Press release from 10 Downing Street. Further information from the See of Richborough website: the announcement and a pastoral letter from the bishop-designate.
The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Luke Irvine-Capel, Archdeacon of Chichester, for appointment as Suffragan Bishop of Richborough.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 10 December 2024The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Luke Irvine-Capel, Archdeacon of Chichester, for appointment as Suffragan Bishop of Richborough, in succession to The Right Reverend Norman Banks following his retirement.
Background
Luke was educated at Greyfriars, Oxford, and trained for ministry at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield. He served his title at Abertillery with Cwmtillery and Six Bells, Monmouth and, in 2000, was ordained Priest. In 2001 Luke was appointed Minor Canon at St Woolos Cathedral, Newport. From 2003 he served as Rector of St Dunstan with Holy Angels, Cranford, in the Diocese of London and, in 2008, was appointed Vicar of St Gabriel, Pimlico. From 2013 Luke served as Priest-in-Charge and then Rector of Christ Church, St Mary Magdalen and St Peter & St Paul, St Leonards on Sea in the Diocese of Chichester, serving in addition as Priest-in-Charge of St Clement and All Saints, Hastings. In 2019 he took up his current role as Archdeacon of Chichester.
Thanks be to God
This is a good appointment. I’ve got to know Luke a little as Archdeacon of Chichester and although we are on opposite sides of all the “hot button” debates in the church at the moment I think he’s a holy priest and a lovely bloke. If we have to have alternative oversight – and I pray for the day when we don’t – I’m glad God is calling people of such quality to it.
I’d estimate from his Wikipedia entry that he was trained at Mirfield under David Lane, who was an Oblate of CR and not a professed brother. If he is consecrated alongside the two new suffragans for Oxford and the new suffragan for Europe it will be a quadruple event.
I think it extremely unlikely that he will be consecrated alongside the suffragans for Oxford. Provincial episcopal visitors, such as the Bishop of Richborough (which is technically a suffragan see of Canterbury), are these days consecrated by bishops who are members of SSWSH (i.e., are males, ordained and consecrated by other males with no female involvement) acting as commissary of the archbishop for this purpose. The other consecrations are likely to be by the Bishop of London, I’d have thought, as she is the senior bishop in the southern province.
I thought of that, and wondered whether something resembling the consecration of Philip North in 2015 might take place. It is a while since I saw the video of that but I seem to recall two things: (i) Although Archbishop Sentamu was present, the Bishop of Chichester Martin Warner was the central participant in the laying on of hands. (ii) Bishop Libby Lane was present. She did not take part in the laying on of hands, but she and Bishop Philip exchanged warm personal greetings after the formal part of the ceremony. I’d have thought that if after the consecration… Read more »
What you describe would be a liturgical and theological mess as was the consecration you reference – where most bishops were told not to lay on hands.
The Bishop of Chichester consecrated Bishop Paul Thomas Bishop of Oswestry so a Precedent has certainly been set Jonathan
Thank you Jonathan for this helpful reply.
Young Mr Capel trained under Canon Christopher Irvine.
Thank you for this correction. I recall that Christopher Irvine became a Canon of Canterbury.
I think Luke is the son in law of Christopher Irvine, former principal of Mirfield?
Is he? I go to Mirfield quite a lot and over a period of about five years I was a regular visitor to Canterbury. I don’t recall meeting Christopher Irvine at either location.
According to Crockford, Chris Irvine was:
Principal, Coll of Resurr Mirfield 1998-2007
Canon Residentiary and Librarian Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury 2007-2017
and in retirement is now a priest in charge in Chichester diocese.
Luke was priested according to TA in 2000, therefore presumably deaconed in 1999 and left CoR that year. So even a two-year course would have caused him to predate Irvine by a year. He’d have been under Lane for that one year, wouldn’t he?
Actually fully retired and living in Canterbury
Thanks — I should know that! I probably do know that. I was just relying on Crockford. No excuse though.
Yes, that’s the case. Fr Capel became Fr Irvine-Capel after marrying Canon Irvine’s daughter, Ruth.
An excellent appointment.
Rather predictable appointment. Very much the bishop’s man in Chi, and I assume another of similar ilk is already lined up to take over from him.
Luke has been a fantastic Archdeacon and we’ll be very sorry to lose him (and delighted if the Bishop can find another of his ilk to appoint as his successor!)
Am sure the possible new female leadership of C of E would approve of such a judicious appointment! Particularly if in any way they have been involved in the appointment process? This promises well for the new Canterbury dispensation.
I worked with and for the CofE for a decade in desk-based roles. In those ten years I received one single call from a parish priest just calling to see how I was (and not wanting anything in return!).
That priest was Luke Irvine-Capel.
An excellent appointment. He is wise, very supportive, a diligent priest and I have never felt when working with him or talking to him, that there is anything odd about my being a woman priest. He has been exemplary. We will miss him at the Cathedral in Chichester.
That you feel the need to say that he never made you feel that “there is anything odd about my being a woman priest” says a lot about Chi Dio. In terms of behaviour towards female priests he does appear to have been a significant improvement on his predecessor!
Chichester Diocese is running out of archdeacons.
I note the significant Welsh component to Luke’s CV. It has been largely forgotten by now that the Community of the Resurrection had major Welsh connections. For a number of decades it had St Teilo’s Priory in Roath Park, Cardiff. It was at first a hostel for students at university in Cardiff, then closed for a year and re-opened as a retreat house and conference centre. That closed in 1968 when there was a need to reinforce the Community’s contingent in the Caribbean. I can think of two members of CR who were Welsh. One was Timothy Rees, who as… Read more »
He seems like a decent person but his appointment along with the other PEVs is £0.5M pa we can’t really afford to continue to allow the denial of something that thas been a reality in our church for 30 years now.
While I agree with ‘Not so humble a parishioner’ I also feel many ‘Society’ parishes have very good pastoral care and encouragement from ‘their’ bishops which is often sadly lacking in the world beyond their ambit. It seems this chap will fit well into that mould.
The liturgy in their parishes is frequently of very good quality, and predictable. By the latter I mean its not simply ‘Morning Service’ as advertised in some churches where one hasn’t a clue what to expect.