The Queen has approved the nomination of the Venerable Christopher Lowson, AKC, STM, MTh, LLM, Director of Ministry at the Archbishops’ Council, for election as Bishop of Lincoln in succession to the Right Reverend Dr John Charles Saxbee, BA, PhD, on his resignation on the 31 January 2011.
Press release from 10 Downing Street Bishop of Lincoln
Press release from diocese: Appointment of 72nd Bishop of Lincoln
Don’t know anything about the people, but Lincoln is my favorite English cathedral! 🙂 [Which Yours Truly visited once, a million years ago… ;-/]
Great news, I knew Chris when he was my Archdeacon.
Bishop John Saxbee will be a hard act to follow, but it would seem that his successor, Christopher Lowson, has the sort of charisma that will suit the Diocese of Lincoln. (And his wife has her attachment to the inclusive ethos of St.Matthew’s Westminster. Sounds like a good partnership). May God richly bless their new ministry in pastures green.
[Which Yours Truly visited once, a million years ago… ;-/] JCF Wow, must be genetic. Lincoln and Cathedral is a favorite of mine too and I visited about 30 years ago and still have two left of the Castle Gateway and Stonebow mugs purchased (out of six various Lincoln scenics)…I attended evensong at the Cathedral as my parents regrouped from travel at our nearby Hotel…I felt especially connected to my English roots in Lincoln (my Dad from Yorkshire and my Moms side early English Colonists to U.S.). Bishop John Saxbee later became a favorite too. Best wishes to all in… Read more »
Ah yes – Lincoln cathedral – truly delightful and the second greatest cathedral in England.
Sarum & Lincoln in such capable hands: there is a God! Who would have believed we should get such quality replacements for Stancliffe & Saxbee?
I was pleased to think that Lincoln is – and will ever be – the only diocese in the C of E whose bishops were all, together, at King’s College London. Then I remembered that three (if one includes Fulham) of the recent Flying Bishops are also Kingsmen.
(For those across the Pond, etc., KCL was a C of E seminary but has not been so since 1976.)
We visited Lincoln Cathedral 40 years ago, and came upon a rehearsal of a cycle of mystery plays in the nave. To see the narrative of salvation acted out from the Creation to the Last Judgment by professional actors in that space was sheer magic, or pure grace, if that’s a better choice of words.
Lister,Fulham was never a PEV. There are only three such Beverley, Ebbsfleet (vacant) and Richborough (vacant). In promising to replace the two southern PEVs one wonders if Rowan is shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted?
Father David:
I didn’t say Fulham was a PEV because i knew he was not. But he did ‘Fly’, acting as the ‘Flying Bishop’ in Southwark and Rochester (I’ll live with being mistaken about exactly which dioceses).
The crazy thing is that Fulham should even exist though the rumour of +Edmonton moving to Fulham is a interesting one. In any event, the Bishop of London has the opportunity to make another ill-judged senior appointment.
Second greatest?
Richard wonders about Lincoln being the ‘second greatest’ cathedral in England. Me too.
There are a number of cathedrals that would vie for the top few positions in that chart, Lincoln among them. Others must include (in no particular order) Durham, York, Canterbury and perhaps Ely. Then there are Winchester, Salisbury, Wells, Norwich and Peterborough (these last two now presumably taken over by York http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13144005 :-). And London (if you like that sort of thing). But judging between them is too hard.