Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi
# Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi

The Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi, created in 1826, is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over the entire state of Mississippi. It is located in Province 4 and its cathedral, St. Andrew's Cathedral, is located in Jackson, as are the diocesan offices.

Episcopalians in Mississippi have, since the mid-20th century, been by and large progressive in their views about race, culture, and other social issues affecting the state and nation; their views on economics and politics, though, are more mixed, as is usually the case elsewhere. The Episcopal Church in Mississippi has usually tolerated freedom of belief and differing types of ritual practice (e.g., Anglo-Catholicism in Biloxi and a liberal orientation in communities like Oxford and Starkville where colleges have significant presences). As such, the fallout from the ideological and theological conflicts that beset the Episcopal Church between the 1970s and 2000s (such as the Gene Robinson controversy) has not been large in comparison to other Southern dioceses (e.g., Tennessee, Fort Worth, South Carolina).

As of 2013 the Diocese of Mississippi had 18,741 members, down from 20,925 in 2003, a decline of approximately 10 percent.

## Current bishop

Brian R. Seage was elected on May 3, 2014, at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Jackson, and received the required consents from a majority of bishops and standing committees of the Episcopal Church. He succeeded Duncan M. Gray III as the bishop of Mississippi, becoming the 10th, when Gray retired in February 2015.

## List of bishops

The bishops of Mississippi have been:

* William Mercer Green (1850–1887) Hugh Miller Thompson, bishop coadjutor 1883
* Hugh Miller Thompson (1887–1902)
* Theodore D. Bratton (1903–1938) William Mercer Green (grandson) bishop coadjutor 1919
* William Mercer Green (grandson) (1938–1942)
* Duncan Montgomery Gray, Sr. (1943–1966) John M. Allin, bishop coadjutor 1961
* John M. Allin (1966–1974) Duncan Montgomery Gray, Jr., bishop coadjutor 1974
* Duncan Montgomery Gray, Jr. (1974–1993) Alfred C. Marble Jr., bishop coadjutor 1991
* Alfred C. Marble Jr. (1993–2003)
* Duncan Montgomery Gray III (2003–2015)
* Brian R. Seage (2015–present)
