Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia is the

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 associ ...

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 ...

located in the southeast area of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. It is in Province III (for the

Middle Atlantic Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ...

region). The diocese includes the

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James, Nansemond and Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Atlantic ...

area,

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

south of the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesap ...

, most of the region known as

Southside Virginia Southside, or Southside Virginia, has traditionally referred to the portion of the state south of the James River, the geographic feature from which the term derives its name. This was the first area to be developed in the colonial period. Duri ...

, and both Northampton and Accomack Counties of the

Eastern Shore of Virginia The Eastern Shore of Virginia consists of two counties ( Accomack and Northampton) on the Atlantic coast detached from the mainland of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The region is part of the Delmarva Peninsula and is s ...

. The Diocese of Southern Virginia was created as a split from the Diocese of Virginia in 1892. The

Diocese of Southwestern Virginia Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America located in the southwest area of Virginia. It is in Province III (for the Middle Atlantic Middle or The Middle may refer to: * C ...

split off from the Diocese of Southern Virginia in 1919. The diocesan offices are in Newport News. Susan Bunton Haynes was consecrated the Eleventh Bishop of Southern Virginia in a ceremony held in

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. It is ...

on February 1, 2020.

Chanco Chanco is a name traditionally assigned to a Native American who is said to have warned a Jamestown colonist, Richard Pace, about an impending Powhatan attack in 1622. This article discusses how the Native American came to be known as Chanco. ...

on the James is an outdoor ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia. It is a retreat center for youth and adults, as well as one of the longest running summer camp programs in Virginia. It is situated on 125 acres of woods surrounded by natural wildlife along the

in Surry.

Historical significance

When English colonists established

Jamestown, Virginia The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James (Powhatan) River about southwest of the center of modern Williamsburg. It was ...

on May 14, 1607, those settlers built one of the first churches in the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

, in what would eventually become the Diocese of Southern Virginia. The Jamestown church also became the meeting place of the first New World legislative assembly on July 30, 1619, but was ultimately burned down (with most of the city) in Bacon's Rebellion. On Sunday June 24, 2007,

Katharine Jefferts Schori Katharine Jefferts Schori (born March 26, 1954) is the former Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church of the United States. Previously elected as the 9th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, she was the first woman elected ...

, presiding bishop of ECUSA led the 400th anniversary celebration of the first Anglican service of

Holy Communion The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

in the New World at Jamestown. After the statehouse burned in 1698, the capital of the

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...

moved to the City of Williamsburg, which is also now located in the Diocese of Southern Virginia and most famous after restoration as

Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has 7300 employees at this location ...

. Williamsburg's historic church, Bruton Parish, located on

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...

Street, remains active today. As the colonial era ended, when the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been establishe ...

gathered for sessions in Williamsburg, American patriots

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

, and

Patrick Henry Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736June 6, 1799) was an American attorney, planter, politician and orator known for declaring to the Second Virginia Convention (1775): " Give me liberty, or give me death!" A Founding Father, he served as the first a ...

, among others, worshipped at Bruton Parish. The Diocese also includes St. John's Episcopal Church, Elizabeth City Parish, in

Hampton, Virginia Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...

. Established in 1610, St. John's is the oldest English-speaking

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

in continuous existence in the United States. The parish occasionally uses Communion silver (a chalice and two patens) crafted in 1618. This communion silver has the longest history of continuous use in the United States of any English church silver.

Bishops

The Diocese of Southern Virginia has had eleven diocesan bishops: # Alfred M. Randolph (1892–1918)
Beverley D. Tucker Coadjutor (1906–1918) # Beverly D. Tucker (1918–1930)
Arthur C. Thomson Suffragan (1917–1919); Coadjutor (1919–1930) # Arthur C. Thomson (1930–1937) # William A. Brown (1938–1950)
George P. Gunn Coadjutor (1948–1950) # George P. Gunn (1950–1971)

David S. Rose David Semel Rose (born June 12, 1957) is an American Serial entrepreneur#Serial entrepreneur, serial entrepreneur and angel investor. He is an investor in startup technology companies and founder of New York Angels, an early-stage technology inv ...

Suffragan (1958–1964); Coadjutor (1964–1971) #

(1971–1978)
C. Charles Vache Coadjutor (1976–1978) # C. Charles Vache (1978–1991)
Frank Vest Coadjutor (1989–1991) # Frank Vest (1991–1998)
O'Kelley Whitaker Assisting Bishop (1992–1997)

David Conner Bane Jr. David Conner Bane Jr. (born 1940) is an American prelate who served as the eighth Bishop of Southern Virginia, serving from 1991 to 1998. Early life and education Bane was born in Morgantown, West Virginia in 1940. He studied at Bethany College ...

Coadjutor (1997–1998) #

(1998–2006)

Donald Purple Hart Donald Purple Hart (born April 22, 1937) was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii from 1986 to 1994. Early life and ministry Hart was educated at South Kent School, Williams College, and The Episcopal Theological School, in Cambridge, Massa ...

Assisting Bishop (1998–2001)
Carol Joy W.T. Gallagher Suffragan (2002–2005)
Robert Hodges Johnson Assisting Bishop (2006)

John Clark Buchanan John Clark Buchanan (May 6, 1933 – April 15, 2020) was an American bishop. He was the sixth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri. Early life and education Buchanan was born on May 6, 1933, in Joanna, South Carolina to Dock Jones Bu ...

Assisting Bishop (2006–2009) #

Herman Hollerith IV Herman "Holly" Hollerith IV (born 1955) was the tenth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, serving from 2009 till 2018. Biography Hollerith was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1955. He studied at Denison University and graduate ...

(2009-2018) # Susan Bunton Haynes (2020–present)

References

External links

The Episcopal Diocese of Southern VirginiaDiocesan Profile
*
Journal of the Annual Council, Diocese of Southern Virginia
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Southern Virginia

Southern Virginia Southern Virginia is a region in the U.S. state of Virginia located along the border with North Carolina. The region includes the counties of Brunswick, Charlotte, Greensville, Halifax, Henry, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, and Pittsylvania, and the ...

Diocese of Southern Virginia Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America located in the southeast area of Virginia. It is in Province III (for the Middle Atlantic region). The diocese includes the Hampton ...

Religious organizations established in 1892 Anglican dioceses established in the 19th century Province 3 of the Episcopal Church (United States)