Diocese of Gloucester


The Diocese of Gloucester is a Church of England diocese based in Gloucester, covering the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire. The cathedral is Gloucester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Gloucester. It is part of the Province of Canterbury.

History

The diocese was founded during the English Reformation on 3 September 1541 from part of the Diocese of Hereford and the Diocese of Worcester. In 1542 the Diocese of Bristol was created to cover Bristol, but on 5 October 1836 it was merged back into the Gloucester diocese, which became the Diocese of Gloucester and Bristol until Bristol became an independent diocese again on 9 July 1897, whereupon the Gloucester diocese resumed the name Diocese of Gloucester.
The diocese has twinning links with the dioceses of Dornakal and Karnataka Central in the Church of South India, Västerås in Sweden, El Camino Real in California, USA, and Western Tanganyika in Tanzania. It is currently supporting the work of the Diocese of Western Tanganyika to build a new high school.

Organisation

The diocese is divided into two archdeaconries, Cheltenham, headed by the Archdeacon of Cheltenham, Phil Andrew, and Gloucester, headed by the Archdeacon of Gloucester, Jackie Searle. The Archdeaconry of Cheltenham consists of the deaneries of Cheltenham, Cirencester, North Cotswold, & Tewkesbury and Winchcombe, and the Archdeaconry of Gloucester consists of the deaneries of Forest South, Gloucester City, Severn Vale, Stroud, & Wotton.

Bishops

The diocesan Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek, is assisted by the Bishop suffragan of Tewkesbury, Robert Springett. The provincial episcopal visitor 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 seven former bishops licensed as honorary assistant bishops in the diocese: