Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi

Diocese of Mississippi Diœcesis Mississippiensis Diócesis de Misisipi
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Mississippi
Ecclesiastical province	Province IV
Statistics
Congregations	82 (2021)
Members	17,648 (2021)
Information
Denomination	Episcopal Church
Established	May 17, 1826
Cathedral	St Andrew's Cathedral
Language	English, Spanish
Current leadership
Bishop	Dorothy Sanders Wells
Map
Location of the Diocese of Mississippi
Website
www.dioms.org

The Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi, created in 1826,^[1] is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over the entire state of Mississippi. It is located in Province 4 and its cathedral, St. Andrew's Cathedral, is located in Jackson, as are the diocesan offices.^[2]

Episcopalians in Mississippi have, since the mid-20th century, been by and large progressive in their views about race, culture, and other social issues affecting the state and nation; their views on economics and politics, though, are more mixed. The Episcopal Church in Mississippi has usually tolerated freedom of belief and differing types of ritual practice (e.g., Anglo-Catholicism in Biloxi and a liberal orientation in communities like Oxford and Starkville where colleges have significant presences). As such, the fallout from the ideological and theological conflicts that beset the Episcopal Church between the 1970s and 2000s (such as the Gene Robinson controversy) has not been large in comparison to other Southern dioceses (e.g., Tennessee, Fort Worth, South Carolina).

As of 2013 the Diocese of Mississippi had 18,741 members, down from 20,925 in 2003, a decline of approximately 10 percent.^[3]

The Right Reverend Doctor Dorothy Sanders Wells was elected as the eleventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi on February 3, 2024. Wells served as bishop-elect from May 2, 2024, until her ordination and consecration as bishop diocesan on July 20, 2024.

The bishops of Mississippi have been:^[4]

1. William Mercer Green (1850–1887)
   Hugh Miller Thompson, bishop coadjutor 1883
2. Hugh Miller Thompson (1887–1902)
3. Theodore D. Bratton (1903–1938)
   William Mercer Green (grandson) bishop coadjutor 1919
4. William Mercer Green (grandson) (1938–1942)
5. Duncan Montgomery Gray, Sr. (1943–1966)
   John M. Allin, bishop coadjutor 1961
6. John M. Allin (1966–1974)
   Duncan Montgomery Gray, Jr., bishop coadjutor 1974
7. Duncan Montgomery Gray, Jr. (1974–1993)
   Alfred C. Marble Jr., bishop coadjutor 1991
8. Alfred C. Marble Jr. (1993–2003)
9. Duncan Montgomery Gray III (2003–2015)
10. Brian R. Seage (2015–2024)
11. Dorothy Sanders Wells (2024 - present)

• List of Succession of Bishops for the Episcopal Church, USA
• Chapel of the Cross
• St. Alban's Episcopal Church (Bovina, Mississippi)

• Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi website
• St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral website
• Official Web site of the Episcopal Church
• Journal of the Annual Convention, Diocese of Mississippi

32°17′57″N 90°11′02″W / 32.299268°N 90.183906°W / 32.299268; -90.183906