Sheffield church worker to be enthroned as new Archbishop of York

Stephen Cottrell will become the Church of England’s second most senior clergyman during a service of Evensong at York Minster at 4pm on Sunday.

The ticketed event will be held under Covid-19 secure guidelines, with strict limits on the numbers attending.

It will also be streamed on the York Minster and Church of England social media channels.

Mr Cottrell said: “I am delighted and humbled to be the 98th Archbishop of York.

“I have begun my ministry at a time of huge hardship and challenge and at the moment Covid-19 is having a particularly devastating impact in the North.

“We don’t know how long the current restrictions will be in place. However, the worship and work of the church goes on bringing much-needed hope, relief and practical help to the communities we serve.”

Following the election ceremony in July, Mr Cottrell undertook the custom of knocking three times on the west door of the Minster with the Braganza crozier, his staff of office, before it was thrown open.

Formerly the Bishop of Chelmsford, Mr Cottrell takes over from John Sentamu.

The married father-of-three, 62, began his ministry at Christchurch in Forest Hill, south-east London in 1985, before moving to the Dioceses of Chichester and Wakefield.

He was nominated area Bishop of Reading in 2004, where he served for six years before becoming Bishop of Chelmsford in 2010.

A founding member of the Church of England’s College of Evangelists, the new archbishop chairs a group of bishops with an interest in the media and is one of the authors of the Church of England’s Pilgrim Course, a major teaching and discipleship resource.

He also chairs the Board of Church Army, an organisation based in Sheffield committed to evangelism and social justice.

The organisation’s website describes itself as a team and a community that believes strongly and passionately in the work of Church Army.

A spokesman said: “Our vision is for everyone everywhere to encounter God's love, and be empowered to transform their communities through faith shared in words and action.”