Journals of Diocesan Conventions and Councils

DP-01-R0311

The Archives of the Episcopal Church

Fonds

Journals of Diocesan Conventions and Councils

• 1780- (Creation)

550 cu.ft.

As a means of “providing for an accurate view of the State of the Church from time to time,” the General Convention of 1804 enacted Canon 11 requiring the submission of a parochial report at every annual diocesan Convention. These parochial reports, together with Episcopal addresses and official acts, were presented to the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies and the House of Bishops at the General Convention and printed in the journals of diocesan conventions. As an official corporate record of the dioceses, the journals at their advent typically included valuable parochial reports, episcopal charges, addresses of bishops, and pastoral letters. With further growth of the Church in the late 19th century, diocesan journals grew to include more elaborate lists including financial reports and reports of church-related agencies. Since 1904, the Secretary of the Convention of every diocese has been required by Canon to forward copies of their Journal of Convention to the Secretary of the House of Deputies. As of 1982, one copy of the Journal of Convention from each diocese must be sent to The Archives of the Episcopal Church.

Dating back to 1780, the Journals of Diocesan Conventions and Councils collection is the accumulating archive of the published proceedings of annual diocesan conventions, which include the official record of the bishop diocesan's reports and addresses, clergy and parish lists, annual reports of diocesan agencies, parish statistical reports, diocesan budgets, and directories.

Additionally, the journals of Provinces I-IX and foreign dioceses and missionary districts are included in the archive.

Domestic Dioceses, 1780-present
Provincial Synods, 1880-1996
Foreign Dioceses, 1863-1998

Access to Episcopal Church records is governed by the Archives Public Access Policy. Research requests must be submitted in writing.

The Archives is able to respond to limited requests for reproductions subject to copyright restrictions, internal policy, and the condition of the source documents.

• English

• Dioceses
• Foreign dioceses
• General Convention
• Provinces