Today the Church of England will create history when it concecrates its first woman bishop. The Reverend Libby Lane will be ordained as the Bishop of Stockport at a service in York MInster today, led by the Archbishop of York in front of an expected congregation of 1000 people.
As Bishop of Stockport she will serve as a suffragan (assistant) bishop in the Diocese of Chester.
Left: Libby Lane – new Bishop of Stockport pictured inside Stockport Town Hall
Libby, whose home parish for the past 8 years has been St. Peter’s Hale and St Elizabeth’s in Ashley said she is ‘humbled’ and expects that the service will be a very ’emotional experience’.
Libby Lane was ordained as a priest in 1994 and has served a number of parish and chaplaincy roles in the North of England in the Dioceses of Blackburn, York and Chester.
She is one of eight clergy women from the Church of England elected as Participant Observers in the House of Bishops, as the representative from the dioceses of the North West.
Speaking at Stockport town hall where she was announced as the new Bishop of Stockport Libby Lane said:
“I am grateful for, though somewhat daunted by, the confidence placed in me by the Diocese of Chester. This is unexpected and very exciting. On this historic day as the Church of England announces the first woman nominated to be Bishop, I am very conscious of all those who have gone before me, women and men, who for decades have looked forward to this moment. But most of all I am thankful to God.
“The church faces wonderful opportunities, to proclaim afresh, in this generation, the Good News of Jesus and to build His Kingdom. The Church of England is called to serve all the people of this country, and being present in every community, we communicate our faith best when our lives build up the lives of others, especially the most vulnerable. I am excited by the possibilities and challenges ahead.”