|
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Facts
and figures for the Diocese of Washington
+ The Diocese of Washington was once part of the Diocese of Maryland. In 1893, the U.S. Congress granted a charter to the Protestant Cathedral Foundation of the District of Columbia to build an Episcopal Cathedral in Washington (Washington National Cathedral). In 1895, the Diocese of Maryland was subdivided to create the Diocese of Washington. + Henry Yates Saterlee was elected as the First Bishop of Washington in 1895. Since then, the diocese has had eight Bishops of Washington, four suffragan bishops, and three assistant bishops. See more about current bishops and past bishops of the diocese. + One of the diocese's best-known bishops was the late John Thomas Walker. He was the first African American to attend Virginia Seminary, the nation's second black diocesan bishop and a serious candidate for the office of presiding bishop in 1985. Walker was a strong supporter of social activism, built a solid friendship with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and was one of the founders of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington. + The Diocese of Washington spans the District of Columbia and the Maryland counties of Montgomery, Prince George's, Charles and Saint Mary's. This area is approximately 1,864 square miles and houses the 94 congregations and one cathedral that form the diocese. + The approximately 40,000 baptized worshipers in the Diocese of Washington make up about 1.6 percent of the total population in their communities. The cathedral does not have a regular congregation, so its data is not included in statistical measures of membership. (2001 statistics) + The Diocese of Washington is subdivided into six geographical regions: Region 1, downtown D.C.; Region 2, northwest D.C.; Region 3, western Montgomery County; Region 4, northwest D.C. and eastern Montgomery County; Region 5, eastern and southern D.C., and northern Prince George's County); and Region 6, southern Prince George's County, and Charles and St. Mary's Counties. Each region sends representatives to meet at least once a year to discuss the budget and other diocesan business. + The congregations in the Diocese of Washington are diverse and range from small rural churches to large urban parishes. + The diversity of the people in the diocese is reflected in the clergy. Of the 335 clergy associated with this diocese, around 132 actively serve the congregations. Of the 94 congregations, 30 are served by women (as rector, priest-in-charge or vicar); 18 are served by a person of color (as rector, priest-in-charge or vicar); and more than a dozen are served by an openly gay or lesbian priest (as rector, priest-in-charge or vicar). (2001 statistics) + The office of the bishop and the headquarters of the diocese are located at Episcopal Church House, on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral. However, Church House is administratively separate from the Cathedral Foundation. + The bishop acts as the chief executive officer of the Cathedral Foundation, which is the corporation that oversees these five institutions: Washington National Cathedral, St. Albans School for Boys, The College of Preachers, National Cathedral School for Girls and Beauvoir Cathedral Elementary School. + Washington National Cathedral is the official seat of the Bishop of Washington. That means it is the home/official church of the Bishop of Washington. + The annual operating budget of the Diocese of Washington is approximately $2.3 million. It is funded almost entirely from the congregations in the diocese. + The Diocese of Washington is home to 22 Episcopal schools, including three schools operated by the Cathedral Foundation, schools established by parishes and independent schools that have identified themselves with the Episcopal Church. + The Diocese of Washington is part of the National Episcopal Church. The National Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. + The Anglican Communion has around 75 million members. + The Episcopal Church in the U.S. has 2.3 million members, 100 dioceses and 7,350 congregations.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For more recent statistics about the diocese,
