On Saturday faithful Anglicans and well-wishers gathered at Bristol Cathedral for a farewell service for the Right Reverend Vivienne Faull, the outgoing Bishop of Bristol.
Bishop Faull announced her intention to retire in February, but remained in post until 1 September.
The Very Reverend Dr Mandy Ford, Dean of Bristol paid tribute to Bishop Faull, saying she had “been an inspiration to women in ministry because the Eighties”.
“She has been in senior leadership within the Church of England for so long as I even have been ordained, and has held those roles with wisdom, resilience and fortitude,” she said.
“I’m particularly grateful to Bishop Viv for her encouragement through the years, firstly within the Diocese of Leicester, and most recently in Bristol.”
Reverend Ford said she was praying that Faull and her husband would have “more time to benefit from the wonders of Creation”, adding that each one within the cathedral and diocese were praying for them.
Faull was the primary female chaplain of an Oxbridge college, before becoming the primary woman to steer a cathedral – in Leicester, the primary female Dean of York, and the primary female Bishop of Bristol.
She truly represents the primary wave of ordained women within the Church of England. Women were permitted to receive ordination as deacons within the CofE in 1987, with the primary female priests being ordained in 1994. Faull was ordained as a deacon in 1987 and as a priest in 1994.
She was also lauded for being a powerful campaigner against modern slavery, a cause she has often taken up within the House of Lords.
The farewell service concluded with Faull taking the diocesan crozier and handing it to the Vice Dean, who then placed it on the high altar, indicating an end to her ministry.
No successor has yet been appointed, although the Bishop of Swindon, the Right Reverend Neil Warwick, can be the acting diocesan bishop. A consultation across the diocese has began as a part of the strategy of selecting the following bishop.
Reverend Warwick said, “I’m deeply grateful for the transformative impact Bishop Viv has had on our Diocese and our communities – leading us with vision, compassion, and hope – at all times reminding us to hearken to people on the margins, to less heard voices.
“Viv has lived out the decision made at a Bishop’s consecration to: ‘proclaim the gospel boldly, confront injustice and work for righteousness and peace in all of the world.’
“Personally, thanks, Bishop, in your unwavering investment in my vocation as Archdeacon and Bishop – your guidance, wisdom, and example have profoundly and positively shaped my ministry.”
