A brass band-led procession through a city’s streets, a fanfare from West Yorkshire Police trumpeters, oaths made on a town’s medieval Bible, a single note sounded by the Ripon Hornblower and bishop-shaped biscuits.
It could only happen in the new Diocese of West Yorkshire & the Dales as next week sees three separate enthronements of the new bishop, the Rt Revd Nick Baines, in each of the three cathedrals of Wakefield, Bradford and Ripon – an historic first for the Church of England.
Starting in Wakefield on Tuesday 15 July, civic leaders, local and regional dignitaries, clergy and lay people from across the diocese will meet in the city centre of Wakefield to be led by a brass band through the streets to the Cathedral to wait for their new bishop to arrive at the west door, strike it three times with his staff, and wait for permission to enter.
Once inside, trumpeters from West Yorkshire Police band will mark Bishop Nick’s arrival with a fanfare as he is welcomed into his cathedral church before everyone moves outside to the city precinct for the rest of the service. Here three local school choirs will perform and Bishop Nick will meet and greet local people and bless the city. And afterwards everyone will get to sample bishop-shaped biscuits made by pupils at Cathedral Academy.
The Revd Canon Andi Hofbauer, the canon precentor at Wakefield Cathedral, who has helped organize the enthronement said: “The installation of a new Bishop is a ceremony rich in symbolism and involves many people who cover both the ecclesiastical and legal worlds.
“The service begins at the West Door, the entrance to the cathedral. The Bishop knocks on the door to seek entry and the door is opened to welcome him in the name of Christ and he enters a new chapter in his life as the first Bishop of this new Diocese.”
Two days later, on Thursday 17 July, Bradford Cathedral will welcome Bishop Nick for his second enthronement as the new Bishop of Leeds for the Diocese of West Yorkshire & the Dales. It will start at 7pm and the congregation will include community and faith leaders from across the area as well as the Lord Mayor and council leaders.
And then on Sunday 20 July, Ripon will see the final enthronement of the week at 3pm when civic, community leaders and local dignitaries will be joined by the Bishops of Kurunagula and Colombo (representing the diocese’s link with Sri Lanka) to witness Bishop Nick taking his oaths on the historic Ripon Bible, dated 1260. The city’s hornblower will sound the Ripon Horn to mark the new bishop taking his seat (or ‘cathedra’).
During the week of his enthronements, Bishop Nick will also meet and pray with people in the two other Episcopal Areas of the diocese - Huddersfield and Leeds. He’ll be at Halifax Minster on Wednesday 16 July, 7.30pm and at Leeds Minster on Friday 18 July, 7pm. On both occasions he’ll be welcomed by civic dignitaries and others.