Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island
Encyclopedia
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, encompassing the state of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. It is one of seven New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
dioceses that make up Province 1
Province 1 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
Province 1 is one of nine ecclesiastical provinces making up the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It is composed of the seven dioceses of New England, includes both the largest diocese and the oldest diocese in the Episcopal Church.-Dioceses of Province I:*Diocese of...
.
The Episcopal seat of the diocese, the Cathedral of St. John
Cathedral of St. John, Providence
The Cathedral of St. John in Providence, Rhode Island is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island of The Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located at 271 North Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903.-History of the parish:...
is at 271 North Main Street in the see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
city of Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. There are 65 parishes in the diocese, with more than 17,000 communicants. The bishop is The Right Reverend Geralyn Wolf
Geralyn Wolf
Geralyn Wolf is the twelfth diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Rhode Island in the Episcopal Church. Wolf was consecrated as bishop on 17 February 1996....
, the twelfth person to hold this office. One of the few women serving as diocesan bishop, she was consecrated in 1996.
History
The diocese was founded in 1790 by two clergymen and five members of the laity, representatives of the four charter churches of the diocese, King's ChurchCathedral of St. John, Providence
The Cathedral of St. John in Providence, Rhode Island is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island of The Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located at 271 North Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903.-History of the parish:...
in Providence (1722), Trinity Church
Trinity Church (Newport, Rhode Island)
Trinity Church, on Queen Anne Square in Newport, Rhode Island, is a historic parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island. Founded in 1698, it is the oldest Episcopal parish in the state. The current Georgian building was designed by architect Richard Munday and constructed in...
in Newport (1702), St. Paul's
Old Narragansett Church
Old Narragansett Church, also known as Old St. Paul's Church and St. Paul's Episcopal Church, is a historic Episcopal church located at 60 Church Lane in Wickford, Rhode Island and is purported to be the oldest Episcopal church building in the Northeast.-History:The church congregation was founded...
in Narragansett (1707), and St. Michael's in Bristol (1720). Without sufficient resources to support a bishop of their own, they elected Samuel Seabury
Samuel Seabury
Samuel Seabury was the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. He had been a leading Loyalist in New York City during the American Revolution.-History:Samuel Seabury was born in Groton, Connecticut in 1729...
, who was bishop of Connecticut
Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut
The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the entire state of Connecticut. It is one of the nine original dioceses of the Episcopal Church and one of seven New England dioceses that make up Province 1.Its first bishop,...
, to hold the office of bishop of Rhode Island as well. Under Rhode Island's third bishop, Alexander Viets Griswold
Alexander Viets Griswold
Alexander Viets Griswold was the Episcopal Bishop of the Eastern Diocese, which included all of New England with the exception of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut....
, the Episcopal Church in Rhode Island expanded from 200 communicants in four parishes to almost 2,000 in seventeen parishes. This growth continued under the next two bishops, John P. K. Henshaw
John Prentiss Kewly Henshaw
John Prentiss Kewley Henshaw was the fourth Bishop of Rhode Island in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America....
and Thomas M. Clark
Thomas March Clark
Thomas March Clark was an American Episcopal bishop. He was born at Newburyport, Mass.; graduated at Yale in 1831; studied theology at Princeton, and was licensed to preach as a Presbyterian in 1835. He became an Episcopalian in the following year, and was rector of Grace Church, Boston, for...
, and this trend was supported by the immigration of many English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Anglicans. By the end of the 19th century, the diocese had grown to 35 parishes.
In the first part of the 20th century, the Episcopal Church in Rhode Island focused on urban ministry with a focus on social concerns, led by Bishop William N. McVickar. The first deaconess was ordained in 1890, and from 1910 to 1914 the number of women serving in this position and ordained by Bishop James D. Perry
James DeWolf Perry
James De Wolf Perry was an American Episcopal clergyman and prelate. He was the 7th Bishop of Rhode Island and the 18th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church .-Life:The third of five children, Perry was born in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the Rev...
had grown from one to seven. Under Perry and his successor, Gaylord G. Bennett, the number of parishes continued to grow.
From 1955 to 1972, the diocese was led by John Seville Higgins, who started campus ministries and a number of other missions. Bishop Frederick H. Belden led the church through the transitions occasioned by the ordination of women to the priesthood, ordaining Jo-Ann J. Drake to the transitional diaconate in 1977 and to the priesthood in 1978, (Patrica A. Smith, ordained deacon by Bishop Belden in 1976 continued her studies for the priesthood and was ordained in 1980) and adoption of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
. Belden was succeeded by George Hunt, who served as bishop from 1980 to 1994. Hunt led a crusade for accountability by the state government on the issues of corruption, organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
and gambling. He also insisted that the process for ordination in the diocese not discriminate against anyone on the basis of gender or sexual orientation.
Bishops of Rhode Island
These are the bishops who have served the Diocese of Rhode Island:- Samuel SeaburySamuel SeaburySamuel Seabury was the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. He had been a leading Loyalist in New York City during the American Revolution.-History:Samuel Seabury was born in Groton, Connecticut in 1729...
(1790–1796) - Edward BassEdward BassThe Right Reverend Edward Bass was the first American Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts and second bishop of the Diocese of Rhode Island....
(1798–1803) - Alexander Viets GriswoldAlexander Viets GriswoldAlexander Viets Griswold was the Episcopal Bishop of the Eastern Diocese, which included all of New England with the exception of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut....
(1811–1843) - John P. K. HenshawJohn Prentiss Kewly HenshawJohn Prentiss Kewley Henshaw was the fourth Bishop of Rhode Island in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America....
(1843–1852) - Thomas March ClarkThomas March ClarkThomas March Clark was an American Episcopal bishop. He was born at Newburyport, Mass.; graduated at Yale in 1831; studied theology at Princeton, and was licensed to preach as a Presbyterian in 1835. He became an Episcopalian in the following year, and was rector of Grace Church, Boston, for...
(1854–1903)
* William N. McVickar, Coadjutor BishopCoadjutor bishopA coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
(1898–1903) - William N. McVickar (1903–1910)
- James D. PerryJames DeWolf PerryJames De Wolf Perry was an American Episcopal clergyman and prelate. He was the 7th Bishop of Rhode Island and the 18th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church .-Life:The third of five children, Perry was born in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the Rev...
(1911–1946)
* Granville G. Bennett, Suffragan BishopSuffragan bishopA 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:...
(elected 1939) - Granville G. Bennett (1946–1954)
* John S. Higgins, Coadjutor BishopCoadjutor bishopA coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
(1953–1955) - John S. Higgins (1955–1972)
* Frederick H. Belden, Coadjutor BishopCoadjutor bishopA coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
(1971–1972) - Frederick H. Belden (1972–1979)
- George N. Hunt, III (1980–1994)
- Geralyn WolfGeralyn WolfGeralyn Wolf is the twelfth diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Rhode Island in the Episcopal Church. Wolf was consecrated as bishop on 17 February 1996....
(1996–present)
Bristol County
- St. John's Episcopal Church, Barrington, RI
- St. Matthew's Episcopal Church (Barrington, Rhode Island)St. Matthew's Episcopal Church (Barrington, Rhode Island)St. Matthew's Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church located at 5 Chapel Road in Barrington, Rhode Island. It is an active parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island....
- St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Bristol, RI
- St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Warren, RI
Kent County
- Church of St. Andrew and St. Philip, Coventry, RI
- St. Francis Episcopal Church, Coventry, RI
- St. Matthias's Episcopal Church, Coventry, RI
- St. Luke's Episcopal Church, East Greenwich, RI
- St. Mark's, Warwick, RI
- St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Warwick, RI
- All Saints' Episcopal Church, Warwick, RI
- St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Warwick, RI
Newport County
- St. Matthew's Parish, Jamestown, RI
- St. Andrew's-by-the-Sea, Little Compton, RI
- Church of the Holy Cross (Middletown, RI)Church of the Holy Cross (Middletown, RI)The Church of the Holy Cross in Middletown, Rhode Island, is a parish church of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island of The Episcopal Church. The church is located at 1439 West Main Road, Middletown, Rhode Island. It is an early example of Richard Upjohn's work in translating Gothic architecture...
- St. Columba's Chapel (Middletown, RI)St. Columba's Chapel (Middletown, RI)St. Columba's Chapel in Middletown, Rhode Island, is a parish church of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island of the Episcopal Church. The church is located at 55 Vaucluse Avenue, Middletown, Rhode Island. The chapel is named for the Irish-born missionary St...
homepage - St. George's SchoolSt. George's School, NewportSt. George's School is a private, Episcopal, coeducational boarding school in Middletown, Rhode Island, USA, just east of the city of Newport. The school was founded in 1896 by the Rev. John Byron Diman, a member of a prominent Rhode Island family. It sits on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean...
, Middletown, RI - Emmanuel Church (Newport, Rhode Island)Emmanuel Church (Newport, Rhode Island)Emmanuel Church is an historic Episcopal church at 42 Dearborn Street in Newport, Rhode Island.The church began as a mission of Newport's Trinity Church in 1841. In 1852, it was admitted into the diocese as Emmanuel Free Church in its own right....
homepage - St. George's Episcopal Church, Newport, RI - closed
- Trinity Church (Newport, Rhode Island)Trinity Church (Newport, Rhode Island)Trinity Church, on Queen Anne Square in Newport, Rhode Island, is a historic parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island. Founded in 1698, it is the oldest Episcopal parish in the state. The current Georgian building was designed by architect Richard Munday and constructed in...
homepage - Zabriskie Memorial Church of St. John the Evangelist Church, Newport, RI
- St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Portsmouth, RI
- St. Paul's, Portsmouth, RI
- Holy Trinity Church, Tiverton, RI
Providence County
- St. George's Episcopal Church, Central Falls, RI
- St. David's on-the-Hill Episcopal Church, Cranston, RI
- Church of the Transfiguration, Edgewood (Cranston), RI
- Church of the Ascension, Cranston, RI
- Trinity Church, Cranston, RI
- Emmanuel Episcopal Church (Cumberland, Rhode Island)Emmanuel Episcopal Church (Cumberland, Rhode Island)Emmanuel Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal parish founded in 1835 in Manville, Rhode Island, but now located in nearby Cumberland.-From a Textile Village to the Church on the Hill:...
homepage - St. John's Episcopal Church, Ashton (Cumberland), RIAshton Historic DistrictThe Ashton Historic District is a historic district in Cumberland, Rhode Island. The district consists of a mill and an adjacent mill village that was built for the workers of the mill. It lies between Mendon Road, Scott Road, Angell Road, Store Hill Road, Front Street and Middle Street...
- Church of Epiphany East Providence, RI
- St. Mary's Episcopal Church, (East Providence, Rhode Island)St. Mary's Episcopal Church, (East Providence, Rhode Island)St. Mary's Episcopal Church is an historic church at 83 Warren Avenue in East Providence, Rhode Island.The church was built by G.E. Harvey in 1872 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980....
- St. Thomas, Greenville, RISaint Thomas Episcopal Church and RectorySaint Thomas Episcopal Church and Rectory is an historic Episcopal church located on Putnam Pike in the village of Greenville in Smithfield, Rhode Island....
- Christ Church, Lincoln, RI
- St. James, North Providence, RI
- St. Alban's Episcopal Church, Centerdale (North Providence), RI
- Trinity Episcopal Church, North Scituate, RI
- Calvary Episcopal Church, Pascoag, RI
- St. Luke's, Pawtucket, RI
- Church of the Advent, Pawtucket, RI
- Good Shepherd, Pawtucket, RI
- St. Paul's Episcopal ChurchSaint Paul's Church (Pawtucket, Rhode Island)St. Paul's Church is a historic Episcopal church at 50 Park Place in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.The church was built in 1901. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983....
, Pawtucket, RI homepage - St. Martin's, Pawtucket, RI
- All Saints' Memorial ChurchAll Saints Memorial ChurchAll Saints Memorial Church is an historic Episcopal church at 674 Westminster Street in Providence, Rhode Island that is the largest Episcopal church building in Rhode Island....
, Providence, RI - St. Martin's Episcopal ChurchSaint Martin's ChurchSt. Martin's Church is an historic Episcopal church at 50 Orchard Avenue in Providence, Rhode Island.The Gothic church was built in 1917 by Wallis Eastburn Howe and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.-See also:...
, Providence, RI homepage - Grace Church (Providence, Rhode Island)Grace Church (Providence, Rhode Island)Grace Church is an historic church at 175 Mathewson Street in Providence, Rhode Island.The church building was constructed in 1845 by architect Richard Upjohn in a Gothic Revival style, then remodeled in 1912 by Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson with a parish house addition...
- S. Stephen's Church, Providence, RISt. Stephen's Church (Providence, Rhode Island)St. Stephen's Church is a historic Episcopal church located at 114 George Street in Providence, Rhode Island in the midst of the Brown University campus. It remains an active parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island....
homepage - Cathedral of St. John, Providence, RI
- Church of the Redeemer, Providence, RI
- Church of the Messiah, Providence, RI
- St. Peter's and St. Andrew's Church, Providence, RI]] homepage
- St. Mark's, Riverside, RI
- St. Michael & Grace, Rumford, RI
- St. James's, Woonsocket, RI
Washington County
- St. Thomas', Alton, Rhode IslandAlton, Rhode IslandAlton is a small village of about 250 residents within the town of Richmond, Rhode Island. It is located about one hour south of Providence, the state's capital. The village is primarily residential, with no retail stores...
- St. Ann's by-the Sea Episcopal Church, Block Island, RI
- Church of the Holy Spirit, Charlestown, RI
- St. Elizabeth's, Hope Valley (Hopkinton), RI
- St. Augustine's Episcopal Church, Kingston, RI
- St. Peter's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, Narragansett, RI
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Wickford (North Kingstown), RI]]
- Chapel of St. John the Divine, Saunderstown, RI
- Church of the Ascension, Wakefield, RI
- Christ Church, Westerly, RI
- St. Thomas's, Alton (Wood River Junction), RIWood River Junction, Rhode IslandWood River Junction, Rhode Island is a small village located in the town of Richmond. It is home to the Chariho school district's main campus and is otherwise largely turf farms. The village is the site of the former Wood River Branch Railroad Station. The Wood River Branch of the New York, New...
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:...