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. [1]
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. [2]
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. [3] In October 2021, it was announced that the three dioceses would actively pursue reuniting as one diocese in Wisconsin. [4] On May 4, 2024, the three dioceses voted to approve reunion as the Diocese of Wisconsin. [5] The merger agreement received approval at General Convention in June 2024.
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.
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 Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin.
The Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire was a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing the northwestern third of Wisconsin. It was part of Province 5. The diocese comprised 20 interdependent congregations, mostly small and rural. The see and diocesan offices were in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with Christ Church Cathedral as the mother church. Christ Church in La Crosse was the largest church in the diocese.
The Diocese of Fond du Lac was a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the northeastern third of Wisconsin. The diocese contained about 3,800 baptized members worshiping in 33 locations. It was part of Province 5. Diocesan offices were in Appleton, Wisconsin as were the diocesan Archives. Matthew Gunter was its final bishop. On May 4, 2024, the diocese voted to be disestablish itself and reintegrate into the Diocese of Wisconsin.
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.
All Saints Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church in Appleton, Wisconsin. A parish in the Diocese of Fond du Lac, it is the only Episcopal church in Appleton. The congregation first met circa 1854 and organized in 1856. The current church building was consecrated in 1905.
Charles Chapman Grafton was the second Episcopal Bishop of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
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 Hampton Brady was a bishop in the American Episcopal Church.
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.
Donald Hathaway Valentine Hallock was the eighth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee.
Matthew Alan Gunter is the ninth and current bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin in The Episcopal Church. He assumed this post upon the 2024 merger of the Dioceses of Eau Claire and Fond du Lac with the Diocese of Milwaukee. From 2014 to 2024, he was the diocesan bishop of Fond du Lac. 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.
George Wayne Smith is a bishop of the Episcopal Church. He previously served as the 10th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri from 2002 to his retirement in 2020. He was succeeded by the 11th bishop, the Rt. Rev. Deon K. Johnson, on June 13, 2020. He also served as Bishop Provisional for Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio from 2021 to 2024.
James Daniel Warner was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska from 1976 to 1990.
