Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida

Last updated
Diocese of Southwest Florida
DioceseSWFLshield.PNG
Location
Country United States
Ecclesiastical province Province IV
Statistics
Congregations78 (2021)
Members25,934 (2021)
Information
Denomination Episcopal Church
EstablishedOctober 16, 1969
Cathedral Cathedral of St Peter
Current leadership
Bishop Douglas F. Scharf
J. Michael Garrison
(Assisting Bishop)
Barry Robert Howe
(Assisting Bishop)
Map
ECUSA Southwest Florida.png
Location of the Diocese of Southwest Florida
Website
episcopalswfl.org

The Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA) in Florida which extends from Marco Island on the south, to Brooksville on the north, and inland to Plant City, Arcadia and LaBelle on the east. As part of the ECUSA, the diocese is a constituent member of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Contents

Major cities in the diocese are Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Fort Myers, Sarasota, and Bradenton. The diocese includes the western half of Hendry County, the mainland portion of Monroe County, and all of the counties of Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier.

The diocese is a part of Province IV of the Episcopal Church, historically known as the Province of Sewanee. [1] The current Diocesan Bishop of Southwest Florida is Douglas Scharf. The cathedral church of the diocese is Cathedral Church of St. Peter in St. Petersburg. The diocesan offices are in Parrish, Florida on the campus of the DaySpring Episcopal Center. The diocese currently comprises 78 churches. [2]

History

The Diocese of Southwest Florida was created in 1969 when the Diocese of South Florida was split to form the dioceses of Central Florida, Southeast Florida and Southwest Florida.

Historic church buildings in the Diocese include Ft. Myers Beach's St. Raphael's, St. James House of Prayer, and St. Andrew's, Tampa, Cathedral Church of St. Peter, St. Petersburg, Sarasota's Church of the Redeemer and DaySpring Episcopal Center's St. Thomas Chapel, formerly the Church of the Holy Spirit, Safety Harbor.

Bishops of the diocese

The Bishops of the Diocese of Southwest Florida are:

  1. 1969–1975: William L. Hargrave
  2. 1975–1988: Emerson Paul Haynes
  3. 1989–1997: Rogers Sanders Harris
  4. 1997–2007: John Bailey Lipscomb
  5. 2007–2022: Dabney Tyler Smith
  6. 2022–present: Douglas Frederick Scharf

NOTE: For earlier bishops, see the Episcopal Diocese of South Florida

Deaneries

In accordance with the usage in the ECUSA, the diocese is divided into seven deaneries as follows:

See also

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References

  1. Province IV of the Episcopal Church. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
  2. The Episcopal Church Annual (2007) Harrisburg: Morehouse Church Resources, pp. 359-361.

Bibliography