Episcopal Diocese of Alaska
Encyclopedia
The Episcopal Diocese of Alaska is the diocese
of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over the state of Alaska
. Established in 1895, it has the largest geographical reach of any diocese in the Episcopal Church, with approximately 7,000 members spread across 53 congregations. It is in Province 8
. It has no cathedral and the diocesan offices are located in Fairbanks
.
, the Diocese embarked on a lengthy discernment process about its future leadership. Recognising that the vacancy would likely be lengthy, the Diocesan Convention elected as assisting bishop the Right Reverend Rustin Kimsey, retired Bishop of Eastern Oregon and former assisting bishop for Navajoland to exercise episcopal functions pending the election and installation of a new Diocesan. In 2009, the Diocese announced a process for election of the 8th Bishop of Alaska and the 35th Diocesan Convention, on April 10, 2010, elected Mark Andrew Lattime, Rector of St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Geneseo in the Diocese of Rochester (New York), as 8th Bishop of Alaska. His episcopal ordination took place on September 4, 2010, at the First United Methodist Church in Anchorage, Alaska.
Resolution 2007-01 – Indigenous Suffragan
Therefore, be it resolved that the 33rd Convention of the Diocese of Alaska supports the Interior Deanery in calling upon the next Bishop of Alaska to call for the election of an Indigenous Suffragan Bishop to serve the Native peoples of Alaska within eighteen months of consecration. Be it further resolved that the Indigenous Suffragan Bishop will provide pastoral and spiritual care for our Indigenous Congregations.
Resolution 2007-02 – Suffragan Bishop Task Force
The 33rd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska encourages our next Diocesan Bishop to consider a Suffragan bishop for Indigenous Ministries. Be it further resolved The 33rd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska establish immediately a Suffragan Bishop’s Task Force to develop a plan for implementation of this resolution, to be acted upon by our newly elected Diocesan Bishop, within 12 months of his or her consecration.
:
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over the state of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. Established in 1895, it has the largest geographical reach of any diocese in the Episcopal Church, with approximately 7,000 members spread across 53 congregations. It is in Province 8
Province 8 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
Province 8 is one of nine ecclesiastical provinces making up the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It is composed of sixteen dioceses in the nine states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington...
. It has no cathedral and the diocesan offices are located in Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
.
Bishop of Alaska
Following the retirement in 2007 of the 7th Bishop of Alaska, the Rt. Rev. Mark L. MacDonald, to answer the call to be the first National Indigenous Bishop of the Anglican Church of CanadaAnglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
, the Diocese embarked on a lengthy discernment process about its future leadership. Recognising that the vacancy would likely be lengthy, the Diocesan Convention elected as assisting bishop the Right Reverend Rustin Kimsey, retired Bishop of Eastern Oregon and former assisting bishop for Navajoland to exercise episcopal functions pending the election and installation of a new Diocesan. In 2009, the Diocese announced a process for election of the 8th Bishop of Alaska and the 35th Diocesan Convention, on April 10, 2010, elected Mark Andrew Lattime, Rector of St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Geneseo in the Diocese of Rochester (New York), as 8th Bishop of Alaska. His episcopal ordination took place on September 4, 2010, at the First United Methodist Church in Anchorage, Alaska.
List of bishops
| Bishops of Alaska | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 1895 | 1942 | Peter Rowe | Died in office |
| 1943 | 1948 | John Bentley (1896–1989) | Previously suffragan bishop. |
| 1948 | 1974 | William Gordon | Retired to Michigan Episcopal Diocese of Michigan The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan is the Episcopal diocese in the southeast part of Michigan.The diocese traces its roots to the founding of St. Paul's, Detroit in 1824. It became a diocese of the Episcopal Church in 1836, one year before the State of Michigan entered the Union. It covered the... as an honorary assistant bishop Assistant Bishop An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop.-Church of England:In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually are retired bishops – in which case they are honorary assistant bishops... . |
| 1974 | 1981 | David Cochran | |
| 1981 | 1991 | George Harris | |
| 1991 | 1996 | Steven Charleston | Later Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School Episcopal Divinity School The Episcopal Divinity School is a seminary of the Episcopal Church based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Known throughout the Anglican Communion for prophetic teaching and action on issues of civil rights and social justice, its faculty and students have been directly involved in many of the social... . |
| 1997 | 2007 | Mark MacDonald | National Indigenous Bishop in Canada (2007–present); assistant bishop in Navajoland Navajoland Area Mission The Navajoland Area Mission, also known as the Episcopal Church in Navajoland, is an Area Mission of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America... (2007–2009). |
| 2010 | present | Mark Lattime | |
| Source(s): | |||
| Assistant bishops | |||
| 1931 | 1942 | John Bentley, suffragan bishop Suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:... (1896–1989) |
Elected diocesan bishop. |
| 2007 | present | Rustin Kimsey, assistant bishop Assistant Bishop An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop.-Church of England:In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually are retired bishops – in which case they are honorary assistant bishops... |
Retired from Eastern Oregon Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon The Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America which has jurisdiction over Oregon east of the Cascade Mountains. It also it includes Klickitat County, Washington. It is in Province 8... ; previously assistant in Navajoland Navajoland Area Mission The Navajoland Area Mission, also known as the Episcopal Church in Navajoland, is an Area Mission of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America... . |
Resolutions of the 2007 Diocese Convention
The 33rd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska, held in 2007, adopted several resolutions that may, in due course, markedly influence the ministry of the Diocese. These resolutions included:Resolution 2007-01 – Indigenous Suffragan
Therefore, be it resolved that the 33rd Convention of the Diocese of Alaska supports the Interior Deanery in calling upon the next Bishop of Alaska to call for the election of an Indigenous Suffragan Bishop to serve the Native peoples of Alaska within eighteen months of consecration. Be it further resolved that the Indigenous Suffragan Bishop will provide pastoral and spiritual care for our Indigenous Congregations.
Resolution 2007-02 – Suffragan Bishop Task Force
The 33rd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska encourages our next Diocesan Bishop to consider a Suffragan bishop for Indigenous Ministries. Be it further resolved The 33rd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska establish immediately a Suffragan Bishop’s Task Force to develop a plan for implementation of this resolution, to be acted upon by our newly elected Diocesan Bishop, within 12 months of his or her consecration.
Historic parish churches
Several parish churches are listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
:
- Holy Trinity Church (Juneau, Alaska)Holy Trinity Church (Juneau, Alaska)Holy Trinity Church, also known as the Church of the Holy Trinity was an historic Carpenter Gothic style Episcopal church located at 325 Gold Street in Juneau, Alaska. Designed by architect George E. James in the Carpenter Gothic style, it was built by Foss and Olsen in 1896 to serve a mission...
- St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Seward, Alaska)St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Seward, Alaska)St. Peter's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church located at 239 2nd Aveune at Adams Street in Seward, Alaska. The first Episcopal services in Seward were held in 1904 by a priest from Valdez. The church building was constructed between 1905 and 1906 and was consecrated on April 1, 1906...
- St. Philip's Episcopal Church (Wrangell, Alaska)St. Philip's Episcopal Church (Wrangell, Alaska)St. Philip's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church located at 446 Church Street in Wrangell, Alaska. Its frame vernacular style church was built as the People's Church in 1903 by a Presbyterian congregation of Alaskan Natives under the direction of its minister, the Rev. Harry Prosper...
See also
- List of Succession of Bishops for the Episcopal Church, USASuccession of Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United StatesThis list consists of the bishops in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, an independent province of the Anglican Communion. This shows the historic succession of the episcopate within this denomination.-Key to chart:...
External links
- Diocese of Alaska website
- Historical resources on Anglicanism in Alaska from Project CanterburyProject CanterburyProject Canterbury is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999, and is hosted by the non-profit Society of Archbishop Justus...
- Episcopal Church website