Diocese of Huron


The Diocese of Huron is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario of the Anglican Church of Canada. The diocese comprises just over 31,000 square kilometres of the extreme south-western portion of the civil province of Ontario, sandwiched between Lake Huron and Lake Erie. Its See city is London, and its parish rolls of 50,000 are served by 177 congregations.
The territory covered by the diocese was under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Quebec until 1839, and was included in the Diocese of Toronto from 1839 until 1857. Its first bishop, Benjamin Cronyn, was the first to be elected by a diocesan synod in Canada. In 1866, there were two archdeaconries: C. Crosbie Brough was Archdeacon of Huron and Isaac Hellmuth of London.
In addition to London, other major communities within the diocese are: Brantford, Cambridge, Chatham, Kitchener, Sarnia, Stratford, Waterloo, and Windsor. The diocese maintains chaplaincies at Canterbury College in Windsor, Renison University College in Waterloo and Huron University College in London, which has an affiliated seminary. A parish in Brantford, Ontario also supports chaplaincy ministry at the local campus of Wilfrid Laurier University.
The Diocesan Bishop from July 2009 - November 2017 was Robert Bennett, who retired November 1, 2016. He was supported by Terry Dance, who was elected as suffragan bishop on 28 March 2009 and consecrated in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, Ontario, on 6 June 2009. Bishop Terry Dance retired December 31, 2015. The Rt Rev Linda Nicholls, former suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Toronto area of Trent-Durham was elected Coadjutor Bishop on February 13, 2016, and assumed the role of the diocesan bishop on November 1, 2016, with the retirement of the Rt Rev Robert Bennett.
In July 2019 Linda Nicholls was elected Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada at 2019 General Synod. Before assuming her duties as the head of the Anglican Church of Canada, she had to leave her post in Huron on September 30, 2019. Until the installment of the new bishop, the Diocese was administered by The Most Reverend Colin Johnson, retired Metropolitan of Ontario and Archbishop of Toronto and Moosonee.
On October 26, 2019 Dr. Todd Townshend was elected the next Bishop of Huron. He assumed his role as the 14th Bishop of Huron when consecrated 25 January 2020.
The dean of St. Paul's Cathedral is The Very Reverend Paul Millward. He was appointed by Bishop Linda Nicholls as Dean of St Paul's Cathedral on May 15, 2017. Paul Millward was inducted as Dean of Huron at the opening worship service of the 176th Diocesan Synod on May 28, 2017.

Bishops of Huron