Diocese of Canterbury

Last updated

Diocese of Canterbury

Dioecesis Cantuariensis
Archbishop of Canterbury arms.svg
Coat of arms
Flag of the Anglican Diocese of Canterbury.svg
Flag
Location
Ecclesiastical province Canterbury
Archdeaconries Canterbury, Ashford, Maidstone
Coordinates 51°16′47″N1°5′0″E / 51.27972°N 1.08333°E / 51.27972; 1.08333
Statistics
Parishes231
Churches327
Information
Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral
Current leadership
Bishop Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
Suffragans Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of Dover (pseudo-diocesan)
Norman Banks, Bishop of Richborough (PEV)
Rob Munro, Bishop of Ebbsfleet (PEV)
Archdeacons Will Adam, Archdeacon of Canterbury
Stephen Taylor, Archdeacon and Senior Chaplain to the Bishop of Dover
Darren Miller, Archdeacon of Ashford
Andrew Sewell, Archdeacon of Maidstone
Website
www.canterburydiocese.org

The Diocese of Canterbury is a Church of England diocese covering eastern Kent which was founded by St. Augustine of Canterbury in 597. The diocese is centred on Canterbury Cathedral and is the oldest see of the Church of England.

Contents

The Report of the Commissioners appointed by his Majesty to inquire into the Ecclesiastical Revenues of England and Wales (1835) noted the net annual revenue for the Canterbury see was £19,182. [1] This made it the wealthiest diocese in England.

Bishops

The diocesan bishop is the Archbishop of Canterbury, presently Justin Welby. However, because of his roles as metropolitan bishop of the Province of Canterbury, Primate of All England and "first bishop" of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the archbishop (whose primary residence is at Lambeth Palace in London) is often away from the diocese. Therefore, his suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Dover (presently Rose Hudson-Wilkin), is in many ways empowered to act almost as if she were the diocesan bishop.

The diocese had from 1944 to 2009 a second locally focussed suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Maidstone (this version of the post was discontinued in November 2010), who had a similar though subordinate role to that of the Bishop of Dover. [2] Two suffragans have nominal sees in the diocese — the Bishops of Ebbsfleet and Richborough, who are provincial episcopal visitors with a wider focus than the diocese.

Besides the Archbishop and the Bishop of Dover, three honorary assistant bishops supervise and officiate. Alternative episcopal oversight (for parishes in the diocese who reject the ministry of priests who are women) is provided by the provincial episcopal visitor (PEV), the Bishop suffragan of Richborough, Norman Banks. There are three honorary assistant bishops licensed in the diocese:

Diocesan structure

For organisational purposes, the diocese is divided into three archdeaconries, [6] containing a total of fifteen deaneries, which are further subdivided into parishes: [7] Canterbury Diocese comprises 204 parishes organised in 101 legal benefices. [8]

Diocese Archdeaconries Rural deaneries
Diocese of Canterbury Archdeaconry of Canterbury Deanery of Canterbury
Deanery of East Bridge
Deanery of Reculver
Deanery of Thanet
Deanery of West Bridge
Archdeaconry of Ashford Deanery of Ashford
Deanery of Dover
Deanery of Elham
Deanery of Romney and Tenterden
Deanery of Sandwich
Archdeaconry of Maidstone Deanery of Maidstone
Deanery of North Downs
Deanery of Ospringe
Deanery of Sittingbourne
Deanery of Weald

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archbishop of Canterbury</span> Senior bishop of the Church of England

The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justin Welby, who was enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on 21 March 2013. Welby is the 105th person to hold the position, as part of a line of succession going back to the "Apostle to the English" Augustine of Canterbury, who was sent to the island by the church in Rome in 597. Welby succeeded Rowan Williams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Lichfield</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq mi) of several counties: almost all of Staffordshire, northern Shropshire, a significant portion of the West Midlands, and very small portions of Warwickshire and Powys (Wales).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Diocese of Southwark</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Southwark is one of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was created on 1 May 1905 from part of the ancient Diocese of Rochester that was served by a suffragan bishop of Southwark (1891–1905). Before 1877 most of the area was part of the Diocese of Winchester, some being part of the Diocese of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Salisbury</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England, within the ecclesiastical Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the historic county of Dorset, and most of Wiltshire. The diocese is led by Stephen Lake, Bishop of Salisbury, and by the diocesan synod. The bishop's seat is at Salisbury Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of St Albans</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of St Albans forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England and is part of the wider Church of England, in turn part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Rochester</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in the English county of Kent and the Province of Canterbury. The cathedral church of the diocese is Rochester Cathedral in the former city of Rochester. The bishop's Latin episcopal signature is: " (firstname) Roffen", Roffensis being the genitive case of the Latin name of the see.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Oxford</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Oxford is a Church of England diocese that forms part of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Oxford, and the bishop's seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. It contains more church buildings than any other diocese and has more paid clergy than any other except London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of London</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Lincoln</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Bath and Wells</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Bath and Wells is a diocese in the Church of England Province of Canterbury in England.

A provincial episcopal visitor (PEV), popularly known as a flying bishop, is a Church of England bishop assigned to minister to many of the clergy, laity and parishes who on grounds of theological conviction, "are unable to receive the ministry of women bishops or priests". The system by which such bishops oversee certain churches is referred to as alternative episcopal oversight (AEO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Diocese of Manchester</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Manchester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York, England. Based in the city of Manchester, the diocese covers much of the county of Greater Manchester and small areas of the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of York</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of York is an administrative division of the Church of England, part of the Province of York. It covers the city of York, the eastern part of North Yorkshire, and most of the East Riding of Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Gloucester</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Gloucester is a Church of England diocese based in Gloucester, covering the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire. The cathedral is Gloucester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Gloucester. It is part of the Province of Canterbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Guildford</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Guildford is a Church of England diocese covering eight and half of the eleven districts in Surrey, much of north-east Hampshire and a parish in Greater London. The cathedral is Guildford Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Guildford. Of the two provinces of the church, it is in the Province of Canterbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop of Dover</span>

The Bishop of Dover is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the town of Dover in Kent. The Bishop of Dover holds the additional title of "Bishop in Canterbury" and is empowered to act almost as if the Bishop of Dover were the diocesan bishop of Canterbury, since the actual diocesan bishop is based at Lambeth Palace in London, and thus is frequently away from the diocese, fulfilling national and international duties. Among other things, this gives the Bishop of Dover an ex officio seat in the church's General Synod. There is another suffragan, the Bishop of Maidstone, who has different responsibilities.

The Bishop of Maidstone is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Canterbury, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the county town of Maidstone in Kent.

Trevor Willmott is a British retired bishop in the Church of England. He served as Bishop of Basingstoke from 2002 to 2009 and then Bishop of Dover from 2010 until his retirement in 2019. In retirement, he remains bishop for the Channel Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Diocese of Leeds</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Anglican Diocese of Leeds is a diocese of the Church of England, in the Province of York. It is the largest diocese in England by area, comprising much of western Yorkshire: almost the whole of West Yorkshire, the western part of North Yorkshire, the town of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, and most of the parts of County Durham, Cumbria and Lancashire which lie within the historic boundaries of Yorkshire. It includes the cities of Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield and Ripon. It was created on 20 April 2014 following a review of the dioceses in Yorkshire and the dissolution of the dioceses of Bradford, Ripon and Leeds, and Wakefield.

References

  1. The National Enclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol.III, Charles Knight, London, 1847, p.362
  2. Canterbury Diocese — Synod News Archived June 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Turnbull, Michael" . Who's Who . Vol. 2014 (December 2013 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 25 April 2014.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. "Llewellin, (John) Richard (Allan)" . Who's Who . Vol. 2014 (December 2013 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 25 April 2014.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  5. "Cray, Graham Alan" . Who's Who . Vol. 2014 (December 2013 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 25 April 2014.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  6. Drew, Anna (11 September 2016). "New Archdeacon of Canterbury appointed". The Diocese of Canterbury. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  7. "Deaneries and parishes". The Diocese of Canterbury. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  8. "Diocese of Canterbury | Deaneries and Parishes". www.canterburydiocese.org. Retrieved 28 October 2022.