View source for Diocese of Rochester

{{Short description|Diocese of the Church of England}}
{{About||the American Episcopal diocese|Episcopal Diocese of Rochester|the American Catholic diocese|Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox diocese
| jurisdiction     = Diocese
| name             = Rochester
| latin            = Dioecesis Roffensis
| coat             = Diocese of Rochester arms.svg
| coat_size        = 150px
| flag             = Flag of the Diocese of Rochester.svg
| flag_size        = 150px
| province         = [[Province of Canterbury|Canterbury]]
| parishes         = 218
| churches         = 268
| bishop           = [[Jonathan Gibbs (bishop)|Jonathan Gibbs]], [[Bishop of Rochester]]
| cathedral        = [[Rochester Cathedral]]<br />[[Southwark Cathedral|St&nbsp;Saviour's Pro-Cathedral, Southwark]] (1897–1905)<ref>{{cite journal |page=453 |doi=10.1017/S0022046998007763 |title=Parish-Church Cathedrals, 1836–1931: Some Problems and their Solution |date=1998 |last1=Morrish |first1=P. S. |journal=The Journal of Ecclesiastical History |volume=49 |issue=3 }} (via [https://web.archive.org/web/20120607020147/http://www.churchofengland.org/media/40668/chapter2.pdf "The Dioceses of England: An Outline History"], p. 47)</ref>
| language         = [[English language|English]]
| archdeaconries   = Bromley &amp; Bexley, Rochester, Tonbridge
| suffragan        = [[Simon Burton-Jones]], [[Bishop of Tonbridge]]
| archdeacons      = [[Allie Kerr]], [[Archdeacon of Bromley &amp; Bexley]]<br />[[Sandra McCalla]], [[Archdeacon of Rochester]]<br />[[Nick Cornell]], [[Archdeacon of Tonbridge]]
| website          = [http://www.rochester.anglican.org/ rochester.anglican.org]
}}
The '''Diocese of Rochester''' is a [[Church of England]] [[diocese]] in the [[England|English]] county of [[Kent]] and the [[Province of Canterbury]]. The cathedral church of the diocese is [[Rochester Cathedral]] in the former city of [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]]. The bishop's Latin episcopal signature is: "&nbsp;(firstname) Roffen",<ref>''Debretts Peerage'', 1968, p. 945.</ref> ''Roffensis'' being the Latinised adjective referring to Rochester.

An ancient diocese, it was established with the authority of [[List of monarchs of Kent|King]] [[Æthelberht of Kent]] by [[Augustine of Canterbury]] in 604 at the same time as the [[Diocese of London|see of London]].<ref>Bede, Ecclesiastical History, II.3</ref> Only the adjacent [[Diocese of Canterbury]] is older in England. Its establishment was the first part of an unrealised plan conceived by [[Pope Gregory the Great]] for Augustine of Canterbury to consecrate 12 bishops in different places and another 12 for the prospective [[Episcopal see|see]] (later province) of York.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', I.29</ref>

The Rochester diocese includes 268 [[parish church]]es throughout:
*[[West Kent|the western part]] of the county of Kent
*the [[London Borough of Bexley]]
*the [[London Borough of Bromley]];

The diocese is subdivided into three [[archdeacon]]ries:
*[[Archdeacon of Bromley & Bexley|Archdeaconry of Bromley & Bexley]] (Archdeacon: [[Allie Kerr]])
*[[Archdeacon of Rochester|Archdeaconry of Rochester]] (Archdeacon: [[Sandra McCalla]])
*[[Archdeacon of Tonbridge|Archdeaconry of Tonbridge]] (Archdeacon: [[Nick Cornell]]);

The current diocesan boundaries roughly match its pre-19th century extent. On 1 January 1846 parishes in [[Hertfordshire]] from the dioceses of [[Diocese of Lincoln|Lincoln]] and of [[Diocese of London|London]] and [[Essex]] (from London diocese) were added to Rochester, while all West Kent parishes except those in the Rochester Deanery were transferred to the Diocese of Canterbury.<ref>"The Dioceses of England...", p. 34.</ref> In May 1877, Essex and Hertfordshire became part of the newly created [[Diocese of St Albans]]. On 1 August 1877,<ref>{{London Gazette
|issue=24483
|date=17 July 1877
|page=4189
}}</ref> the Diocese of Rochester gained some northern parts of [[Surrey]] from the [[Diocese of Winchester]] and the [[Diocese of London]] which were later transferred to the [[Anglican Diocese of Southwark|Diocese of Southwark]] at its creation in 1905.

==Bishops==
{{For|bishops since 604|Bishop of Rochester}}
The [[Bishop of Rochester]] is [[Jonathan Gibbs (bishop)|Jonathan Gibbs]]<ref>{{cite web |website=Diocese of Rochester |title=New Bishop of Rochester announced |date=31 March 2022 |url=https://rochester.anglican.org/news/new-bishop-of-rochester-announced.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401141501/https://rochester.anglican.org/news/new-bishop-of-rochester-announced.php |archive-date=1 April 2022 |access-date=2 April 2022 }}</ref> since the [[confirmation of bishops|confirmation]] of his [[canonical election|election]], on 24 May 2022.<ref>{{cite web |website=St&nbsp;Mary-le-Bow |title=(Section: Forthcoming Events) |url=https://www.stmarylebow.org.uk/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604233726/https://www.stmarylebow.org.uk/ |archive-date=4 June 2022 |access-date=29 September 2022 }}</ref> The diocese also has a [[suffragan bishop]]: [[Simon Burton-Jones]], [[Bishop of Tonbridge]]; the suffragan see of Tonbridge was created in 1959. Since 1994 the [[Bishop of Fulham]] ([[Jonathan Baker (bishop)|Jonathan Baker]] from 2013) has provided "[[alternative episcopal oversight]]" in the diocese (as well as in the London and Southwark dioceses) to parishes which do not accept the ordination of women to the priesthood. Baker is licensed as an [[honorary assistant bishop]] in the diocese for this ministry.

In addition to the diocesan and suffragan bishops, there are a number of other bishops licensed in the diocese:
*2010–present: [[Stephen Venner]], a retired [[Bishop of Dover]], former [[Bishop for the Falkland Islands]] and [[Bishop to the Forces]] who lives in [[St Albans]], [[Hertfordshire]], where he is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop. Venner is also licensed in the [[Diocese in Europe]].<ref>{{Who's Who
| title=Venner, Stephen Squires
| id = U14022
| volume = 2014
| edition = December 2013 online
| access-date = 18 August 2014
}}</ref>
*2010–present: [[Michael Turnbull (bishop)|Michael Turnbull]], a retired former [[Bishop of Durham]] and Bishop of Rochester who lives in [[Sandwich, Kent|Sandwich]] in the neighbouring Diocese of Canterbury, where he is also licensed.<ref>{{Who's Who
| title=Turnbull, Michael
| id = U14402
| volume = 2014
| edition = December 2013 online
| access-date = 25 April 2014
}}</ref>
*2011–present: [[Graham Cray]], a retired Archbishops' Missioner and "[[fresh expression|Fresh Expression]]s" team leader and formerly [[Bishop of Maidstone|Suffragan Bishop of Maidstone]] who lives in [[Harrietsham]] in the Canterbury diocese where he is also licensed.<ref>{{Who's Who
| title=Cray, Graham Alan
| id = U12296
| volume = 2014
| edition = December 2013 online
| access-date = 25 April 2014
}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of churches in the London Borough of Bromley]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
*[http://www.cofe.anglican.org/info/statistics/churchstatistics2002 Church of England Statistics 2002] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203171913/http://www.cofe.anglican.org/info/statistics/churchstatistics2002 |date=3 February 2007 }}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.rochester.anglican.org}}
*[http://www.rochester.anglican.org/index.php?option=com_phocagallery&view=category&id=1&Itemid=329 Parish churches in the Diocese of Rochester]
*[http://www.churchinsociety.org Church In Society, a community charity associated with the Dioceses of Canterbury and Rochester] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050829214359/http://www.churchinsociety.org/ |date=29 August 2005 }}

{{Province of Canterbury}}
{{Office holders in the Diocese of Rochester}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord |51|23|20|N|0|30|12|E|display=title}}

[[Category:Diocese of Rochester| ]]
[[Category:604 establishments]]
[[Category:Dioceses established in the 7th century|Rochester]]
[[Category:Christianity in Kent]]
[[Category:Religion in the London Borough of Bromley]]