List of women bishops in the Anglican Church of Australia

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These women have been consecrated and installed as bishops in the Anglican Church of Australia. Each woman is notable as a bishop and her biographical article is linked from her name (apart from the bishops elect). [1]

Contents

NameDate first consecrated bishopOffice, Diocese, Dates
Kay Goldsworthy 22 May 2008Assistant Bishop, Perth (2008–2015); Bishop, Gippsland (2015–2017); Archbishop, Perth (2018-)
Barbara Darling 31 May 2008Bishop for Diocesan Ministries, Melbourne (2008–2009); Bishop of the Eastern Region, Melbourne (2009–2014)
Genieve Blackwell 31 March 2012Regional Assistant Bishop, Wagga Wagga, Canberra and Goulburn (2012–2015); Assistant Bishop Marmingatha Episcopate, Melbourne (2015-); Assistant Bishop, Melbourne (2015-)
Alison Taylor 6 April 2013Bishop, Southern Region, Brisbane (2013–2018)
Sarah Macneil 1 March 2014Bishop, Grafton (2014–2018)
Kate Wilmot 6 August 2015Assistant Bishop, South Area of Episcopal Oversight, Perth (2015-); Assistant Bishop, Perth (2015-)
Sonia Roulston 10 May 2018Assistant Bishop, Inland Episcopate, Newcastle (2018-)
Kate Prowd 6 October 2018Assistant Bishop, Melbourne (2018-)
Denise Ferguson 21 July 2019Assistant Bishop, Adelaide (2019-)
Carol Wagner 22 February 2020Assistant Bishop, Canberra and Goulburn (2020–2024) [2]
Sarah Plowman [3] 21 June 2024 [4] [5] Assistant Bishop and Bishop for the Northern Region, Brisbane (2024-)
Vanessa Bennett [6] (Bishop elect)24 August 2024 (tbc) [6] [7] Assistant Bishop, Canberra and Goulburn (2024-) [6]
Sophie Relf-Christopher [8] (Bishop elect)15 August 2024 (tbc) [8] Assistant Bishop, Adelaide (2024-)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Church of Australia</span> Church of the Anglican Communion

The Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion. It is the second largest church in Australia after the Catholic Church. According to the 2016 census, 3.1 million Australians identify as Anglicans. As of 2016, the Anglican Church of Australia had more than 3 million nominal members and 437,880 active baptised members. For much of Australian history since the arrival of the First Fleet in January 1788, the church was the largest religious denomination. It remains today one of the largest providers of social welfare services in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn</span> Diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Browning (bishop)</span>

George Victor Browning is a retired British-Australian Anglican bishop who served as the 9th Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn in the Anglican Church of Australia. He was elected on 31 January 1993 and installed on 30 May 1993. He retired in 2008.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Diocese of Armidale</span> Diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia

The Anglican Diocese of Armidale is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia located in the state of New South Wales. As the Diocese of Grafton and Armidale, it was created by letters patent in 1863. When the Anglican Diocese of Grafton was split off in 1914, the remaining portion was renamed Armidale, retaining its legal continuity and its incumbent bishop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Diocese of Brisbane</span> Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Diocese of Melbourne</span> Diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia in Victoria

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Kay Maree Goldsworthy is an Australian bishop of the Anglican Church of Australia. She is the current archbishop of Perth in the Province of Western Australia. Upon her installation as archbishop, on 10 February 2018, she became the first female archbishop in the Anglican Church of Australia. Previously, she served as diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Gippsland in the south-eastern Australian state of Victoria.

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Genieve Mary Blackwell is an Australian Anglican bishop who has served as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Melbourne since June 2015, and previously served as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn from 2012 to 2015. She was the first woman to be consecrated as a bishop in the state of New South Wales and the third in Australia.

Sarah Macneil is a retired Anglican bishop in Australia. She was the Bishop of Grafton in the Anglican Church of Australia. She was consecrated and installed as bishop on 1 March 2014, becoming the first woman in Australia to lead a diocese.

Carol Wagner is a South-African born Australian bishop in the Anglican Church of Australia. She has served as an assistant bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn since February 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colleen O'Reilly</span> Australian Anglican priest

Colleen Anne O'Reilly is an Australian Anglican priest. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021 in recognition of her significant service to the Anglican Church of Australia, and to religious education. O'Reilly has been a strong advocate for women's leadership in the Anglican Church and women's ordination since the 1970s and described by Muriel Porter as "the ‘mother' of the movement that was a key factor in bringing about the ordination of women through many years of determined struggle".

Dianne Dialecti "Di" Nicolios is a retired Australian Anglican priest. She was the first woman appointed Archdeacon for Women's Ministries in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. She held that position from January 1994 to May 2002. She was also one of the first group of 14 women to be ordained a deacon in 1989 in the Sydney diocese.

Peta Sherlock (1946-) is an Australian Anglican priest who was formerly Dean of the Anglican Diocese of Bendigo at St Paul's Anglican Cathedral, Bendigo. She was one of the first women ordained as an Anglican deacon in 1986 then as an Anglican priest in 1992 and the first woman Dean of an Anglican diocese in Australia.

Susanna Pain is an Australian Anglican priest, former Dean of St Paul's Anglican Cathedral, Sale in Victoria, Australia and spiritual director. She was one of the first women ordained as an Anglican priest in Australia in 1992, one of the five women ordained in Adelaide, and the first female dean of St Paul's, Diocese of Gippsland. The features of her ministry have been pastoral care, leading spiritual retreats and contemplative prayer, and encouraging use of the creative and performance arts for worship.

References

  1. The Anglican Church of Australia. 2021. “Directory.”
  2. "Anglican News | Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn". anglicancg.org.au. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  3. "Appointment of Assistant Bishop" . Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  4. "The Reverend Canon Sarah Plowman" . Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  5. The Consecration of The Reverend Canon Sarah Plowman as Bishop and Synod, 21st June 2024 . Retrieved 2024-06-22 via www.youtube.com.
  6. 1 2 3 Short, Mark "Pastoral Letter: Appointment of New Assistant Bishop", The Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. Read aloud in churches Sunday 6 May 2024, sent to all churches and ministry units.
  7. Felsbou, Hannah (2024-06-17). "Melbourne vicar becomes Canberra bishop". The Melbourne Anglican. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  8. 1 2 Officer, Media (2024-05-11). "Sophie Relf-Christopher named as new assistant bishop in Adelaide". Guardian. Retrieved 2024-05-12.

Further reading

See also