The Installation of Most Revd and Right Hon Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury took place on Wednesday in Canterbury Cathedral. The service was attended by more than two thousand people including senior members of the Royal Family and the Government, Anglican clergy and leaders from across the Church of England and Anglican Communion, and diverse guests including faith leaders, charities, healthcare workers and school children.
Bishop Michael and Bishop Fiona were among those who attended. Speaking afterwards, Bishop Michael said, "It was a joy to be at a gathering of such celebration. From all the corners of the globe we gathered together in unity and celebration to mark this new chapter in the story of our church. It was brilliant to pray together for Archbishop Sarah, asking God to bless her and us all, ready for all that we’re called to undertake together in the years to come."
"When I was at university women couldn’t be ordained, and when I was first ordained women couldn’t be bishops, so I honestly never imagined I’d see a woman become Archbishop of Canterbury in my lifetime. The service was a beautiful mix of the solemn and the joyful, with a note of service running through it all. It was an immense privilege to be there to join with so many others in celebrating the formal beginning of Archbishop Sarah’s new ministry and praying for her.”
The service was attended by Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch. As well as family and friends, the Archbishop – who was a nurse before becoming ordained – also invited NHS nurses and carers working in hospitals and hospices in Canterbury. Archbishop Sarah is the first woman to hold the office of Archbishop of Canterbury in its 1,400-year history. The service marked the start of her public ministry in the Church of England and worldwide Anglican Communion. It included a Mandate from His Majesty The King giving instruction to install Archbishop Sarah, and see her deliver her inaugural sermon as Archbishop of Canterbury.
We pray for Archbishop Sarah and her family as she begins her ministry.
Photos: Tim Bishop, Neil Turner, Andrew Baker