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The 'Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney' is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. In mainland Scotland, the diocese covers the City of Aberdeen and most of Aberdeenshire (the part of Aberdeenshire south of Aberdeen is in the Diocese of Brechin, and some parts of northwest Aberdeenshire are in the Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness). In addition to the mainland portion of the diocese, the Orkney and Shetland island groups also come under its jurisdiction. It shares with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen a Christian heritage that can be traced back to the twelfth century. It also incorporates the ancient Diocese of Orkney, founded in 1035.
The diocese has a strong companion link with the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut and the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Samuel Seabury, the first Episcopal bishop outside of the British Isles, was consecrated in 1784 by Robert Kilgour, Bishop of Aberdeen, and John Skinner, coadjutor bishop. Clarence Coleridge, suffragan bishop of Connecticut, was consecrated by a bishop of Aberdeen in 1981. Coleridge was elected 13th diocesan bishop of Connecticut in 1993.