Bishop of Ripon formally departs — with no successor imminent

The Rt Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley has formally left her role as Bishop of Ripon after five years to become Bishop of Newcastle.

At a special evensong service at Ripon Cathedral, Bishop Helen-Ann removed her diocesan cope, stole and mitre and placed them on the altar in a symbolic act of standing down.

Paying tribute to to the people of the Ripon episcopal area, she said:

“I have often felt most affirmed in my role as Bishop of Ripon by people and groups who are not part of the formal structures of the church, and for whose support and encouragement I will be forever grateful: by our civic and military partners, those who work in the rural and farming economies and the running community.”

Bishop of Ripon and Bishop of Leeds

With Bishop of Leeds Nick Baines

She praised Ripon Runners, of which she was a member, for giving her mental and physical challenges, such as once having to define “evil” while running up a hill to Ripon’s Morrisons supermarket.

Bishop of Leeds Nick Baines said Bishop Helen-Ann had been a blessing to the diocese in the five years since she arrived from New Zealand, accompanied at that service by a group of Maori elders.

Read more:

Bishop Nick presenting her with a framed aerial view of Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, as a parting gift. He said

“Let us continue to pray for Bishop Helen-Ann and her husband Myles and pray that they will thrive and build new friendships with colleagues in Newcastle.”

Bishop of Ripon Helen-Ann pulpit_jpg best

The bishop’s final sermon in Ripon.

The appointment of a bishop is a lengthy and opaque process that requires the consent of Downing Street.

The Stray Ferret asked the Anglican Diocese of Leeds when a new Bishop of Ripon was likely to be appointed.

A spokesman said:

“A process to find her successor is underway and will be concluded as swiftly as possible.”

Bishop of Ripon set to move to new post in Newcastle

The Bishop of Ripon is to leave her post to take up a new role next year.

The Right Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley has been in Ripon since 2017, but has now been announced by Downing Street as Bishop of Newcastle, with her installation set to take place in early 2023.

The appointment was approved by Her Late Majesty the Queen this year following the retirement of the last Bishop of Newcastle, the Rt Rev Christine Hardman. Since then, the Bishop of Berwick, the Rt Rev Mark Wroe, has been acting diocesan Bishop of Newcastle.

Bishop Helen-Ann, who grew up in the North-East, said:

“I am delighted to have been called to be the Bishop of Newcastle, and pleased that this move means we will be staying in the north!

“At the same time, I will miss the Diocese of Leeds and the diverse peoples and communities of the region I have served and worked with over the past four and a half years.

“There are so many thank yous to be shared, for so many people who have helped, encouraged and challenged me along the way — a very special thank you is due however to the remarkable running community, particularly Ripon Runners who have in so many ways kept me grounded and mostly fit!

“It has been an absolute joy to have been Bishop of Ripon, and I wish the region and diocese all the very best for the new season that lies ahead.”

Bishop Helen-Ann was born in Edinburgh and grew up in the Scottish borders, where her father was a Church of Scotland minister.

At a young age, she and her family moved to Sunderland, where she was educated, while her father became a priest in the Church of England.

Her own ordination was in 2005 as deacon of the Diocese of Oxford, becoming a priest a year later.

A relocation to New Zealand in 2010 was followed three years later by her election as Bishop of Waikato on the North Island.

Read more:

Her five years in Ripon have seen her engage extensively with the community and in support of the city’s residents.

In 2020, she received death threats after publicly criticising Dominic Cummings for breaking the government’s lockdown rules. The Bishop said she and her family had missed her father’s birthday as he recovered from cancer treatment in order to keep to the restrictions.

After Bishop Helen-Ann’s move from Ripon was announced, the Bishop of Leeds, the Right Reverend Nick Baines, said:

“It has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve with Bishop Helen-Ann for the last four years. Our loss is Newcastle’s gain, where she will bring many gifts and broad experience to her new responsibilities.

“She will move on with my gratitude, prayers and blessing.”

The Archbishop of York, the Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell, added:

“I am delighted that Helen-Ann has agreed to become the next Bishop of Newcastle. Helen-Ann brings rich experience and a tremendous passion for communicating the gospel, as well as a deep commitment to championing those often under-represented in our society.

“Newcastle Diocese is truly blessed to have Helen-Ann as its new Bishop.”