Diocese of The Murray
Coat of arms
Location
Country	Australia
Territory	Adelaide Hills Fleurieu Peninsula Murraylands Riverland Southern Adelaide
Ecclesiastical province	South Australia
Metropolitan	Archbishop of Adelaide
Archdeaconries	The Murray Fleurieu Peninsula
Headquarters	4 Clara Street Murray Bridge, SA
Information
Denomination	Anglican
Rite	Book of Common Prayer An Australian Prayer Book A Prayer Book for Australia
Established	1970 (1970)
Cathedral	St John the Baptist Cathedral, Murray Bridge
Language	English
Current leadership
Parent church	Anglican Church of Australia
Bishop	Keith Dalby Bishop of The Murray (not currently serving - stepped aside in December 2023)
Metropolitan Archbishop	Geoffrey Smith (since 2017)
Website
Diocese of The Murray
Logo of the Diocese

The Anglican Diocese of The Murray is located in the south-eastern region of South Australia. Founded in 1970 as part of the Province of South Australia, it takes in the Fleurieu Peninsula, Riverland, Adelaide Hills, Murraylands and the southern suburbs of Adelaide. In 2011 the diocese had 22 parishes or pastoral districts. The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, Murray Bridge. The most recent bishop is Keith Dalby, who has served from June 2019 but stepped aside in December 2023.

Structure and churchmanship

In 2011 the diocese had 22 parishes or pastoral districts. The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, Murray Bridge.

The Diocese of The Murray is a traditionalist Anglo-Catholic diocese which formerly did not ordain women to the priesthood.^[1] It was the last diocese in the Anglican Church of Australia to admit women to the diaconate, ordaining Margaret Holt as deacon in April 2017.^[2] In June 2023 its synod voted to allow the ordination of women as priests.^[3][4]

Ross Davies relinquished the position of bishop in September 2010 and was received into the Roman Catholic Church. John Ford, the Bishop suffragan of Plymouth in the Church of England's Diocese of Exeter, was installed as the new bishop on 6 December 2013.^[5] He retired in May 2019 and Keith Dalby was elected as his successor. Dalby and synod members worked towards the decision to allow the ordination of women as priests.^[3][6]

On 12 August 2023 three women deacons, along with Rodney Fopp, were ordained by Dalby to the priesthood at Christ the King Anglican Church, Mt Barker. Carol Cornwall became assistant curate of Southern Suburbs, Margaret Holt assistant curate of Strathalbyn and Alison Dutton assistant curate of The South Coast.^[7]

Bishops of The Murray