The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan is the Episcopal diocese comprising 70 congregations in the southeast part of Michigan. In 2024, the diocese reported average Sunday attendance (ASA) of 3,893 persons. The most recent membership statistics (2023) showed 13,311 members.

The diocese traces its roots to the founding of St. Paul's, Detroit in 1824. It became a diocese of the Episcopal Church in 1836, one year before the State of Michigan entered the Union. Initially encompassing the entire Michigan Territory, it split several times to reflect a growing population, and now comprises only the densely populated southeastern portion of the state.

St. Paul's, Detroit was formally designated the cathedral of the diocese in 1912.

Location

At its foundation, one year before Michigan achieved statehood, the Diocese encompassed all of Michigan. As the church grew, the bishops found it difficult to administer such a large area, and the parishes farther from Detroit desired a bishop closer to their own areas and more attuned to their local needs.

To address these concerns, the diocese has divided three times. In 1875, the western half of the Lower Peninsula became the Diocese of Western Michigan. In 1895, the Upper Peninsula became the Diocese of Marquette (later renamed Diocese of Northern Michigan). Finally in 1995, the northeastern Lower Peninsula, Saginaw Valley, and Thumb areas (the northern two-thirds of its then remaining territory) became the Diocese of Eastern Michigan. The Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan were formally united in 2024 to become the Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes.

As a result of these divisions, the current Diocese of Michigan includes only the Detroit Metropolitan Area and adjacent regions as far west as Lansing, Jackson, and Hillsdale.

Officially, the diocesan boundaries are as follows:

The Counties of Hillsdale, Lenawee, Monroe, Jackson, Washtenaw, Wayne, Ingham, Livingston, Oakland (except for Holly Township), Macomb and that portion of Clinton County south of Price Road

History

thumb|left|[[Cathedral Church of St. Paul (Detroit)|Cathedral Church of Saint Paul on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan.]]right|thumb|100px|Logo of the Diocese of Michigan

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan was organized In the fall of 1832 by parishes in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Troy, Monroe, Ypsilanti and Tecumseh. It became the 21st diocese of the Episcopal Church of the United States. From its beginning, St. Paul's Church in Detroit (the current Cathedral) served, initially informally until the formal designation in 1912, as the see of the diocese, and the early bishops served as rector of St. Paul's. Its first bishop was Samuel Allen McCoskry, who served 1836–1878.

  1. Samuel Allen McCoskry (1836 - 1878)
  2. Samuel Smith Harris (1879 - 1889)
  3. Thomas Frederick Davies, Sr. (1889 - 1905)
  4. Charles D. Williams (1906 - 1923)
  5. Herman Page (1924 - 1939)
  6. Frank W. Creighton (1940 - 1948)
  7. Richard S. M. Emrich (1948 - 1973)
  8. Harry Coleman McGehee, Jr. (1973 - 1990)
  9. R. Stewart Wood (1990 - 2000)
  10. Wendell Gibbs (2000 - 2020)
  11. Bonnie Perry (2020-)

References

  • Official web site of the Diocese of Michigan
  • Journal of the Annual Convention, Diocese of Michigan