Bishop Stephen's Tour of Ely Diocese
31st August 2010 - Introductory Statement and photographs from the day
The new Bishop of Ely will be the Rt Revd Stephen Conway, currently the Suffragan Bishop of Ramsbury in the Diocese of Salisbury where he has been serving since his consecration in June 2006.
Following the announcement on 31st August 2010 the Bishop of Huntingdon, Dr David Thomson, introduced Bishop Stephen to the Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Hugh Duberly, and other civic dignitaries, the Dean and Chapter of Ely Cathedral and other senior clergy, and members of the Diocesan Office staff.
Bishop Stephen (52) will become the 69th Bishop of Ely. He will be officially installed and take up office early next year on a date yet to be decided. He succeeds Bishop Anthony Russell, who retired in February 2010.
"I am thrilled at the prospect of serving as Bishop of Ely,” said Bishop Stephen. “It is a joyful prospect to serve among all God's people in the region, to discover together what God is doing and to join in."
In his introductory statement he said, “I thank God for calling me back to serve the region in which I studied for the ministry and where I was first sent out to preach the good news of Jesus. One strand of my family hails from the area and I am looking forward to my homecoming. With no spouse or children of my own, I have always sought in parish and diocese to serve the building up of extended family life. One of my treasured titles as a bishop is 'father in God' and I commit myself to being a passionate builder of community wherever people live, learn, work and pray. My prayer is that in this way people may trust our approach to them with the good news of God's love revealed in Jesus Christ. I look forward to getting to know you all."
“I have been fortunate to serve in two dioceses already where the cathedrals are centres of pilgrimage. I rejoice that has prepared me for my ministry to lead this next generation of pilgrimage to God's kingdom in Ely, confident that we are accompanied by St Etheldreda and all the saints of our region.”
During the rest of the day he toured the Diocese. He met parishioners at Hampton Vale who are planning to build a new church, a local farmer in Ramsey, staff at a Church School and a hi-tech business in Cambridge, and also members of the University of Cambridge.