Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real

The Diocese of El Camino Real is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, located in northern and central California. The diocese includes the cities of San Jose (the see city), Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo. The diocese includes all Episcopal congregations in the counties of Santa Clara (except for some in Los Altos and Palo Alto), Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo.

El Camino Real is a member of Province 8, which comprises 17 dioceses and the Navajoland Area Mission in the western United States. There were 51 congregations and more than 16,000 members reported in 2003, down from 18,000 in1994. [ [http://www.edecr.org/profile/profile-5-OurHistory.htm Profile of the Diocese of El Camino Real: History] ] Diocesan offices are in Mission House, 1092 Noche Buena, Seaside, California 93955.

History

The diocese, named for the historic El Camino Real, the "King's Highway", was created from the Episcopal Diocese of California in 1980. The youngest Episcopal diocese in California, El Camino Real's cathedral, Trinity Cathedral in San Jose, built in 1863, is the oldest Episcopal cathedral in the state.

Bishop Richard L. Shimpfky resigned in March 2004 and the diocese was administered from 2005 until 2007 by Assisting Bishop Sylvestre Romero-Palma, formerly the bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Belize.

On 10 November 2007, Mary Gray-Reeves was consecrated third bishop of the diocese. [ [http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_91816_ENG_HTM.htm EL CAMINO REAL: Mary Gray-Reeves ordained as diocesan bishop in festive celebration] Posted 12 November 2007] Elected 16 June 2007, Gray-Reeves, 44, was previously archdeacon for deployment for the Diocese of Southeast Florida. She is the 15th female Episcopal bishop and the 1,022nd bishop in the American succession.

Bishops of El Camino Real

# C. Shannon Mallory (1980 - 1990)
# Richard Lester Shimpfky (1990 - 2004)
* Sylvestre Romero-Palma (Assisting) (2005 - 2007)
# Mary Gray-Reeves (2007- )

ee also

* List of Succession of Bishops for the Episcopal Church, USA

References

External links

* [http://www.edecr.org/index.html Diocese of El Camino Real website]
* [http://www.trinitysj.org/ Trinity Cathedral]
* [http://www.episcopalchurch.org Official Web site of the Episcopal Church]