Press release from 10 Downing Street. Further information on the Sodor and Man diocesan website.
The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Patricia Hillas for election as Bishop of Sodor and Man.
Appointment of Bishop of Sodor and Man: 16 May 2024
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 16 May 2024
The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Patricia Hillas, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons and Archdeacon of Westminster, for election as Bishop of Sodor and Man, in succession to The Right Reverend Peter Eagles following his retirement.
Background
Patricia was educated at University of East London and Birkbeck College, University of London. She trained for ministry by completing the North Thames Ministerial Training Course validated by Middlesex University in 2002. She served her title at St Mark’s Kensal Rise, in the Diocese of London, and was ordained Priest in 2003.Patricia served as Vicar of St Barnabas, Northolt Park, from 2005 and was appointed Canon Pastor at St Paul’s Cathedral in 2014.In 2020 Patricia took up her current role as Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons whilst also serving as Priest in Charge of St Mary at Hill, City of London. Since 2021, after leaving St Mary at Hill, she has served jointly as Speaker’s Chaplain in Parliament and at Westminster Abbey as Canon Steward and Archdeacon of Westminster.
By announcement (as opposed to consecration – there are five other women awaiting consecration, 3 in Australia and 2 in the USA), Tricia is the 150th woman to become a bishop in the Anglican Communion.
You’ve included Ana Fletcher, recently consecrated in ACANZP – Wellington Diocese?
Yes! The first woman born in the 1980s to become an Anglican bishop.
Any explanation why this was announced by the Prime Minister of the UK, rather than the Lieutenant Governor or the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man?
Err. Because it’s a an appointment of a diocesan bishop in the Church of England? All such appointments require the approval of the Sovereign, which matter is processed by 10 Downing Street.
Further, as this is a Church of England bishop (or is it as part of the Anglican Communion?)… I think IoM has no involvement in the UK Parliament, nor the Bishop of Sodor and Man in the House of Lords?
Coincidentally (Godincidence?) the House of Commons Library produced this ‘research’ regarding Establishment (or not) of the Church of Scotland:
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/is-the-church-of-scotland-established/?utm_source=HOC+Library+-+Research+alerts&utm_campaign=a8635ed0c0-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_05_17_08_00&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a9da1c9b17-a8635ed0c0-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=a8635ed0c0&mc_eid=ceae79df5a
Perhaps TA contributors of a governance ‘bent’ may find this of interest and provide more illumination?
The Bishop is not a Lord Spiritual. I’m not sure whether it has yet passed into legislation, but my understanding is that the Bishop of Sodor and Man will continue to be a member of the Tynwald, the island parliament, but will no longer have the right of voting.
(I now see that Peter Kettle has beaten me to it with this information.)
The legislation to remove the Bishop’s vote in Tynwald has not yet been finally approved, although it has passed the Keys.
Thank you, much appreciated, I enjoyed reading the link to the Kirk. ( updated my own understanding and knowledge).
Possibly because this is a Crown appointment within the Province of York.
Bishop Patricia is to be consecrated in York Minster.
Have any previous Bishops of S&M been so close to the Westminster parliament as Tricia has, in her capacity as Speaker’s Chaplain? It should be useful experience for sitting ex officio in the Tynwald, though legislation is currently going through to ban the Bishop from voting.
Perhaps it would be a good time for HoL to do the same and remove the bishops from voting in the house, indeed removal from the house altogether. I Have often thought a representative group of faith leaders from different traditions and faiths would be better.
The Current Bishop of Dover!
More helpful information here from the Diocese:
https://www.sodorandman.im/the-venerable-patricia-hillas-appointed-as-the-next-bishop-of-sodor-and-man/
Question from a Yank:
“The King has approved the nomination….” Is there any literal truth to this? Yes, a document is passed before him for signature, but does the sovereign really have any input to this? Isn’t it really all decided within the CoE, and then confirmed by the PM’s government?
I guess he signs it in the same way he signs laws passed by parliament. As a matter of interest,how big is the diocese? How does it compare in terms of worsippers,clergy and so forth with an average urban deanery in Leeds or London,or Li erpool?
The population of the Diocese of Sodor and Man is about 86,000 of whom about 1,000 are at church any Sunday. There are 15 parishes. Liverpool diocese has 15 deaneries with an average of 11 parishes per deanery. The population average per Liverpool deanery is 108,000 of whom about 920 are in church on a Sunday. So the diocese of Sodor and Man is indeed roughly comparable with an average Liverpool deanery. Sodor and Man originally included the Isle of Lewis and other Hebridean Islands, as well as the Isle of Man, and was in the ecclesiastical province of Trondheim… Read more »
The transfer of Sodor and Man from Trondheim to York took place after three successive Bishops-elect of Sodor and Man were drowned through shipwreck on their way to Norway to be consecrated. More details in the Crockford Preface for 1936.
A growing number of dioceses in the Episcopal Church of the US have a uSa of about 1000, some are below that number. The entire uSa of the Scottish Episcopal Church is about 12,000 – less than most dioceses in England. Wales is probably about 20k – less than many English dioceses. Should these churches be dissolved into the C of E now?
My guess is that one of HM’s private secretaries reads papers over before they go to the King. They know if there is something which might interest him and will attach a note to highlight it if there is. Circumstances would have to be truly exceptional, however, before the King would consider blocking or delaying an appointment.
I suspect also that the royal view, when there is one, is conveyed informally at a much earlier stage so no nomination is made that the monarch would not be happy with. One thinks of Pete Broadbent, for example.
If another Yank can chime in,
You make a good point about a monarch probably expressing his or her opinion earlier in the nomination process, but if a person’s nomination as bishop was flatly rejected by the monarch after being formally nominated, would there be a huge political or ecclesial struggle, or would the diocesan nominating committee simply go back to square one with no Parliamentary feathers ruffled?
Either, both, or neither, depending on the general circumstances as well as the specifics of the case. It’s not impossible that there might be a general sigh of relief as those in the process recommence their labours.
That couldn’t happen, since it is the monarch who “formally nominates” the candidate for election by the College of Canons of the diocese. For the monarch to refuse to act on the formal advice of his prime minister would be unconstitutional. Prime ministers reserve the right to set aside the agreement with the Church that they accept the name proffered by the Crown Nominations Commission — but doing so would likely bring calls for disestablishment. The monarch has no voice in the CNC process. The PM has their Appointments Secretary as a non-voting member of each CNC, and so can… Read more »
Anyone know what has happened to Froghole? We haven’t heard from him for a while, and this seems like the kind of item he would comment on.
I can confirm he is alive and well, as he and I bumped into one another on Saturday for the first time.
I hope Tricia will actively engage in the Assisted Suicide debate in the Isle of Man from the outset
There is no election in relation to Sodor and Man. The sovereign’s nomination is simply followed by consecration and enthronement.