- Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
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Location of the Diocese of Pennsylvania
The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing the counties of Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware in the state of Pennsylvania.
The diocese has more than 53,000 members in 155 congregations, and is the fifth largest diocese in the Episcopal Church.[1] A historic parish, the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in the Overbrook section, was founded by Absalom Jones, the first African American priest in the Episcopal Church and is listed on the church's calendar of saints
The bishop of the diocese is the Right Reverend Charles Ellsworth Bennison, Jr., and the Right Reverend Clarence N. Coleridge, former bishop of Connecticut, is Assistant Bishop.
Since 1998, the bishop's cathedra (seat) has been at the new Philadelphia Cathedral, located at 3723 Chestnut Street in the University City section of the see city of Philadelphia, next to both the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. The cathedral also serves as the seat of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Since 2000, the denominations have been in full communion with one another, under the agreement known as Called to Common Mission. During the later part of the 19th century the seat of the diocesan bishop was to have been at St. Mark's Church, Frankford where the church was constructed with a stone Cathedra rewarding the church's active diocesan ministry and their funding the suffragan bishop. During the during early 20th century as the more wealthy population of the diocese was shifting toward the main line, a project was undertaken to build St. Mary's Cathedral, on Ridge Avenue in the Roxborough section of the city, but construction on the St. Mary's project was halted decades ago for financial reasons.
Contents
History
The diocese is one of the nine original Dioceses of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
The first bishop of Pennsylvania, William White, also served as the first and fourth Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.
In 1865, the diocese was divided into two parts, and the western part became known as the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.[2]
Bishops of Pennsylvania
These are the bishops who have served the Diocese of Pennsylvania:[3]
- William White (1787–1836)
* Henry U. Onderdonk, Coadjutor Bishop (1827–1836) - Henry U. Onderdonk (1836–1844)
- Alonzo Potter (1845–1865)
* Samuel Bowman, Suffragan Bishop (1858–1861)
* William B. Stevens, Coadjutor Bishop (1862–1865) - William B. Stevens (1865–1887)
* Ozi W. Whitaker, Coadjutor Bishop (1886–1887) - Ozi W. Whitaker (1887–1911)
* Alexander Mackay-Smith, Coadjutor Bishop (1902–1911) - Alexander Mackay-Smith (1911)
* Philip M. Rhinelander, Coadjutor Bishop (1911) - Philip M. Rhinelander (1911–1923)
* Thomas J. Garland, Suffragan Bishop (elected 1911) - Thomas J. Garland (1924–1931)
* Francis Marion Taitt, Coadjutor Bishop (1929–1931) - Francis Marion Taitt (1931–1943)
* Oliver J. Hart, Coadjutor Bishop (1942–1943) - Oliver J. Hart (1943–1963)
* William P. Remington, Suffragan Bishop (1945–1961)
* J. Gillespie Armstrong, Suffragan Bishop (1949, Coadjutor Bishop (1960–1963) - J. Gillespie Armstrong (1963–1964)
* Robert L. DeWitt, Coadjutor Bishop (1964) - Robert L. DeWitt (1964–1973)
* Lyman C. Ogilby, Coadjutor Bishop (1973) - Lyman C. Ogilby (1974–1987)
* Allen L. Bartlett, Jr., Coadjutor Bishop (1986) - Allen L. Bartlett, Jr. (1987–1998)
* Franklin D. Turner, Suffragan Bishop (elected 1988) - Charles Ellsworth Bennison, Jr. (1998–Present)
* Clarence N. Coleridge (Assisting)
Notes
- ^ Homepage, The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. Accessed 6 June 2007.
- ^ http://www.pitanglican.org/archives/historyofdiocese
- ^ The Episcopal Church Annual. Morehouse Publishing: New York, NY (2005)
See also
- List of Succession of Bishops for the Episcopal Church, USA
External links
- Diocese of Pennsylvania official website
- Philadelphia Cathedral official website
- A History of St. Thomas' African Episcopal Church, 1794-1865, Dissertation by Thomas F. Ulle, University of Pennsylvania
- Episcopal Church official website
Categories:- Episcopal dioceses of the United States
- Christianity in Pennsylvania
- Episcopal churches in Pennsylvania
- Christianity in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Religious organizations established in 1787
- Anglican dioceses established in the 18th century
- William White (1787–1836)
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