- Anglican Diocese of Arctic
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Diocese of Arctic Location Ecclesiastical province Rupert's Land Coordinates 63°44′51″N 068°31′00″W / 63.7475°N 68.5166667°WCoordinates: 63°44′51″N 068°31′00″W / 63.7475°N 68.5166667°W Statistics Parishes 31 Churches 51 Information Rite Anglican Cathedral St. Jude's Cathedral, Iqaluit Current leadership Bishop Andrew Atagotaaluk, Bishop of the Arctic Suffragans Ben Arreak
VacantWebsite arcticnet.org The Diocese of the Arctic is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert's Land of the Anglican Church of Canada. It is by far the largest of the thirty dioceses in Canada, comprising almost 4,000,000 km2 (1,500,000 sq mi), or one-third the land mass of the country.[1] As the name indicates, the diocese encompasses the Arctic region of Canada including the entirety of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Nunavik region of northern Quebec.[2][1] The See city is Iqaluit, Nunavut, and its approximately 18,000 Anglicans (over one-third of the total population) are served by thirty-one parishes.[3] The administrative offices of the diocese are located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.[4]
Originally, the region was part of the vast and sprawling Diocese of Rupert's Land, which at the time encompassed all of present-day Canada west of Ontario. Anglican activity in the Far North primarily took the form of missionary work among the Aboriginal First Nations and Inuit, undertaken for the most part by the evangelical Church Mission Society. In 1874, the Diocese of Rupert's Land was split into four dioceses one of which, Athabasca, included the present-day Diocese of the Arctic. In 1892, this territory was further divided into the Diocese of Selkirk (coterminous with the Yukon) and Mackenzie River (coterminous with the Northwest Territories). The first Bishop of Mackenzie River was William Bompas, a legendary figure in the history of Christian expansion in northern Canada. The Diocese of the Arctic subsumed the Diocese of Mackenzie River when it was created in 1933, also carving northern Quebec from the Diocese of Quebec, where—like Nunavut and the Northwest Territories—the majority of the population is indigenous. The first constituted synod was not convened, however, until 1972.[1]
Both the missionary history of the diocese and its particular cultural context contributes to its theology, which tends towards evangelicalism and conservatism. For instance, the diocese sparked controversy in 2005 when it banned the employment of "homosexuals, lesbians and bisexuals"[5], as well as those who engage in sexual activity outside marriage, and its bishops have been outspokenly critical of what they perceive as the liberal tendencies of many southern dioceses.
The diocese is well-known for its igloo-shaped cathedral, St. Jude's, which was destroyed by fire in 2005.[6] It maintains a theological school, the Arthur Turner Training School in Pangnirtung.[7] In 1996, Paul Idlout became the first Inuk bishop in the world (as suffragan bishop).
In 2002, Rt Revd Andrew Atagotaaluk became the first Inuk diocesan bishop in the world. He is the fifth Bishop of the Arctic, and is assisted in ministry to this vast diocese by two suffragans, Rt Revd Ben Arreak and another.[8] The Dean of St. Jude's Cathedral is Very Revd James Barlow.
Contents
List of bishops of the Arctic
Bishops of the Arctic From Until Incumbent Notes 1933 1949 Archibald Fleming 1950 1973 Donald Marsh Died in office. 1974 1990 John Sperry 1991 2002 Chris Williams Suffragan bishop since 1987; coadjutor bishop since 1990. 2002 present Andrew Atagotaaluk First Inuit diocesan bishop. List of suffragan bishops
Suffragan bishops in the Arctic Diocese From Until Incumbent Notes c. 1976 2010 Larry Robertson Translated to Yukon. 1987 1991 Chris Williams Coadjutor bishop from 1990; diocesan bishop, 1991–2002 1996 ? Paul Idlout First Inuk to become a bishop. ? present Ben Arreak References
External links
Anglican Church of Canada National Church Ecclesiastical Provinces Dioceses Algoma · Arctic · Athabasca · Brandon · British Columbia · Caledonia · Calgary · Cariboo · Central Newfoundland · Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador · Edmonton · Fredericton · Huron · Keewatin · Kootenay · Montreal · Moosonee · New Westminster · Niagara · Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island · Ontario · Ottawa · Qu'Appelle · Quebec · Rupert's Land · Saskatchewan · Saskatoon · Toronto · Western Newfoundland · Yukon
Worship and Liturgy Other Categories:- Religious organizations established in 1933
- Anglican Church of Canada dioceses
- Culture of the Arctic
- Anglican bishops of The Arctic
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