All are invited to the Memorial Service on Saturday, March 21st at 11am in the Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City. A reception at Cathedral House will follow.

The Right Reverend Orris G. Walker, Jr., died on February 28 at the age of 72. He was the seventh diocesan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, serving from 1991 to 2009.

In his announcement to the diocese, Bishop Provenzano said of Bishop Walker, "His episcopate championed the cause of full inclusion of women in the ordained ministry of the diocese. He was the first to ordain women in the diocese and was responsible for facilitating the full inclusion and participation of women in all aspects of diocesan life.

"He was also responsible for widening the participation and full representation of laity in the ministry of the diocese - especially their serving on diocesan boards and commissions.

"Bishop Walker's episcopacy covered a difficult and sometimes controversial period in the history of the diocese, nevertheless, his dedication to the people of the Diocese of Long Island will forever stand as a testament to his love for Jesus Christ and his dedication to the ministry of the Church."

Bishop Walker was born in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from Baltimore City College in 1960.

In 1964, he graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Political Science and Philosophy. In 1968 he received a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree from the General Theological Seminary.

In 1980 he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew University and in 1984 a Master of Arts in Religious Studies degree from the University of Windsor. In 1993 he received an MBA in Church Administration from the Graduate Theological Foundation in Berkeley, California. He additionally received honorary doctorates from the Berkeley Divinity School, Yale University, the General Theological Seminary and St. Paul's College.

Bishop Walker was ordained to the diaconate in 1968 and to the priesthood in 1969. He served as rector of St. Mark's Church in Kansas City (MO) from 1969-1971. In 1971, he became rector of the newly merged churches of St. Matthew's and St. Joseph's in Detroit (MI). In Detroit, Bishop Walker was a member of the Executive Committee of the NAACP, President of the Cathedral Terrace, a senior citizen housing complex, the Highland Park Community Relations Board and the Black Family Development Board.

While in the Diocese of Michigan, Bishop Walker served as a member of Executive Council, the Trustees, the Urban Affairs Committee, Dean of Convocation, as a board member and associate professor of Contemporary Society at the Whitaker School of Theology. He represented the Diocese at the Provincial Synod for ten years, serving as chair of the Urban Task Force and a member of the Court of Review. He was elected five times to serve as a deputy to General Convention.

In churchwide service, Bishop Walker chaired the Committee on Canons in the House of Bishops and was a member of the Presiding Bishop's Council of Advice. He was also a member of the Joint Committee on Nominations, served as Vice President of the Second Province, Chair of the Episcopal Commission on Black Ministries, and was a member of the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons. In addition, he chaired the Task Force for the Recruitment, Training and Deployment of Black Clergy for the National Church's Commission on Black Ministries.

In addition to serving as Chairman and President of several diocesan boards and corporations as bishop of Long Island, Bishop Walker also taught Canon Law and Theology & Contemporary Society at The Mercer School and at the General Theological Seminary.

Rest eternal grant to him, O Lord. And let light perpetual shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.