The Church in Wales has issued this press release today.
New bishop of St Davids elected
History was made today as the Church in Wales elected its first woman bishop.
Canon Joanna Penberthy was elected as the 129th Bishop of St Davids having secured the necessary two-thirds majority vote from members of the Electoral College which has been meeting behind locked doors at St Davids Cathedral since Tuesday morning.
The announcement was made by the Archbishop of Wales at the West door on Wednesday at 1pm.
Canon Joanna, 56, was one of the first women to be ordained as a priest in Wales in 1997 and is currently Rector of Glan Ithon, in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon in Llandrindod Wells.
The Archbishop, Dr Morgan, said, “This is an historic moment for the Church in Wales as it hasn’t been possible to elect a woman bishop until now. But what is really important to stress is that Joanna wasn’t elected because she was a woman but because she was deemed to be the best person to be a bishop. She has considerable gifts – she is an excellent preacher and communicator, can relate to all sections of the community, is a warm, charismatic, caring priest and someone who is full of joy.
“Joanna knows this diocese – she worked here for 11 years and was a Canon of this cathedral so she is on familiar territory. She has also worked in the dioceses of Llandaff and St Asaph and has been the Provincial evangelism officer so she knows the province intimately. She has also been serving in the diocese of Bath and Wells so she brings that experience too. The diocese of St Davids is enormously lucky to have her as its next bishop and I shall be absolutely delighted to consecrate her.”
Canon Jo said, “I am immensely humbled and honoured at the trust that has been placed in me. I am very much looking forward to returning to St Davids and serving God’s people as their Bishop.”
Canon Jo will be Bishop Elect until the appointment is formally confirmed by the Archbishop at a Sacred Synod service on November 30. She will then be consecrated as a bishop at Llandaff Cathedral – the seat of the current Archbishop of Wales – on January 21 and enthroned in St Davids Cathedral on February 11.
Canon Jo is married to Adrian.
The election follows the retirement of Wyn Evans, who served as Bishop of St Davids for eight years. St Davids diocese takes in the west Wales counties of Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.
The Electoral College is made up of representatives from all six Welsh dioceses. The “home” diocese is represented by six lay people and six clergy, and the other five dioceses by three lay people and three clergy each, plus the five remaining Bishops.
Its discussions are confidential. Candidates for election are nominated at the meeting, discussed and voted on by ballot. Any candidate receiving two-thirds of the votes of those present is declared Bishop-Elect.
ACNS has this: Church in Wales appoints first female bishop
Joanna Penberthy’s journey through ministry, thus far, makes her unusually commendable as a choice to serve the Church in Wales – from diakonia to Diaconate and Priesthood of the non-stipendiary kind, as an adult educator, then engagement in full time ministerial leadership, in and out of the Province. If more members of the episcopate had this breadth of experience, British Anglicans would indeed be blessed.
Laus Deo! A ninth Province with female bishops, the 62nd woman to become an Anglican bishop (by date of election; 59th by date of consecration) and the fourth bishop to have been episcopally ordained four times, joining deaconesses Bishop Kay Goldsworthy, Bishop Alison White, and Bishop Christine Hardman.
Wonderful news – for Wales and for the LGBT Community in the Church
The Diocese of St Davids has a conservative evangelical presence..( Including the largest congregation in the CinW)..It will be interesting to see their reaction.
I am deeply disappointed with people who post regularly here. It is now 24 hours after this announcement was made and no-one has complained that Joanna trained at Cranmer Hall and there has been no attempt whatsoever to outline a conspiracy theory in which this appointment is seen as an attempt by ++Justin to impose uniform evangelical leadership amongst the bishops by engineering the appointment of a Cranmer graduate to a diocesan post outside his jurisdiction. Frankly, I am appalled and, yes, disappointed by you all. I expect better of Thinking Anglicans when it comes to seizing an opportunity to… Read more »
Charles, but St. David’s is on t’other side of Offa’s Dyke and a long way from Lambeth and in another Anglican Province. “Here be dragons” and until early next year it is Barry who rules, not Justin for here the Archbishop of Canterbury hath no jurisdiction. There is a difference between the Church of England and the Church in Wales, the latter was disestablished as long ago as 1920 and I, personally, have no reason to suspect that the ABC has imposed the Old Cranmerian Joanne as part of a conspiracy plot to evangelise the Province! It’s all Bazza’s doing… Read more »
Marvellous for this excellent, pastorally well equipped,lady, less so for those who seek in their bishop the centre of unity
@Charles Read: do you work for MI5?
” I expect better of Thinking Anglicans when it comes to seizing an opportunity to spin a conspiracy theory.” – Charles Read –
From the tone of your comment, Charles, I suspect that you, yourself, might actually be disappointed that someone on T.A. has actually recognised the fact that Canon joanna’s appointment has been welcomed – by those of us who recognise her openness to LGBTI people in the Church. Credit where credit is due. It is not the theological bent of the training institution that matters. Rather, it is the basic integrity of students they turn out.
Father Ron, I am usually in agreement with you, but why is the election of Joanna Penberthy necessarily wonderful news for the LGBT community in Wales? Unless I have missed something, and I may well have done, the women who have been made bishops in England have been remarkably reluctant to speak out boldly asking for justice and equality for LGBT people in the C of E. I do not know Joanna Penberthy, and she may well be the one to raise her voice clearly on this matter. I hope so, and wish her well. Certainly she has a great… Read more »
I think some readers might possibly need to turn up their sarcasm detectors when reading and writing. Come on, folks, lighten up a little.
Dear Barry, I do understand your concern. However, in this case, the LGBTI community has found the Reverend Canon Joanna to be their friend and advocate. There’s no knowing what the power of a woman in the Church of Wales H.o.B. might not bring about in that rarified atmosphere. God has used a woman before in history to bring about new life – at the Incarnation of Jesus.
Joanna Penberthy spoke very well for lgbt people on Sunday (radio 4) last sunday morning 8 am.
I was both delighted and amazed ! Rarely have I heard a bishop speak so openly and open-hearted of lgbt. Certainly not a diocesan / bishop-elect.
Jesus and gays in one breath — did my heart good.
Hope she will be left in peace– if that can happen anywhere, that would be Cymru / Wales