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The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago is the official organization of the Episcopal Church in Chicago and Northern Illinois, US. The diocese is served by Paula Clark, who serves as bishop of the diocese. The cathedral of the diocese is St. James Cathedral, which is the oldest Episcopal congregation in the city of Chicago.
The Diocese of Chicago covers twenty-two counties located in the northern third of the state of Illinois, stretching from the shores of Lake Michigan on the east, to the banks of the Mississippi River on the west. Its northern boundary is the state of Wisconsin; the southernmost city is Watseka, Illinois.
Between 2015 and 2023, reported membership declined from 35,422 to 25,645.[3] No membership statistics were reported in 2024 national parochial reports.[4] Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) declined from 12,038 in 2016 to 7,019 in 2024.[5] The 118 congregations of the diocese reported $27,380,992 in plate and pledge income in 2024.[6]
The diocese was formed in 1877 from the Diocese of Illinois, which was founded in 1835. Philander Chase, the retired bishop of Ohio, was the first bishop. He was succeeded in 1852 by Henry Whitehouse. The final bishop of Illinois was William Edward McLaren, elected in 1875, who continued as bishop of Chicago. When the Diocese of Illinois was split into three in 1877, Chicago maintained the original succession of bishops as its own. Two other dioceses, Quincy and Springfield, elected their own bishops.
The diocese is far more ethnically diverse than the Episcopal Church at-large. There are four Hispanic congregations, one of which is located in the near western suburbs of Chicago. In addition, four congregations outside Chicago provide Spanish language services, and two others share their facilities with congregations of the Philippine Independent Church. There is one Korean American congregation, and the diocese also serves eight African-American congregations.
The 25th presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Frank Tracy Griswold, was bishop of Chicago when he was elected in 1997.