Episcopal Diocese of Rochester
Christians in the bond of community seeking to serve the world in the love of God

Our Mission

Our mission:  To restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.

We grow together through radical hospitality, passionate spirituality, and committed engagement to peace and justice. 

All are welcome as equally beloved of God.

 

 

Our Faith

Together, we live the Christian life. We gather for worship and prayer to strengthen each other as seekers and followers of Jesus Christ. We believe that God forgives and makes us whole. We work to proclaim our beliefs in all we do and say. We seek to see the holy in every living being, loving others as we do ourselves. We respect the dignity of every person, working for God’s justice to be available to all.

Our Parishes

The Episcopal Diocese of Rochester is a collection of 46 diverse communities throughout the region. Our diocese includes urban parishes in the heart of Rochester neighborhoods, country churches in the northern reaches of Appalachia, old and new congregations in small towns and suburbs, and beautiful lakeside chapels.

We have parishes in Allegany, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Schuyler, Steuben, Wayne, and Yates counties - view the parish map to see parishes near you.

The Episcopal Church Welcomes You!

View a list of churches by city/town names

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Our Leadership

Bishop Kara Wagner Sherer is the chief pastor and has oversight of the diocese. Leadership of the diocese is shared with the Bishop by Diocesan StaffDistrict Deans, and democratically-elected leadership teams. Churches are led by priests, deacons, and lay leaders. Priests and deacons are chosen through a process of prayer and study and they can be of any gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or ability.

Relfections and writings from Bishop Kara.

 

 


 

 

Reflections

A prayer for reconciliation: Where there is separation, there is pain. And where there is pain, there is story. And where there is story, there is understanding, and misunderstanding, listening and not listening. May we - separated peoples, estranged strangers, unfriended families, divided communities - turn toward each other, and turn toward our stories, with understanding and listening, with argument and acceptance, with challenge, change and consolation. Because if God is to be found, God will be found in the space between. Amen. Daily Prayer. With the Corrymeela Community. Padraig O Tuama.

Bishop's Writings

Bishop's Writing / Enews November 2024

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Dear Friends,

At our recent Diocesan Convention, we celebrated a few of the many ministries our parishes engage in to reach out and care for their neighbors. I encouraged you to worry less about the number of people in the pews and more about the number of people you serve and work with within your communities. I believe we have the opportunity increase our engagement in our communities, particularly with our most vulnerable neighbors.

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Bishop's Writing / Enews October 2024

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

 

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News

An Advent Message from Bishop Kara

Sunday, December 1, 2024

Dear Friends,
 

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Resources

Saturday, November 30, 2024

 

ADVENT begins Sunday, December 1

RESOURCES

The first Sunday in Advent is just around the corner, and so is AdventWord, an inspirational online Advent calendar featuring a daily prompt word selected from the Sunday Lectionary readings.

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WATCH - Bishop's Visitation to St. John's, Clifton Springs

Sunday, November 24, 2024

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