diocese of Gloucester
{{Short description|Diocese of the Church of England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{coord|51.867|-2.247|display=title|region:GB_scale:200000}}
{{Infobox diocese
| jurisdiction = Diocese
| name = Gloucester
| latin = Dioecesis Glocestrensis
| coat = Diocese of Gloucester arms.svg
| coat_size = 150px
| flag = Flag of the Diocese of Gloucester.svg
| flag_size = 150px
| province = Canterbury
| parishes = 323
| churches = 396
| bishop = Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester[http://www.gloucester.anglican.org/about/the-bishop-of-gloucester-designate/ Diocese of Gloucester — The Bishop of Gloucester Designate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402114754/http://www.gloucester.anglican.org/about/the-bishop-of-gloucester-designate/ |date=2 April 2015 }} (Accessed 26 March 2015)
| cathedral = Gloucester Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral (1836–1897)
| language = English
| archdeaconries = Cheltenham, Gloucester
| suffragan = Robert Springett, Bishop of Tewkesbury
| archdeacons = Hilary Dawson, Archdeacon of Gloucester
Katrina Scott, Archdeacon-designate of Cheltenham
| website = [http://gloucester.anglican.org/ gloucester.anglican.org]
}}
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.
History
The diocese was founded during the English Reformation on 3 September 1541{{Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae |last=Horn |first=Joyce M |period=1541–1857 |volume=8 |pages=35–37}} from part of the Diocese of Hereford and the Diocese of Worcester. In 1542 the Diocese of Bristol was created to cover Bristol. Gloucester diocese was briefly dissolved and returned to Worcester
again from 20 May 1552{{Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae|period=1541–1857|volume=7|pages=105–109}} until Queen Mary re-divided the two Sees in 1554.{{Cite ODNB|id=13706|title=Hooper, John}}{{cite EB1911|wstitle= Hooper, John | volume= 13 | pages = 675–676 |last1= Pollard |first1= Albert Frederick }}{{cite DNB|wstitle=Hooper, John|volume=27}}
Image: Diocese of Gloucester and Bristol arms.svg
On 5 October 1836, the Diocese of Bristol was merged back into the Gloucester diocese, which became the Diocese of Gloucester and Bristol{{London Gazette |issue=19426 |date=7 October 1836 |pages=1734–1738 }} until Bristol became an independent diocese again on 9 July 1897,{{London Gazette |issue=26871 |date=9 July 1897 |page=3787 |city=London }} whereupon the Gloucester diocese resumed the name Diocese of Gloucester.
The diocese has twinning links with the dioceses of Dornakal and Karnataka Central in the Church of South India, Västerås in Sweden, El Camino Real in California, USA, and Western Tanganyika in Tanzania. It is currently supporting the work of the Diocese of Western Tanganyika to build a new high school.
Organisation
The diocese is divided into two archdeaconries: Cheltenham, headed by the Archdeacon of Cheltenham (vacant; archdeacon-designate: Katrina Scott), and Gloucester, headed by the Archdeacon of Gloucester, Hilary Dawson. The Archdeaconry of Cheltenham consists of the deaneries of Cheltenham, Cirencester, North Cotswold, and Tewkesbury, and the Archdeaconry of Gloucester consists of the deaneries of Forest South, Gloucester City, Severn Vale, Stroud, and Wotton.
=Bishops=
The diocesan Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek (the first female diocesan bishop in the Church of England), is assisted by the Bishop suffragan of Tewkesbury, Robert Springett. The provincial episcopal visitor (for parishes in this diocese – among twelve others in the western part of the Province of Canterbury – that reject the ministry of priests who are women, since 1994) is the Bishop suffragan of Oswestry,{{cite web |last1=Beddowes |first1=Brian |title=Welcome |url=https://seeofoswestry.org.uk/ |website=The See of Oswestry |access-date=2 December 2022}}
who is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop of the diocese in order to facilitate his work there.
There are five former bishops licensed as honorary assistant bishops in the diocese:
- 2003–present: Former Bishop suffragan of Swindon Peter Firth, lives in Winchcombe and is also licensed in the Diocese of Bristol.{{Who's Who
| title=Firth, Peter James
| id = U15790
| volume = 2014
| edition = December 2013 online
| access-date = 26 April 2014
}}
- 2010–present: Retired former Bishop suffragan of Warrington David Jennings lives in Northleach and is also licensed in the Diocese of Oxford.{{Who's Who
| title=Jennings, David Willfred Michael
| id = U38949
| volume = 2014
| edition = December 2013 online
| access-date = 26 April 2014
}}
- 2013–present: Bob Evens, retired former Bishop suffragan of Crediton, lives in Charlton Kings.{{Who's Who
| title=Evens, Robert John Scott
| id = U15279
| volume = 2014
| edition = December 2013 online
| access-date = 26 April 2014
}}
- 2014–present: Anthony Priddis, retired Bishop of Hereford, lives in Bridstow in Hereford diocese.{{Crockford
| surname = Priddis
| forenames = Anthony Martin
| id = 30439
| accessed = 18 June 2016
}}
- 2014–present: retired Bishop of Guildford Christopher Hill lives in Ruardean.{{Crockford
| surname = Hill
| forenames = Christopher John
| id = 26997
| accessed = 18 June 2016
}}
Notes
{{reflist}}
References
- [http://www.cofe.anglican.org/info/statistics/churchstatistics2002 Church of England Statistics 2002] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203171913/http://www.cofe.anglican.org/info/statistics/churchstatistics2002 |date=3 February 2007 }}
External links
- [http://www.gloucester.anglican.org/ Diocese of Gloucester]
{{Diocese of Gloucester}}
{{Province of Canterbury}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Religion in Gloucestershire
Category:1541 establishments in England