Learning about our Diocese
Lincolnshire connections
From Grimsby to Stamford: our new Bishop visits the Diocese
Football and the merchant navy
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Diocese of Lincoln newspaper www.lincoln.anglican.org
special edition
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SPECIAL EDITION FREE
New Bishop
Welcome PHOTOGRAPH: WILL HARRISON
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Director of Ministry appointed Bishop
Susan Lowson and the Venerable Christopher Lowson are preparing for a new life in Lincolnshire he Queen has approved the appointment of the Church of England’s Director of Ministry as the 72nd Bishop of Lincoln. The Venerable Christopher Lowson (58) has been Director of Ministry for the Church of England since February 2006. In this role he has led a team responsible for developing policy and delivering support to those in lay and ordained ministry throughout the Church of England. The Ministry Division advises the House of Bishops, the Archbishops’ Council and the General Synod on ministry matters and is responsible for the selection and the oversight of the training of more than 900 new clergy, lay Readers and others admitted to ministry each year. Born in 1953 in the north-eastern industrial steel town of Consett in Co. Durham, Christopher attended Blackfyne Comprehensive School, and was encouraged to explore the possibility of the ordained ministry soon after his confirmation when he was 13 years old. His father, grandfather (a professional
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footballer) and great-grandfather had all worked at Consett’s steel works, and Christopher worked there for two summers as a labourer in the coke ovens at the plant while undertaking his initial training for the ordained ministry. He completed his studies at King’s College, London and in St Augustine’s College, Canterbury (AKC), where two of his fellow students were the current bishops of Grimsby and Grantham. In 1976 he married Susan, and in the same year was awarded a World Council of Churches Scholarship to study at Berkeley in California where he studied within the Graduate Theological Union and gained the degree of Master of Sacred Theology (STM) for his work on the relationship between theology and literature, writing a dissertation on theological themes in the poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Christopher was ordained deacon in the Diocese of Southwark in 1977, and priest in 1978. He spent five years as a curate in Richmond, southwest London. His first post in charge of a parish was Holy Trinity Eltham – a suburban parish in the London
Borough of Greenwich where he was also Anglican chaplain to Avery Hill College of Education – later part of Thames Polytechnic and now the University of Greenwich. After nine years he was appointed to be vicar of Petersfield, a market town in Hampshire, and rector of a village on the edge of the South Downs, Buriton. During this time he studied as a part-time student at Heythrop College, in the University of London for a Master of Theology degree (MTh) in pastoral theology, writing a dissertation on models of ordained leadership in a rural context. In 1999 he took up the post of Archdeacon of Portsmouth, later to become the Archdeacon of Portsdown. He chaired the Diocese of Portsmouth’s Board of Ministry and the Kairos Project, a programme of renewal for the diocese which encouraged parishes and diocesan bodies in Portsmouth to take part in an 18-month process of study, prayer and reflection on the needs of the their local communities before producing five-year plans for mis-
PHOTOGRAPH: WILL HARRISON
sion and ministry. He also helped devise and teach an MA course in Church and Community Studies at the University of Portsmouth for clergy, Readers, teachers and other professionals. In 2003 he completed a Master of Laws degree in Canon Law (LLM) at Cardiff Law School in which he explored legal issues surrounding the history and future of the parson’s freehold, and in 2006 took up his current post in London. Susan, his wife, is a registered general and paediatric nurse who now works as a lead clinician for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, providing clinical advice in relation to complaints within the National Health Service in England. She is also churchwarden of St Matthew’s Church, Westminster. Christopher and Susan have two grownup children: James (31) now married to Katie (also the child of an archdeacon) who works for Dow Jones in London – Katie works for the BBC – and Rebecca (29), a History graduate who now lives and works in Manchester.
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Parish priest, rural dean, archdeacon and director
Christopher Lowson
Born 1953, Consett, Co Durham Attended Blackfyne Comprehensive School
Will Harrison he announcement of a new Bishop of Lincoln is an occasion awaited with great excitement and anticipation by churchgoers, the media and the wider community. A Bishop is not just the leader of the Church in the Diocese, but also a champion of the poor and marginalised in the community. He can build relationships with the influential and guide people to help others. And the Ven Christopher Lowson chose a church working hard for the marginalised in North East Lincolnshire as the venue for his announcement as 72nd Bishop of Lincoln. The Church of St John, St Stephen and Shalom in New Clee, Grimsby, holds youth groups for hundreds of young people, including those who have been excluded from schools. The parish priest, Canon John Ellis, works with local community organisations to fund the work of the Shalom Youth Centre. And the Diocese of Lincoln has bought a piece of land adjoining the church, with plans to build emergency accommodation for homeless youngsters. The scheme will provide ten bedsits and will cost between £800,000 and £1 million, if the bid to the Big Lottery Fund is successful. “The need is colossal,” Canon Ellis told the Grimsby Telegraph. “This sort of accommodation is vital because sometimes people end up in police custody because they have nowhere else to go. “Youth offending services are hoping it could have been built yesterday. But we will have to wait for lottery funding and support from businesses.” After the announcement was made at New Clee, Christopher Lowson and his wife Susan joined senior staff on a tour of his new diocese, including stops at Lincoln to visit the cathedral, a farm near Holbeach, a rural church in Weston and another church engaged in social action in the north of Stamford. And it was particularly appropriate that he toured the diocese in Lincoln City Football Club’s team coach − Christopher’s grandfather was a professional footballer who lived in Lincoln for a while, and it is thought he played for a Lincoln City squad. As a youngster, Christopher visited Immingham docks several times when his father was a merchant sailor. “It was a great honour to be invited to be Bishop of Lincoln, and my immediate instinct was to accept,” said Christopher. “It is daunting to be part of a great tradition of people who have all left their legacy in the Diocese, and I pray that I can live up to this great challenge. “Susan and I are very much looking forward to moving to Lincoln, and exploring the wonderful diversity in the Diocese, and to leading God’s work here.”
A varied ministry
Studied at King’s College, London Worked at Consett Steel Works as a student
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Studied at St Augustine’s College, Canterbury Studied at the Pacific School of Religion, Berkley, California Ordained Deacon in Southwark in 1977 Curate of Richmond St Mary 1977-1979 Ordained Priest in 1978 Curate of Richmond St Mary w St Matthias and St John 1979-1982 Priest-in-Charge of Holy Trinity, Eltham 1982-1983 Vicar of Eltham 1983-1991 Rector of Buriton, Portsmouth 1991-1999
PHOTOGRAPH: JIM NEWTON
Vicar of Petersfield 1991-1999 Rural Dean of Petersfield 1995-1999
Christopher Lowson visited his new cathedral during a tour of the Diocese
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PHOTOGRAPH: DIOCESE OF NORWICH
Christopher Lowson has the gentle authority of a fine pastor and the clarity of mind of a superb teacher. He’s been greatly appreciated as a parish priest, archdeacon and most recently as Director of Ministry Division. Lincoln will soon count itself fortunate to have Christopher as its bishop.
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The Rt Revd Graham James Bishop of Norwich and Chair of the Church of England Ministry Division
Archdeacon of Portsdown, Portsmouth 1999-2006 Bishop’s Liaison Officer for Prisons, Diocese of Portsmouth 2000-2003 Bishop’s Advisor to Hospital Chaplaincy, Diocese of Portsmouth 2003-2006 Director of the Church of England Ministry Division from 2006 Priest-Vicar of Westminster Abbey from 2006 Appointed 72nd Bishop of Lincoln in 2011 Lists contemporary literature, theatre, watching live sport (particularly cricket and football), walking and cookery among his interests.
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The Diocese: an outline The Diocese of Lincoln was constituted by William the Conquerer, and stretched from the Humber to the Thames, covering the modern counties of Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Cambridgeshire. The latter was moved to Ely in 1109 but the Diocese stayed largely intact through the middle ages. Nowadays the Diocese covers an area of 2,673 square miles and has a population of around 950,000 with 31,000 on the parish electoral rolls. It is split into three archdeaconries, those of Stow, Lindsey and Lincoln, and contains 240 benefices, 513 parishes and 645 Anglican churches.
Christopher Lowson’s first day Announcement at St John, St Stephen and Shalom New Clee Meet the Dean and Chapter at Lincoln Cathedral Prayers in St Hugh’s Chapel, The Old Palace Meet the Staff of The Old Palace, the offices of the Diocese Travel to Holbeach to meet Tony Worth, the Lord-Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, and to hear about Lincolnshire farming 4.30 pm A brief visit to St Mary’s, Weston 5 pm Tea and cakes at Christ Church, Stamford, followed by Evening Prayer led by the new Bishop
10 am 12 pm 12.30 pm 12.45 pm 3 pm
The Ven Christopher Lowson and Susan Lowson met the Very Revd Philip Buckler, Dean of Lincoln.
Meeting Diocesan Staff, Rural Deans and Deanery Lay Chairs at The Old Palace
Lincolnshire
“We were delighted to be able to welcome our new Bishop, as well as his wife and senior colleagues, to Christ Church, Stamford on the day of the official announcement of his appointment. We very much appreciated his relaxed and approachable style, and his interest in meeting members of our various outreach programmes and the local church family.”
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Gainsborough
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Mike Mills, Operations Director Christ Church, Stamford
The population of Lincolnshire is roughly 700,000. It is essentially a rural county with a few large settlements and several market towns. The main industries are food production, agriculture and tourism, with the RAF bases providing an important contribution to the local economy. Until the late 1990s Lincolnshire had few ethnic minority residents and migrant workers had generally worked on a seasonal basis, travelling from Ireland. Following the closure of the coal mines in the early 1990s many former miners took these jobs, but increasingly they are now being occupied by migrant workers from Easter Europe and Portugal. Early friction between native Lincolnshire residents and the newcomers has largely dissipated.
Sleaford
Grantham
A visit to a farm near Holbeach.
The most striking development in Lincoln itself has been the establishment of the university which is now home to some 10,000 students. The renovation of the Brayford Pool has added to the visitor appeal of the city.
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Crime in Lincolnshire remains low by national standards though there is still significant fear among residents. This is largely owing to the number of vulnerable elderly people living in remote locations in the county. The County Council highly values its links with the Church of England and the former bishop, Dr John Saxbee, strongly promoted a close working relationship.
Stamford
The day ended as it began with a visit to a church engaged in helping its local community, Christ Church, Stamford.
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Above: Susan Lowson receiving a bird box made by young people at St John’s New Clee. Right: The Ven Christopher Grimsby Lowson
North East Lincolnshire With a unique mixture of industry and tourism, and its roots in the fishing industry, North East Lincolnshire is renowned for its contribution to the UK and Europe’s food industries.
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Horncastle
“We were honoured to welcome our new bishop. We were all impressed by his easy manner which put all our gang at ease immediately. His wife also made a deep impression. He clearly understands our kind of community and we Skegness look forward to his ministry in the future.” Canon John Ellis St John, St Stephen and Shalom, New Clee
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North East Lincolnshire contains the largest urban area in Grimsby and Cleethorpes with just over 160,000 people. There are significant numbers of Super Output Areas with high levels of deprivation, which is best demonstrated by health inequalities. In North East Lincolnshire hospital stays for alcohol related harm, drug misuse and diabetes related illnesses are worse than averages for England. The Appointment of the Venerable Christopher Lowson was announced in St John, St Stephen and Shalom New Clee, which he said was particularly appropriate with its focus on community and strong leadership by its parish priest, John Ellis. He said that “serving the community, the wider community beyond the church, will be one of my strategic aims as your new bishop”.
Photo © David Wright. Creative Commons License.
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Grimsby Fish Market
Market Place, Brigg The only motorway in the Diocese, the M180
North Lincolnshire Unitary authorities since 1996, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire make up just over a third of the Diocese’s residents. Scunthorpe and historic towns like Barton, Brigg and Epworth are the major urban centres, which stand in contrast with large areas of rolling countryside where the Wolds meet the Humber estuary and the fenlands of the Isle of Axholme with the fens of South Yorkshire. The economy of the area has been dominated recently with an emphasis on regionalisation focussed on Yorkshire and Leeds away from historic links with Lincoln. North Lincolnshire contains the M180, the only stretch of motorway in the Diocese.
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Learning about the Diocese of Lincoln Will Harrison day’s travelling around the Diocese of Lincoln enabled the next Bishop of Lincoln to see the Church in action in the region. After the announcement of his appointment was made at the Church of St John, St Stephen and Shalom, New Clee, Christopher Lowson and his wife, Susan, boarded the Lincoln City Football Club team coach to begin their tour of the diocese with other senior staff. Arriving in Lincoln, they were greeted by the Dean of Lincoln and introduced to the cathedral chapter before seeing the cathedra, or bishop’s throne, in the quire of the cathedral. Prayers in St Hugh’s Chapel − the chapel at The Old Palace established by Bishop Edward King − preceded lunch with diocesan staff, rural deans and deanery lay chairs.
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Delighted and honoured Christopher Lowson’s speech on the announcement of his appointment:
The afternoon saw a visit to the farm of Tony Worth, Lord-Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, near Holbeach, where Christopher witnessed the last potatoes of the season being planted by a satellite-guided tractor. The new bishop heard about the challenges experienced by farmers in the area, particularly with respect to irrigation. A brief visit to St Mary’s Church in Weston, near Spalding, showed Christopher and Susan the difficulties faced by large and historic rural churches. The parish priest, the Revd Rosamund Seal, described the problems regarding local income and repairs. Finally, the day ended as it had begun − in a church which is deeply engaged with the local community. Christ Church Stamford runs several community schemes and projects, including a car scheme, youth groups and lunch clubs. And it was here that Christopher led his first service in the Diocese. The simple service of Evening Prayer was attended by many of the people whom Christ Church Stamford supports.
his feels a bit like the opening of a new series of Strictly Come Dancing when you see all the new people for the first time. I don’t want you to panic because of the white hair; I’m not as old as a look. In fact I was at college with both bishops − the Bishops of Grimsby and Grantham − and we were all born in 1953. That was clearly a vintage year for bishops in Lincolnshire. Sometimes people in the media are interested in the reaction of family to news like this and I was able to tell my parents and my children the news only two days ago, since it’s all kept very confidential. I spoke first to my father who reminded me that when he was in the merchant navy he’d often bring his ship into Immingham, and I would go to see him as a child there. He also told me, and I didn’t know this before, that he lived in Lincoln for several years when his father was a professional football player. He came from the steelworks in Consett, County Durham. We can’t quite work out which team he played for but it could have been Lincoln City. It was before the days of Beckham, and when he broke his leg he was back to the steelworks, and that was the end of his footballing career. When I told my children the news yesterday my son James knew immediately all about the football teams; about the big match for Scunthorpe which is taking place tomorrow, and Lincoln City in the second division and the other teams within the diocese. My daughter, who’s a bit more clued up about these things, said “Oh Lincoln! That’s a proper diocese.” And she’s absolutely right. Lincoln is a proper diocese and I am thrilled and honoured to have been invited to be bishop. Susan and I are very grateful for the welcome we’ve received today, and we are looking forward to getting to know the people of the diocese when we arrive properly in the Autumn. We’ll be trying to get to know you by visiting as many parts
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PHOTOGRAPH: JIM NEWTON
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PHOTOGRAPH: JIM NEWTON
Christopher met the Lord-Lieutenant, Tony Worth, at his farm near Holbeach.
PHOTOGRAPH: JIM NEWTON
Christopher Lowson (right) meets his new Domestic Chaplain, Canon Michael Silley
of the diocese as quickly as possible and offering you hospitality in our home in Lincoln. Of course, it goes without saying that I am delighted and honoured to have been invited to be your next bishop. It’s a tremendous privilege to have been named as the 72nd bishop of such a large and historic diocese as Lincoln. I already know most of the members of the senior diocesan staff and I’m very much looking forward to working closely with them in the years to come. There have been some outstanding Bishops of Lincoln and it’s an honour for me to try to follow in their footsteps. I remember spending several days in the diocese last July as a guest of Bishop John Saxbee, and I was hugely impressed by the work he and his colleagues were doing, and by his friendly style and personal ability to get alongside people within the church community and outside it. I hope to build on his ministry as a bishop whilst bringing my own gifts to the role. It’s particularly appropriate that the announcement should be made in the context of St John’s New Clee, where excellent leadership by the local parish priest, John Ellis, shows the Church is deeply engaged in serving the needs of the local community. I’m fascinated and
thrilled to see this innovative exercise here for worship and prayer for young people to express their faith journey. It’s very important that we should be here to start my ministry off in the Diocese of Lincoln today because serving the wider community beyond the Church will be one of my strategic aims as your new bishop. It seems to me that being a bishop is about supporting and encouraging the clergy and laity of the diocese at the grass roots, about mobilising the Christian community to engage with the life of the world in order together to uncover and build God’s Kingdom. And to do that, Christians need to work together with people of the world; people of faith, no faith, people in public, private and voluntary sectors to serve the common good and to build a community in which all people can flourish and grow into the people God has made them to be. Today we meet in Passiontide when we focus on the suffering and later the death of our Lord and we are about to enter the holiest week of the Church’s year, and this time reminds us of what’s really important. Bishops of Lincoln are important in one sense but Passiontide, Good Friday and Easter are really important. In churches and schools across the Diocese you have been, and will be, focussing on what really matters: the suffering, the death, and resurrection of our Lord. We will recall that because of the love of God, perfectly expressed in Jesus of Nazareth, everything everywhere for all time has been transformed. Our lives and the lives of communities like this community here are able to be transformed by God’s love. That must be the basis of everything we are and do. So thank you from both of us, from Susan and me, for your welcome. We look forward to getting to know you and working together to serve the world in the best way we can by recognising and building God’s Kingdom in this place.
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David Rossdale
Max Manin
Bishop of Grimsby
Chief Executive was absolutely delighted to hear that Christopher Lowson has been named as the next Bishop of Lincoln. He will bring to the Diocese a wealth of experience of ministry and mission which he has gained as a parish priest, Archdeacon and most recently through his role leading the Ministry Division. I very much look forward to working with him and I know that we will quickly benefit from his experience, insights and wisdom. Christopher and Susan can look forward to a very warm welcome when they move here to Lincolnshire and, having known them for many years, I am confident that we will enjoy their presence and friendship as they make their home here.
Tim Ellis
Bishop of Grantham he Diocese of Lincoln is special in having at least two bishops of international fame and renown: St Hugh, whose holiness, wisdom and learning are famed abroad and, also Edward King, who suffered indignities and trial for his conviction that the Church of England was a living part of the whole catholic Church. Both men brought significant gifts and insights to the life of Lincolnshire. Couple this with the fact that we also have a mighty Cathedral Church which is surely one of the great buildings of Europe, if not the world, and you have a heady inheritance for any new bishop. Christopher Lowson comes to us with a reputation as a good teacher, a cool head and a gentle manner. In all these, he stands to take on the mantle of former Bishops of Lincoln. He will face with us, however, the significant challenges of the modern day: is the Church losing its grip on the minds and hearts of the English people? Is the disparity between rich and poor growing? Is the Earth under so much stress that our climate is changing along with our environment? As a military county, how should we feel about the international conflicts in which we are involved? These and many other questions are the ones Christopher needs to ask and address alongside us: he, and we, have a mighty inheritance from which to approach these matters, and a venerable future to build.
PHOTOGRAPH: ROB SAVAGE
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Michael Silley
Bishop of Lincoln’s Chaplain
any people have asked in recent months, “What happens to you, now that the Bishop has retired? Do you retire as well?” My reply: “The short answer is no; I am what might be called, ‘Chaplain in Waiting’.” An end to the waiting is now in sight with the announcement on Friday last that the Venerable Christopher Lowson is to be the 72nd Bishop of Lincoln. I have to admit that I did feel somewhat apprehensive when Bishop John and Jackie retired, but having met Christopher and Susan last week I felt reassured and am very much looking forward to their arrival in the autumn – getting to know them and developing, what I am sure will be, a different way of being Bishop’s Chaplain.
PHOTOGRAPH: NICK EDMONDS
the Vacancy-in-See hen Committee completed the Statement of Needs for a new Bishop, its members knew how difficult it would be to find someone who met all the significant needs which we set down. However, those who know Christopher Lowson already will be aware how fully he meets those needs, while those who met him for the first time on the day of his appointment will have experienced a man whose drive to serve God in the best way possible is as evident as his calm authority. Christopher’s background, with many years as a parish priest and then service as an archdeacon, is excellent preparation for episcopal ministry. His most recent job is not an easy one and adds to that preparation. In the role of Director of the Church of England’s Ministry Division, there are varying and often opposing pulls in terms of policies and priorities and, just like in a diocese, a number of different stakeholders each of whom has different ideas about the best way forward. Christopher has carefully developed the way in which the Division works, stewarding in a more strategic and
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Tim Barker
Archdeacon of Lincoln
PHOTOGRAPH: ROB SAVAGE
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PHOTOGRAPH: ROB SAVAGE
intelligent approach to many areas of work – an approach which roots practice in the context of the real world of changing patterns of ministry and financial constraints. This has added to his already considerable understanding of organisations and the ways in which they work, and will help him to be a practical leader as well as a Godly one. All this bodes well for us, as the man to whom we will look for leadership in the stewardship of our Diocese will bring a strong understanding of the subtleties and complexities involved in developing strategy and planning for change and growth. Christopher’s ability to attend to organisational matters is more than matched by his ability to present a strong outwardlyfocused face. He has all the skills necessary to communicate on a wider scale, to be an ambassador for faith and Church, and to serve as a champion of all aspects of the Diocese in secular contexts. Those of us who were fortunate to have toured the Diocese with Christopher on the day of his appointment saw a man who is eager to engage widely, is keen to listen and to learn, and who elicited positive reactions from everyone he met. Indeed, anyone who meets Christopher will find an easy and open personality, someone who is genuinely keen to hear about people’s lives and concerns and to establish an easy rapport. Being with Christopher is an energising experience and, as he has a keen sense of humour, it’s often fun too. The final need identified in the Vacancyin-See Committee’s statement was that the person appointed should ‘be the best person for the role’. Having known Christopher for a number of years, I’m very confident that he is indeed the best person for the role and I’m highly delighted that he is to be our new Bishop.
he news that ‘The Queen has approved the nomination of the Venerable Christopher Lowson for election as Bishop of Lincoln’ brought an unusual note of celebration and joy in the middle of the solemn season of Passiontide. But the news that Christopher is to be our new bishop is indeed a cause for celebration – even if it is tinged with a degree of amazement at the complicated process that has taken us from the announcement of Christopher’s appointment to his ‘enthronement’ in Lincoln Cathedral in the autumn.
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But even this reminds us of the careful checks and balances built into the appointment of a diocesan bishop – the voice and the needs of the diocese balanced with the role of The Queen and the Prime Minister – a reminder of the Church of England’s role in serving the whole nation for the benefit of all. ‘Nature abhors a vacuum’ according to Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher. Whether or not this is true, we still struggle to find words to describe a parish temporarily without a vicar or a diocese without bishop. We have rightly moved away from talking about a parish being in an ‘interregnum’ because this suggests that the vicar is a monarch with power and influence or possibly even requiring obedience from subject parishioners. But even ‘vacancy’ doesn’t quite get it right – as the life of the parish can continue and even flourish with the gift of lay ministers, Readers and other clergy (ordained local ministers, assistants and retired clergy). In the same way, the Diocese of Lincoln will continue to flourish in the months to come, but we look forward, with anticipation and hope, to the particular gifts and skills that Christopher will bring as the 72nd Bishop of Lincoln.
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What happens next?
PHOTOGRAPH: JIM NEWTON
Christopher Lowson will be enthroned in Lincoln Cathedral later in the year. he process for the appointment of a bishop is quite complex. It involves a considerable number of people, and so it is very difficult to set a timescale. It is overseen by the Provincial Registrar of the Province of Canterbury. Once the name of the new bishop has been announced, the Crown will send to the Dean of Lincoln a Congé d’Elire and Letters Recommendatory. These require the College of Canons to meet in the chapter house of the cathedral to elect a bishop − and also to tell them whom to elect. The result has to be notarised, and signified to various people, including the Crown and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The result of the election is often displayed on the vacant cathedra (episcopal chair), which is on the south side of the quire in the cathedral. Once the election is complete, the Court of the Arches is convened in London, often at the church of St Mary-le-Bow. During a service in London, the identity
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Gavin Kirk
PHOTOGRAPH: WILL HARRISON
Precentor of Lincoln
of the bishop-elect is confirmed, as are the particulars of his election. He takes the required oaths, and the Archbishop delivers his Charge to the new bishop. From this moment, he is in law the new diocesan bishop, the ‘Spiritualities’ of the diocese being so conferred. Christopher Lowson must also be ordained (consecrated) a bishop, and this is expected to take place in London once the Court of the Arches has been convened. Following this, the Bishop must go to pay homage to The Queen. This is the ceremony often referred to as ‘kissing hands’ − although in practice the new bishop’s hands are simply wrapped around the Queen’s − and represents the conferral of the ‘Temporalities’ of the see. In times past, this could mean vast swathes of land, palaces and revenues. Then, and only then, is it possible to enthrone the new Bishop in his Cathedral Church. This is done by the Archdeacon of Canterbury, representing the Archbishop. The enthronement is very much the occasion for the whole diocesan family to welcome its new Father in God, and to celebrate the ministry of the Church in the Diocese.
The Congé d'Elire (leave to elect) is a licence from the Crown in England issued under the great seal to the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral Church of the diocese, authorising them to elect a bishop or archbishop, as the case may be, upon the vacancy of any episcopal or archiepiscopal see in England. According to the Chronicle of Ingulphus, abbot of Crowland, who wrote in the reign of William the Conqueror, the bishoprics in England had been, for many years prior to the Norman Conquest, royal donatives conferred by delivery of the ring and of the pastoral staff. Disputes arose for the first time between the Crown of England and the See of Rome in the reign of William Rufus, the pope claiming to dispose of the English bishoprics. The Constitutions of Clarendon, promulgated by King Henry II of England in 1164, set out procedures to be used for episcopal elections. Ultimately King John granted that the bishops should be elected freely by the deans and chapters of the cathedral churches, provided the royal permission was first asked, and the royal assent was required after the election.
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is published by the Diocese of Lincoln. The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those held by the Diocese.
PHOTOGRAPH: STEVE CADMAN/WIKIPEDIA
Before Christopher Lowson can be enthroned in Lincoln Cathedral, a series of legal and practical procedures has to be completed, including his consecration as Bishop in London.
Congé d’Elire
Editor Reporter Telephone e-mail
Will Harrison Nick Edmonds 01522 504034 crosslincs@lincoln.anglican.org
www.lincoln.anglican.org/crosslincs St Mary-le-Bow Church in the city of London
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