Diocese of Oxford
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Diocese of Oxford
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The Cathedral Church of Christ, Oxford
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| Location | |
| Ecclesiastical province | Canterbury |
| Archdeaconries | Oxford, Buckingham, Berkshire, Dorchester |
| Statistics | |
| Parishes | 624 |
| Churches | 847 |
| Information | |
| Cathedral | Christ Church |
| Current leadership | |
| Bishop | Vacant (acting bishop: the area Bishop of Dorchester) |
| Suffragans | Colin Fletcher, area Bishop of Dorchester Alan Wilson, area Bishop of Buckingham Andrew Proud, area Bishop of Reading |
| Archdeacons | Karen Gorham, Archdeacon of Buckingham Martin Gorick, Archdeacon of Oxford Olivia Graham, Archdeacon of Berkshire Judy French, Archdeacon of Dorchester |
| Website | |
| oxford.anglican.org | |
The Diocese of Oxford is a Church of England diocese that forms part of the Province of Canterbury.
Contents
History
The Diocese of Oxford was created by letters patent from Henry VIII on 1 September 1542,[1] out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln. Osney Abbey was designated the original cathedral, but in 1545 this was changed to St. Frideswide's which became Christ Church Cathedral.
In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred from the Diocese of Salisbury to Oxford. This comprises the county of Berkshire and parts of Wiltshire.
In 1837 the County of Buckingham was similarly transferred from the then Diocese of Lincoln, to become the Archdeaconry of Buckingham, although this annexation did not take effect until 1845.
In 2013 and 2014, the Diocese of Oxford discussed and resolved to undertake some pastoral alterations; the new archdeaconry of Dorchester was created on 1 March 2014.[2] On 3 March 2014, it was announced that Judy French would become the first Archdeacon of Dorchester from June 2014.[3]
Bishops
The diocesan Bishop of Oxford is assisted by the area bishops of Dorchester, Buckingham, and Reading; during the vacancy in the diocesan see, the Bishop of Dorchester is acting bishop. The suffragan See of Buckingham was created in 1914, and was the suffragan bishop for the whole diocese until 1939 when the See of Dorchester was created; the See of Reading was re-created in 1942, after having been 'in abeyance' since 1909.
The provincial episcopal visitor (for parishes in this diocese – among twelve others in the western part of the Province of Canterbury – who reject the ministry of priests who are women, since 1994) is Jonathan Goodall, Bishop suffragan of Ebbsfleet, who is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop of the diocese in order to facilitate his work there.
There are also eleven former bishops resident in (or near) the diocese who are licensed to serve as honorary assistant bishops:
- 1991–present: Ronald Gordon, former Bishop at Lambeth and Bishop of Portsmouth, lives in Wantage.[4]
- 1996–present: Keith Arnold, retired Bishop suffragan of Warwick, lives in Olney.[5]
- 1999–present: Peter Nott, retired Bishop of Norwich and Bishop suffragan of Taunton, lives in Westcot.[6]
- 1999–present: Henry Richmond, retired Bishop suffragan of Repton, lives in Oxford itself.[7]
- 2001–present: Bill Down, retired Assistant Bishop of Leicester and Bishop of Bermuda, lives in Witney.[8]
- 2004–present: James Johnson (Bishop of St Helena) returned to parish ministry in Northants and Essex before retiring to Bodicote.[9]
- 2006–present: John Garton, retired Bishop suffragan of Plymouth, lives in Cowley.[10]
- 2010–present: Anthony Russell, former Bishop of Ely and area Bishop of Dorchester, lives in Holton.[11]
- 2010–present: Henry Scriven, Mission Director for Latin America (CMS) and former Assistant Bishop in Pittsburgh and Suffragan Bishop in Europe, lives in Abingdon-on-Thames and is also licensed in Chichester and Winchester dioceses.[12]
- 2013–present: David Jennings, retired former Bishop suffragan of Warrington, lives in Northleach, Gloucestershire and is also licensed in Gloucester diocese.[13]
- 2013–present: John Went, former Bishop suffragan of Tewkesbury, lives in Latimer.[14]
George Carey (retired Archbishop of Canterbury) also lives in the diocese;[15] and Humphrey Southern, former Bishop suffragan of Repton, is the Principal of Ripon College Cuddesdon.[16]
Current extent
Counties
The Diocese now covers the counties of
- Berkshire (118 churches)
- Buckinghamshire (152 churches)
- Oxfordshire (227 churches)
and has
- three churches in the county of Bedfordshire
- one church in the traditional county of Middlesex
- one church in the country of Hampshire.
Episcopal areas
Since the creation of an area scheme in 1984,[17] the diocese has been divided into three Episcopal Areas corresponding to its Archdeaconries. The Bishop of Oxford has authority throughout the diocese, but also has primary responsibility for the city and suburbs of Oxford, which are part of the Archdeaconry of Oxford.
- Archdeaconry of Oxford
- City of Oxford & surrounding area
- acting Bishop of Oxford: Colin Fletcher, area Bishop of Dorchester
- includes Deaneries of Oxford and Cowley
- Dorchester Episcopal Area
- current area Bishop of Dorchester: Colin Fletcher
- includes Deaneries of Aston & Cuddesdon, Bicester & Islip, Chipping Norton, Deddington, Henley, Witney and Woodstock
- City of Oxford & surrounding area
- Buckingham Episcopal Area (Archdeaconry of Buckingham)
- current area Bishop of Buckingham: Alan Wilson
- includes Deaneries of Amersham, Aylesbury, Buckingham, Burnham & Slough, Claydon, Milton Keynes, Mursley, Newport, Wendover and Wycombe
- Reading Episcopal Area (Archdeaconry of Berkshire)
- current area Bishop of Reading: Andrew Proud
- includes Deaneries of Abingdon, Bracknell, Bradfield, Maidenhead & Windsor, Newbury, Reading, Sonning, Vale of White Horse, Wallingford and Wantage
See also
- Bishop of Oxford
- Archdeacon of Oxford
- Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers
- Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford (the cathedral of the see)
References
- ↑ Clergy of the Church of England Database — Christ Church cathedral: history and description (Accessed 12 January 2016)
- ↑ Ridgeway Broadsheet, March 2014 (Accessed 24 May 2014)
- ↑ Diocese of Oxford – New archdeacon for Dorchester (Accessed 21 March 2014)
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- ↑ Ripon College Cuddesdon — Appointment of new Principal (Accessed 3 April 2015)
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External links
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