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Anglican Diocese of Adelaide facts for kids

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Diocese of Adelaide
Coat of arms
Coat of arms
Location
Country Australia
Territory
Ecclesiastical province South Australia
Metropolitan Archbishop of Adelaide
Headquarters
  • 18 King William Road
  • North Adelaide SA 5006
Coordinates 34°54′46″S 138°35′53″E / 34.91278°S 138.59806°E / -34.91278; 138.59806
Information
Denomination Anglican
Established 25 June 1847 (1847-06-25)
Cathedral St Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide
Language English
Current leadership
Parent church Anglican Church of Australia
Archbishop
  • Geoffrey Smith
  • (since 2017)
Dean

The Anglican Diocese of Adelaide is a special church area for the Anglican Church of Australia. It is located around the city of Adelaide in South Australia. This area stretches along the eastern side of the Gulf St Vincent. It goes from Eudunda in the north to Aldgate in the south.

The main church for the diocese is Saint Peter's Cathedral in Adelaide. The diocese started in 1847. Augustus Short was its very first bishop. Since 2017, Geoffrey Smith has been the Archbishop of Adelaide. He also became the main leader, called the Primate of Australia, in 2020.

History of the Diocese of Adelaide

The Diocese of Adelaide was officially started on June 25, 1847. This was done through a special document called "letters patent." Today, it is part of the Province of South Australia. This province also includes the Diocese of Willochra (started in 1915) and the Diocese of The Murray (started in 1969).

Since 1970, the Bishop of Adelaide has been called an archbishop. This is because they are the most senior bishop in the province. This senior role is known as the metropolitan.

Jeffrey Driver was the Archbishop of Adelaide until he retired in 2016. After a search, Geoffrey Smith was chosen. He was an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Brisbane before this. He became the 10th Archbishop of Adelaide on April 28, 2017. On April 7, 2020, Archbishop Smith was chosen for an even bigger role. He became the Primate of Australia. This means he is the top leader of the Anglican Church in all of Australia. He is the first Archbishop of Adelaide to hold this important position.

Leaders of the Diocese: Bishops and Archbishops

Assistant Bishops in the Diocese

Assistant bishops help the main bishop or archbishop. They often have special tasks or areas of focus.

Some past assistant bishops include John Vockler, who became a coadjutor bishop in 1959. Lionel Renfrey also served as an assistant bishop in 1988.

The current assistant bishops helping the Archbishop of Adelaide are:

  • Tim Harris: He became an assistant bishop in 2011. He helps with mission and evangelism, which means sharing the church's message. He also served as the temporary leader when the archbishop position was empty from 2016 to 2017.
  • Chris McLeod: He became an assistant bishop on April 11, 2015. His special role is to work with Aboriginal people in South Australia. He is also known as the National Aboriginal Bishop. In 2021, he was also appointed the Dean of St Peter's Cathedral.
  • Denise Ferguson: She became an assistant bishop in July 2019. She focuses on helping with different cultures in the church. She also helps with chaplains in hospitals and social services. Her role includes training new church leaders.

Archdeacons of Adelaide

An archdeacon is a senior church official who helps the bishop manage the diocese. In 1866, W. J. Woodcock was the Archdeacon of Adelaide.

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