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 | 50 (2024) [1] |
| Members | 8,338 (2023) [2] |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Episcopal Church |
| Established | December 10, 1919 |
| Current leadership | |
| Bishop | Sede vacante |
| Map | |
 Location of the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia | |
| Website | |
| www.dioswva.org | |
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 parishes in the state's southwestern region, including the cities of Lynchburg and Roanoke.
The diocese reported 10,414 members in 2017 and 8,338 members in 2023; no membership statistics were reported in 2024 parochial reports. Plate and pledge income for the 50 filing congregations of the diocese in 2024 was $10,940,729. Average Sunday attendance (ASA) was 2,835 persons. [3]
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. [4]
Mark Bourlakas was consecrated the Sixth Bishop of Southwestern Virginia in a ceremony held at the Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre on July 20, 2013, [5] [6]
The diocese has two retreat centers: Grace House on the Mountain in Wise County and the Phoebe Needles Center in Franklin County. [7] [8]
On February 19, 2025, Bishop Bourlakas announced that he would be standing down as bishop to become assisting bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. [9] Bourlakas resigned on June 1 of that year, with the Standing Committee becoming the ecclesiastical authority. [9] The Standing Committee released the slate of potential candidates on November 21. [9] [10] The consecration of the seventh bishop of the dicoese is set to take place on June 13, 2026. [9]
