlotte, NC. He graduated from Providence Day School. He likes to read and run and has completed five marathons.