History
The diocese was formed after Jackson Kemper was named the Episcopal Church's first missionary bishop and oversaw the church's mission to the Northwest Territories from 1835 to 1859. He became provisional bishop of Wisconsin from 1847 to 1854 and first bishop of the Diocese of Wisconsin from 1854 to 1870. [2]
In 1875, the Diocese of Fond du Lac was created to serve the northeastern 26 counties of the state. The Diocese of Eau Claire, was carved out of the diocese in 1928 for the counties in the northwestern part of Wisconsin. The Diocese of Wisconsin became the Diocese of Milwaukee in 1886. [3]
During the first two decades of the 21st century, membership declined from 15,000 to 8,000.
In 2021, it was announced that the diocese of Fond du Lac, Eau Claire, and Milwaukee would contemplate entering an agreement of greater collaboration. [4] In October 2021, it was announced that the three dioceses would actively pursue reuniting as one diocese in Wisconsin. [5]
Nashotah House is an Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically conservative seminaries in the Episcopal Church. It is also officially recognized by the Anglican Church in North America. Its campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.
The Episcopal Church (TEC) is governed by a General Convention and consists of 99 dioceses in the United States proper, plus eleven dioceses in other countries or outlying U.S. territories and the diocese of Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, for a total of 111 dioceses.
Jackson Kemper in 1835 became the first missionary bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Especially known for his work with Native American peoples, he also founded parishes in what in his youth was considered the Northwest Territory and later became known as the "Old Northwest", hence one appellation as bishop of the "Whole Northwest". Bishop Kemper founded Nashotah House and Racine College in Wisconsin, and from 1859 until his death served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Wisconsin.
The Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing the northwestern third of Wisconsin. It is part of Province 5. The diocese comprises 20 interdependent congregations, mostly small and rural. The see and diocesan offices are in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with Christ Church Cathedral as the mother church. Christ Church in La Crosse is the largest church in the diocese.
The Diocese of Fond du Lac is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the northeastern third of Wisconsin. The diocese contains about 3,800 baptized members worshiping in 33 locations. It is part of Province 5. Diocesan offices are in Appleton, Wisconsin as are the diocesan Archives. Matthew Gunter is its bishop.
St. Paul's Cathedral is the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac and is located in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin which is the see city of the diocese.
Gustaf Elias Marius Unonius also referred to as Gustav Unonius, Gustave Unonius, Gustavus Unonius, or Gustov Unonius was a pioneer and priest in the American Midwest. Unonius served as a catalyst for early Scandinavian emigration to the Upper Midwest.
Province 5 (V), also called the Province of the Midwest, is one of nine ecclesiastical provinces making up the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It comprises fifteen dioceses across the six midwestern states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Jane Cisluycis of the Diocese of Northern Michigan serves as President and the Rt. Rev. Matthew Gunter of the Diocese of Fond du Lac serves as Vice President.
James DeKoven was a priest, an educator and a leader of Anglican Ritualism in the Episcopal Church.
Russell Edward Jacobus was the seventh Bishop of the Diocese of Fond du Lac in The Episcopal Church. Jacobus was consecrated as bishop on 24 May 1994. Prior to becoming bishop, he served as Rector of St. Matthias Episcopal Church in Waukesha, Wisconsin. At the close of Diocesan convention on October 20, 2012, he announced his intention to retire one year hence, on October 31, 2013.
St. James' Episcopal Church, named for James the Greater, is a historic Episcopal church located in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The only Episcopal church in Manitowoc County, St. James' is a "broad church" parish in the Diocese of Fond du Lac. It is the oldest continually operating congregation in Manitowoc County, first meeting in 1841. and organizing in 1848. The current church building, an example of Gothic Revival architecture, was consecrated in 1902. The congregation is active in community service and social justice ministries.
William Louis Stevens was a bishop in the United States Episcopal Church.
The Church of the Holy Apostles, Oneida, Wisconsin, United States, is a mission congregation of the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac located on the Oneida Reservation of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin.
Reginald Heber Weller, Jr. was an Episcopal priest and bishop active in the ecumenical movement, establishing a dialogue among Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Christians.
Harwood Sturtevant was the Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Fond du Lac.
William Wallace Horstick was an American prelate of the Episcopal Church who served as the second Bishop of Eau Claire from 1944 till 1969.
Stanley Hamilton Atkins was an English prelate of the Episcopal Church, who served as the third Bishop Eau Claire, from 1970 till 1980.
Edwin Max "Ed" Leidel Jr. was a bishop of the Episcopal Church who served as Bishop of Eastern Michigan from 1996 to 2006 and as the Provisional Bishop of Eau Claire from 2010 to 2013.
Matthew Alan Gunter is the eighth and current Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in The Episcopal Church. He is also bishop provisional of the adjoining Diocese of Eau Claire. Prior to becoming bishop, he served as Rector of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and as Assistant Rector of St. David Church, Glenview, Illinois.
Jeffrey Dean Lee is a bishop of the Episcopal Church who served as the Twelfth Bishop of Chicago from 2008 to 2020.
