The Diocese of Virginia
In the Episcopal tradition, the diocese (DIE-uh-sis) is the basic unit of the church. That may be surprising to you; our experience of the church is usually focused on our local parish. The Episcopal Church, though, is a church of bishops and dioceses. Each parish church is a local expression of its diocese. This sets us apart from the Baptist tradition or the Congregational church or other, more locally-focused denominations. It also distinguishes us from the Roman Catholic Church, which has a pope as its head. While the Episcopal Church has a presiding bishop, and the worldwide Anglican Communion has the archbishop of Canterbury as its titular head, both of these officeholders are considered "first among equals." This "polity" results in a rich tapestry of fellow Anglicans whose circumstances and cultures may be very different from our own, united in bonds of affection--while having more localized authority than is the case in the Roman church.
The Episcopal Church is both hierarchical and democratic. St. Stephen's is a member of the Diocese of Virginia, the largest diocese in the United States (though smaller than Haiti, also a member of the Episcopal Church). Our diocese includes 180 large, medium-size, and tiny churches in rural, suburban and urban areas in Richmond, Northern Virginia, and points in between.
You can see the ministry of the diocese in many ways: when someone is ordained as a deacon or priest; when one of our young people or adults is confirmed in the Episcopal Church during a visit by a bishop; when one of our children attends, or one of our teenagers staffs, a diocesan camp at Shrine Mont; when you attend a parish weekend or conference at Roslyn or Shrine Mont; when you meet a young person educated at a diocesan school--including our neighbors, St. Catherine's School and St. Christopher's School, and the school we helped found in Richmond's East End, Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School.
Our diocese stretches from West Virginia to Hampton Roads. Two other dioceses comprise the remainder of the Commonwealth of Virginia: the Diocese of Southern Virginia (based in Norfolk) and the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia (based in Roanoke). You can read about the diocese, its history, its governance, its ministries, and our bishops, at thediocese.net.