History of the
Diocese of Olympia

A Community, Inclusive and Generous: the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia

Br. Carle Griffin, OCP, Historiographer

When Episcopalians began organizing churches in the Pacific Northwest in the 1850s, they brought with them a church culture which had developed over centuries and which had undergone radical revision at the time of the American Revolution. Under the U.S. Constitution, support by the state disappeared in the former colonies, and the authority of the church no longer derived from the British monarchy. The church that was structured to serve all subjects as an arm of government faced the challenge of surviving in a competitive religious marketplace. The transition took more than 40 years.

As American settlers moved into lands west of the United States, Episcopal leaders struggled to overcome anti-English sentiment and to find a workable structure for expansion. In 1835, General Convention created a new kind of bishop-the missionary bishop sent to build the church in the new territories.

It also formed a Board of Missions to carry on missionary business between meetings. In 1851, the Domestic Committee of the Board of Missions sent the Rev. William Richmond to Oregon Territory, which included Washington until 1853.