Episcopal Diocese of Colorado

Who We Are

We are Christians. We are part of the Christian faith and life that has its foundation in the person of Jesus Christ, and has been carried forward through the centuries by apostles, martyrs, bishops, priests, deacons and lay persons of all ages and races. We share with many other Christians key elements of faith including scripture, creeds, sacraments, and the historic episcopate, and we count ourselves part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

We are Anglicans. We were born out of the Church of England, whose roots extend back to the earliest days of Christianity. As Anglicans, we uphold and proclaim a catholic and apostolic faith, “based on scripture and interpreted in light of tradition and reason” (Anglican Communion web site). We are part of the Anglican Communion, with over 70 million Anglicans in 38 national churches or provinces. We are all linked directly to the Church of England and its head, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is the living symbol of unity between the member churches. (For more on the Anglican Communion, go to the Anglican Communion web site. For more on the Archbishop of Canterbury, go to the section of the Anglican Communion website about the Archbishop’s web site.)

We are Episcopalians. We are part of the missionary movement that began in these former British colonies after the American Revolution as “The Foreign and Domestic Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.” With over 2.5 million members across the United States, we are a national church in full communion with other Anglican churches and with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. (For more on the Episcopal Church, go to the The Episcopal Church web site.)

We are the Diocese of Colorado. We are 113 congregations and institutions, located throughout the mountains, valleys, and plains of this great state. We are led by the Right Reverend Robert J. O’Neill, X Bishop of Colorado, whose family roots extend back to the days of the gold and silver rush here. We are committed to living out the mission of the Church through the ministries of evangelism (proclamation), Christian formation (discipleship), and service to all (servanthood). The missionary work undertaken by the congregations of our diocese is both local and global in scope, and we look to support all those who seek a deeper understanding and relationship with Jesus Christ.