Brian Burgess

The Rt. Rev. Brian K. Burgess is the Twelfth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Springfield. He was ordained and consecrated a bishop and seated within the Cathedral Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Springfield, Illinois, on May 21, 2022.

A native of Southwest Florida, Bishop Burgess grew up attending Episcopal day schools and public schools while singing in an Anglican choir of men and boys. He attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, where he received a B.S. in Music Education. Before attending seminary, Bishop Burgess served as a law enforcement officer for the Lee County Port Authority Police Department.

Bishop Burgess attended seminary at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, (MDiv., cum laude). As priest, he has served parishes within the Dioceses of Southwest Florida, Louisiana and New Jersey. Throughout these tenures, he served on diocesan council, standing committee, ecumenical and inter-faith relations committee, the Episcopal Community Services board, clerical compensation committee, and fifteen (nonconsecutive) years as dean of a three-county deanery of parishes and missions.

Bishop Burgess is married to his college sweetheart, Denise Lee (née Swing), and together, they have two grown children, Robert Kendall and Catherine Marian.