The Diocese of Ontario is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario of the Anglican Church of Canada, itself a province of the Anglican Communion. Its See city is Kingston, Ontario, and its Cathedral is St. George's, Kingston. The diocese is not coterminous with the Canadian civil Province of Ontario, but rather encompasses approximately 17,700 square kilometres of it, comprising the Counties of Prince Edward, Hastings, Lennox and Addington, Frontenac, and Leeds and Grenville. Apart from Kingston, other major centres included in the diocese are Belleville, Brockville, and Trenton. The diocese ministers to approximately 13,000 Anglicans in forty-two parishes.
The diocese was founded in 1862, when it was divided from the Diocese of Toronto. The Diocese of Ontario was incorporated by “An Act Respecting The Incorporated Synod of Ontario”. Until 1896 it included the present-day Diocese of Ottawa. Its first bishop, John Travers Lewis, a Church of Ireland cleric, was the first bishop consecrated in Canada rather than England.
The Diocese of Ontario is one of seven Anglican dioceseas in the province of Ontario. The others are Moosonee, Algoma, Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara, and Huron.
Bishop Cliff was born and educated in Wyoming and Petrolia, Ontario before University. Ordained Deacon and Priest in 1992, and Bishop in 2016, He was elected Bishop of Ontario and installed in 2023.
Bishop William is a pastor, musician and liturgist who has served in the Dioceses of Huron, Brandon and Ontario. As a member of the group "The Three Cantors", Bishop William is one of four musicians who have traveled internationally singing concerts for development and the relief of hunger. This and 4 CD's have raised over a million dollars.
Published nationally on a variety of subjects, and a regular columnist in his Church paper, Bishop William writes regularly, as well as having been a commentator for CBC NewsWorld and CanadaAM on stories with a religious subject.
Gifted in interpreting the Bible to young people, Bishop William has been a keynote speaker at conferences on Stewardship, as well as holding sessions of inquiry for youth: a session of questions about faith, sex, commitment, scripture, theology and growing up a Christian in today's world. In 2010 the National conference for youth in the Anglican and Lutheran Churches featured him as their keynote speaker and his addresses to over 1000 youth gathered in bible study together have garnered serious interest. Invited back to the next two conferences in 2012 and 2014, he led "Bull with Bill" sessions in rooms filled to bursting with young people eager to hear straight talk on faith and growing up.
Bishop Cliff continues to work enrich the worship life of the Church and spends time supporting youth programming. Bishop William is committed to an open dialogue which respects all people and an inviting spirituality firmly planted in the Anglican tradition. He is a past Chair and Vice Chair of the Council of the North, the General Synod body responsible for ministry across Canada’s north in assisted Dioceses. He is also past Chair of the Anglican Journal Co-Ordinating Committee, and currently serves as a Trustee of the General Synod Pension Plan and also acts as Secretary to the House of Bishops of Canada.
Contact Bishop Cliff at:
bishop@ontario.anglican.ca
(613) 544-4671