Up a bit earlier this morning and what should be the first Tweet I find staring back at my sleepy eyes but news that Bishop Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Waikato and Taranaki Diocese, is returning to England to be the Bishop of Ripon in the Diocese of Leeds. Announcement is here.
It was a pleasure some years back to meet Helen-Ann when she was doing research at SJC in Auckland and then not long after that to be part of an appointment panel which recommended her appointment as Dean of Pakeha students there.
I wish Bishop Helen-Ann every blessing in her new role.
I'm sad that Helen-Ann Hartley's ministry as a Bishop in ACANZP will no longer be available to us in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Despite her short time here in our Church, she has made a goodly contribution to our understanding of the worldwide importance of the Anglican Tradition - of unity in diversity. It is Ripon's gain and our loss, and a sign of the Church of England's belated recognition of the value of women in the episcopate. Helen-Ann's eirenic voice will be missed in the upcoming debate on Motion 29.
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