The Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana, originally called the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan City, 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 associa ...

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 ...

with jurisdiction over the northern one-third of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. It is in Province 5 and its

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 ...

, the Cathedral of St. James, is in

South Bend South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

, as are the diocesan offices.

Description

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana has 33 parishes and missions in 31 counties of northern Indiana. Except for

Tippecanoe County Tippecanoe may refer to several places or things in the United States: * The 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe in Indiana * A nickname for William Henry Harrison (U.S. President March 1841–April 1841) from his role in the battle ** Tippecanoe and Tyler t ...

, all counties in the state straddling or lying north of 40º 30' North latitude are in the diocese. Fort Wayne is the largest city in the diocese followed by

, Gary, and Elkhart. Cities in the diocese with more than one parish are Fort Wayne and South Bend with three each, and Elkhart, Gary and Michigan City with two each.

History

In October, 1888, the

General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. With the exception of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Constitution and Canons, it is the ultimate authority ...

approved splitting the Episcopal Diocese of Indiana into the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan City covering the northern one-third of the state and the

Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis The Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, formerly known as the Episcopal Diocese of Indiana, is a diocese in Province V (for the Midwest region) of the Episcopal Church. It encompasses the southern two-thirds of the state of Indiana. Its see is ...

covering the rest. John Hazen White, the Bishop of Indiana at the time elected to become bishop of Michigan City and was consecrated on April 25, 1899. A new bishop was elected for Indianapolis and he was consecrated September 21, 1899.

Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana

Current bishop

Doug Sparks is the eighth and current bishop of the diocese.

List of bishops

The bishops of Northern Indiana have been: * 1. John Hazen White 1899–1925 (deceased) was previously 4th Bishop of Indiana * 2. Campbell Gray 1925–1944 (deceased) * 3. Reginald Mallett 1944–1963 (deceased) * 4. Walter Conrad Klein 1963–1972 (deceased) * 5. William C. R. Sheridan 1972–87 (deceased) * 6. Francis Campbell Gray 1987–1998 elected coadjutor 1986, grandson of No. 2 and later Asst. Bishop of Virginia * 7. Edward S. Little II 2000–2016 * 8. Douglas Sparks 2016–present

St. James Memorial Chapel

The first four bishops of Northern Indiana are buried in the crypt of St. James Memorial Chapel on the grounds of Howe Military School in

Howe, Indiana Howe is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Lima Township, LaGrange County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census its population was 807. History Howe was settled in 1834. At that time, it was named "Mongoquinong", a name that t ...

. The wives of the first three bishops are also buried there. Note: The fifth bishop, William C. R. Sheridan, who died September 24, 2005, at his home in Culver, Indiana, was buried in New Oakhill Cemetery, Plymouth, Indiana.Marshall County, Indiana, obituaries
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Bibliography

* Lilly, Eli, History of the Little Church on the Circle: Christ Church Parish, Indianapolis, 1837-1953 (Indianapolis:Christ Episcopal Church, 1957, while it is a parish history of what is now the cathedral of the Diocese of Indianapolis, contains some material on the early history of the Episcopal Church in Indiana and

Jackson Kemper Jackson Kemper (December 24, 1789 – May 24, 1870) in 1835 became the first missionary bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Especially known for his work with Native American peoples, he also founded parishes in wha ...

, Missionary Bishop of Indiana and Missouri. It also has information on the split of the state into two dioceses.

References

External links

Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana website

Cathedral of St. James, South Bend website

*
Journal of the Proceedings of the Annual Convention, Diocese of Northern Indiana
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Northern Indiana

Northern Indiana Northern Indiana is a region of the U.S. State of Indiana, including 26 counties which border the states of Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. Northern Indiana is also considered part of the Great Lakes Megalopolis. The area is generally classified i ...

Diocese of Northern Indiana Religious organizations established in 1899 Anglican dioceses established in the 19th century Province 5 of the Episcopal Church (United States)