Diocese of Sodor and Man Dioecesis Sodorensis et Monensis | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
| Location | |
| Ecclesiastical province | York |
| Archdeaconries | Man |
| Deaneries | Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey |
| Statistics | |
| Parishes | 15 (in 14 benefices) |
| Churches | 43 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Cathedral | Peel Cathedral |
| Current leadership | |
| Bishop | Tricia Hillas,Bishop of Sodor and Man |
| Archdeacon | Irene Cowell,Archdeacon of Man |
| Website | |
| sodorandman.im | |
TheDiocese of Sodor and Man is adiocese of theChurch of England. It is one of only two Church of England dioceses not within theUnited Kingdom (the other is theDiocese in Europe). Originally much larger, today it covers just theIsle of Man and its adjacent islets. Today, the bishop's office is inDouglas and thecathedral is inPeel. The diocese isnot generally called either "Sodor diocese" or "Man diocese".
The diocese administers 40 churches, which are organised in 15 ecclesiastical parishes. Formerly there were 27 such parishes, but their number has been reduced by extensive pastoral reorganisation between 2012 and 2015.[1] Each parish forms a separatebenefice, with the exception of two (Onchan; Lonan and Laxey) which are combined in ateam ministry with a team rector and a team vicar.[2] TheArchdeacon of Man is the incumbent (vicar) of the parish of St George and All Saints, Douglas.[3]
The Cathedral Church of St German at Peel (informally styled Cathedral Isle of Man) is one of five churches in the parish of the West Coast, the incumbent (vicar) of which isex officioDean of the Cathedral.[4]
The parishes are grouped into four "Mission Partnerships" (Eastern, Western, Southern and Northern) for purposes of mission and inter-parochial co-operation. Originally informal (from 2010), these mission partnerships became legal entities on 1 January 2013 under the Mission and Pastoral Measure (Isle of Man) 2012.[5] They have completely replaced the traditionalrural deanery structure, and the former deaneries and the office of rural dean have been legally abolished. Each mission partnership has a team leader appointed by the bishop from amongst the constituent clergy.[6]
In addition to the parish clergy, the bishop licenses a few ordainedchaplains. These include the school chaplain ofKing William's College (where there is an elegant Anglican chapel,[7] with scissor-braced roof with canopied stalls designed by James Cowle), and the hospital chaplain of the island's mainNoble’s Hospital, where an interdenominational chapel is staffed by the Anglican chaplain together with two colleagues, one Roman Catholic, and one Free Church.[8]
TheNorwegian diocese of Sodor was formed in 1154, covering theHebrides and the other islands along the west coast of Scotland. The name in the originalNorse wasSuðreyjar (Sudreys or "southern isles"), in contrast to theNorðreyjar, the "northern isles" ofOrkney andShetland. The Isle of Man was included in with these southern isles. This diocese was asuffragan of thearchdiocese of Nidaros (Trondheim).[9]
Norwaycontrolled all these islands until 1266, when they were ceded to Scotland. TheIsle of Man was detached from the Scottish islands and came under thesuzerainty of the Kings of England in 1334.[9] Thereafter it was held by feudal Lords of Man (the Stanleys,Earls of Derby, from 1406 to 1736 and theDukes of Atholl from 1736) until the lordship waspurchased by theBritishCrown in 1765. The right to appoint theBishop of Sodor and Man belonged to theLords of Man, and continued to be exercised by the Dukes of Atholl after the revestment in 1765 until it was surrendered to the Crown in 1828. The Isle of Man was never incorporated into theKingdom of England, or theUnited Kingdom, but is aCrown Dependency. In common with the rest of the Church of England, at theEnglish Reformation the Diocese left theRoman Catholic Church underHenry VIII. The bishopThomas Stanley was not a supporter of the reforms (particularly the reallocation of his Diocese from theProvince of Canterbury to theProvince of York in 1542) and was deprived of office by Henry, but was briefly reinstated underMary I, who restored Stanley to office,[10] but was separated[clarification needed] once again under thereligious settlement underElizabeth I. Since the Isle of Man was not part of the Kingdom of England, theAct of Uniformity 1662 passed at theEnglish Restoration did not apply to it, soThomas Wilson was free to introduce worship in theManx language during his episcopate (1697–1755), and to resolve issues of clergy discipline resulting from the Isle of Man's unique status.[11]
As stated above, the Isle of Man was included in the Southern islands ("Sudreys"); the addition of "and Man" may have been made in the 17th century in ignorance of the proper application of the name of Sodor to the bishopric of Man.[12] It is suggested thatSt Patrick's Isle, being the location of the cathedral for the Norse diocese of Sodor, by some confusion itself became known as Sodor.[13] By the late 16th century the terms "Sodor" and "Man" had become interchangeable, the bishopric being named in legal documents as "Sodor" or "Man" or "Sodor and Man", or sometimes all three, for the avoidance of doubt (e.g. the grant of the lordship of the Island to the Earl of Derby in 1610 included "the Patronage of the Bishopricke of the said Isle of Mann, and the Patronage of the Bishopricke of Sodor, and the Patronage of the Bishopricke of Sodor and Mann").[14]
Until 1604 the bishops signed themselves "Sodorensis"; from 1604 to 1684, sometimes they used "Soderensis" and sometimes "Sodor and Man"; between 1684 and 2007 all bishops signed "Sodor and Man" or "Sodor and Mann". However, the present bishop signs "Sodor as Mannin", theManx Gaelic equivalent, as did her predecessor.
The originalcathedral of the Diocese of Sodor and Man was on St Patrick's Isle atPeel. This cathedral fell into disuse during the 18th century and for many years the bishop's chapel atBishopscourt, nearKirk Michael, served as apro-cathedral. This was aGothic building, rebuilt in 1814 and again in 1858, and dedicated toSt Nicholas. In 1979 Bishopscourt was sold, and the following year the parish church of St German in Peel was designated as "the Cathedral Church of St German" byAct of Tynwald.[15]
An 1836 proposal to subsume the diocese into theDiocese of Carlisle was defeated, as was the 1875 proposal that theDiocese of Liverpool (then at the planning stage, founded 1880) should include the Isle of Man.[16]
Since the Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom, the bishop is never aLord Spiritual and cannot sit in theHouse of Lords of the United Kingdom. However he is anex officio member of theLegislative Council of the Isle of Man. Nevertheless, in common with otherChurch of England Crown Appointments, the appointment of the bishop is still made on the advice of thePrime Minister of the United Kingdom. However, unlike diocesan bishops in England, who are formally elected by the canons of the cathedral church in accordance with the monarch'scongé d'elire,[17] the Bishop of Sodor and Man is appointed directly by the monarch byletters patent.[18]
Last fully updated 18 September 2018.
| Paid clergy | Churches | Population served | People/clergy | People/church | Churches/clergy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 31 | 83,314 (2016 census) | 6,942 | 2,687 | 2.6 |
| Benefice | Churches | Link | Clergy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Braddan |
| [2] |
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| St George and All Saints, Douglas | [3] |
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| St Matthew, Douglas |
| [4] |
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| St Ninian, Douglas |
| [5] |
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| St Thomas, Douglas |
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| Onchan, Lonan and Laxey |
| [6] |
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| Benefice | Churches | Link | Clergy |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Northern Plain |
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| Ramsey and the North East |
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| Benefice | Churches | Link | Clergy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arbory and Castletown |
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| Malew and Santan |
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| Rushen |
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| Benefice | Churches | Link | Clergy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marown, Foxdale and Baldwin |
| [7] |
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| The West Coast |
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TheIsland of Sodor, the main setting ofThe Railway Series andThomas & Friends, is named after, and part of, the diocese.
54°13′N4°32′W / 54.217°N 4.533°W /54.217; -4.533
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