RALEIGH — A Raleigh priest has been appointed to a national position in the Anglican Church.

John Upham, rector of St. George’s Anglican Church in Raleigh, was consecrated recently as the new suffragan bishop of the Diocese of the Atlantic States of the Anglican Province of Christ the King.

Upham will continue to serve at St. George’s, but he also will assist the archbishop of the entire province.

Because the archbishop is based in California, Upham said he’ll be traveling when the archbishop can’t make it to the East Coast. St. George’s assisting deacons will lead services when he is away.

“I’ll still be the rector, and that’s first and foremost my primary responsibility,” Upham said. “We’ve got good people in the diocese and good parishioners and good priests, and they’ll make it easier.”

Other new duties include ordaining clergy, performing confirmations and visiting parishes.

Upham was among the most educated candidates for the job, said province spokesman Monty Stanford. Upham has two doctoral degrees, both from St. Andrew’s Theological College and Seminary.

The Atlantic states district comprises more than a third of the United States, from the Mississippi River east.

The Anglican Province of Christ the King began in 1977 after branching off from the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It practices historic Christianity in the Anglican tradition.

There are 43 churches in North America. St. George’s is the only church of the province in North Carolina.