More than 500 people packed into Llandaff Cathedral in Wales July 22 to welcome their new bishop at her enthronement service.
The Rt. Rev. June Osborne, 72nd Bishop of Llandaff, spoke of her passion for pastoral ministry within a local context as she delivered the sermon. She told the packed congregation that most of her strategies will “empower and strengthen the impact of the local church.”
Before the service began, as part of an ancient tradition, Bishop Osborne asked permission to enter the cathedral by knocking three times with her staff on the west door. She was then welcomed inside by the Very Rev. Gerwyn Capon, Dean of Llandaff.
“I believe truly, madly, and deeply in pastoral ministry within a local context,” Bishop Osborne said. “You may sometimes hear me described as a ‘strategic leader,’ but most of my strategies will be to empower and strengthen the impact of the local church in what the Church in Wales does best: sacramental life in the public and pastoral life of families and communities. That begins with shaping the imagination of our neighbors.”
Anglican Communion News Service
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
