Background to the See of Ebbsfleet |
N NOVEMBER 1992, the General Synod of the
Church of England (CofE) voted to approve the Priests (Ordination of Women)
Measure. This permitted within the CofE the ordination of women to the
priesthood, subject to the reception of this innovation by the wider
Church.
In order to provide an Episcopal structure for the care of parishes, laity and clergy that do not
in conscience accept this innovation by the CofE, and which wish to maintain
the traditional Faith of the Church as it has 'been believed everywhere,
always, and of all men' (Vincent of Lerins, Against Heresy, Ch.ii), the
Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod was passed in 1993.
Under the provisions of this Act, parishes may petition the diocesan bishop to
make provision for alternative Episcopal pastoral and sacramental care. One of
the methods of providing such care is through the provision of Provincial
Episcopal Visitors (PEVs) or 'flying bishops', who are Provincial Suffragan
Bishops of either the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Archbishop of York.
There are two PEVs in the Province of Canterbury, the Bishop of Richborough and
the Bishop of Ebbsfleet. The Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Rev'd Andrew Burnham,
has under his care parishes which have petitioned for alternative Episcopal
oversight in dioceses in the western part of the Province of Canterbury - the
Provincial Suffragan See of Ebbsfleet. The Bishop of Richborough, the Rt Rev'd
Keith Newton, provides the same care for parishes in the eastern part of the
Province of Canterbury. Under the 'London Plan', put in place by the Rt Rev'd
David Hope, Archbishop of York, while he was Bishop of London, the Rt Rev'd
John Broadhurst, Bishop of Fulham, provides Episcopal oversight to petitioning
parishes within the Diocese of London. A third PEV, the Rt Rev'd Martyn
Jarrett, Bishop of Beverley, does so in the Province of York.
Bishop John Richards, the first Bishop of Ebbsfleet, retired in
1998. Until his death in early November 2003, he remained very active in providing assistance to his successors as
Bishop of Ebbsfleet in the south-western dioceses of the Province of
Canterbury. Bishop Michael Houghton SSC succeeded Bishop John as Bishop of
Ebbsfleet until his sudden death just before Christmas 1999. Bishop Andrew
Burnham was consecrated in St. Paul's Cathedral, London on November 30th 2000,
St. Andrew's Day, as the third Bishop of Ebbsfleet.
N NOVEMBER 1992, the General Synod of the
Church of England (CofE) voted to approve the Priests (Ordination of Women)
Measure. This permitted within the CofE the ordination of women to the
priesthood, subject to the reception of this innovation by the wider
Church.In order to provide an Episcopal structure for the care of parishes, laity and clergy that do not in conscience accept this innovation by the CofE, and which wish to maintain the traditional Faith of the Church as it has 'been believed everywhere, always, and of all men' (Vincent of Lerins, Against Heresy, Ch.ii), the Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod was passed in 1993.
Under the provisions of this Act, parishes may petition the diocesan bishop to make provision for alternative Episcopal pastoral and sacramental care. One of the methods of providing such care is through the provision of Provincial Episcopal Visitors (PEVs) or 'flying bishops', who are Provincial Suffragan Bishops of either the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Archbishop of York.
There are two PEVs in the Province of Canterbury, the Bishop of Richborough and the Bishop of Ebbsfleet. The Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Rev'd Andrew Burnham, has under his care parishes which have petitioned for alternative Episcopal oversight in dioceses in the western part of the Province of Canterbury - the Provincial Suffragan See of Ebbsfleet. The Bishop of Richborough, the Rt Rev'd Keith Newton, provides the same care for parishes in the eastern part of the Province of Canterbury. Under the 'London Plan', put in place by the Rt Rev'd David Hope, Archbishop of York, while he was Bishop of London, the Rt Rev'd John Broadhurst, Bishop of Fulham, provides Episcopal oversight to petitioning parishes within the Diocese of London. A third PEV, the Rt Rev'd Martyn Jarrett, Bishop of Beverley, does so in the Province of York.
Bishop John Richards, the first Bishop of Ebbsfleet, retired in 1998. Until his death in early November 2003, he remained very active in providing assistance to his successors as Bishop of Ebbsfleet in the south-western dioceses of the Province of Canterbury. Bishop Michael Houghton SSC succeeded Bishop John as Bishop of Ebbsfleet until his sudden death just before Christmas 1999. Bishop Andrew Burnham was consecrated in St. Paul's Cathedral, London on November 30th 2000, St. Andrew's Day, as the third Bishop of Ebbsfleet.
A Message from Bishop Andrew HOSE WHO LOOK to the Bishop of
Ebbsfleet are sometimes called 'traditionalists'. Though most of us are not in
the least 'old-fashioned', we are certainly among those who are most concerned
about the Church's 'tradition'.St Paul said about the Holy Eucharist 'I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you'. The technical word for 'delivered to you' - 'handed on' - is 'tradition'. It is the Church's 'tradition' which links us back, through the bishops, to the apostles and to the Lord himself. We 'traditionalists' emphasise that, as the Church seeks to evangelise each new generation, we must take care not to come adrift from the anchor of Scripture and the teaching and practice of the Church throughout the ages. The Bible, the Creeds, the Sacraments and the Church's Ministry are not ours to change. They were received from the Lord by the Church in apostolic times, and have been delivered - handed on - from generation to generation. There have been developments, of course, especially as the Creeds blossomed, and it has been the task of the teaching authority of the Church (especially the Ecumenical Councils), led by the Holy Spirit, to safeguard the 'tradition' - what is 'received' and 'handed on'. 'Receiving' and 'handing on' is what we Christians do whenever we meet to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. We feed on the Body of Christ round the Lord's Table to become the Body of Christ in the Lord's world. We 'receive him' to become him. We become the Body of Christ so that we can 'hand on' to others, in this unbelieving age, the good news of the life, death and resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ. As the quotation below from St Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians tells us, nothing is more important than the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, for it is nothing less than the mystery of Jesus Christ still alive and at work in our midst: I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, 'This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (English Standard Version) May God bless you as you seek to serve him round his table and in his world. + Andrew Ebbsfleet |
