Pat Storey Explained

Type:Bishop
Honorific-Prefix:The Most Reverend
Pat Storey
Bishop of Meath and Kildare
Church:Church of Ireland
Diocese:Diocese of Meath and Kildare
Term:2013 to present
Predecessor:Richard Clarke
Ordination:1997 (deacon)
1998 (priest)
Consecration:30 November 2013
Consecrated By:Richard Clarke
Birth Name:Patricia Shaw
Birth Date:1960 3, df=yes
Birth Place:Belfast
Spouse:Earl Storey
Children:2
Alma Mater:Trinity College, Dublin
Church of Ireland Theological College

Patricia Storey (née Shaw; born 30 March 1960) is an Irish Anglican bishop. Since 2013, she has been the Bishop of Meath and Kildare in the Church of Ireland. She was the first woman to become a bishop in the Church of Ireland and the first woman to be an Anglicanbishop in Ireland and Great Britain.

Early life and education

Storey was born 30 March 1960. She was educated at the Methodist College Belfast, a grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland.[1]

She studied French and English at Trinity College, Dublin, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1983; as per tradition, her BA was later promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Dubl) degree.[2] In 1994, she began to train for ordination at the Church of Ireland Theological College. She graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Theology (BTh) degree.

Ordained ministry

Storey was ordained in the Church of Ireland as deacon in 1997 and priest in 1998. From 1997 to 2000, she served her curacy in the Parish of Kilconriola and Ballyclug, (Ballymena), County Antrim. From 2000 to 2004, she was an assistant curate at St Aidan's Church, Glenavy, County Antrim. In 2004, she was appointed rector of St Augustine's Church, Derry.[3]

Episcopal ministry

On 19 September 2013, Storey was chosen by the House of Bishops to succeed Richard Clarke as Bishop of Meath and Kildare. She was consecrated to the episcopate at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, on 30 November 2013. She is the first woman to be elected as a bishop in the Church of Ireland and the first woman to be an Anglican bishop in Ireland and Great Britain.[4] [5] [6]

As Bishop of Meath and Kildare, she is the only Anglican bishop who is not also an archbishop or primate to be styled The Most Reverend (rather than The Right Reverend), the style usually restricted to archbishops or primates.[7]

Views

Storey has described her churchmanship as "open liberal evangelical".[8] She was previously a board member of the Evangelical Alliance.[9] She voted 'no' on same-gender marriage in Ireland but, at the same time, affirmed civil unions and partnerships for same-gender couples thus taking a middle of the road approach. In her words, "I believe that civil partnerships give gay people clear civil rights and recognition as people committed to one another, and I fully endorse this. ... However, I do not think this requires the redefinition of marriage to uphold it, and I do not believe marriage should be redefined.".[10]

Personal life

Storey is married to an Anglican priest, Earl Storey.[11] Together they have two adult children; Luke and Carolyn.

Notes and References

  1. News: Bradley. Una. The woman who will be bishop: Church trailblazer Rev Pat Storey on Weight Watchers, caffeine, and how she named her dog after former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. 29 July 2016. The Belfast Telegraph. 13 November 2013.
  2. News: Reverend Pat Storey first woman Anglican bishop in Ireland. BBC News . 20 September 2013 . 15 July 2014.
  3. Web site: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) - nidirect. 4 March 2016.
  4. Web site: Irish Anglicans install Rev Pat Storey as bishop. BBC News. 30 November 2013. 30 November 2013.
  5. Web site: Bishop Clarke. Diocese of Meath and Kildare. 26 September 2013. dead. https://archive.today/20130920193628/http://meath.anglican.org.dnnmax.com/mainsite/Bishop/tabid/81/language/en-US/Default.aspx. 20 September 2013. dmy-all.
  6. News: Anglicans Name First Female Bishop in Ireland. Erlanger. Steven. 20 September 2013. The New York Times. 26 September 2013.
  7. News: Ryan. Gregg. First woman bishop for Ireland. 3 June 2015. Church Times. 6 December 2013. the diocese of Meath is the only diocese whose bishop uses the episcopal title Most Revd, apart from the Archbishops.
  8. News: A first among equals. 26 May 2015. The Irish Catholic. describes herself as "an open liberal evangelical, not conservative".
  9. Web site: Rev Pat Storey first woman bishop in the British Isles. News. Evangelical Alliance. 26 May 2015. 20 September 2013.
  10. Web site: Hjelmgaard. Kim. Ireland could make history with gay marriage vote. USA Today. 27 January 2016.
  11. Web site: MacDonald. Sarah MacDonald. Church of Ireland's first female bishop ordained. CatholicIreland.net. 13 May 2014. 1 December 2013.