Meet the Bishop

The Rt. Rev. Robert L. Fitzpatrick
Fifth Bishop of Hawai'i
Ext. 302
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Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick was born in Decatur, IL.

He graduated from DePauw University, Greencastle, IN, and received a Master of Divinity degree from the General Theological Seminary, New York, NY. He also has a Doctor of Ministry degree in homiletics from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL. Following his graduation from seminary, he served as an assisting priest at St. Peter’s Church, Morristown, NJ, from 1986 to 1990. From 1990 to 2000, he served as the rector of Grace Episcopal Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana. 
 
He came to Hawai‘i in 2000 as a member of the Bishop’s staff, becoming the Canon to the Ordinary (executive officer) in 2002. His ministry in Hawai‘i also included serving as the priest-in-charge of congregations in Kapolei and Honolulu.

He was elected as 5th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaiʻi on October 20, 2006 and was ordained as Bishop on March 10, 2007.  At the time, he also served as the Bishop-in-Charge of the Episcopal Church in Micronesia, which officially became a part of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i in 2024.  On behalf of The Episcopal Church, he chairs both the Concordat Committee of Full Communion Between the Iglesia Filipina Independiente and The Episcopal Church, and the Joint Committee on Provincial Companionship (JCPC) with The Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Church in the Philippines.  He has also served on the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons, Task Force on Care of Creation & Environmental Racism, and the Ecclesiology Committee of the House of Bishops. 
 
He serves on the boards of ʻIolani School, St. Andrew’s Schools, Seabury Hall, Camp Mokuleʻia, and St. John’s School (Guam).  
 
His wife, Bea, is a registered nurse.  He has two adult sons, a grandson, and a granddaughter.

 

The ​Kealiʻikoaokeakua Fund

​From June 1, 2025, until the 6th Bishop of the Diocese of Hawaiʻi is ordained and takes office (scheduled for November 14, 2026), Bishop Fitzpatrick has asked that all donations and special collections at visitations and Diocesan liturgies be designated for the “Kealiʻikoaokeakua Fund.”

The following is the official explanation of this special Diocesan fund:

​The “Kealiʻikoaokeakua Fund” is a Diocesan donor designated fund, and it is to be used for the compensation (salary, housing and benefits) of any resident Bishop serving the Episcopal Church in Hawaiʻi (after the ministry of the 5th Bishop Diocesan of the Hawaiʻi) and, if additional funds are available, of the executive assistant (by whatever title) supporting the ministry of such Bishop. The fund is named in honor of the Rt. Rev. Robert L. Fitzpatrick, 5th Bishop Diocesan of Hawaiʻi, who was bestowed a variation of the family name of “Kealiʻikoaokeakua” (“Kealiʻikoa” having been granted to the family by King Kalākaua and which translates into English as “Royal Warrior”) by Paulie Keākealani Jennings and her family (on August 12, 2007), and in consultation with Master Kumu Hula Nona Beamer who directed the slight change to “Kealiʻikoaokeakua” (“Royal Warrior of God”). Money from this Fund may be expended in keeping with the current policy of the Diocese as long as no draw from the Fund exceeds 5% in any calendar year. This Fund was initially established by a donation from Mr. Walter Shigeo Oshiro.

Checks may be made payable to: “The Episcopal Church in Hawaiʻi” (with “Kealiʻikoaokeakua Fund” in the memo), 229 Queen Emma Square, Honolulu, HI 96813-2304 

Donations may also be made online at Kealiʻikoaokeakua Fund Donations HERE or by clicking on the button above.