Today Downing Street announced the new Bishop of Norwich will be the Rt. Rev. Graham Usher. He is currently Bishop of Dudley, a suffragan see in the Diocese of Worcester.
At age 48, he will be the youngest diocesan bishop in the Church of England, and succeeds the Rt. Rev. Graham James. The two share the distinction of being young bishops at the time of their consecrations. Bishop James was originally consecrated as Bishop of St. Germans in the Diocese of Truro in 1993 at the age of 43, the same age at which Bishop Usher became Bishop of Dudley in 2014. Bishop James was translated to Norwich at age 48 as well.
Bishop Usher was born in Ghana in 1970 and spent his early life there. He was educated at Pocklington School in Yorkshire and then studied for a BSc in Ecological Science at Edinburgh University, followed by a degree in theology at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge while training for ordination at Westcott House.
He is a member of the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue, and has chaired various charitable organizations.
In 2012, Graham’s book: Places of Enchantment – Meeting God in Landscapes was published by SPCK. He continues to write for a range of publications, generally on environmental themes. Among various interests, he is a keen beekeeper.
Bishop Usher said on Friday: “It’s a great honour and somewhat daunting to be nominated as Bishop of Norwich. I’m excited to have been called to serve among the people of Norfolk and Waveney as together we seek to live out Jesus Christ’s call to love God and our neighbours.
“A theme of God’s calling in my life is that each new chapter has been to a new and unexpected place. The diocese of Norwich is equally a new and unexpected place for me, and what a wonderful privilege it is to be called to serve here.
“I see the role of a bishop as encouraging others to live out their faith in Jesus Christ with a generosity of spirit and compassion, bringing people together to serve their neighbours in partnership with others.”
Bishop Usher will be officially enthroned at Norwich Cathedral in the autumn.
