Michael Bourke
Bishop of Wolverhampton; Archdeacon of Bedford
Elizabeth Bieler
(m. 1968)Michael Gay Bourke (born 28 November 1941) was the second area and third overall Bishop of Wolverhampton from 1993 until 2007.[1]
Education and career
Bourke studied Modern Languages at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge[2] and then Theology at Cambridge and Tübingen before training for the ministry at Cuddesdon Theological College. He was ordained in 1967, and began his ordained ministry as a curate at St James’ Grimsby[3] after which he spent 22 years in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire in the Diocese of St Albans [4] rising to be Archdeacon of Bedford (1986–1993), until his ordination to the episcopate. From 1996 to 2006 he was Anglican Co-Chairman of the Meissen Commission,[5] the body which oversees the relationship between the Church of England and the Protestant Church of Germany (EKD),[6] Bourke has lived in Hereford diocese, and is an honorary Assistant Bishop in that diocese (as retired bishops usually are).
Personal life
Bourke married in 1968 Elizabeth Bieler. They have a son and daughter.
Bourke is a keen amateur astronomer,[7] and counts star-gazing as amongst his chief spare-time pursuits. He has been an outspoken advocate of gay rights in both church and society, and has actively opposed institutional homophobia in all organisations, including the Church.[8]
Awards
In 2008 Michael Bourke received the Cross of St Augustine, the second highest international award for outstanding service to the Anglican Church. This was awarded primarily for his services to ecumenism, although the citation also mentioned his work opposing racism and homophobia.[9]
References
- ^ Resignation details Archived 2011-05-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ‘BOURKE, Rt Rev. Michael Gay’, Who's Who 2012, A & C Black, 2012; online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2011 [1], accessed 2 July 2012
- ^ Crockford's Clerical Directory2008/2009 Lambeth, Church House Publishing ISBN 9780715110300
- ^ BCC website Archived 2008-09-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ BST, Jennifer Gold Sat 15 Jul 2006 22:15. "Bishop of Wolverhampton Set to Retire After 13 Years". www.christiantoday.com. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Meissen Declaration". www.ekd.de. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ "Archbishop awards Cross of St Augustine". rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ See this citation by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
- ^ "Archbishop of Canterbury awards Cross of St Augustine". www.anglicannews.org. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
Christianity portal
| Church of England titles | ||
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| Preceded by Christopher Mayfield | Archdeacon of Bedford 1986–1993 | Succeeded by Malcolm Lesiter |
| Bishop of Wolverhampton 1993–2007 | Succeeded by | |
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- Barry Rogerson
- Christopher Mayfield (became first area bishop}
- Christopher Mayfield
- Michael Bourke
- Clive Gregory
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