Dame Sarah Mullally has been formally installed today as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury and the first woman to hold the role in the Church of England’s 1,400-year history.
The installation ceremony took place at Canterbury Cathedral on the Feast of the Annunciation and marks the official beginning of her public ministry as the head of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion, which includes around 85 million members worldwide.
The congregation of around 2,000 guests included the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and Christian leaders from within the Church of England, the Anglican Communion, and other denominations and traditions.
Reflecting her past career in the NHS prior to becoming ordained, Dame Sarah also invited NHS nurses and carers working in hospitals and hospices to her installation.
In another nod to her personal connection with the NHS, the clasp for the cope and mitre worn during the ceremony was made from the belt buckle she wore while serving as a nurse in the NHS.
The installation service took the theme of Jesus as the Good Shepherd and combined centuries-old tradition with modern symbolism, with Dame Sarah seated in the historic Chair of St Augustine during the ceremony and presented with her pastoral staff, symbolic of her role as a shepherd.
From the Chair of St Augustine, she opened her sermon with the words, “For nothing will be impossible with God” – the words spoken by the Angel Gabriel to Mary in Luke 1:37.
She said this assurance from the angel “resonates with me” because her teenage self who made a commitment to follow Jesus “could never have imagined” her future ministry as the Archbishop of Canterbury.
She went on to remember her Anglican brothers and sisters unable to attend her installation in person due to the war in the Middle East and Gulf.
“We pray for them without ceasing and for all those in war-torn areas of the world – in Ukraine, in Sudan, and Myanmar – that they would know God’s presence with them, just as we pray for peace to prevail,” she said.
During her sermon, the Archbishop acknowledged hurt stemming from safeguarding failures within the Church of England – it was such failures that brought down her predecessor, Justin Welby.
“And in a world already torn by conflict, suffering and division, we must also acknowledge the hurt that exists much closer to home,” she continued.
“We must not overlook or minimise the pain experienced by those who have been harmed through the actions, inactions and failures of those in our own Christian churches and communities.
“Today and every day, we hold victims and survivors in our hearts and in our prayers, and we must remain committed to truth, compassion, justice and action.”
The Archbishop went on to speak of “hope” grounded in the trust that God walks with His people and “that God will do a new thing”.
“The moment of encounter between Mary and the Angel Gabriel announces the mystery of the Incarnation – the definitive moment that reveals God with us, Immanuel.
“In the Incarnation, we see God becoming one of us, and this gives me such hope for the Church,” she said as she praised the impact of “ordinary people who, like Mary, have the audacity to believe that with God, we can do extraordinary things”.
The Archbishop was installed after walking from St Paul’s Cathedral in London to Canterbury Cathedral on a six-day pilgrimage. She touched on this journey several times during her sermon and how she saw it mirrored in her life and ministry.
“For me, this hope and trust in God began as I committed my life to Jesus and God has been with me each and every step of my pilgrim path, and I trust He walks with me now,” she said.
She concluded her sermon, “May we have the audacity to believe in the promises of God. For with Him, nothing will be impossible.”
For the first time since 1945, a modern Bible was used to swear the oath. For nearly 60 years, Archbishops of Canterbury have been sworn in using the 6th-century Augustine Gospels, believed to be a relic of the first Archbishop of Canterbury, St Augustine. However, the gospels, which reside at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, are fragile and not easily moved so the cathedral chose to use the Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition instead.
Reflecting the diversity of the global Anglican Communion, a prayer was given in the Bemba language of Zambia by the Primate of Central Africa, Most Rev Albert Chama, while the Gospel reading was delivered in Spanish by the acting Primate of the Anglican Church of Mexico, Bishop Alba Sally Sue Hernández García.
The hymns chosen by Archbishop Mullally were Tell Out My Soul and Praise my Soul the King of Heaven.
Speaking ahead of the service, she had said: “As I prepare to begin my ministry as Archbishop of Canterbury, I am grateful for the prayers and support I have received from people here and around the world.
“To be welcomed into the city and diocese of Canterbury is an immense privilege – and I am grateful to be sharing in this moment with people of all ages and backgrounds from across the Church of England, the Anglican Communion, our nation and the world.
“Our world today needs the love, healing and hope that we find in Jesus Christ. I continue to pray that we renew our confidence in this good news, and recommit ourselves to sharing the joy of the Gospel.”
Mullally’s installation follows her formal confirmation in January, when she legally became Archbishop.
She succeeds Justin Welby at a time of considerable challenge for the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion. Some of this is owing to ongoing divisions around issues like sexuality – the Gafcon movement has refused to recognise her authority and is pursuing a path of “principled disengagement” from Canterbury.
Her supporters, however, see her as a conciliatory and experienced leader who they hope will bring a steady hand to the Church.
