The new Bishop of Bradford has carried out his first official duties this weekend, confirming and baptising ten young people and adults at a service in Bradford Cathedral.
The Rt Revd Toby Howarth, who had been welcomed at an Inauguration service in the cathedral just two weeks earlier, confirmed five young people and five adults, baptising two of the ten candidates, in a service which he described as ‘ a very special time, very moving’.
In the Church of England, only bishops can carry out Confirmations, and although Bishop Toby has already attended several meetings including the first gathering of the Diocesan Synod he said Sunday’s service felt like his ‘first day at work’.
Click on the photograph below to see Bishop Toby's video diary or click here:
He told the Cathedral congregation, “This is my first ever confirmation so it is a very special day for me…. It kind of feels like the first day of work… it feels like this is really the beginning of ‘proper bishoping’!”
He added, “I’m really thrilled to be here and it is a great gift to be able to share this day with you.”
During his sermon, Bishop Toby read some of the testimonies of those being Confirmed at the service, and he said that it was significant that members of the choir were engaged in a very personal way in what they were singing. “It is a very significant moment in the journey of faith of those being baptised and confirmed - and I find it moving that many are members of the choir who are engaging in a personal way with what they are singing.”
