The Rt Revd Sarah Mullally’s installation as Bishop of London

The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally was installed as the 133rd Bishop of London at St Paul’s Cathedral on 12th May at a service attended by clergy and representatives from the Diocese of London, wider London, from the Diocese of Exeter and ecumenical guests. 

The service began with Bishop Sarah striking the Great West Door three times with her pastoral staff before entering the Cathedral. The Oaths of Allegiance and Due Obedience were sworn upon the Cathedral’s copy of the Tyndale Bible of 1526, one of the three remaining copies in the world. 

In her sermon, Bishop Sarah said, “Today as I respond to the Call of Christ to a new ministry I recall my first calling to follow Christ; to know him and make him known to the world. In the words of St Augustine ‘For you I am your bishop but with you I am a Christian’.”

On International Nurses Day, Bishop Sarah, herself a former nurse, reflected on the inspiration of Florence Nightingale, from whom we can learn the simple but essential skill of building human relationships:

"If we want to improve public health today, if we want to improve the life chances of those who are still left behind and failed by our education system, if we want to reduce the horrifyingly high number of young deaths from knife and gun crime occurring in this wonderful city, we have to build relationships, and if we want to see more people transformed by the love of God then we have to reach out, to build relationships."

Finally, she asked people to join her in fostering in the Diocese of London “a church which is rooted in scripture and tradition but not afraid to reimagine the future”. 

Read the full sermon

Bidding prayers read by Youth Ambassadors from the Diocese included prayers for London: “that its cities and its boroughs, its faith and its communities, its needs and its plenty may be a blessing to your people”.

Music during the service was performed by the Cathedral Choir directed by Andrew Carwood with the organ played by Simon Johnson and included a special piece by Judith Bingham which was commissioned for the service. 

At the end of the service, Bishop Sarah paused on the west steps of the Cathedral to bless the City and Diocese.

Download the Order of Service

Before ordination Bishop Sarah was Chief Nursing Officer in the Department of Health. She trained for the ministry at the South East Institute for Theologian Education and served her first curacy at Battersea Fields in Southwark Diocese from 2001 to 2006. She was Canon Residentiary and Canon Treasurer at Salisbury Cathedral before taking up her current role in 2015 as Suffragan Bishop of Crediton in the Diocese of Exeter. Bishop Sarah is married to Eamonn and they have two children. Read more about the new Bishop of London here. 

Public Event: Bishop Sarah will also be in conversation with Dean David Ison in a public event in St Paul’s Cathedral on Monday 4 June. For more information and to book free places please click here.