Anglican Diocese of Montreal


The Diocese of Montreal is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada of the Anglican Church of Canada, in turn a province of the Anglican Communion. The diocese comprises the encompassing the City and Island of Montreal, the Laurentians, the South Shore opposite Montreal, and part of the Eastern Townships. The See city is Montreal, and the cathedral is Christ Church.
The diocese maintains approximately 7,025 on its parish rolls in sixty-eight parishes as of 2025. Meanwhile, 29,455 people residing in the territory covered by the Diocese self-identified as being Anglican on the 2021 Census.
As of 2025, the diocesan bishop is Victor-David Mbuyi Bipungu.
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History

Following the Conquest of New France, the territory part of the Diocese of Montreal was under the jurisdiction of several other dioceses. It formed part of the Diocese of London from 1760 to 1787, followed by the Diocese of Nova Scotia, from 1787 to 1793, and then the Diocese of Quebec from 1793 until 1850 where there was a suffragan bishop of Montreal from 1836). The Anglican diocese of Montreal was formally established by letters patent in 1850, with the first synod occurring nine years later.
The Diocese of Montreal would also cede territory on three occaisions, first with the area around Rouyn-Noranda to the Diocese of Moosonee in 1946, followed by the Temiscaming area to the Diocese of Algoma and the Deanery of Clarendon to the Diocese of Ottawa in 1965.

Growth and decline

While Montreal was the largest Canadian city and the centre of commerce in the country, the diocese thrived. In recent decades, however, as these attributes have shifted to Toronto, the English-Canadian population in the diocese has shrunk dramatically, forcing the merger and the closure of parishes.
The diocese had an original membership of 25,000 at its founding in 1850. It grew to a peak of 95,000 members in 1961 before declining to 38,000 in 1981.
With both the dioceses of Montreal and Quebec now having less than 10,000 members, and decreasing membership, discussions are underway for the eventual merger of the two fading dioceses, beginning with an exploration of opportunities for combined administration.

Bishops

While part of the Diocese of Quebec, the territory of the Anglican Diocese was represented by Suffragan Bishop of Montreal George Mountain, and continued serving as suffragan of Montreal until the establishment of the Diocese of Montreal in 1850.
The first Anglican Bishop of Montreal was Francis Fulford who was appointed by the Crown to the role on July 19, 1850 and formally sworn consecrated at Westminster Abbey on July 25 by the Archbishop of Canterbury and five assisting bishops including John Strachan of the Diocese of Toronto. On September 15, he was enthroned at the original Christ Church Cathedral.
Following Fulford's death in 1868, all subsequent Bishops of Montreal were elected at Montreal Diocesan Synod.

Churchmanship and theology

The Diocese of Montreal, both prior to its formal establishment and afterward, was long considered to be in the evangelical wing of Anglicanism.
This would be moderated somewhat by the original Bishop of Montreal, Francis Fulford, who was influenced by the Oxford Movement. Fulford had protested when Edward Bouverie Pusey, who was denied use of the pulpit at Oxford and later stayed with Pusey on return visits to England. Fulford also had correspondence with John Henry Newman, although remained Anglican after Newman converted to Roman Catholicism. The Anglo-Catholic tradition would remain both small but also persistent in the Diocese over the years, albeit always in a minority position, largely centered around the Church of St. John the Evangelist and occaisionally a few other churches.
Subsequent bishops Ashton Oxenden, William Bond and James Carmichael, who were elected by clergy and laity, were all considered Evangelical-leaning, and this churchmanship would remain dominant into the early 20th century.
Today, like the Anglican Church of Canada generally, broad churchmanship and liberal theology dominates. This wing was present in various forms going back to the mid-nineteenth century, grew in prominance in the 1940s and became predominant at around the time of the changes taking place in Quebec society during the Quiet Revolution in the mid-1960s and early 1970s. One such outcome of the growth of influence of this wing pertains to the ordination of women in the Diocese.
Dr. Lettie James was the first woman in the Diocese of Montreal ordained to the diaconate in 1976 and later to the priesthood in 1978 by Bishop Reginald Hollis following a vote at the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada and the 1978 Lambeth Conference. This was followed 37 years later with the first woman being ordained to the episcopate with the consecration of Bishop Mary Irwin-Gibson in 2015.
A form for blessings for same-sex unions was approved by in 2010 by Bishop Barry Clarke.

Archdeaconries, deaneries and parishes

In 1866, there was one archdeaconry: J. Scott was Archdeacon of Montreal.

Bedford and the Richelieu

Bedford and Brome-Shefford

South Shore

Montreal

Hochelaga

Christ Church Cathedral, Downtown Montreal

Western Montreal

St. Lawrence

Pointe-Claire

St. Anne

St. Andrew

Laurentians

Regional Ministry of the Laurentians

Other facilities