The Rt. Rev. Rayford B. High, Jr., former Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of Texas has been appointed Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of West Texas, the Rt. Rev. David M. Reed, Bishop of the Diocese of West Texas, announced Monday, October 26, 2020. 
His appointment in West Texas will begin on Monday, February 1, 2021.
“Returning to the Diocese in 2021 will make my journey in ordained ministry full circle. It was here that it all began, with Bishop Everett Jones’ affirmation of my call in 1963 and his ordaining me to the Diaconate in 1966. His actions set me on the path to serve Christ and his Church; now Bishop Reed’s crozier pulls me back. It is here that I will continue my service to our Lord.” said Bishop High.
After spending his childhood in Houston, Bishop High received his undergraduate degree from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. As he wrestled with a call to ministry and what path to pursue after graduation, he confided in his priest, the Rev. Stanley F. Hauser, Rector of St. Mark’s, Houston, who recommended him to the Rt. Rev. Everett H. Jones, IV Bishop of West Texas. Bishop Jones directed the postulant to Episcopal Theological School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, with St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in San Antonio, as his sending parish.
He served as rector in two Diocese of West Texas parishes, then as rector of a parish in the Diocese of Texas, a total of 32 years before becoming Canon for Pastoral Ministries in Texas.
Along with serving as Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of Texas, Bishop High, also served as the Provisional Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth. Following his retirement in 2015, he has continued ministry as an Assisting Bishop to the Diocese of Fort Worth.
Bishop High and his wife of 50 years, Pat Mosley High, had three children and six grandchildren. Following her death in 2015, Bishop High and the Rev. Canon Ann Normand, DMin., married on August 12, 2017 at St. Paul’s, Waco, where they both previously served. Together, they have eleven adult children, 14 grandchildren, and Bishop, their yellow lab.
A retired Canon to the Ordinary who served alongside Bishop Andy Doyle in the Diocese of Texas, Ann remains active in her own ministries as a dynamic teacher, supporter of lay ministry leaders, and mentor to active clergy. She will accompany Bishop High as he visits congregations. The Highs will live in the San Antonio area throughout this appointment.
