The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut (also known as The Episcopal Church in Connecticut) is a
diocese
In 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 provinces were administratively associat ...
of the
Episcopal Church in the United States of America
The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop o ...
, encompassing the entire state of
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
dioceses of the Episcopal Church
The Episcopal Church (TEC) is governed by a General Convention and consists of 99 dioceses in the United States proper, plus eleven dioceses in other countries or outlying U.S. territories and the diocese of Convocation of Episcopal Churches in E ...
and one of seven
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...
Anglican services have been conducted in Connecticut since 1702. The diocese was established on 22 June 1785 following the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...
dioceses of the Episcopal Church
The Episcopal Church (TEC) is governed by a General Convention and consists of 99 dioceses in the United States proper, plus eleven dioceses in other countries or outlying U.S. territories and the diocese of Convocation of Episcopal Churches in E ...
. The inaugural diocesan bishop was the Rt. Rev. Samuel Seabury, the first Anglican bishop with a see outside the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles (O ...
; he also served as Presiding Bishop of the Church.
Later bishops included the Rt. Rev.
Walter H. Gray
Walter Henry Gray (August 20, 1898 – December 4, 1973) was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut from 1951 to 1969. He had served previously as suffragan from 1940 to 1945 and coadjutor from 1945 to 1951.
Early life and education
...
, who was also the first chair of the
Civil Rights Commission
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) is a bipartisan, independent commission of the United States federal government, created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 during the Eisenhower administration, that is charged with the responsibility for ...
in Connecticut and played a leading role in two meetings of the
Lambeth Conference
The Lambeth Conference is a decennial assembly of bishops of the Anglican Communion convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The first such conference took place at Lambeth in 1867.
As the Anglican Communion is an international association ...
. The Most Rev.
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbish ...
Laura J. Ahrens
Laura Jean Ahrens (born August 9, 1962) is an American prelate who currently serves as the Suffragan Bishop of Connecticut.
Education
Ahrens studied at Princeton University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in geology and geophysics in 1984 ...
as suffragan, the first woman to be elected bishop in Connecticut. The Rt. Rev.
Jeffrey Mello The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey William Mello is an American Episcopal clergyman who has served as 16th Bishop of Connecticut since 2022.cathedra is situated at Christ Church Cathedral in
Hartford
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since ...
, and the diocesan offices are located in Meriden.
As of 2021 the diocese had a membership of approximately 40,000, down from 68,000 in 2003.
List of bishops
Churches
The diocese is divided into six geographical areas known as regions. As of 2022, the there were approximately 190 places of worship in the diocese.Episcopal Church in Connecticut, "Our Parishes" Retrieved 13 December 2022.
Northwest region
North central region
Northeast region
Southwest region
South central region
Southeast region
See also
*
List of Episcopal bishops
This list consists of the bishops in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, an independent province of the Anglican Communion. This shows the historical succession of the episcopate within this church.
Key to chart
The number ...
Online Books Page
The Online Books Page is an index of e-text books available on the Internet. It is edited by John Mark Ockerbloom and is hosted by the library of the University of Pennsylvania. The Online Books Page lists over 2 million books and has several fe ...
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...