Diocese of Central New York

The Diocese of Central New York was established as a separate diocese in 1868, but its roots go back to the Diocese of Western New York (est. 1839) and the Diocese of New York (est. 1787) before that. The Diocese of Central New York covers 14 counties in the center of New York State, from the Canadian border to the Pennsylvania border, and is bordered by the Diocese of Rochester to the west and the Diocese of Albany to the east. Within those 14 counties are 81 Episcopal parishes, five chapels, one mission, and one college chaplaincy. They are organized into nine smaller geographical clusters, called districts, each overseen by a dean appointed by the bishop. There are 12,000 Episcopalians who worship in the parishes and chapels of the diocese, averaging about 4,000 on an average Sunday.

The diocesan office is located in Liverpool, a suburb of Syracuse, N.Y. There are seven staff members who serve the diocese in a variety of ways. For the last 16 years, the Diocese of El Salvador has been our companion diocese. The Companion Diocese Committee encourages communications and joint ministries (such as the Mission of Miracles) between the two dioceses. Cristosal is also an outreach focus of the diocese. Trinity parishioners who have recently traveled to El Salvador on mission trips will be glad to share their experience with you.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. DeDe Duncan-Probe was elected as the 11th bishop of the diocese in August 2016. She succeeded the Rt. Rev. Gladstone B. “Skip” Adams III, who resigned after serving the diocese for more than 15 years.

The North Country District

The parishes and chapels of the diocese are clustered into nine districts. Trinity is part of the North Country District, which includes the clergy and people of the Episcopal parishes in Adams, Alexandria Bay, Black River, Cape Vincent, Carthage, Clayton, Copenhagen, Evans Mills, and Lowville. The Dean of the North Country District is the Very Rev. Ninon Hutchinson. District meetings take place quarterly at Trinity Church in Watertown, as do many other district and area gatherings, due to Trinity’s central location, accessibility, and capacity for larger meetings and food service. The clergy of the North Country meet for fellowship, study, and support.