Church of England Names First Female Bishop
A woman has been chosen to become the Church of England’s next Bishop of Bristol for the first time, Premier Uk reports.
Very Rev. Vivienne Faull, who is currently the Dean of York, will be officially welcomed into the role during a service at Bristol Cathedral in the autumn.
Commenting on the appointment, she said, “This is where my family comes from, and so coming here feels like I am returning home.
“It was 24 years ago that Bristol was the first diocese to ordain women as priests, and I want the Diocese to continue to show that pioneering courage.
Brought up in a rural area of the Wirral and married to Michael, a hospital consultant, she previously worked with the Church Mission Society in northern India as a teacher and also served as a youth worker in Everton.
Archbishop of York, Most Rev. John Sentamu, said: “I rejoice with the Diocese of Bristol that Her Majesty the Queen has accepted the nomination of the Dean of York, the Very Revd Vivienne Faull, to be the 57th Bishop of Bristol.
“Dean Faull leads by following Jesus’ way with insight and oversight, with a readiness to be led as well as to lead.
“She has been a great Dean for York, taking risks for the Kingdom of God, for example persuading the Dean and Chapter to put on the Mystery Plays inside the Minster.”
Very Rev Faull’s mother was brought up in Bristol by parents who lived in the city all of their lives.
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