The Diocese

All clergy are bishops, priests or deacons, but they may hold different positions in the Church.  Today we are going to see how the Church, and in particular the Church of England is organised. 

An important unit in the Church is the diocese, a word having the meaning both of household and district.  So a diocese is both the district which is governed by the bishop and also the Christian Family within it.  The Bishop is the chief shepherd of the diocese and has the spiritual care of the members of the Church who live there.  As successors of the Apostles, bishops are the Catholic Church’s representative in their diocese; and as bishops of their diocese they are also the diocese’s representative in the Catholic Church.

Although a diocese forms only a part of the whole Church, it is, from one point of view, complete in itself.  In the person of the bishop as a successor of the Apostles, it possesses the fullness of the Christian Ministry.  By the Sacrament of Confirmation bishops can admit people to full membership of the Church, and by the Sacrament of Holy Order they can ordain priests so that the members of the Church can receive the Sacraments.  Thus each Diocese has its Bishop, Priests, Deacons and People.  Bishops may carry out confirmations or ordinations themselves or they may ask an assistant bishop to do this, but the importance of bishops in each diocese is this: they are the channels through whom the Sacraments of the Church come to each of its members.

There are 43 dioceses in England, 44 including the Diocese in Europe. (1)

The parish

Every diocese is divided up into parishes, each of which is under the care of a parish priest.  Priests are the bishop’s representatives and shepherds of the Christian Family within each parish.  So, when priests are instituted, that is, when they are actually made rector or vicar of the parish, the bishop says to them, “Receive this cure (that is, care) of souls, which is both yours and mine”.

Rectors and vicars

You may be interested to know why some parishes have rectors and others have vicars.  Years and years ago a certain amount of land was set apart in each parish for the parish priest, so that, if he wanted to, he could let it and receive rent for it.  If the rent was paid straight to the parish priest, he was known as the rector.  Sometimes, however, the care of the parish, and also the Church land which went with it, were in the hands of a monastery or perhaps of a college in a university.  This meant that the monastery received the rent from the land and was responsible for seeing that the parish was looked after.  So they appointed a priest whom they paid so much a year to do this for them.  He was known as a vicar, that is, a substitute.  In practice a rector and a vicar are the same, and when a new parish is formed, say, in a town, the parish priest is given the title of vicar.

The rural deanery and archdeaconry

Parishes are grouped together for convenience into rural deaneries, each consisting of perhaps a dozen parishes.  One of the parish priests in it is appointed rural dean, a role that involves working with the bishop to support the ministry of the clergy in the rural deanery. 

The rural deaneries are in their turn grouped into archdeaconries, each under its archdeacon.  An archdeacon is known as oculus episcopi, the bishop’s eye, so called because it is the duty of an archdeacon, on behalf of the bishop, to see that everything is in order in the archdeaconry.

The Cathedral

The mother church of the diocese is the Cathedral.  It is called a cathedral because it has the bishop’s cathedra or throne in it.  The cathedral is under the charge of a number of priests who are known all together as the Cathedral Chapter.  At their head is the Dean (or Provost) who is really the vicar of the Cathedral.  The members of the Cathedral Chapter are called Canons, with one ‘n’.  They are responsible for the Cathedral services and live or reside near it.  Hence they are known as residentiary canons.  Besides them, there are also a number of non-residentiary canons who live in different parts of the diocese. They are given the title of Canon as an honour, and they are not responsible for the Cathedral services.  The canons, however, have their own special seat or stall in the choir of the Cathedral.  All the canons together form what is called the Greater Chapter.

The Province

So far we have been talking only about the diocese and how it is organised.  Dioceses are grouped together into provinces, the chief bishop in each province being the Archbishop.  The Church of England consists of two provinces, that of Canterbury and that of York.

The religious communities

Besides the clergy working in the diocese, there are also monks and nuns.  They are men and women who have been called to give up everything for Our Lord.  They have received and obeyed the call which the Rich Young Ruler refused when Our Lord said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” (NRSV, Matthew 19:21).

So monks and nuns give up all their possessions, all idea of marriage, and all their liberty, and take the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.  They belong to what are called the Religious Orders or Communities.  Each order or community has its own special rule of life which its members keep.  Some of the religious communities spend almost all their time in prayer and worship.  They are called the contemplative communities and provide a kind of power house of prayer within the Catholic Church.  Others spend their time both in prayer and in such activities as teaching or parish work.  They are known as ‘mixed’ communities or orders, being both contemplative and active.  But all of them are called by Our Lord to reach their perfection by giving up everything for his sake.  For more information, click here.

Reader Ministry

Readers are specially trained lay people who are called to work with parish priests, for example, by preaching, teaching and leading non-Eucharistic services such as Evensong.  For further information, click here.

SUMMARY

1. The Church is divided into dioceses, each under the spiritual care of its own Bishop, who is the chief shepherd of the Christian Family within it.

2. Every diocese is sub-divided into parishes, each under the care of its own parish priest, who is the Bishop’s representative and the shepherd of the Christian Family within it.

3. Parishes are also grouped for convenience into rural deaneries and archdeaconries.

4. The Cathedral has the Bishop’s throne (cathedra) in it, and is in the charge of the Dean and Chapter (senior Cathedral clergy).

5. Monks and nuns, who belong to the Religious Communities or Orders, have been called to give up everything for Our Lord and to spend their lives in prayer and, usually, in teaching the Faith as well.

6. Readers are specially trained lay people who are called to work in parishes, for example, by preaching and teaching.

Reference

Church of England (not dated) Dioceses and Parishes.  Available from:
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/diocesesparishes/  (Accessed 25 August 2010) (Internet).