See of Oswestry

Now that the proposed revival of the See of Oswestry has received the approval of both the Dioceses Commission and the Lichfield Diocesan Synod, The Society's Council of Bishops would like to record its gratitude to the Bishop of Lichfield, the Bishop to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and their staff for their hard work to get us to this point. The Society expects the new arrangements to operate in a broadly similar fashion to how the existing Provincial Episcopal Visitor (PEV) arrangements have operated up to now in Ebbsfleet and elsewhere with the additional benefit of local support at a diocesan level, as is the case with the See of Fulham under the London Plan. The next challenge is to make sure that the Society parishes in the South-West of England, which will be a three to four hour journey from the new Bishop of Oswestry's permanent base in the Diocese of Lichfield, receive the level of support they need and options are current being explored to ensure that happens. We continue to pray for Society parishes in what is now the See of Oswestry.