The Diocese of Montreal 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 associa ...

of the

Ecclesiastical Province of Canada The Ecclesiastical Province of Canada, founded in 1860, forms one of four ecclesiastical provinces in the Anglican Church of Canada. Despite modern use of the name ''Canada'', the ecclesiastical province covers only the former territory of Lower Can ...

of the Anglican Church of Canada, in turn a province of the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

. The diocese comprises the encompassing the City and Island of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

, the Laurentians, the South Shore opposite Montreal, and part of the Eastern Townships. The

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 * ...

, and the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

is Christ Church. The diocese maintains approximately 9,000 on its parish rolls"Montreal Anglican", June 2010 in about seventy parishes.

History

The diocese was established in 1850, having been carved off from the Diocese of Quebec (where there was a suffragan bishop of Montreal from 1836). The first synod was organised nine years later. Its first bishop, Francis Fulford, was influenced by the Oxford Movement. In 1866, there was one archdeaconry: J. Scott was Archdeacon of Montreal.

Present status

While Montreal was the largest Canadian city and the centre of commerce in the country, the diocese thrived. In recent decades, however, as these attributes have shifted to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, the

English-Canadian English Canadians (french: Canadiens anglais or ), or Anglo-Canadians (french: Anglo-Canadiens), refers to either Canadians of English ethnic origin and heritage or to English-speaking or Anglophone Canadians of any ethnic origin; it is us ...

population in the diocese has shrunk dramatically, forcing the merger and the closure of parishes. The diocese's original membership of 25,000 150 years ago has shrunk by over one-third, even as the total population in the civil region has expanded from about 70,000 to over 3,000,000—a 9000% decrease in its proportional importance. The diocese's decline thus far exceeds Montreal's relative loss of prestige to Toronto. With both the dioceses of Montreal and

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

now having less than 10,000 members, and decreasing membership, discussions are underway for the eventual merger of the two fading dioceses, beginning with an exploration of opportunities for combined administration. Today, like the Anglican Church of Canada generally,

liberal theology Religious liberalism is a conception of religion (or of a particular religion) which emphasizes personal and group liberty and rationality. It is an attitude towards one's own religion (as opposed to criticism of religion from a secular position ...

dominates, with the bishop approving a form for blessings for same-sex unions in 2010. The present bishop is

Mary Irwin-Gibson Mary Irwin-Gibson is the bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Montreal. At the time of her election, Irwin-Gibson was Dean of Ontario and rector of St George's Cathedral in Kingston, where she had been in office since September, 2009. Irwin-Gibso ...

Parish list

Estrie Estrie () is an administrative region of Quebec that comprises the Eastern Townships. ''Estrie'', a French neologism, was coined as a derivative of ''est'', "east". Originally settled by anglophones, today it is about 90 per cent francophone. Angl ...

Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality Memphrémagog is a regional county municipality in the Estrie region of Quebec, Canada. History After the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783, the American Revolutionary War ended. the state of Vermont was established in 1791. ...

* St Paul's Anglican Church, Masonville,

Potton Potton is a town and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England, about east of the county town Bedford. Its population in 2011 was 4,870. In 1783 the Great Fire of Potton destroyed a large part of the town. The ...

Island of Montreal

* All Saints by the Lake,

Dorval Dorval () is an on-island suburban city on the island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. In 2016, the Canadian Census indicated that the population increased by 4.2% to 18,980. Although the city has the largest surface area in Montré ...

* Anglican Church of St Peter and St Mark, Saint-Laurent,

* Christ Church Cathedral, Ville-Marie, Montreal * Christ Church, Beaurepaire, Beaconsfield * Church of the Epiphany,

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

, Montreal * Église de la Nativité,

Montréal-Nord Montreal North (french: Montréal-Nord) is a borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It consists entirely of the former city of Montréal-Nord on Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec. It was amalgamated into t ...

, Montreal * Mile-End Community Mission / Mission Communautaire Mile-End,

Le Plateau Mont-Royal Le Plateau-Mont-Royal () is a Montreal borough, borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Plateau-Mont-Royal takes its name from its location on a plateau, on the eastern side of Mont-Royal and overlooking downtow ...

, Montreal *

Montreal Diocesan Theological College Montreal Diocesan Theological College (known as Montreal Dio) is a theological seminary of the Anglican Church of Canada. It offers the Master of Divinity, Diploma in Ministry, Bachelor of Theology, and Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.) to candida ...

, Ville-Marie, Montreal * St Barnabas Church,

Pierrefonds-Roxboro Pierrefonds-Roxboro is a borough of the city of Montreal. It was created January 1, 2006, following the demerger of parts of the city. Geography It is composed of the former municipalities of Pierrefonds and Roxboro, spanning the northern par ...

, Montreal * St Cuthbert, St Hilda, & St Luke,

Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie is a borough (''arrondissement'') in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located in the centre-east of the city. Geography The borough is bordered to the northwest by Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension ...

, Montreal * St George, Ville-Marie, Montreal * St George's Church,

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue () is an on-island suburb located at the western tip of the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is the second oldest community in Montreal's West Island, having been founded as a parish in 1703. The old ...

* St Jax Church, Ville-Marie, Montreal * St John the Baptist,

Pointe-Claire Pointe-Claire (, ) is a Quebec local municipality within the Urban agglomeration of Montreal on the Island of Montreal in Canada. It is entirely developed, and land use includes residential, light manufacturing, and retail. As of the 2021 ce ...

* St John the Evangelist, Montreal * St Lawrence Anglican Church, Lasalle, Montreal * St Mary's Church, Kirkland * St Matthias' Church - Église St Matthias, Westmount * St Michael and All Angels,

, Montreal * St Paul's Anglican Church,

Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (, ) is a borough (''arrondissement'') of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The borough was created following the 2002 municipal reorganization of Montreal. It comprises two main neighbourhoods, Côte-des-Neiges ...

, Montreal * St Philip's Church,

Montreal West Montreal West (French: Montréal-Ouest) is an on-island suburb in southwestern Quebec, Canada, on the Island of Montreal. Montreal West is a small, close-knit community made up primarily of single-family dwellings. The town is largely composed ...

* St Stephen's, Lachine, Montreal * St Thomas' Anglican Church,

, Montreal * Ste-Anne's Hospital Chapel,

Lanaudiere

Les Moulins Regional County Municipality Les Moulins is a regional county municipality in the Lanaudière region of Quebec, Canada. It is located immediately north of Laval on the north shore of the Rivière des Mille-Îles, and comprises the municipalities of Terrebonne and Mascouch ...

* Anglican Parish of Mascouche,

Mascouche Mascouche () is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southern Quebec, Canada. The city is located on the Mascouche River within the Les Moulins Regional County Municipality and has a population of 51,183, ranking 20th among Quebec municipaliti ...

Matawinie Regional County Municipality Matawinie is a regional county municipality in the region of Lanaudière in southwestern Quebec, Canada. Its seat is Rawdon. The population according to the 2021 Canadian Census was 55,500. Subdivisions There are 27 subdivisions within the RC ...

* Christ Church, Rawdon

Laurentides The Laurentides () is a region of Quebec. While it is often called the Laurentians in English, the region includes only part of the Laurentian mountains. It has a total land area of and its population was 589,400 inhabitants as of the 2016 Cens ...

Argenteuil Regional County Municipality Argenteuil is a regional county municipality located in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada. Its seat is Lachute. History In 1682, Charles-Joseph d'Ailleboust was granted by Louis de Buade de Frontenac, Governor General of New France, a do ...

* Holy Trinity Calumet,

Grenville-sur-la-Rouge Grenville-sur-la-Rouge is a municipality in the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada. It is a predominantly Francophone community situated along the southern border of Quebec between Montreal and Ot ...

* Laurentian Regional Ministry (LRM) - Christ Church,

Mille-Isles Mille-Isles is a municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality, west of Saint-Jérôme. Mille-Isles is in the Laurentian Hills, crossed by rivers and dotted with fish-filled lakes. ...

* Laurentian Regional Ministry (LRM) - Holy Trinity, Lakefield,

Gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitouli ...

* Laurentian Regional Ministry (LRM) - St Aidan's, Louisa,

Wentworth Wentworth may refer to: People * Wentworth (surname) * Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder * S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator * Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...

* Laurentian Regional Ministry (LRM) - St Paul's Church, Dunany,

* Laurentian Regional Ministry - St Simeon's Anglican Church,

Lachute Lachute () is a town in southwest Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montreal, on the Rivière du Nord, a tributary of the Ottawa River, and west of Mirabel International Airport. It is located on Autoroute 50, at the junctions of Quebec Provincial ...

* St Matthew's, Grenville

Deux-Montagnes Regional County Municipality Deux-Montagnes is a regional county municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada. It is located immediately north of Laval on the north shore of the Rivière des Mille-Îles and on the north shore of the Lake of Two Mountains. Its s ...

*All Saints Church, Deux-Montagnes

La Rivière-du-Nord Regional County Municipality La Rivière-du-Nord (''The Rivière-du-Nord'' or ''The River of the North'') is a regional county municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada. The seat is in Saint-Jérôme. It is named for the river that runs through it, the Rivièr ...

* Laurentian Regional Ministry (LRM) - St John the Baptist, Kilkenny, Saint-Hippolyte

Les Laurentides Regional County Municipality Les Laurentides ''(English: The Laurentians)'' is a regional county municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada. The seat is in Mont-Blanc, Quebec, Mont-Blanc. It is named after the Laurentian Mountains. The population was 50,777 ac ...

* Laurentian Regional Ministry (LRM) - Grace Anglican Church, Arundel * Laurentian Regional Ministry (LRM) - Holy Trinity Church, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts

Les Pays-d'en-Haut Regional County Municipality Les Pays-d'En-Haut () is a regional county municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada. The population according to the 2016 Canadian Census was 41,877. Subdivisions There are 10 subdivisions within the RCM: ;Cities & Towns (4) ...

* Laurentian Regional Ministry (LRM) - St Francis of the Birds,

Saint-Sauveur Saint-Sauveur or St Sauveur (French for "Holy Savior") may refer to: Places Canada * Saint-Sauveur, New Brunswick * Saint-Sauveur, Quebec * Saint-Sauveur (electoral district), a former provincial electoral district in Quebec * Saint-Sauveur, Queb ...

* Laurentian Regional Ministry - Trinity Church,

Morin-Heights Morin-Heights is a town in the Laurentian Mountains region of Quebec, Canada. It is west of Saint-Sauveur and north of Lachute; municipally, it is within the Regional County Municipality of Les Pays-d'en-Haut. It is primarily a tourist town, ...

Thérèse-De Blainville Regional County Municipality Thérèse-De Blainville is a regional county municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada. It is located immediately north of Laval on the north shore of the Rivière des Mille-Îles. The population according to the 2016 Canadian C ...

* St James Anglican Church, Rosemère

Laval

* St Simon and Bartholomew, Laval

Montérégie Montérégie () is an administrative region in the southwest part of Quebec. It includes the cities of Boucherville, Brossard, Châteauguay, Longueuil, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and Vaudreuil-Dorion. ...

Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality

* All Saints Anglican Church - Parish of Dunham, Dunham * Bishop Stewart Memorial Church of the Holy Trinity,

Frelighsburg Frelighsburg is a municipality in the Estrie region of southern Quebec, Canada, on the border with Vermont. It is at the foot of Mount Pinnacle, part of the Appalachian Mountains. Administratively, it is within the Brome-Missisquoi Regional Coun ...

* Grace Church,

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a location * Sutton-in-the-Isle, Ely, Cambridgeshire * ...

* Holy Trinity Church, Iron Hill,

Brome Lake Brome Lake (french: Lac Brome) is a freshwater lake in the town of Brome Lake, in the Brome-Missisquoi regional county municipality of the Montérégie region of Quebec, Canada. It is the source of the Yamaska River. The name Brome Lake comes ...

* Holy Trinity, South Bolton, West Bolton * St Aidan's,

* St James Anglican Church,

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

* St James, Foster,

* St James the Apostle, Stanbridge East * St James the Apostle and Martyr, Farnham * St James the Lesser, Pigeon Hill, Saint-Armand * St John the Evangelist, Brome * St John the Evangelist, Stanbury, Saint-Ignace-de-Stanbridge * St Paul's, Knowlton,

* St Paul's Anglican Church, Philipsburg, Saint-Armand * Trinity Church,

Cowansville Cowansville is a town in south-central Quebec, Canada, located on Lac Davignon north of the U.S. border. It is the seat of Brome-Missisquoi, a regional county municipality. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 15,234. In recent yea ...

La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality La Haute-Yamaska (meaning ''The Upper Yamaska'') is a regional county municipality in the Estrie region of Quebec, Canada. Its seat is Granby. It is named for its position at the height of the Yamaska River, which cuts through its southern par ...

* St George, Granby * St Luke, Waterloo

Le Haut-Richelieu Regional County Municipality Le Haut-Richelieu Regional County Municipality ''(Upper Richelieu)'' is a regional county municipality in the Montérégie region in southwestern Quebec, Canada. Its seat is in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. It is named for the Richelieu River which ...

* St George, Saint-Georges-de-Clarenceville * St Thomas,

Noyan ''Noyan'' (pl. noyad), or ''Toyon'', was a Central Asian title of authority which was used to refer to civil-military leaders of noble ancestry in the Central Asian Turkic Khanates with origins in ''Noyon'', which was used as a title of autho ...

Le Haut-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality Le Haut-Saint-Laurent ''(Upper Saint Lawrence)'' is a regional county municipality in southwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Montérégie region. Its seat is in Huntingdon and it is named for the Saint Lawrence River which forms its western and north ...

* St James, Ormstown * St John's,

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...

* St Luke's, Hemmingford

La Vallée-du-Richelieu Regional County Municipality La Vallée-du-Richelieu ''(The Valley of the Richelieu)'' is a regional county municipality in the Montérégie region in southwestern Quebec, Canada. Its seat is McMasterville. It surrounds the Richelieu River as the river flows north from Lake ...

* St Martin's House, Otterburn Park * St Stephen's with St James, Chambly

Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality Pierre-De Saurel is a regional county municipality in the Montérégie region in southwestern Quebec, Canada. Originally named Le Bas-Richelieu Regional County Municipality, the name change to Pierre-De Saurel took effect on January 1, 2009. Its ...

* Église Christ Church,

Sorel-Tracy Sorel-Tracy (; ) is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada and the geographical end point of the Champlain Valley. It is located at the confluence of the Richelieu River and the St. Lawrence River, on the western edge of Lac Saint-Pierre, downstr ...

Roussillon Regional County Municipality Roussillon is a regional county municipality in the Montérégie region of Quebec, Canada. The seat is in Saint-Constant, Quebec. The region's population was 171,443 as of the 2016 census. Subdivisions There are 11 subdivisions and one native r ...

* St George's Anglican Church,

Châteauguay Châteauguay ( , , ) is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, located both on the Chateauguay River and Lac St-Louis, which is a section of the St. Lawrence River. The population of the city of Châteauguay at the 2021 Cen ...

Rouville Regional County Municipality

* St Thomas' Anglican Church, Rougemont

Urban agglomeration of Longueuil The urban agglomeration of Longueuil was created on January 1, 2006 as a result of the de-amalgamation process brought upon by the Charest government. It encompasses all the boroughs that were merged into the previous city of Longueuil and sti ...

* St Barnabas, Saint-Lambert * St Joseph of Nazareth Church,

Brossard Brossard (, , ) is a municipality in the Montérégie region of Quebec, Canada and is part of the Greater Montreal area. According to the 2021 census, Brossard's population was 91,525. It shares powers with the urban agglomeration of Longueuil ...

* St Margaret of Antioch, Saint-Hubert,

Longueuil Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly ac ...

* St Paul's Anglican Church, Greenfield Park,

* Trinity Church,

Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada, on the south bank of the Saint Lawrence River just east of Montreal. It lies on the west flank of Mont Saint-Bruno, one of the Monteregian Hills. Th ...

Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality Vaudreuil-Soulanges () is a regional county municipality in Quebec, Canada. It is located on a triangular peninsula in the western Montérégie region of Quebec, formed by the confluence of the Ottawa River to the north, and the St. Lawrence Rive ...

* St James Church, Parish of Vaudreuil, Hudson * St Mary's Church, Parish of Vaudreuil, Como, Hudson

Bishops of Montreal

See List of Anglican Bishops of Montreal

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montreal 1850 establishments in Canada Anglican dioceses established in the 19th century Christianity in Montreal Religious organizations established in 1850 Montreal, Anglican Diocese of Anglican Province of Canada