[Anglican Communion News Service] The archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev. Cherry Vann, was enthroned in a national service at St. Woolos Cathedral, Newport, on Saturday, Nov. 8.
Vann is the first woman to serve as archbishop of Wales. The enthronement followed her election by the Electoral College of the Church in Wales in July.
At the ceremony, Vann was enthroned in the archepiscopal chair in front of the high altar. The chair will remain at Newport Cathedral throughout her time as archbishop.
On entrance to the cathedral, the archbishop was greeted by a young member of the choir. This took place at the font in the oldest part of the cathedral, where Gwynllyw (Woolos) founded his church in 5th century. An act of penitence led by Vann, while kneeling before the throne, followed.
Later in the service, the oaths of office were taken using the Monmouth Archbishops’ Bible used at the enthronement of all previous bishops of Monmouth who have become archbishop of Wales — Edwin Morris, Derek Childs, Rowan Williams and now Vann.
Once enthroned and greeted by the whole assembly from across Wales and beyond, the archbishop took her seat on the archiepiscopal throne as the Cathedral Choir sang “The Call of Wisdom” by Will Todd, composed for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and sung at St. Paul’s Cathedral for her Diamond Jubilee service.
Vann then preached, before leading the congregation in the Nicene Creed, this year being its 1700th anniversary.
Cynan Llwyd, secretary general of Cytûn, the partnership body for churches in Wales, introduced the archbishop to church and faith leaders from across Wales, while Bishop David Morris introduced the archbishop to representatives of the Church of England, the Church of Ireland, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the archbishop of Uppsala, representing the Porvoo churches, an ecumenical fellowship of European Anglican and Evangelical Lutheran churches, of which the Church in Wales is a member.
Prayers followed, led by pupils from St. Teilo’s Church in Wales High School, Cardiff and Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi, St. Davids. The service concluded with an Act of Commitment to the mission of the church. The archbishop and clergy then processed out of the cathedral.
The music for the service was led by the director of music, Tom Coxhead, and the Cathedral Choir. The service featured the Welsh-language Kyrie composed by Paul Mealor, which was sung at the coronation of King Charles in 2023. It was sung by the young Welsh bass-baritone Owain Wyn Rowlands. The former royal harpist, Alis Huws, who also played at the coronation, also took part.
The Cross of Wales, a processional cross given by the king as a gift to the churches in Wales for its centenary, led the procession into the cathedral.
The Very Rev. Ian Black, dean of Newport Cathedral, said, “It is a delight to be able to welcome everyone to the cathedral for this special moment in the life of the church in Wales. This marks a new beginning, as we pray that together we may seek to be bearers of light and hope in our nation.”
The bishop of St. Asaph, the Rt. Rev. Gregory Cameron, said, “I am hugely pleased to welcome Cherry as the 15th archbishop of Wales. In her time as bishop of Monmouth, she brought healing at a time of need, and a vision of the church as a renewed community under Christ that can now be translated and enlarged for the whole of the Church in Wales.”
The Rt. Rev. Jo Wells, the deputy secretary general of the Anglican Communion, attended the installation along with representatives from several other provinces. Wells said, “It was a joy to witness the enthronement of Archbishop Cherry. It was evident how deeply she is respected and loved in Wales — not least for the calm depths of her wisdom. We pray for her, in all the opportunities and challenges of ministry and mission that she is now charged to lead in Wales.”
Originally from Leicestershire, Vann was ordained as a deacon in 1989. She was then among the first women to be ordained as a priest in the Church of England in 1994. After serving in various roles in the Diocese of Manchester, including as chaplain to the deaf community, she then served as archdeacon of Rochdale for 11 years before being consecrated as bishop of Monmouth in 2020. She continues in the role of bishop of Monmouth.
When first elected as archbishop, she said, “The first thing I shall need to do is to ensure that the issues which have been raised in the last six months are properly addressed and that I work to bring healing and reconciliation, and to build a really good level of trust across the church and the communities the church serves.”