24
Nov
Retiring Bishop of Leeds lays down his staff in Ripon
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The Archbishop of Sudan and the Bishop of Hanover were among those at Ripon Cathedral yesterday (November 23) for the diocesan farewell of Bishop of Leeds Nick Baines.
The Rt Revd Nick Baines, who has been Bishop of Leeds since 2014, announced in March he would retire at the end of this month.
Church members, civic representatives and leaders from other faiths were among those gathered in Ripon to thank him and his wife, Linda, for their service to the diocese.
The cathedral was full for the occasion.
Attendees included the Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York; Johanna Ropner, the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire; Ed Anderson, the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire; the Most Revd Ezekiel Kondo, Archbishop of Sudan and Bishop of Khartoum; Bishop Ralf Meister, Bishop of Hanover; and the mayors and civic representatives of Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Boroughbridge, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon, Richmond, Skipton, Bedale, Wetherby and Calderdale.
Bishop Nick, who preached a sermon about confidence, said: “Clarity, confidence and competence have been watchwords for our diocese over the last eleven years.
He said:
Confidence comes from having a clarity of what we’re about, and the competence to have a go.
We can have confidence in the person of God and the content of the Christan faith, and we need to be confident about the Church of England and its unique vocation to serve all people in our geographical area.
Dean John Dobson (left) with Bishop Nick
Pastoral staff
The service began with a welcome from the Very Revd John Dobson, Dean of Ripon, before readings from Sir Andrew Lawson-Tancred, the High Sherrif of North Yorkshire, and Linda Baines, Bishop Nick’s wife.
Canon John Wood, former headteacher of St Aidan’s Church of England High School in Harrogate was among those giving prayers.
After Bishop Nick delivered his sermon and blessed the diocese, he laid down his crozier — his pastoral staff — at the altar of Ripon Cathedral.
Bishop Nick at his farewell service in Ripon.
The diocese of Leeds was created by the Dioceses of Bradford, Ripon, Leeds and Wakefield Reorganisation Scheme in 2014.
The Rt Revd Toby Howarth, Bishop of Bradford, became Interim Bishop of Leeds from Monday, September 1.
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