The Diocese will bid farewell and Godspeed to Bishop Richard at St Paul’s Cathedral on Candlemas, Thursday 2 February at 6pm. After 21 years at the helm, the Bishop’s last public act will be to celebrate the Eucharist with the people and clergy of the Diocese.

The Bishop hopes to gather as many people as possible to celebrate the partnership in the Gospel which has been the heart of his Ministry among us, and to look with hope and confidence to the future.

To reflect this, everyone is welcome to the service. The earlier ticketing arrangement for parishes has been dispensed with and everyone is welcome. In addition clergy are invited to robe and join the procession. Unallocated seats in the Cathedral will be available on the night.

Alongside the service in the Cathedral, the Bishop will launch a parallel celebration in Paternoster Square shortly before 6pm. We aim there to make use of social media to send the message that Christ is the Light of the World to millions of people. We intend the service in the Cathedral to be broadcast in the square, so that everyone inside and outside the cathedral will be able to join in.

Further details, including how to arrange the parish tickets, will be sent out in due course, but for now please hold the date in your diary.