David Walker (bishop of Manchester) explained

Type:bishop
Honorific Prefix:The Right Reverend
David Walker
Honorific Suffix:TSSF
Bishop of Manchester
Church:Church of England
Diocese:Diocese of Manchester
Term:2013–present
Predecessor:Nigel McCulloch
Other Post:Bishop of Dudley until 2002)[1]
Ordination:1983 (deacon)
1984 (priest)
Ordained By:David Lunn
Consecration:2000
Consecrated By:George Carey
Birth Date:1957 5, df=y
Nationality:British
Religion:Anglican
Residence:Bishopscourt, Broughton
Children:two
Alma Mater:King's College, Cambridge
Module:
Embed:yes
Office:Member of the House of Lords
(Lord Spiritual)
Term Start:7 September 2020

David Stuart Walker (born 30 May 1957) is a British Anglican bishop. Since 2013, he has been the Bishop of Manchester. He had previously been the Bishop of Dudley, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Worcester, from 2000 to 2013.

Early life

Walker was born on 30 May 1957. He was educated at The Manchester Grammar School, then an all-boys direct grant grammar school in Manchester. He competed in the International Mathematical Olympiad in 1975. Walker studied at King's College, Cambridge, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree: as per tradition, his BA was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Cantab) degree. He trained for ministry at Queen's College, Edgbaston, an ecumenical theological college. He later studied for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree at Warwick University, which he completed in 2015.

Ordained ministry

Walker was ordained in the Church of England: made a deacon at Petertide 1983 (3 July) and ordained a priest the Petertide following (1 July 1984), both times by David Lunn, Bishop of Sheffield, at Sheffield Cathedral. Walker's ordained ministry began as a curate at St Mary Handsworth, after which he was a team vicar at Maltby, then Bramley before ordination to the episcopate.

Walker was consecrated as a bishop on 30 November 2000 by George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury,[2] at St Paul's Cathedral.[3] During his time as Bishop of Dudley, Walker was Acting Bishop of Worcester (as the sole suffragan of the diocese) during the 2007 interregnum between the retirement of Peter Selby and confirmation of John Inge.[4]

Walker's nomination to be the next Bishop of Manchester was announced on 5 June 2013;[5] his canonical election to the see was confirmed on 7 October 2013;[6] and he was enthroned at Manchester Cathedral on 30 November 2013.[7] Walker was awarded a doctorate in 2014 after research, at Warwick University, on how people belong to their churches, particularly in rural Anglicanism.

Since 2014, Walker has been vice-president of Affirming Catholicism.[8] He is a member of the Third Order of the Society of St Francis (TSSF).[9]

Walker was introduced into the House of Lords on 7 September 2020.[10]

Views

Walker supports the introduction of same-sex marriage in the Church of England: "I would be delighted to serve as bishop in a church that fully celebrated the committed, exclusive and faithful love of two adults, regardless of whether they were of same or different sexes".[11]

In November 2023, he was one of 44 Church of England bishops who signed an open letter supporting the use of the Prayers of Love and Faith (i.e. blessings for same-sex couples) and called for "Guidance being issued without delay that includes the removal of all restrictions on clergy entering same-sex civil marriages, and on bishops ordaining and licensing such clergy".[12]

Personal life

Walker is a keen hill walker.[13] He married Susan in 1980 and together they have two children; he ordained her deacon at Manchester Cathedral on 1 July 2018, to serve as assistant curate in Prestwich.[14]

Styles

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://www.churchofengland.org/media/1279366/gs1445.pdf GS 1445: Report of the Dioceses Commission, Diocese of Worcester
  2. http://www.cofe-worcester.org.uk/Press5400.htm Diocese of Worcester — New Bishop of Dudley announced
  3. http://www.cofe-worcester.org.uk/press7200.htm Diocese of Worcester — Diocese welcomes new Bishop of Dudley
  4. News: Trust chaplaincy service secured. 9 November 2007.
  5. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/diocese-of-manchester Press release: Diocese of Manchester
  6. https://web.archive.org/web/20131207001419/http://www.cofe-worcester.org.uk/news/news_n.php?i441 Diocese of Worcester – David becoming Bishop of Manchester: key dates
  7. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-25169323 Bishop David Walker enthroned as Bishop of Manchester
  8. Web site: Affirming Catholicism . 20 January 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150417174618/http://affirmingcatholicism.org.uk/pages/default.asp?sID=0 . 17 April 2015 . dead .
  9. Web site: Staff and trustees. Church Urban Fund. 1 November 2015. 5 October 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141005005725/http://www.cuf.org.uk/about-us/staff-and-trustees. dead.
  10. Web site: Diocese of Manchester - News - Bishop David to join the House of Lords . www.manchester.anglican.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200921102441/https://www.manchester.anglican.org/news/2020/09/04/bishop-david-join-house-lords/ . 2020-09-21.
  11. Web site: Bishop of Manchester: Living in Love and Faith Letter . manchester.anglican.org . 22 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230122132036/https://manchester.anglican.org/news/latest-news/bishop-llf-letter.php . 22 January 2023 . 19 January 2023.
  12. News: Martin . Francis . Don't delay guidance allowing priests to be in same-sex marriages, say 44 bishops . 2 November 2023 . Church Times . 1 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231102131648/https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/3-november/news/uk/don-t-delay-guidance-allowing-priests-to-be-in-same-sex-marriages-say-44-bishops . 2 November 2023.
  13. Debrett's People of Today London, 2008 Debrett's,
  14. Web site: Petertide Ordinations.