Diocese of Central Florida | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Ecclesiastical province | Province IV |
| Statistics | |
| Congregations | 82 (2023) |
| Members | 22,131 (2023) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Episcopal Church |
| Established | December 3, 1969 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of St Luke |
| Current leadership | |
| Bishop | Justin S. Holcomb |
| Map | |
 Location of the Diocese of Central Florida | |
| Website | |
www | |
TheEpiscopal Diocese of Central Florida is adiocese inFlorida inProvince IV of theEpiscopal Church. It is bounded on the north by theEpiscopal Diocese of Florida, on the east by theAtlantic Ocean, on the south by the dioceses ofSoutheast Florida andSouthwest Florida and on the west by theGulf of Mexico. The two largest cities in the diocese areOrlando, with over 220,000 people, andPort St. Lucie, with over 150,000 people. TheKennedy Space Center andWalt Disney World are located within the diocese. Orlando, where St. Luke's Cathedral is located, is thesee city of the diocese.
The diocese includes 15 counties, as follows:Brevard,Citrus,Hardee,Highlands,Indian River,Lake,Okeechobee,Orange,Osceola,Marion,Polk,Seminole,St. Lucie,Sumter andVolusia.
In 1969 the Diocese of Central Florida, theDiocese of Southeast Florida, and theDiocese of Southwest Florida were created out of a division of the largeDiocese of South Florida. BishopHenry I. Louttit, Bishop of South Florida presided over the primary Conventions of each new diocese for the purpose of electing their Diocesan Bishops. The twoSuffragan Bishops of South Florida were elected to be Diocesan Bishops in the areas in which they had been living and serving. BishopWilliam H. Folwell was elected to become the second Bishop of Central Florida.
On January 29, 2000 at the 31st Convention of the Diocese, held inOrlando, the delegates approved a new vision for the diocese which called for the revitalization of existing congregations and the establishment of 15 new congregations between 2001 and 2010. At the 34th Convention of the diocese, in January 2003, the diocese kicked offFrom Strength to Strength - a campaign to fund the new vision approved in 2000. In 2004, at the 35th Convention, the diocese became a member of theAnglican Communion Network, a decision which was reversed when the diocese withdrew from the Network in 2008.
The diocese comprises fivedeaneries: Central, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest. As of 2006 there were 75 parishes and 11 missions in the diocese. The diocesan cathedral is theCathedral Church of St. Luke in Orlando.
| Bishops of Central Florida | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 1969 | 1970 | Henry I. Louttit | Bishop of South Florida until 1969; alsoBishop of Southeast Florida andof Southwest Florida. |
| 1970 | 1989 | William H. Folwell | William Hopkins "Bill" Folwell; previouslysuffragan bishop in the same area; retired. |
| 1990 | 2012 | John W. Howe | John Wadsworth Howe (born November 4, 1942); electedbishop coadjutor December 10, 1988; consecrated April 15, 1989; succeeded asdiocesan bishop January 1, 1990; retired in 2012. |
| 1995 | 2009 | Hugo Pina-Lopez, Assisting Bishop | Hugo Luis Pina-Lopez (born November 3, 1938,Cuba); previouslyBishop of Honduras; retired. |
| 2003 | 2018 | John L. Said, Assisting Bishop | John Lewis Said; retired suffragan fromSoutheast Florida. |
| 2012 | 2023 | Gregory Brewer | Gregory Orrin Brewer (born July 6, 1951,Richmond, VA); elected November 19, 2011; consecrated March 24, 2012. |
| 2023 | present | Justin S. Holcomb | Justin S. Holcomb was elected January 14, 2023[1] and consecrated June 10, 2023.[2] |
| 2025 | present | Griselda Delgado del Carpio, Assisting Bishop | PreviouslyBishop of Cuba |
Besides managing 7 retirement homes, 4 prep-schools, and 20 day schools the diocese has the following facilities:
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
28°32′45″N81°21′58″W / 28.5457°N 81.3660°W /28.5457; -81.3660
