The Inauguration of the Ministry of Bishop John Pritchard as the 42nd Bishop of Oxford, took place on Friday, June 8th at Christ Church Cathedral. The Cathedral, which also serves as the chapel of Christ Church College, is not one of the largest in England, although the diocese is the fourth most populous in the Church of England (containing over 2 million people) and the fifth largest in land area (three counties, covering 2,221 square miles). It has by far the largest number of parishes (623) and churches (814) of any diocese, and almost 900 licensed clergy to serve them. So it simply was not possible for everyone who wanted to, to attend the service. I wouldn’t have been there myself, except that the Area Dean of Cowley was away in Germany, so they enlisted me as the former Area Dean to represent the Deanery.
At 1.30 p.m. the procession of Area Deans - one of five or six different processions - entered the cathedral and were seated in the Latin Chapel, near the shrine of St Frideswide. This doesn’t give you a very good view of proceedings, but fortunately there were TV screens throughout the building, so that everyone was able to see something of what was going on. At 2 o’clock the new bishop arrived outside the door of the cathedral, having set off with the area bishops from St Michael at the Northgate, and been met at Carfax by the Lord Mayor and representatives of our two universities, and then at Tom Gate by the Lords Lieutenant and High Sheriffs of the three counties, and by a choir of schoolchildren. There was a solemn silence inside and outside the cathedral, as we waited for the hour to strike. Then the Bishop struck the wooden doors three times with his staff, and the doors opened to admit him into the cathedral church of his diocese, where he was welcomed by the Dean.
With this dramatic and moving ceremony, the main part of the service began. It was a long service, lasting almost two hours more, because there were so many different rites and ceremonies and legal requirements to be done (as well as the expected hymns, readings and prayers). The central part of it is the Bishop’s enthronement, when he is placed upon his chair or cathedra (from which the word cathedral derives.) The new Bishop had not wanted to describe the whole service as his enthronement, because the word conveys too many ideas about temporal power, which has little to do with the work of a modern bishop. The seat in question is just as much about authority to teach in the church, as it is to govern.
First the Archbishop’s mandate is read. This is the permission from Archbishop Rowan Williams for the enthronement to proceed, and is brought by the Archdeacon of Canterbury. Then the Bishop has to make the same Declarations of Assent and Oath, that any minister of the Church of England makes when taking up a new appointment. Then came the enthronement itself, the presentation of the Bishop’s staff, and the anointing which took place in the Latin Chapel, when the Bishop was anointed with holy oil on his forehead and hands. There was also an opportunity for the Bishop to be introduced to civic leaders and representatives of the wider community, including leaders of other faith communities. Towards the end of the whole service, the bishops, clergy and laity of the diocese all dedicated themselves by affirming their commitment to the Church’s ministry in this diocese. This is an important reminder that the senior leaders and parish clergy are not the ones doing the job, but that all Christians share responsibility for working for the Kingdom of God.
In his sermon, Bishop John described three possible models of the Church. We can think of it as all-action Hero, identifying and solving problems, with the Bishop as a kind of Super-hero playing the most conspicuous and awe-inspiring role. An alternative model is that of Saint: the Church as a haven of goodness and loving-kindness, in which no one with a grain of imperfection in them can feel welcome. This model casts the Bishop in the role of Super-saint; and of course is just as fantastically unrealistic. Bishop John rejected both of these models, holding up instead the kind of Church which Jesus himself modelled: the Church as Servant. In this model, the Church exists for the benefit of others, not itself. It is a group of people who reject the self-aggrandising cult of celebrity which is so evident in our society, as witnessed everywhere in the popular media. Instead of seeking always to be in the floodlight themselves, Christians point away from themselves to Another, who is Jesus Christ. And in pointing to him, they place themselves in the position of servant to their neighbours. In this model, the Bishop is the servant of the servants.
The Diocese of Oxford under Bishop Richard promoted the model of servant leadership, and Bishop John has now pledged himself to continue on the same course. We welcome him, and wish him well in the new ministry he has begun.
Published in the Marston Times, July 2007