John Ford (bishop)

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John Ford
Bishop of The Murray
2012 National Pilgrimage to Walsingham (7344972950) (John Ford cropped).jpg
Ford in 2012
Church Anglican Church of Australia
Diocese The Murray
Predecessor Ross Davies
Other posts Bishop of Plymouth, UK (2005-2013)
Orders
Ordination1980
Consecration13 December 2005
by  Rowan Williams
Personal details
Born (1952-01-14) 14 January 1952 (age 73)
NationalityBritish
Denomination Roman Catholic (formerly Anglican)
SpouseBridget
Children3
Alma mater Southampton College of Technology

John Frank Ford [1] (born 14 January 1952) is a British former Anglican bishop. From 2013 to 2019 he was the Bishop of The Murray in the Anglican Church of Australia. From 2005 to 2013, he was the Bishop of Plymouth, a suffragan bishopric in the Diocese of Exeter in the Church of England. [2] In November 2025 he was received into the Roman Catholic Church.

Contents

Early life

Ford was educated at the Southampton College of Technology. [3] From 1976 to 1979, he studied for ordination at Chichester Theological College. [4] [5]

Ordained ministry

Ford was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1979 and as a priest in 1980. [5] He began his career with a curacy at Christ Church, Forest Hill [6] after which he was vicar of St Augustine's Lee and then domestic chaplain to the Bishop of Horsham. From 1994 to 2000, he was a diocesan missioner for the Diocese of Chichester. From 2000 to 2005, he was a residentiary canon and precentor of Chichester Cathedral. [5]

Episcopal ministry

On 13 December 2005, Ford was consecrated as a bishop at Exeter Cathedral by Rowan Williams, the then Archbishop of Canterbury. [4] He was Bishop of Plymouth, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Exeter, from 2005 to 2013. From 2011 to 2013, he also held the position of assistant bishop in the Diocese of Truro. [5] [7]

On 30 June 2013, Ford was announced as the next diocesan bishop of the Diocese of The Murray in South Australia. He was installed as the fourth Bishop of The Murray on 6 December 2013. [8] He retired in 2019 and returned to England to live in the Diocese of Chichester. [9] He had permission to officiate in the Diocese in Europe. [9]

Ford was a member of The Society, an association of traditionalist Anglo-Catholics in the Church of England who reject on theological grounds the ordination of women as priests and bishops. [10]

On 30 November 2025, the First Sunday of Advent, Ford was received into the Roman Catholic Church. [11]

Personal life

Ford is a keen cricket fan. [12] He is married to Bridget. [2] They have three children. [13]

Styles

References

  1. ↑ Anglican Communion website
  2. 1 2 3 Official notification of appointment
  3. ↑ Who's Who 2008: London, A & C Black ISBN   978-0-7136-8555-8
  4. 1 2 "Plymouth gets new Bishop". BBC News. 15 December 2005. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "John Frank Ford" . Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing . Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "Church history". Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
  7. ↑ "Who's who; Bishop's staff". Diocese of Truro. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  8. ↑ Williams, David (30 June 2013). "New Bishop for Diocese of The Murray" (PDF). Diocese of The Murray. The Anglican Church of Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  9. 1 2 "The Society: The Rt Revd John Ford" . Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  10. ↑ "Retired Bishops". The Society. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  11. ↑ Ashenden, Gavin (20 December 2025). "Yet Another Anglican bishop is received into the Catholic Church, - and comes 'Home to Rome.'". Gavin Ashenden - 'New English Catholic'. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  12. ↑ Debrett's People of Today. London: Debrett's, 2008 ISBN   978-1-870520-95-9
  13. ↑ "Bishop of Plymouth to move to Australia". Western Morning News. 3 July 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
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