Auxiliary Bishop Stephen Wright and Mgr Timothy Menezes, Dean of St Chad’s Cathedral, have been installed as Ecumenical Canons at Lichfield Cathedral.

They were part of a group of new Canons and Prebendaries installed at a special service at Lichfield Cathedral earlier this month (July 2022).

The three new Ecumenical Canons are all leaders from ecumenical partner churches who work closely with Lichfield Diocese. They are the Rt Revd Stephen Wright, Bishop of Ramsbiria and Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham; the Revd Monsignor Timothy Menezes, Dean of St Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham; and the Revd Pastor Dr Marcus Chilaka, Provincial Pastor, Redeemed Christian Church of God. The Revd Rachel Parkinson, Chair of the Wolverhampton & Shrewsbury District of the Methodist Church; and the Rt Revd Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury, were also installed as Ecumenical Canons in November.

Bishop Stephen said: “It is a privilege and a joy to be installed as an Ecumenical Canon at Lichfield Cathedral. I thank Bishop Michael Ipgrave, Bishop of Lichfield, Dean Adrian Dorber and all the Cathedral community for this kind and very generous ecumenical gift, which I accept on behalf of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, alongside Mgr Timothy.

"I thank my predecessor, Bishop David McGough, for his years of service as an Ecumenical Canon at Lichfield Cathedral.

"Our shared Patron, St Chad, embodies our common Christian heritage and our shared call from the Lord to mission. May we minister to the people of the Midlands as St Chad did. May we all work towards the unity of Christians as willed by the Lord Jesus.”

Mgr Timothy said: "As Dean of St Chad’s Cathedral, our friendship with Lichfield Cathedral is based on our sharing of St Chad as a patron.

"St Chad, the Bishop, lived and ministered in this area which is common to the Anglican Diocese of Lichfield and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham. The relics of St Chad were once at Lichfield Cathedral and now they are in Birmingham.

"My predecessor, Canon Gerry Breen, was also made an Ecumenical Canon of Lichfield Cathedral and so it is good to know that the relationship between our two Cathedrals continues to grow, as do many other partnerships and joint projects between different Christian Churches and Faith Communities across the Archdiocese of Birmingham."

Six Lay Canons from within the Lichfield Diocese were also installed at the service.

Prebendaries are awarded special ‘stalls’ at the cathedral to recognise their service to churches across the Diocese of Lichfield. In times past, a stall was also associated with rights and income from a parcel of land after which the Prebend is named. Five people were nominated this year for the title by the Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Revd Dr Michael Ipgrave.

Mgr Timothy Menezes and Bishop Stephen Wright. Photographs courtesy of Lichfield Cathedral Photographers

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