Flora Jane Louise Winfield DL (born 1964) is a British Anglican priest, military chaplain, diplomat, and author. Since 2022, she has been the Third Church Estates Commissioner.[1] She has worked in parish ministry, including as priest-in-charge of St Mary-at-Hill, City of London (2008–2014), and in academia as chaplain and tutor at Mansfield College, Oxford (1994–1997). Before taking up her current appointment, she held a number of diplomatic posts including Anglican Communion Permanent Representative to the United Nations (2014–2017) and as Archbishop of Canterbury's Special Representative to the Commonwealth (2017–2019), and was then Archbishop of Canterbury's Advisor for Reconciliation (2019–2022).[2][3][4]
Flora Winfield | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Selby | |
.jpg) Winfield (left) in 2024 | |
| Church | Church of England |
| Diocese | Diocese of York |
| In office | October 2024 to present |
| Predecessor | John Thomson |
| Other post(s) | Third Church Estates Commissioner (2022–2024) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1989 (deacon) 1994 (priest) |
| Consecration | 10 October 2024 by Stephen Cottrell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Flora Jane Louise Winfield 1964 (age 59–60) |
| Denomination | Anglicanism |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | St David's University College, Lampeter Ripon College Cuddesdon |
Early life and education
editWinfield was born in 1964.[4] She was educated at Portsmouth High School, an all-girls independent school in Southsea, Portsmouth.[3] She studied at St David's University College, Lampeter, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1985.[4]
Career
editFrom 1986 to 1987, Winfield was a lay worker at Christchurch Abbeydale in Gloucester.[3] She then trained for ordination at Ripon College Cuddesdon between 1987 and 1989.[4] She was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1989.[4] She was then parish deacon at Christ Church, Stantonbury in the Diocese of Oxford for the next three years.[4] From 1992 to 1994, she was "County Ecumenical Officer" for the county of Gloucestershire, supporting local ecumenism as part of Churches Together in England.[3]
In 1994, Winfield was ordained as a priest.[4] She was then chaplain and tutor of Mansfield College, Oxford,[3] before becoming National Ecumenical Officer for the Church of England in 1997.[5] She was installed as a residentiary canon of Winchester Cathedral in September 2002,[6] serving the cathedral for the next three years as its canon pastor.[3]
In 2005, Winfield moved to New York, United States, having been appointed assistant secretary general of Religions for Peace.[2] She then returned to the United Kingdom and held a number of concurrent appointments: she was secretary for international affairs for Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (2006–2009), Archbishop of Canterbury's secretary for Anglican relations (2007–2014), and a parish post as priest-in-charge of St Mary-at-Hill in Diocese of London (2008–2014).[3][4]
In 2014, Winfiled was appointed as the Anglican Communion's permanent representative to the United Nations.[5] She was also held permission to officiate in the Diocese of London from 2015 to 2024.[4] She became the Archbishop of Canterbury's special representative to the Commonwealth in 2017.[2] From 2019 to 2022, she was the Archbishop of Canterbury's adviser on reconciliation.[3][7] From 2019 to 2024, she also held permission to officiate in the Diocese of Leeds.[4] On 1 February 2022, she became the Third Church Estates Commissioner.[8]
Since March 2011, she has been a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) to the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London.[9]
Military service
editOn 22 July 1997, Winfield was commissioned in the British Army as a chaplain to the forces 4th class (equivalent in rank to captain) in the Royal Army Chaplains' Department, Territorial Army.[10] She was promoted to chaplain to the forces 3rd class (equivalent to major) on 15 November 2005,[11] and to chaplain to the forces 2nd class (equivalent to lieutenant colonel) on 5 October 2015.[12] She attended the Advanced Command and Staff Course at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in 2016.[3]
Episcopal ministry
edit_(cropped).jpg)
On 31 July 2024, Winfield was announced as the next Bishop of Selby, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of York.[2] She was formally nominated in September 2024.[13] On 10 October 2024, she was consecrated as a bishop by Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, during a service at York Minster.[5][14]
Personal life
editSince 1985, she has been married to Jonathan Gough.[15]
References
edit- ^ "Rev'd Canon Dr Flora Winfield appointed Third Church Estates Commissioner". The Church of England. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Appointment of Suffragan Bishop of Selby: 31 July 2024". GOV.UK. Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Winfield, Rev. Canon Flora Jane Louise, DL; Third Church Estates Commissioner, since 2022". Who's Who 2024. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Flora Jane Louise Winfield". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ a b c Dover, Lou (31 July 2024). "New Bishops of Selby and Whitby: the Reverend Canon Doctor Flora Winfield and the Reverend Barry Hill". Diocese of York. Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "New pastor will spread the word". Daily Echo. 26 March 2002. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "Archbishop of Canterbury appoints new Advisor for Reconciliation". The Archbishop of Canterbury. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ Davies, Madeleine (11 January 2022). "Canon Flora Winfield to leave Lambeth Palace to be Third Church Estates Commissioner". Church Times. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "No. 59774". The London Gazette. 4 May 2011. p. 8297.
- ^ "No. 54918". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 October 1997. pp. 11544–11545.
- ^ "No. 57965". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 April 2006. p. 5684.
- ^ "No. 61513". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 March 2016. p. 4347.
- ^ "No. 64525". The London Gazette. 26 September 2024. p. 18630.
- ^ "In Pictures: Bishops' Consecrations, 10th October 2024". Diocese of York. 10 October 2024. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
- ^ "Gough, Ven. Jonathan Robin Blanning, (born 11 May 1962), Archdeacon of Richmond and Craven, since 2019". Who's Who 2022. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2024.