The first female bishop of the Washington Diocese of the Episcopal Church was consecrated Saturday as the Washington National Cathedral opened for the first time since it was damaged in the Aug. 23 earthquake. Budde comes from Minneapolis, where she served as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church for 18 years. She also spent a decade as leader of a clergy wellness program called “CREDO.” A graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Budde speaks Spanish and plans to preach and minister to Washington’s Hispanics in their own language. She and her husband have two adult sons. What do you most appreciate about your Episcopal faith?

What I appreciate most about the tradition that is mine is the person of Jesus, the example of his life, the power of his teaching and the mystical presence of the risen Christ that is the spiritual foundation of Christianity. It’s a great gift, to have a sense of the presence and the love of a personal God in your life.