Our mission: To restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.
We grow together through radical hospitality, passionate spirituality, and committed engagement to peace and justice.
All are welcome as equally beloved of God.
Our Mission
Our Faith
Together, we live the Christian life. We gather for worship and prayer to strengthen each other as seekers and followers of Jesus Christ. We believe that God forgives and makes us whole We work to proclaim our beliefs in all we do and say. We seek to see the holy in every living being, loving others as we do ourselves. We respect the dignity of every person, working for God’s justice to be available to all.
Our Parishes
The Episcopal Diocese of Rochester is a collection of 46 diverse parishes throughout the region. Our diocese includes urban parishes in the heart of Rochester neighborhoods, country churches in the northern reaches of Appalachia, parishes in small towns and suburbs, and beautiful lakeside chapels.
We have parishes in Allegany, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Schuyler, Steuben, Wayne, and Yates counties - view the parish map to see parishes near you. The Episcopal Church Welcomes You.
Our Leadership
Bishop Kara Wagner Sherer is the chief pastor and has oversight of the diocese along with democratically-elected teams. More from Bishop Kara.
More about leadership teams.
Leadership of the diocese is shared with the Bishop by Diocesan Staff and District Deans.
Churches are led by priests, deacons, and lay leaders. Priests and deacons are chosen through a process of prayer and study and they can be of any gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or ability.
Reflections
A prayer for reconciliation: Where there is separation, there is pain. And where there is pain, there is story. And where there is story, there is understanding, and misunderstanding, listening and not listening. May we - separated peoples, estranged strangers, unfriended families, divided communities - turn toward each other, and turn toward our stories, with understanding and listening, with argument and acceptance, with challenge, change and consolation. Because if God is to be found, God will be found in the space between. Amen. Daily Prayer. With the Corrymeela Community. Padraig O Tuama.
Bishop's Writings
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Bishop's Writing / Enews November 2024Wednesday, November 20, 2024Dear Friends, At our recent Diocesan Convention, we celebrated a few of the many ministries our parishes engage in to reach out and care for their neighbors. I encouraged you to worry less about the number of people in the pews and more about the number of people you serve and work with within your communities. I believe we have the opportunity increase our engagement in our communities, particularly with our most vulnerable neighbors. Read more » |
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Bishop's Writing / Enews October 2024Wednesday, October 16, 2024Read more » |
News
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Bishop Kara's Visitation to St. Thomas, BathSunday, November 17, 2024
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Liturgy Planning WorkshopWednesday, November 13, 2024We had a great time last Saturday, November 9 at the Liturgy Planning Workshop of for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. Many thanks to St. Michael’s in Geneseo for hosting. Here are some action shots of our terrific teachers, the Rev. Rob Picken and Dr. John Sherer. We will be doing a similar workshop for Lent, Holy Week, and Eastertide, so stay tuned! Read more » |
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Caring for our Veterans / VIDEOMonday, November 11, 2024Allens Hill Cemetery in Richmond NY, a property of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester, was severely damaged in a microburst storm in June 2022. Read more » |
