Watch ordination of new Bishop of East Anglia live 

The ordination of Canon Peter Collins as the Fifth Bishop of East Anglia will take place at St John’s Cathedral in Norwich on Wednesday December 14, before a congregation of up to 1,500 people and on live-stream.

The Episcopal Ordination will begin with processions from 11am and start at 11.30am and will be live-streamed using the cathedral’s in-house cameras and cameramen from Audio Electronic Design to provide comprehensive coverage on the diocesan YouTube channel.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster and leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, will be present, alongside 30 bishops from England and Wales, and scores of priests and deacons from both the Diocese of East Anglia and Cardiff, where Bishop-Elect Peter comes from.

As the appointment of a new bishop is always at the gift of the Pope, who is the successor to St Peter, the Vatican’s Apostolic Nuncio (Ambassador) to Great Britain will be represented by Mgr Ervin Lengyel, First Counsellor of the Apostolic Nuncio of Great Britain. 

Also present at the Mass will be ecumenical guests including the Rt Rev Graham Usher Bishop of Norwich and the Rt Rev Martin Seeley, Bishop of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich, as well as ecumenical representatives of other non-Catholic faiths within the Diocese. 

Civic guests include His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, The Lady Dannatt and General The Lord Richard Dannatt, His Honour John Devaux, representing the Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk. Also present will be the mayors of Norwich and Peterborough and the High Sheriff of Norfolk.

As Bishop-Elect Peter Collins is not already a bishop he will be ordained, or set apart, for the ministry he is about to undertake.

There will be three bishops as consecrators at the episcopal ordination.  Bishop Alan Hopes – the current Bishop of East Anglia – will be the principal consecrator.  Alongside him will be Archbishop Mark O’Toole – current Bishop of Menevia and Archbishop of Cardiff, the diocese from which the new bishop comes – and Archbishop George Stack, Archbishop Emeritus of Cardiff.

A mandate, or Papal Bull, from the Holy See and Pope Francis, is read, followed by a homily by Cardinal Vincent Nichols.

The examination of the candidate for ordination is then conducted by Bishop Alan who then invites all to pray for the Bishop Elect who lies prostrate on the floor. 

Bishop Alan and all the other bishops present lay their hands, in silence, on the head of Bishop-Elect Peter.  This silent gesture indicates the invocation of the Holy Spirit to come down on the Bishop-Elect.

Bishop Alan places the open Book of the Gospels upon the head of the Bishop-Elect, whose ministry is subject to God’s Word.

When the prayer has finished, Bishop Peter’s head is anointed with the Oil of Chrism, symbolic of his sharing in the priestly, prophetic and kingly role of Christ.  This oil is used also in Baptism and Confirmation.

He is then presented with the Book of the Gospels – symbolising his proclamation of God’s Word and his sound teaching and three symbols of his office as bishop.

The ring – symbolising his fidelity to Christ and his Church
The mitre – a pointed hat symbolising his authority, and worn whenever he presides at a liturgy
The crozier or pastoral staff – a symbol of his role as shepherd to the people of his diocese.

Bishop Alan then leads Bishop Peter to his special chair – known as the Cathedra.  From the moment Bishop Peter sits on the chair, Bishop Alan ceases to be Bishop of East Anglia and Bishop Peter is acclaimed as the fifth Bishop of East Anglia.

Click here to download the official Order of Service

You can watch the ordination live from 11am on the Diocese YouTube channel, or watch the recording later at: https://www.youtube.com/@rcdea/streams

Pictured above are Bishop Alan Hopes and Bishop-Elect Peter Collins at St John’s Cathedral after the announcement of the new bishop.