TWO new area bishops in the diocese of Oxford are to be Canons Dave Bull and Mary Gregory, it was announced on Wednesday morning.
Canon Bull, Team Rector in the Marlow Area Team Ministry, and Area Dean of Wycombe, will be the next Area Bishop of Buckingham.
Canon Gregory, who is a residentiary canon of Coventry Cathedral with responsibility for arts and reconciliation, will be the Area Bishop of Reading.
The Bishop of Oxford, Dr Steven Croft, said that he was delighted with the two appointments. Of Canon Gregory, he said: “She brings great warmth, humanity, and a profound understanding of the healing power of reconciliation in God’s world.
“Given the tensions and conflicts in the world, this will be a significant area of focus as we all pray for peace in our communities. She is committed to the protection of the environment and the strengthening of our interfaith work,” he said in a statement.
After an early career in the prison service, Canon Gregory, a graduate of Birmingham University, studied for ordination at Cranmer Hall and St John’s College, Durham, and was ordained priest in 2005. She served her title at St Lawrence's, Hatfield. From 2008 until 2015, she was Rector of Good Shepherd, Kirk Sandall, in the diocese of Sheffield, also serving as Dean of Women’s Ministry in the diocese.
In 2015, she moved to the diocese of Leicester to become Team Rector in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, before taking up her current post in 2022.
Speaking on the announcement of her new appointment, Canon Gregory said: “I’m looking forward to getting to know Berkshire, its towns and villages, and, above all, its people. I am keen to understand how I can best lead our church communities in sharing the hope that we have in God, and in all that God is doing amongst us. There is so much for me to discover.”
Canon Bull, who studied at Worcester College, Oxford, was ordained in 2008, after coming to faith through the Alpha course. After training for ministry at Wycliffe Hall, he served his title at St Mary Magdalene’s, Reigate, in the diocese of Southwark, before moving to the diocese of Oxford in 2012.
Since 2021, he has been an honorary canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, and he has been Area Dean of Wycombe since 2016.
“I have had the opportunity to observe his strong faith at work in that community in recent years. He is a proven strategic leader, beloved by his congregations,” Dr Croft said of Canon Bull.
“Dave engages deeply with all forms of theological tradition and will be building on the firmest of foundations as he becomes Bishop.”
Canon Bull said that it was an “exciting prospect” to be Bishop of Buckinghamshire: “This is a significant moment to witness Christ in our culture, where so many individuals are seeking identity, hope, and purpose for their lives.”
His predecessor, Dr Alan Wilson, served for two decades. He died suddenly in February, a year before his planned retirement (News, 23 February; Obituary, 1 March).
The previous Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Olivia Graham, retired in September after almost five years in post (News, 9 February).