On Saturday, March 16, 2019, the Rt. Rev. Andrew Williams was consecrated as the second bishop of the Anglican Diocese in New England (ADNE) at Holy Family Parish in Amesbury, Massachusetts.
On hand to officiate the ceremony and serve as Chief Consecrators were The Most Rev. Dr. Foley Beach, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in North America, The Rt. Rev. Bill Murdoch, First Bishop of the ADNE, The Rt. Rev. James Hobby, Bishop of Pittsburgh. Ten other ACNA bishops came from around the country, as well as Bishops James Ssebbala and Cranmer Mugisha of Uganda and Bishop Adam Andudu of South Sudan. The Rt. Rev. Bill Atwood, Bishop of the International Diocese of the Anglican Church in North America, delivered the sermon on the history of the province, its implications for the worldwide Church and for the local church, and the significance of the role that Bishop Williams will assume on behalf of New England and the Anglican Church in North America.
Over 600 guests were present for the celebration of this historical event as they welcomed Bishop Williams, who will continue on Bishop Murdoch’s legacy in the missionary diocese of New England. The event was held a block down the street from All Saints Anglican Cathedral at Holy Family Parish, a Roman Catholic church, with the blessing of Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston. A solemn procession began at the Cathedral, led by a bagpiper, and ended at Holy Family for the start of the ceremony. The service is a reminder of the ongoing ecumenical partnership between the ADNE and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, which has supported the ADNE in various ways since its inception. A luncheon for all the guests was held on the All Saints Cathedral property.
Bishop Williams graduated with an honors degree in theology and was ordained in the Diocese of Exeter in the Church of England in 2000. He spent six years serving as Associate Vicar of St. Andrew’s, Chorleywood, a vibrant suburban congregation just outside London. Since October 2009, he has been the Senior Pastor of Trinity Church in Greenwich, CT, with an area of focus in developing and overseeing a new outreach strategy through the creation and support of Mission Shaped Communities. “I am extremely grateful to everyone whose prayers and service have brought this day to fruition; and to Bishop Bill, for laying down an extraordinary foundation in Jesus Christ; I am humbled by the gift of trust given to me by the people of this diocese, in calling me to serve in the company of his heroes.”
Bishop Bill Murdoch, the founding bishop of the diocese, remarked, “the splendor of the day was only matched by the joy and love that filled the hearts of diocesan staff, team leadership, and all the clergy and lay people as we celebrated the transition of episcopal leadership from the first to second bishop of New England. The openness of the whole diocese’s love and commitment to one another and our new bishop brought us to a new beginning with great energy and joy.”
To read more about Bishop Andrew Williams, visit his webpage, with his submitted biography and answers to questions given during the discernment process: http://www.ad-ne.org/andrew-williams/
