Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut

The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States, which is congruent with the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is one of the nine original Dioceses of the Episcopal Church in the United States. The first bishop Samuel Seabury was the first Anglican bishop with episcopal outside the British Isles. Anglican services were held in the diocese since 1702, but the diocese itself was first organized in 1785, when Bishop Seabury convened the first diocesan synod.

Bishop's seat is Hartford. The diocese includes 177 parishes with about 68,500 baptized members. The reigning bishop is the Right Reverend Andrew D. Smith. He is the 14th bishop in succession to the bishopric. He is assisted by two Auxiliary Bishops, the Rt Rev. James E. Curry and the Rt Rev. Wilfrido Ramos- Orench. At Smith's predecessors also include the Right Reverend Walter Henry Gray, who chaired the first of the Civil Rights Commission of the State. Bishop Gray also played a leading role in two meetings of the Lambeth Conference.

At the Diocesan Synod in 2006 Bishop Smith announced that in future the parishes of the diocese be free to decide whether they want to hold same-sex blessing ceremonies for couples who have entered into a registered partnership of the State of Connecticut. Connecticut is thus one of ten dioceses of the Episcopal Church, in which are provided these ceremonies. Smith's decision was criticized by the American Anglican Council: To Rev. Canon said David Anderson, president of the organization, the decision " proves his disregard of the Anglican Communion and its militancy in the promotion of the gay agenda. "