Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia
Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America located in the southwest area of Virginia. It is in Province III (for the Middle Atlantic region). The diocese includes 51 parishes in the state's southwestern region, including the cities of Lynchburg and Roanoke.
Diocese of Southwestern Virginia | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Territory | Counties of Alleghany, Amherst, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Campbell, Carroll, Craig, Dickinson, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Grayson, Henry, Highland, Lee, Montgomery, Nelson, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, & Wythe. |
| Ecclesiastical province | Province III |
| Statistics | |
| Congregations | 51 (2021) |
| Members | 9,526 (2021) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Episcopal Church |
| Established | December 10, 1919 |
| Current leadership | |
| Bishop | Mark Allen Bourlakas |
| Map | |
Location of the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia | |
| Website | |
| www.dioswva.org | |
The Diocese of Southwestern Virginia was created as a split from the Diocese of Southern Virginia in 1919. Although there has been an Anglican presence in southwestern Virginia since the mid-18th century, the Diocese of Southern Virginia had been formed in 1892 from the Diocese of Virginia covering most counties in the historic Commonwealth, and by the end of World War I with more than 260 congregations was the third largest diocese in the nation. Upon creation of the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, Roanoke was named see city of the first Bishop, Robert Carter Jett, and its St. John's Church housed the diocesan offices until shortly after World War II, when Evans House was built.
Mark Bourlakas was consecrated the Sixth Bishop of Southwestern Virginia in a ceremony held at the Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre on July 20, 2013,
The diocese has two retreat centers: Grace House on the Mountain in Wise County and the Phoebe Needles Center in Franklin County.