Press release From:
The Queen has approved the nomination of Venerable Rachel Treweek for election as Bishop of Gloucester.
The Queen has approved the nomination of the Venerable Rachel Treweek, BA, BTh, Archdeacon of Hackney, for election as Bishop of Gloucester in succession to the Right Reverend Michael Francis Perham, MA, whose resignation took effect on the 21 November 2014.
Notes for editors
The Venerable Rachel Treweek (nee Montgomery) aged 52, studied at Reading University and trained for the ordained ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. She served her first curacy at Saint George and All Saints, Tufnell Park in the Diocese of London from 1994 to 1997 and was Associate Vicar from 1997 to 1999.
From 1999 to 2006 she was Vicar at Saint James the Less, Bethnal Green and Continuing Ministerial Education Officer for the Stepney Episcopal Area. From 2006 to 2011 she was Archdeacon of Northolt in the Diocese of London. Since 2011 she has been Archdeacon of Hackney. In 2013 she was elected as Participant Observer in the House of Bishops for the South East Region.
Rachel is married to Guy, Priest-in-Charge of two parishes in the City of London.
Her interests include conflict transformation, walking and canoeing.
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It just had to happen! Shortly after Australia appointed its First Female Diocesan Bishop, the Mother Church of England has come up with its own First Female Diocesan Bishop.
It took the Province of Canterbury (C. of E.) a while to get into gear with the appointment of Women Bishops – pipped at the post by the Province of York, which now has no less than two Women Bishops, both Suffragans and not Diocesan Bishops, but Bishops just the same.
However, Canterbury’s First Woman Bishop (of Gloucester) is also the First Diocesan Woman Bishop, a Bishop in the Church of England who will also be welcomed soon as the First Woman Bishop with a seat in the House of Lords. Now this really is a FIRST that only the Church of England – among all the Provinces of the world-wide Anglican Communion – can offer.
Here is the announced from the Church, received here today:
The Church of England issued a press release welcoming the Royal Assent which includes this:
“Under the terms of the Act, the Venerable Rachel Treweek, Archdeacon of Hackney, who is announced today as the next Bishop of Gloucester will become the first female diocesan bishop to join the Bishops’ Benches in the House of Lords.
“Archdeacon Rachel will take the place vacated by the Bishop of Leicester, Tim Stevens, who retires on July 11. She will be introduced into the House of Lords after the summer recess”.
Now this really is progress!
Father Ron Smith, Christchurch, New Zealand
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