Diocese of Gloucester facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Diocese of GloucesterDioecesis Glocestrensis |
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| Location | |
| Ecclesiastical province | Canterbury |
| Archdeaconries | Cheltenham, Gloucester |
| Statistics | |
| Parishes | 323 |
| Churches | 396 |
| Information | |
| Cathedral | Gloucester Cathedral Bristol Cathedral (1836–1897) |
| Language | English |
| Current leadership | |
| Bishop | Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester |
| Suffragan | Robert Springett, Bishop of Tewkesbury |
| Archdeacons | Phil Andrew, Archdeacon of Cheltenham Hilary Dawson, Archdeacon of Gloucester |
| Website | |
| gloucester.anglican.org | |
The Diocese of Gloucester is a special church area within the Church of England. It is based in the city of Gloucester. This diocese covers most of the county of Gloucestershire.
The main church for the diocese is Gloucester Cathedral. The leader of the diocese is called the Bishop of Gloucester. This diocese is part of the Province of Canterbury, which is a larger group of church areas in England.
Contents
History of the Diocese
The Diocese of Gloucester was started a long time ago. It began on 3 September 1541. This happened during the English Reformation, a time of big changes in the church. The new diocese was created from parts of the Diocese of Hereford and the Diocese of Worcester.
In 1542, another new diocese, the Diocese of Bristol, was created. It covered the city of Bristol. For a short time, from 1552 to 1554, the Gloucester diocese was closed. It became part of the Worcester diocese again. But then Queen Mary brought it back as a separate diocese.
Later, on 5 October 1836, the Diocese of Bristol joined with Gloucester. It was then called the Diocese of Gloucester and Bristol. This lasted until 9 July 1897. At that time, Bristol became its own diocese again. So, the Gloucester diocese went back to being called the Diocese of Gloucester.
The diocese also has special connections with other church areas around the world. These are called "twinning links." They are linked with dioceses in India (Dornakal and Karnataka Central), Sweden (Västerås), the USA (El Camino Real in California), and Tanzania (Western Tanganyika). The Diocese of Gloucester is currently helping the Diocese of Western Tanganyika build a new high school.
How the Diocese is Organised
The Diocese of Gloucester is divided into two main sections. These sections are called archdeaconries. They help manage the churches and clergy in different parts of the diocese.
Archdeaconries and Their Leaders
The two archdeaconries are:
- Cheltenham: This section is led by the Archdeacon of Cheltenham, Phil Andrew. It includes smaller areas called deaneries. These are Cheltenham, Cirencester, North Cotswold, and Tewkesbury.
- Gloucester: This section is led by the Archdeacon of Gloucester, Hilary Dawson. Its deaneries are Forest South, Gloucester City, Severn Vale, Stroud, and Wotton.
Bishops Who Lead the Diocese
The main leader of the diocese is the Bishop of Gloucester. Currently, this is Rachel Treweek. She made history as the first woman to become a diocesan bishop in the Church of England.
The Bishop of Gloucester gets help from another bishop. This is the Bishop suffragan of Tewkesbury, Robert Springett. A "suffragan bishop" is a bishop who helps a diocesan bishop.
There is also a special bishop who helps some churches. This bishop is called the provincial episcopal visitor. For churches in this diocese that prefer to have male priests, this visitor provides support. This special role is currently held by the Bishop suffragan of Oswestry. He is also an honorary assistant bishop in the diocese.
Several former bishops also help out in the diocese. They are called honorary assistant bishops. They volunteer their time to support the work of the diocese. These include:
- Peter Firth, who used to be the Bishop of Swindon.
- David Jennings, who was the Bishop of Warrington.
- Bob Evens, who was the Bishop of Crediton.
- Anthony Priddis, who was the Bishop of Hereford.
- Christopher Hill, who was the Bishop of Guildford.
