Before his retirement in 1997 as the Sixth Bishop of Pittsburgh, Bishop Hathaway served God and the Episcopal Church in a multitude of ways.  Soon after his ordination, he attended to the spiritual needs of students as Chaplain at Ohio Northern University, while simultaneously serving as rector of a church in Bellefontaine, Ohio. 

During his early years, he established the Mental Heath Clinic in Logan County, Ohio; served on the Michigan State Governor’s Conference on Student Leadership and the Advisory Board for Planned Parenthood of Northern Virginia, and was an instructor of Religion & Ethics at Madeira School in Virginia. 

In the midst of controversy surrounding the Vietnam War, he was challenged to heal the divisive wounds of a church in Springfield, Virginia.  In the process, he was himself transformed with personal renewal and strengthened in his faith of God and successfully brought about the spiritual transformation of the parish that built a vibrant and productive ministry of witness and outreach. 

As Bishop of Pittsburgh, he preached, taught, and challenged a commitment to evangelical renewal of the congregations and a dedication by the diocese to the priority of new church planting.  He encouraged the broad vision of a world embracing faith in warm ecumenical fellowship with other Christian bodies and vigorous working relationships with churches in lands beyond U.S. shores. 

Bishop Hathaway is a member of the founding Board of the South American Missionary Society and the North American Missionary Society.  He established Solar Light for Africa, Ltd. (formerly Solar Light for Churches of Africa) in 1997 and has led nine of SLA's ten Summer Youth Missions to East Africa when American and East African youth live and work together for up to three weeks installing solar units in rural areas of East Africa.  

Currently, Bishop Hathaway is Bishop in Residence at The Parish Church of St. Helena (Episcopal) in Beaufort, SC.  He is a popular speaker and teacher, challenging all who hear him with his theme of World-Class Christianity for Twenty-First Century Mission. 

Bishop Hathaway is married to Barbara Nesbit Hathaway.  The Hathaways have 5 grown children and 7 grandchildren.