The Diocese of Northwest Texas
The Diocese of Northwest Texas became a missionary district in 1911 when the Missionary District of Northern Texas split into two regions: the Diocese of Dallas and the Missionary District of North Texas by action of the General Convention and petitioned the General Convention to become a diocese in 1958. The diocese is the home of 24 parishes, missions, and congregations, and it is the home of five schools.
The office of the bishop, the Sam Byron Hulsey Episcopal Center, is located in Lubbock in the center of the diocese. The diocese has been served by eight bishops beginning with Bishop Edward Arthur Temple, 1910-1924; Bishop Eugene Cecil Seaman, 1925-1945; Bishop George Henry Quarterman, 1946-1958, as the Missionary District of Northern Texas; and as the Diocese of Northwest Texas by Bishop George Henry Quarterman, 1958-1972; Bishop Willis Ryan Henton, 1972-1980; Bishop Sam Byron Hulsey, 1980-1997; Bishop Charles Wallis Ohl, 1997-2008; and Bishop James Scott Mayer, March 21, 2009-present. Click here to read more about Bishop Mayer.
The Diocesan Shield
The seal of the new Diocese of Northwest Texas was designed by the Rev. Canon Edward West of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City and Mrs. E. C. White of Midland. It is described in the 1958 journal as follows: “an outer and inner oval, the outer oval bearing inscription Seal of the Diocese of Northwest Texas. Seal bears star and mitre of the Diocese of Texas, the mother diocese. The star and colors (blue and white) are common to the seals of Dallas and West Texas, other daughter dioceses. The cross of St. George is characteristic of the Anglican Communion.”
The Hulsey Episcopal Center
The Hulsey Episcopal Center, where our diocesan staff is located, is the historical home of the Bacon family. In the late 1800’s a brave and adventurous shepherd, Warren Bacon, came to Lubbock from Missouri to grow and tend his flocks of sheep, to live, and to prosper. Through many trials and tribulations he created a magnificent home where today a shepherd of another more human flock continues to grow and tend his “sheep.” The Bishop Sam Hulsey Episcopal Center, known also as the historic Bacon House, located at 1802 Broadway, has enjoyed a lively past and lives on in the hearts of Lubbock-ites as the home of the Episcopal Church in Northwest Texas.
