The
Diocese of Virginia is a
dioceseIn some forms of Christianity, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a bishop. It is also referred to as a bishopric or Episcopal Area or episcopal see, though strictly the term episcopal see refers to the domain of ecclesiastical authority officially held by the bishop,...
of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing 38 counties in the northern and central parts of the state of
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
. It is one of the
nine original Dioceses of the Episcopal Church in the United States of AmericaThe Episcopal Church in the United States of America is governed by 100 dioceses in the United States proper, plus ten dioceses in other countries or outlying U.S. territories and the Convocation of American Churches in Europe, which is similar to a diocese....
.
The diocese has over 89,000 members in 197 congregations, and is thus the largest diocese in the Episcopal Church (USA).
The
Diocese of Virginia is a
dioceseIn some forms of Christianity, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a bishop. It is also referred to as a bishopric or Episcopal Area or episcopal see, though strictly the term episcopal see refers to the domain of ecclesiastical authority officially held by the bishop,...
of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing 38 counties in the northern and central parts of the state of
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
. It is one of the
nine original Dioceses of the Episcopal Church in the United States of AmericaThe Episcopal Church in the United States of America is governed by 100 dioceses in the United States proper, plus ten dioceses in other countries or outlying U.S. territories and the Convocation of American Churches in Europe, which is similar to a diocese....
.
The diocese has over 89,000 members in 197 congregations, and is thus the largest diocese in the Episcopal Church (USA). The current diocesan bishop is The Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee, 12th Bishop of Virginia. The diocese also has a suffragan bishop, The Rt. Rev. David Colin Jones, and a bishop coadjutor, The Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston. Bishop Johnston, 48, served as rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Tupelo, Mississippi prior to his election in January 2007. He was consecrated on Saturday, May 26, 2007 at Washington National Cathedral. Johnson is expected to succeed Bishop Lee on October 1st, the date announced for the retirement of Bishop Lee as Diocesan Bishop.
The diocese does not have a conventional
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
church, rather an open-air cathedral, the Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration (Shrine Mont), which was consecrated in 1925. Shrine Mont in
Orkney Springs, VirginiaOrkney Springs is an unincorporated community in western Shenandoah County, Virginia. It is named for the mineral springs resort founded there in the late 19th century. Many of the resort buildings still stand, and are owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and operated as Shrine Mont, a...
is also the site of a diocesan retreat and camp center. The diocese also operates the Virginia Diocesan Center at Roslyn in western Richmond, a conference center overlooking the James River. The see city is
RichmondRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated as cities, it is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, and diocesan offices are located in the Mayo Memorial Church House in Richmond.
Virginia Theological SeminaryVirginia Theological Seminary , formally called the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, is the largest accredited Episcopal seminary in the United States. Founded in 1823, VTS is situated on an campus in Alexandria, Virginia, just a few miles from downtown Washington, DC. VTS...
, the largest accredited Episcopal seminary in the United States, is located within the diocese in
Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 128,283. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately 6 miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as...
.
History
The
Church of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches...
, which had been the established church of Virginia, was disestablished beginning in 1784. The following year, the General Assembly of Virginia permitted Anglicans to organize their own church, but forbade the incorporation of this body, fearing another established church. In 1786, with the
Virginia Statute for Religious FreedomThe Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was written in 1779 by Thomas Jefferson. In 1786, the Virginia General Assembly enacted the statute into the state's law...
, written by
Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States , the principal author of the Declaration of Independence , and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States...
and supported by the
James MadisonJames Madison was an American politician and political philosopher who served as the fourth President of the United States , and was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States....
, both subsequently Presidents of the United States, it was firmly established that there would be no established church in Virginia.
The first diocesan convention, held in 1785, set up rules and regulations for conducting diocesan business and elected delegates to the first General Convention of the Episcopal Church to be held in September of that year in Philadelphia. At the second diocesan convention, in 1786, the Rev. Dr. David Griffith, who was both a surgeon and a priest, was elected to become the first Bishop of Virginia. He lacked the funds, however, to travel to England for his consecration, and in 1789, resigned his election, fell ill and died. The following year,
James MadisonJames Madison was the first bishop of the Diocese of Virginia of The Episcopal Church in the United States, one of the first bishops to be consecrated to the new church after the American Revolution...
, the president of the
College of William and MaryThe College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
, rector of James City parish, and cousin of the future president of the same name, was elected to become the first bishop of the diocese, travelled to England and was consecrated.
Bishops of Virginia
These are the bishops who have served the Diocese of Virginia:
- James Madison
James Madison was the first bishop of the Diocese of Virginia of The Episcopal Church in the United States, one of the first bishops to be consecrated to the new church after the American Revolution...
(1790 - 1812)
- Richard Channing Moore
The Most Reverend Richard Channing Moore was the second bishop of the Diocese of Virginia .-Life and career:Born in New York City, his family moved to West Point, New York. His first profession was medicine...
(1814 - 1841)
*William MeadeWilliam Meade , was a United States Episcopal bishop.The son of Richard Kidder Meade , one of George Washington's aides during the War of Independence, he was born near Millwood, in what is now Clarke County, Virginia. He graduated as valedictorian in 1808 at the college of New Jersey ; studied...
, Assistant (1829 - 1841)
- William Meade
William Meade , was a United States Episcopal bishop.The son of Richard Kidder Meade , one of George Washington's aides during the War of Independence, he was born near Millwood, in what is now Clarke County, Virginia. He graduated as valedictorian in 1808 at the college of New Jersey ; studied...
(1841 - 1862)
*John JohnsThe Right Reverend John Johns, D.D., LL.D. was the fourth Episcopal bishop of Virginia.Born into a prominent political family in New Castle, Delaware, John Johns was born in 1796. He was the son of Chief Justice Kensey Johns III, and grandson of Governor Nicholas Van Dyke of Delaware.In 1815, Johns...
, Assistant (1842 - 1862)
- John Johns
The Right Reverend John Johns, D.D., LL.D. was the fourth Episcopal bishop of Virginia.Born into a prominent political family in New Castle, Delaware, John Johns was born in 1796. He was the son of Chief Justice Kensey Johns III, and grandson of Governor Nicholas Van Dyke of Delaware.In 1815, Johns...
(1862 - 1876)
*Francis McNeece Whittle, Assistant (1867 - 1876)
- Francis McNeece Whittle (1876 - 1902)
*Alfred Magill Randolph, Assistant (1883 - 1892); named bishop of Southern Virginia-General Information: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...
*John Brockenbrough Newton, Assistant/Coadjutor (1894 - 1897)
*Robert Atkinson Gibson, Coadjutor (1897 - 1902)
- Robert Atkinson Gibson (1902 - 1919)
*Arthur Selden Lloyd, Coadjutor, (1909 - 1911?)
*William Cabell Brown, Coadjutor (1914 - 1919)
- William Cabell Brown (1919 - 1927)
*Henry St. George TuckerHenry St. George Tucker , the 19th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, was an Episcopal priest and bishop. In the earlier part of his career, he served, who served alongside the British Anglican Hugh James Foss, as joint Bishop of the Osaka Diocese...
, Coadjutor (1926 - 1927)
- Henry St. George Tucker
Henry St. George Tucker , the 19th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, was an Episcopal priest and bishop. In the earlier part of his career, he served, who served alongside the British Anglican Hugh James Foss, as joint Bishop of the Osaka Diocese...
(1927 - 1943), elected presiding bishop in 1938
*Frederick Deane Goodwin, Coadjutor (1930 - 1944)
- Frederick Deane Goodwin (1944 - 1960)
*Wiley Roy Mason, suffraganA suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop.- Catholic Church :In the Catholic Church, the word "suffragan" is generally used only to refer to a diocese in relation to the metropolitan archdiocese of its ecclesiastical province, e.g., the Diocese of...
(1942 - 1951), assistant (1951 - 1968)
*Robert Fisher Gibson, Jr., suffraganA suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop.- Catholic Church :In the Catholic Church, the word "suffragan" is generally used only to refer to a diocese in relation to the metropolitan archdiocese of its ecclesiastical province, e.g., the Diocese of...
(1949 - 1954), Coadjutor (1954 - 1960)
*Samuel Blackwell Chilton, suffraganA suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop.- Catholic Church :In the Catholic Church, the word "suffragan" is generally used only to refer to a diocese in relation to the metropolitan archdiocese of its ecclesiastical province, e.g., the Diocese of...
(1960 - 1969)
- Robert Fisher Gibson, Jr. (1961 - 1974)
*Robert Bruce Hall, Coadjutor (1966 - 1974)
*Philip Alan Smith, suffraganA suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop.- Catholic Church :In the Catholic Church, the word "suffragan" is generally used only to refer to a diocese in relation to the metropolitan archdiocese of its ecclesiastical province, e.g., the Diocese of...
(1970 - 1972), elected bishop coadjutor of New HampshireThe Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America , covers the entire state of New Hampshire. It was originally part of the Diocese of Massachusetts, but became independent in 1841. The see city is Concord...
*John Alfred Baden, suffraganA suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop.- Catholic Church :In the Catholic Church, the word "suffragan" is generally used only to refer to a diocese in relation to the metropolitan archdiocese of its ecclesiastical province, e.g., the Diocese of...
(1973 - 1979)
- Robert Bruce Hall (1974 - 1985)
*David Henry Lewis, Jr., suffraganA suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop.- Catholic Church :In the Catholic Church, the word "suffragan" is generally used only to refer to a diocese in relation to the metropolitan archdiocese of its ecclesiastical province, e.g., the Diocese of...
(1980 - 1987)
*Peter James Lee, Coadjutor (1984 - 1985)
- Peter James Lee (1985 - )
*Robert Poland Atkinson, Assistant (1989 - 1993)
*F. Clayton Matthews, suffraganA suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop.- Catholic Church :In the Catholic Church, the word "suffragan" is generally used only to refer to a diocese in relation to the metropolitan archdiocese of its ecclesiastical province, e.g., the Diocese of...
(1994 - 1998), named director of the Office of Pastoral Development
*David Colin Jones, suffraganA suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop.- Catholic Church :In the Catholic Church, the word "suffragan" is generally used only to refer to a diocese in relation to the metropolitan archdiocese of its ecclesiastical province, e.g., the Diocese of...
(1995 - )
*Francis Campbell Gray, Assistant (1999 - 2007)
*Shannon Sherwood Johnston, Coadjutor (2007 - )
Episcopal College Ministries in the Diocese of Virginia
External links