Bishop Matthew F. Heyd Headed UES Parish as a ‘Welcome’ to All

He may be from North Carolina, but for the past 30 years, the Right Rev. Matthew Heyd has been a guardian angel to the people of Manhattan, many from the migrant community.

In a January op-ed for Our Town, Bishop Heyd, who was installed as the 17th Episcopal bishop of New York in 2024, wrote of his faith, “We welcome everyone from every part of the world without investigating their official immigration documentation status. We simply ask if they are hungry, or lonely, or cold.”

He said he will continue to preach this message despite the Trump administration’s dissolution of DEI (the concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion) and NYC’s uncertain status as a sanctuary city. “It’s part of our faith that we welcome the stranger. That is in Scripture. It’s also part of who we are as New Yorkers. Most of us come here from some other place, and we were welcomed when we came. We will do the same for others who are coming to New York now. When we welcome them, it makes sure that we’re stronger.”

Of his 10 years as Rector of the Church of the Heavenly Rest on Fifth Avenue at 90th Street, Bishop Heyd remembered fondly how active the church was in the neighborhood and beyond by supporting different organizations, and by feeding and supporting those in the area—“Everybody,” he said, “including migrants, children, and those coming home from prison.” 


The Bishop also spoke of the joy in caring for the community and cited as his biggest achievement “simply being with people. That’s the thing that I’m most proud of. I loved our people at Heavenly Rest. They’re amazing. To be with them through all kinds of moments, including the pandemic, was an incredible privilege. We walk with people through the best and worst days of their lives. That’s what Heavenly Rest has done for almost 100 years.”

Bishop Heyd also has served as director of Faith in Action at Trinity Church Wall Street, where he expanded volunteer engagement with opportunities for New York City children. He has supported the development of the Episcopal Service Corps, helped launch Episcopal Charities in the Diocese of New York, and served as chief operating officer of a national nonprofit connecting students and schoolteachers to service opportunities. He worked with the family of Martin Luther King Jr. on a New York-based program to help students in 20,000 classrooms in every part of the country celebrate the King National Holiday with service, and served as the founding board chair of the Community Learning School initiative in New York City, a collaboration of business, labor, and the faith community to strengthen public schools.

The Morehead Scholar was student body president at the University of North Carolina, holds a Master of Arts in religion summa cum laude from Yale University and a Master of Sacred Theology from The General Theological Seminary.

Bishop Heyd has been married to Ann Thornton, Vice Provost and University Librarian at Columbia University, for 29 years. The couple have a 17-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son.