The national head of the Episcopal Church, Bishop Frank Griswold, will visit Ames today.

He will lead the congregation of St. John’s by the Campus Episcopal Parish and Student Center, 2338 Lincoln Way, in a “Quiet Day” retreat titled “Holy Week and Baptism: Exploring the Paschal Mystery.”

“Quiet Day is a day for the meditation and reflection of Episcopalians to reflect on how God is in our lives and our relationship with him,” said the Rev. Matthew Cobb of St. John’s church. “It is a retreat to help us examine our daily lives and how God is a part of them.”

Cobb said Griswold will lead the Quiet Day in Iowa due to a request by Iowa Bishop Chris Epting. He said this is a wonderful event for those in the St. John’s congregation.

“It is really exciting to have [Griswold] coming to Ames,” Cobb said. “It is the first official visit to Iowa by the presiding bishop after just recently taking over. It is wonderful that we are having such a high-up church official coming to Iowa and Ames.”

St. John’s Deacon Mary Jane Oakland said she also feels Griswold’s presence will be a great honor.

“I think that the whole congregation is excited and honored to have him here in Ames,” she said.

Griswold will provide meditations and allow the congregation to reflect on them, Oakland said.

“[He] will give a series of meditation talks, then we will get 30 to 45 minutes of silence to reflect on what was said and how God effects our everyday lives,” she said.

Cobb said he expects about 200 worshippers to attend the Quiet Day.

“It was designed for the clergy, yet the invitation has been passed on to every baptized member of the church,” he said. “There are around 64 congregations around the country with about 12,000 or 13,000 members.”

Previously the bishop of Chicago, Griswold was elected the 25th head of the Episcopal Church in July 1997. He began his nine-year term Jan. 10, 1998 after a ceremony at Washington National Cathedral, according to the Episcopal Church Web site.

“What the sitting presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church does is oversee the Episcopal churches in the United States, Central America and Mexico,” Cobb said.

As presiding bishop, Griswold serves as the chief pastor of the Episcopal Church, the president of the House of Bishops, the president and CEO of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and the president or chairman of numerous church boards and agencies.

Griswold received a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Harvard University and a master’s in theology from Oriel College and Oxford University, according to the Web site.