Wednesday, June 07, 2006

 

Diocese of Huron

The Diocese of Huron was founded by Royal Letters Patent in 1857, its See City designated as London, Ontario, and its Cathedral (also by Royal warrant) St. Paul's Cathedral, London, Ontario.

The Diocese of Huron is unique in the Anglican Communion for having had elected its Bishops by Synod from the beginning. Benjamin Cronyn, then Rector of St. Paul's Church, London, was elected to the new see and Queen Victoria promptly appointed him First Bishop of Huron.

Consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury in Lambeth Palace Chapel, Cronyn founded a large and vibrant Diocese, known for its "low-church, evangelical bent", and populated by missionaries from the Church of Ireland.

Much has changed since its foundation, but the Diocese remains large and vibrant, although the "low-church character" has faded a great deal in the past two decades.

Carved off from the Diocese of Toronto, Huron includes most of Southwestern Ontario, running from Tobermory to Pelee Island and from Windsor to Kitchener-Waterloo. It contains 236 congregations (164 parishes), with 184 active clergy and 60,000 lay people.