TWO latest area bishops within the diocese of Oxford are to be Canons Dave Bull and Mary Gregory, it was announced on Wednesday morning.
Canon Bull, Team Rector within the Marlow Area Team Ministry, and Area Dean of Wycombe, will probably be the following Area Bishop of Buckingham.
Canon Gregory, who’s a residentiary canon of Coventry Cathedral with responsibility for arts and reconciliation, will probably be the Area Bishop of Reading.
The Bishop of Oxford, Dr Steven Croft, said that he was delighted with the 2 appointments. Of Canon Gregory, he said: “She brings great warmth, humanity, and a profound understanding of the healing power of reconciliation in God’s world.
“Given the tensions and conflicts on the planet, this will probably be a major area of focus as all of us pray for peace in our communities. She is committed to the protection of the environment and the strengthening of our interfaith work,” he said in a press release.
After an early profession within the prison service, Canon Gregory, a graduate of Birmingham University, studied for ordination at Cranmer Hall and St John’s College, Durham, and was ordained priest in 2005. She served her title at St Lawrence’s, Hatfield. From 2008 until 2015, she was Rector of Good Shepherd, Kirk Sandall, within the diocese of Sheffield, also serving as Dean of Women’s Ministry within the diocese.
In 2015, she moved to the diocese of Leicester to change into Team Rector in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, before taking over her current post in 2022.
Speaking on the announcement of her latest appointment, Canon Gregory said: “I’m looking forward to attending to know Berkshire, its towns and villages, and, above all, its people. I’m keen to grasp how I can best lead our church communities in sharing the hope that now we have in God, and in all that God is doing amongst us. There is a lot for me to find.”
Canon Bull, who studied at Worcester College, Oxford, was ordained in 2008, after coming to faith through the Alpha course. After training for ministry at Wycliffe Hall, he served his title at St Mary Magdalene’s, Reigate, within the diocese of Southwark, before moving to the diocese of Oxford in 2012.
Since 2021, he has been an honorary canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, and he has been Area Dean of Wycombe since 2016.
“I actually have had the chance to look at his strong faith at work in that community in recent times. He is a proven strategic leader, beloved by his congregations,” Dr Croft said of Canon Bull.
“Dave engages deeply with all types of theological tradition and will probably be constructing on the firmest of foundations as he becomes Bishop.”
Canon Bull said that it was an “exciting prospect” to be Bishop of Buckinghamshire: “This is a major moment to witness Christ in our culture, where so many individuals are in search of identity, hope, and purpose for his or her lives.”
His predecessor, Dr Alan Wilson, served for twenty years. He died suddenly in February, a 12 months before his planned retirement (News, 23 February; Obituary, 1 March).
The previous Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Olivia Graham, retired in September after almost five years in post (News, 9 February).
