We the people of the Diocese of Quebec, are called to shine with Christ’s light in acts of praise and reconciling love; to be bearers of the Good News, ministers of God's grace, and faithful stewards of God’s Church and Kingdom.
The diocese of Quebec was founded by Letters Patent in 1793. Before that it was part of the Diocese of Nova Scotia. As the second oldest diocese in Canada its territory originally included all the lands from the New Brunswick border to Manitoba. Over the years its size grew smaller as the population of the Canadian colonies grew and new dioceses were formed. The diocese took it present shape in 1850 with the carving off of what is now the diocese of Montreal. Since 1850 the territory is the central and eastern parts of the province of Quebec. That is west to east from Magog to the Gaspe and the Magdalen Islands, south to north from the United States border to Kawawachikamach and the communities of the Lower North Shore. The diocese was incorporated by the parliament of Quebec in 1885.
It currently covers 720,000 sq. km. with an Anglican population of 7,817 divided among 52 parishes which consists of 93 congregations served by 40 clergy and 63 lay readers. The diocese is part of the Council of the North, and receives support from the national church budget for use in the Archdeanery of the North Shore. For more information on the council you can see its web site by clicking here.
The diocese is divided into five deaneries, four of which are geographical: Gaspe, St Francis, Quebec, North Shore and the fifth, covering the whole diocese, is our French language deanery, St-Laurent. The Archbishop of Quebec, the Most Rev. Bruce Stavert, appoints the five archdeacons while the Deanery Councils elect their own Rural Deans, who can be either lay or cleric.
Our diocesan office is located in Quebec City, as is our Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, which is the oldest cathedral in the Anglican Communion outside of the British Isles, built in 1804. The cathedral which is owned by the Lord Archbishop is home to two congregations: the Parish of Quebec Worshiping at the Cathedral, granted letters patent in 1821 and Tous les Saints founded in 1999.
The diocesan synod was organized in 1859 and meets biennially. Our next synod will be in the springl of 2009 in Quebec City. Between synods the affairs of the diocese are managed by the Diocesan Executive Council which meets twice a year for face to face meetings with conference call meetings as needed.
Our Archbishop was elected the eleventh Lord Bishop of Quebec in 1991 and became Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada in 2004.
The Archbishop holds in trust the one major asset of the Synod, the Quebec Lodge Camp. The camp did not operate in 2006 and there is a committee working on re-imagining the camp to have it operational again soon. For further information visit their web site, click here
