The Diocese of British Columbia, also known as the Anglican Diocese of Islands and Inlets, is a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

of the

Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and Yukon The Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and Yukon is one of four ecclesiastical provinces in the Anglican Church of Canada. It was founded in 1914 as the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia, but changed its name in 1943 when the D ...

of the

Anglican Church of Canada The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2017, the Anglican Church co ...

. Despite the name, the diocese comprises only the 32,630 square kilometres of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

and the adjacent

Gulf Islands The Gulf Islands are a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia. Etymology The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia," the original term used by George Vancouver in his ma ...

in the civil

Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. Its

see city See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television * ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, and it presently maintains 45 parishes serving nearly 7,000 Anglicans according to the most recent statistics published by the ACC. The diocese was established in 1859, and is the oldest in the ecclesiastical province, once extending over the entire civil province of British Columbia, hence the origin of its name. Its first bishop was

George Hills George Hills (June 21, 1816 – December 10, 1895) was a Canadian Anglican bishop. He was born in Eythorne, England. His father was a rear-admiral in the British navy. He was educated at Durham University, ordained a priest in 1840, and was suc ...

. In 1866, there were two archdeaconries: H. P. Wright was Archdeacon of Columbia and Samuel Gilson of Vancouver. Notable parishes include Christ Church Cathedral and the Church of St. John the Divine, both in Victoria. The current bishop is the Right Reverend Anna Greenwood-Lee. As part of the diocese's commitments to making

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

land acknowledgement A land acknowledgement or territorial acknowledgement is a formal statement that a public event is taking place on land originally inhabited by indigenous peoples. It is often spoken at the beginning of an event. They have also become popular on s ...

s, the diocese around June 2021 began replacing its formal name referencing the

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

identity of

with the alternative name Anglican Diocese of Islands and Inlets on its website, in its newsletters, and other publicity materials.

Bishops of British Columbia

References

External links

Diocesan website
{{DEFAULTSORT:British Columbia Religious organizations established in 1859 British Columbia, Anglican Diocese of Organizations based in Victoria, British Columbia Anglican dioceses established in the 19th century 1859 establishments in the British Empire 1859 establishments in Canada Anglican Province of British Columbia and Yukon

Bishops of British Columbia

Further reading

References

External links