About the Episcopal Church
Christ Church is more than the people who worship
at the corner of St. Emanuel and Church Streets.
One of the distinctive things about being an Episcopalian is the sense of connection
and fellowship one has with other Anglicans and Episcopalians throughout the world.
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28th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, bishop of Northwest Pennsylvania and bishop provisional of Western New York, was elected June 26 by the House of Bishops to serve as the 28th presiding bishop, and his election was confirmed by the House of Deputies at the 81st General Convention. The bishops elected Rowe on their first ballot in a closed session at Christ Christ Episcopal Church in
downtown Louisville. The result later was announced publicly in the House of Deputies’ afternoon session by House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris. The announcement was greeted by cheers from the standing-room-only crowd on the floor of the convention hall at the Kentucky International Convention Center. Click here to read all about GC81.
Join the Churchwide Virtual Celebration
The Investiture of Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe
November 2, 2024
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About the Online Investiture Service
In this historic and joyful season, we invite you to pray for guidance for our church and our new presiding bishop as he leads us in envisioning the reign of God in our midst. May our celebration unite us as a sacramental community, and may we be filled with new energy to bear witness to God’s work of redemption.
Who: Everyone is invited!
What: The Episcopal Church will officially welcome the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe as its 28th presiding bishop with a smaller, simpler investiture service aimed at reducing carbon footprint and increasing churchwide virtual participation.
When: Nov. 2, with a prelude featuring a “roll call” of dioceses starting at 8:30 a.m. CT. The service itself starts at 10 a.m. CT.
Where: The service will be livestreamed on this page and on The Episcopal Church’s Facebook page. A recording will be posted and distributed after the service.
How can I participate? Churches, dioceses, small groups, seminaries, and other Episcopal communities are encouraged to organize watch parties to participate in real time with Episcopalians around the world.
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For more information and resources, click here.
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81st General Convention
The 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church will be held June 23-28, in Louisville, Kentucky at the Kentucky International Convention Center.
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Keep up to date with the latest news about GC81 by subscribing to the monthly newsletter at https://generalconvention.org/gco-enews-signup/.
For all resources related to the General Convention, visit https://generalconvention.org/
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's
Easter 2024 Message
OUR DIOCESE
Christ Church is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast. Our diocese includes 18,000 people who worship God and reach out to others in 61 parishes in the southern part of Alabama and the western panhandle of Florida. It is one of two Episcopal dioceses in the state of Alabama and one of five in Florida. Our bishop is the Right Reverend J. Russell Kendrick.
The Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast web site.
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THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
The Episcopal Church is a fellowship of 2.2 million Christians in 108 dioceses throughout the United States as well as Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Micronesia, Taiwan, and the Convocation of American Churches in Europe. The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church is the Most Reverend Michael B. Curry. Bishop Curry, previously the Bishop of North Carolina, was elected during the 78th General Convention in June 2015. He took office in November 2015.
The Episcopal Church web site
THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION
The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, a global fellowship of 73 million Christians in 38 self-governing provinces. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the Most Reverend and Right Honorable Justin Welby. While he is sometimes compared to a pope, a more accurate description of his role is that he is "first among equals" with his brother and sister bishops from throughout the Anglican Communion.
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The world-wide Anglican Communion web site
OTHER RESOURCES
There are a number of sources of more in-depth information about the Episcopal Church and what it means to be an Episcopalian, including:
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The Inquirers Class at Christ Church Cathedral, offered annually during Lent
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The Episcopal Church web site
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The Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast web site
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The Book of Common Prayer (the prayer book we use in church)
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The Anglican Communion web site
Or these books are available for purchase by contacting the Cathedral office:
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The Episcopal Handbook
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Those Episkopols by Dennis Maynard
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A People Called Episcopalians by John Westerhoff
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A New Dictionary for Episcopalians by John N. Wall
These are helpful resources: