Diocese of Argyll and The Isles (Episcopal)

Diocese of Argyll and The Isles

Dioecesis Ergadiensis et Insularum

Sgìre Easbaig Earra-Ghàidheal is nan Eilean
Crest-argyll.png
Location
CountryScotland
Ecclesiastical provinceScotland
Statistics
Congregations32
Information
DenominationScottish Episcopal Church
CathedralSt John's Cathedral, Oban and the Cathedral of The Isles
Current leadership
BishopKeith Riglin (consecrated 1 May 2021)
Map
Map showing Argyll Diocese as a coloured area covering the west coast of Scotland including the Hebrides
Map showing Argyll & The Isles Diocese within Scotland
Website
argyll.anglican.org

The Diocese of Argyll and The Isles is in the west of Scotland, and is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is perhaps the largest of the dioceses, but has the smallest number of church members. As a united diocese, Argyll and The Isles has two cathedrals: St John's in Oban and the Cathedral of The Isles in Millport, Isle of Cumbrae.

The Diocese of the Isles, by itself, was founded by Patrick in 900, and the Diocese of Argyll was founded by Bishop Harald in 1193. During the Scottish Reformation, most of the heritage and jurisdiction of the church was given to the Church of Scotland. However, the small Scottish Episcopal Church claims to have maintained the line of bishops of both dioceses through to the present day. In the seventeenth century, the Diocese of the Isles was united with the dioceses of Caithness and Orkney, and, in 1819, was separated from them to unite with the Diocese of Argyll. In 1878, the Roman Catholic Church created a Diocese of Argyll and the Isles. The diocese is responsible for the only two Episcopalian retreat houses in Scotland (Bishop's House Iona and the College of the Holy Spirit at the Cathedral of The Isles). Keith Riglin, Vice Dean of King's College London, was elected by an Electoral Synod on 30 January 2021; his consecration was on 1 May 2021.

The Diocese of Argyll and The Isles is twinned with the Anglican Diocese of Zanzibar (Anglican Church of Tanzania) and the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware (Episcopal Church in the United States of America).

Area and population

The diocese covers the historic counties of Argyllshire (population 60,000) and Buteshire (population 12,500), the Hebridean parts of Inverness-shire and Ross and Cromarty (population 38,000), and the Lochaber area of Inverness-shire (population 16,500). This total population of approximately 127,000 makes it the smallest British Anglican diocese by population apart from the Diocese of Sodor and Man. It gives the diocese a ratio of one priest to every 18,100 inhabitants and one church to every 3,850 inhabitants.

Deans of the diocese

Secessions

On 24 November 2017 the congregation of Christ Church, Harris, a Scottish Episcopal church in the Western Isles, announced that they could no longer remain under the oversight of their local bishop, Kevin Pearson, then-Bishop of Argyll and The Isles, owing to his support of the SEC's approval of same-sex marriage. They would instead be receiving the episcopal ministry of Andy Lines, the Missionary Bishop to Europe of the Anglican Church in North America. Daniel Davies, the priest-in-charge of Christ Church, resigned his SEC position on 22 January 2018.

Churches

The diocese currently has 8 stipendiary clergy (including the Bishop who is also the Provost of Cumbrae Cathedral) and 32 active churches.

Benefice Churches Link Founded (building) Stipendiary clergy
Stornoway St Peter, Stornoway [1] C18th (1838) P. Moger
Eoropaidh St Moluag, Eoropaidh 1912 (Medieval)
No benefice St Brendan the Navigator, North Uist -
Holy Cross, North Uist -
Portree St Columba, Portree 1884 R. Bungard
St Michael & All Angels, Raasay
St Mary, Kilmore, Sleat
Kinlochmoidart St Finan, Kinlochmoidart 1858 0
Strontian St Mary, Strontian 1875
Fort William St Andrew, Fort William 1817 (1880) A. Guinness
West Highland Region St Columba, Gruline [2] 1873 A. Fairclough
St John, Ballachulish C18th (1842)
St Adamnan, Duror 1846
St Mary, Glencoe C18th (1880)
St Moluag, Kentallen 1868
St Paul, Kinlochleven 1908 (1954)
St Bride, Onich 1874
Holy Cross, Portnacroish 1809
Lochbuie St Kilda, Lochbuie (Mull) 1876 -
Iona St Columba's Chapel, Bishop's House, Iona 1894 -
Argyll Cathedra Cathedral of St John the Divine, Oban [3] 1846 (1910) M. Campbell
Kilbrandon Congregation (Seil)
Ardbrecknish St James, Ardbrecknish 1892
Islay St Columba, Bridgend (Islay) 1888 -
Campbeltown St Kiaran, Campbeltown 1848
Isle of Arran St Margaret of Scotland, Arran 1902 S. Mackenzie
Inveraray All Saints, Inveraray [4] C19th (1886)
Kilmartin St Columba, Kilmartin 1854
Lochgilphead Christ Church, Lochgilphead 1842 (1851)
Dunoon Holy Trinity, Dunoon [5] 1846 (1850) D. Railton
Rothesay St Paul, Rothesay [6] c. 1830 (1854)
Isles Cathedra Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Cumbrae [7] 1849 K. Pearson

Former congregation

Benefice Church Founded (building) Seceded from SEC
Harris, Isle of (Christ Church) Christ Church, Harris 1973 (1999) 2018

Closed churches in the diocese area

Church Location Building Closed Ref
St Columba, Tighnabruaich Tighnabruaich c. 2011
Holy Spirit, Ardchattan Ardchattan 1886 2008

This page was last updated at 2023-04-05 02:05 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari