The Episcopal Church
The Episcopal church is part of the one,
holy, catholic, and apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ who
commissioned his disciples to go into the world and preach the Gospel.
The word episcopal is derived from the greek word for bishop.The
Episcopal Church is that community of Christians who trace their roots
to English settlers who arrived in America and founded the Church of
England congregations. St. Paul’s on the Green was founded by such
settlers in 1737.
Episcopalians are under the pastoral
guidance and spiritual authority of bishops who continue the ministry of
the first Apostles. We call this continuity of spiritual leadership
Apostolic Succession, which means that our bishops can trace their
succession as far back as the 12 disciples of Jesus.
The General Convention is the legislature
of the National Episcopal Church. It meets once every three years. When
it meets, it creates policies, authorizes programs, and approves the
budget to fund the work of the Episcopal Church around the world.
The Anglican Communion
The Episcopal Church is part of the
worldwide fellowship known as the Anglican Communion whose mother church
is the Church of England. There are some 70 million Christians in the
Anglican Communion in 28 independent, self-governing, national, and
regional churches which include 64,000 congregations in 164 countries
and on every continent. The Anglican Church is a multinational,
multi-lingual, multiracial fellowship of faith. What is our common
thread? It is called the Lambeth Quadrilateral and articulates what
makes us members of this one communion:
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The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments as the ultimate standard of faith
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The Apostles’ Creed, as the Baptismal
Symbol; and the Nicene Creed, as the sufficient statement of the
Christian faith
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The two Sacraments ordained by Christ
himself Baptism and the Holy Eucharist
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The Historic Episcopate
The Diocese of Connecticut
A diocese is the basic unit of the
Episcopal Church. It is headed by a bishop, who may be assisted by
bishops suffragan or assistant bishops and it covers a specific
geographic region. Our diocesan bishop is the Right Reverend Andrew D.
Smith. He is assisted by two bishops suffragan, the Right Reverend James
Curry and the Right Reverend Wilfrido Ramos-Orench.
Our diocesan
headquarters is located in Hartford, Connecticut. The diocese is
governed by representatives of all its 184 congregations serving as
delegates to the annual Diocesan Convention and is led by the bishop, a
standing committee (the Bishop's Council of Advice), a diocesan council,
and other elected or appointed leaders.
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