Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts The Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the five western counties of Massachusetts. Formed from a division of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, it was officially recognized at the organizing convention of November 10, 1901. At a special meeting on January 22, 1902, Alexander Hamilton Vinton, Rector of All Saints Church in Worcester, Massachusetts. was elected first diocesan bishop. The first two Anglican parishes in what would become the diocese were started in Great Barrington in 1762 and Lanesborough in 1767 on
Episcopal Relief & Development Project, and fundraising campaigns. Episcopal Relief and Development began a "Hurricane Harvey Response Fund" to provide support for communities affected by Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall in Texas on August 26, 2017, where more than 185,000 homes were damaged and 9,000 destroyed. One of the immediate ways Episcopal Relief & Development and its partners help individuals is by handing out gift cards to local stores so that people can choose what they need the most. Episcopal Relief and Development’s most recent 2016 financials, annual summaries and 990 federal tax returns are available online. According to its 2015 federal tax return,