The Ordination and Consecration of the Bishop of Richborough will take place in Canterbury Cathedral at 2:30pm on Thursday 27th February 2025

With grateful thanks to the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York, the ordination will follow the established custom used for the Ordination of the Bishops of Oswestry and Beverley.
 
All are welcome. Links to register your attendance will be made available in the coming week for those wishing to attend.
Clergy wishing to robe will need to book a ticket once further information is released and must be on the National Clergy Register.

The service will also be livestreamed via the Cathedral YouTube channel.
 
Please continue to pray for Fr Luke as he prepares for his ordination and consecration as a Bishop in the Church of God and for all those whom he will serve across the See of Richborough and the wider Church of England. A novena, which begins on Wednesday 19th February, is provided here.

Register to attend in the congregation.

The Society and Forward in Faith welcome the announcement that His Majesty the King has approved the nomination of Fr Luke Irvine-Capel SSC, currently the Archdeacon of Chichester, to the See of Richborough, with pastoral and sacramental oversight for Society parishes in the eastern half of the southern province of the Church of England.

The Right Reverend Jonathan Baker, Chairman of The Society's Council of Bishops, said: "I extend a warm welcome to Fr Luke to the Council, and assure him of the support and prayers of the Society bishops as he prepares to become the Bishop of Richborough."

The Right Reverend Paul Thomas, Chairman of Forward in Faith, said: "I have no doubt that Fr Luke will teach and promote the Catholic Faith across the See of Richborough with dynamism and good grace, enriching the life of the See in so doing."

Fr Philip O'Reilly, on behalf of the Richborough parishes, said: "It is wonderful to be able to welcome Fr Luke to the See of Richborough, and we greatly look forward to his ministry among us."

Fr Luke Irvine-Capel said: "It is a great honour to accept this nomination, and I undertake to serve the Richborough parishes as their bishop prayerfully and faithfully."

The date and venue for Fr Luke’s ordination to the episcopate have yet to be confirmed. They will be made publicly available as soon as they are available.

Please pray for Fr Luke, and for his family, as he prepares for episcopal ministry.

In common with Christians across the world, The Society is delighted to be marking in 2025 the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, that highly important moment in the process of the Church setting out what it believes through it creeds, and repeated Sunday-by-Sunday in our churches in the form of the Nicene Creed. The Society is offering:

(i) An introductory note accompanied by a general video, including some filming from the most recent Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage. They are available here and here.

(ii) An Advent course raising general themes of faith, the creeds, and liturgy. The course is not particular to Advent, and can be used at other times of the year too. The materials - a short video accompanied by a study note compiled by Society priests - will be available week-by-week over Advent 2024.

(iii) A Lent 2025 course, to be released early next calendar year, will look in detail at the content of the Nicene Creed.

Introductory Note

Session One: The Nature of Faith

Study Note

Session Two: The History of the Church’s Creeds

Study Note

Session Three: Why the creeds matter

Study Note

Session Four: The role of creeds in liturgy

Study Note

Your prayers are asked for all candidates as they prepare for ordination in the coming months. In the context of The Society, your prayers are specifically asked for the candidates listed immediately below. A selection of prayers is available here.

In terms of the composition of the list, either the candidate is registered with The Society, or the parish / parishes in which the candidate serves / will serve is / are registered with The Society, or the ordaining bishop is a bishop of The Society and is acting in that capacity. 

Any additions or corrections to this list of Society-related ordinations for 2024 are to be sent by email to director@forwardinfaith.com as soon as possible, please – thank you.

Ordinations to the Diaconate

Tim Newton at 11am on Sunday 23^rd June at St Nicholas, Arundel by the Bishop of Lewes 

Calum Mullett at 10.30am on Saturday 29^th June at Blackburn Cathedral by the Bishop of Blackburn

Joseph Kochanski at 10.30am on Saturday 29^th June at Blackburn Cathedral by the Bishop of Blackburn

Mark Naylor at 11am on Saturday 29^th June at Ripon Cathedral by the Bishop of Leeds

William Allen at 11am on Saturday 29^th June at St Andrew, Holborn by the Bishop of Fulham

Simon Billington at 11am on Saturday 29^th June at St Andrew, Holborn by the Bishop of Fulham

Graham Hains at 11am on Saturday 29^th June at Southwark Cathedral by the Bishop of Southwark 

Paul Sumner * at 6pm on Saturday 29^th June at Lichfield Cathedral by the Bishop of Lichfield

Ben Jennings at 2pm on Sunday 30^th June at Manchester Cathedral by the Bishop of Beverley

Alex Honey at 6pm on Sunday 30^th June at St Michael, Heavitree by the Bishop of Oswestry

Lee Dunleavy at 7pm on Sunday 30^th June at St George, Nottingham by the Bishop of Beverley

James Bartle at 7pm on Tuesday 2^nd July at Newcastle Cathedral by the Bishop of Beverley

Nicolas Boisson at 7.15pm on Thursday 18^th July at All Saints, Northampton by the Bishop of Fulham

Charles Cowper at 5.00pm on Saturday 7^th September at St Luke’s, Holbrooks, Coventry by the Bishop of Oswestry
Jeffrey Graham at 11am on Saturday 14^th September at Chelmsford Cathedral by the Bishop of Colchester

* Distinctive deacon

Ordinations to the Sacred Priesthood

Richard Keeble at 5pm on Sunday 9^th June at St Saviour, Eastbourne by the Bishop of Lewes 

Ben Scott at 5pm on Sunday 9^th June at St Saviour, Eastbourne by the Bishop of Lewes  

Joseph Harrison at 12pm on Saturday 22^nd June at St John, Cudworth by the Bishop of Wakefield

Michael Scholey at 12pm on Saturday 22^nd June at St John, Cudworth by the Bishop of Wakefield

Kenny Wickens at 3pm on Saturday 22^nd June at St Marychurch, Torquay by the Bishop of Oswestry

Raymond Parkin at 7.30pm on Saturday 29^th June at St Leonard, Doncaster by the Bishop of Beverley

Jean Kouacou at 4pm on Sunday 30^th June at Blackburn Cathedral by the Bishop of Blackburn 

Duncan Hegan at 5pm on Sunday 30^th June at St Andrew, Holborn by the Bishop of Fulham

Roger Turner at 5pm on Sunday 30^th June at St Andrew, Holborn by the Bishop of Fulham

Gareth Gladman at 7pm on Monday 1^st July at St Andrew, Spennymoor by the Bishop of Beverley

Timothy Davies at 7.30pm on Monday 1^st July at Bristol Cathedral by the Bishop of Oswestry

Joshua Pollard at 5pm on Sunday 7^th July at St Alban, South Norwood by the Bishop of Fulham

The Right Reverend Norman Banks retired as Bishop of Richborough at Easter after 13 years of distinguished service in the role. We wish Bishop Norman a long and happy retirement, and give thanks to God for his service to the Church as a bishop.

The exercise to appoint Bishop Norman's successor has begun and, if you would like to contribute to that discernment process, then please make any suggestions to the following Church of England email address aaav.office@churchofengland.org by 19th May. Your prayers are asked for those involved in making the appointment.