Press release from the Prime Minister’s Office
There is more detail on the Southwark diocesan website.
Appointment of Bishop of Croydon: 3 May 2022
The Queen has approved the nomination of The Venerable Dr Marlene Rosemarie Mallett, Archdeacon of Croydon, to the Suffragan See of Croydon, in the Diocese of Southwark.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 3 May 2022
The Queen has approved the nomination of The Venerable Dr Marlene Rosemarie Mallett, Archdeacon of Croydon, to the Suffragan See of Croydon, in the Diocese of Southwark, in succession to The Right Reverend Jonathan Clark following his retirement.
Background
Rosemarie was educated at Sussex University and Warwick University, and trained for ministry at the South East Institute of Theological Education. She served her title at Christ Church, Brixton Road, in the Diocese of Southwark and was ordained Priest in 2005.
Rosemarie served as Priest-in-Charge at St John the Evangelist, Angell Town, from 2007 and was appointed Vicar in 2013, as well as being made Director of Ordinands for the Kingston Episcopal Area. In 2015, Rosemarie was additionally appointed Diocesan Director of Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation.
She took up her current role as Archdeacon of Croydon in 2020.
An encouraging and excellent appointment
I know nothing about Rosemarie and have had nothing to do with Southwark diocese since 1976 when I was organist at S Silas Nunhead. But reading her resumé and watching and listening to her video presentation, she seems to be a very good thing indeed. Her varied experience will serve the church well. I think, and she comes across as having retained a robust functioning vertebral column. And – thanks be to God – she can think. I wish her well.
Stanley you are right! Dr Mallett is a very good thing indeed and will bring much to her new role as Bishop of Croydon. She has been a significant force on General Synod and her contributions on the early morning R4 Prayer for the day are always worth hearing.
CONGRATULATION, Southwark and Croydon. A worthy successor to Bishop Jonathon.
A very good appointment.
Announced on the Southwark diocesan website alongside was the appointment of her successor as Archdeacon of Croydon (and featured in The Church Times today). Two points of interest about this. Is this a record, announcing a succession of senior appointments on the same day? Secondly, Greg Prior was ordained in the Church of England in South Africa (not the Anglican Church of South Africa) now known as REACH-SA (Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of South Africa) a member of the Calvinist World Reformed Fellowship, and with close links to the Diocese of Sydney. But I don’t think it is a member… Read more »
An interesting observation Peter. No, the C of E in South Africa is not a member of the Anglican Communion but it has had a long standing relationship with the diocese of Sydney from which it received the historic episcopate. When Greg came to England to take up a position at St James Muswell Hill the Bishop of Edmonton asked me as DDO to investigate the status of his orders. I wrote to Lambeth who were somewhat doubtful whether he could serve in the C of E thinking it would raise issues with the Church of the Province. Greg came… Read more »
How interesting. I think the view from Lambeth which Perry Butler tells us of is wise and sensible. I can see that ‘validity’ of orders is important but also as lambeth says “it would raise issues with the Church of the Province.” It is good to respect the views of the Anglican church in the area to the splinter group.
I had never heard of the Church of England in South Africa. I’ve just looked it up and now feel quite queasy. I wonder how someone from such a background will fare as a leading member of the crew aboard such a liberal vessel as the diocese of Southwark. And, presumably, someone has done some proper checks on his background and orders – unless, perish the thought, nothing has been learned from the Winchester debacle.
Perhaps a sign that the liberal vessel is heading into more conservative waters.
I can recall that in 1984 Dudley Foord, an Australian, was consecrated Bishop of the Church of England in South Africa. That was in St Andrew’s Cathedral Sydney and the chief consecrator was Archbishop Donald Robinson. A Bishop of the Church of the Province of South Africa was present, having travelled a very long way. A full account of the consecration from the church press of the time is on:
http://www.australianchurchrecord.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/20th-February-1984.pdf
His current appointment in Southwark dates back to 2004 – the patronage of the parish is the Church Society Trust, though initially he was only appointed priest in charge. I attended his licensing and recall a rather swash-buckling sermon by the then Bishop of Southwark, Tom Butler which seemed totally at odds with the parish’s ethos.
I think in most cases clergy of other denominations are sent to the Candidates Panel of Ministry Division who make suggestions about suitability and whether further training of some kind,to the bishop. At least they do now I’m sure. It would be interesting to know if this process is currently followed in the case of the Church of England in SA.
My understanding is that the appointment of a bishop must remain confidential until a public announcement is made. One wonders therefore what kind of process was undertaken for the appointment of the Archdeacon of Croydon bearing in mind the appointment was announced at the same time as the Bishop of Croydon appointment was announced.
My understanding is that the appointment of an archdeacon is in the gift of the diocesan bishop. Whilst most such posts tend to be advertised, they don’t have to be. Perhaps the more interesting question is why in this case the diocesan bishop felt moved to make such an appointment and so quickly. The cynic in me wonders if the appointment of the Bishop of Croydon ticked one lot of boxes to keep one faction happy, and he needed quickly to tick some other boxes to placate some others…
More likely, I think, to be the need to have as many senior team vacancies filled in preparation for what could be a bit of a vacuum over the coming year or so; the problem, I understand, is more than just the announced retirement of the Bishop of Kingston.