BBC - Wiltshire - Faith - A New Bishop in Wiltshire

Stephen Conway, the Archdeacon of Durham, has been appointed as the next Bishop of Ramsbury.

Dr Conway will be ordained a bishop by the Archbishop of Canterbury in St. Paul’s Cathedral on 22 June 2006 and will take up his duties in South Wiltshire at the end of the summer.

The 48-year-old was ordained a priest in 1987 and has served his entire ministry, over the past 20 years, in the Diocese of Durham.

Originally trained as a teacher Dr Conway became a Christian whilst studying at Oxford University:

"There was a strong draw to this type of service," says Dr Conway.  "I remember rushing across the quadrangle, in my college, because I saw the Chaplain and I said: 'Oh, Father I've got something to come and tell you' and he said: 'Yes, you want to be a priest, I've been waiting for you to come and see me.' So it went from there."

As well as being a parish priest he has held a number of other posts. He has been a Director of Ordinands, with responsibility for overseeing new candidates for ordination, and has served as the Bishop of Durham's Senior Chaplain, working directly with the Bishop to support his ministry.

Ramsbury Church

But since 2002 he has been the Archdeacon of Durham and the Canon Treasurer of its Cathedral, serving the clergy and churchwardens of some 80 parishes in the North East, both urban and rural.

Now Stephen is to be the fourth modern Bishop of Ramsbury, since the position was revived back in 1974, with particular responsibility for the Ramsbury area:

"I have visited a bit before, as a child, because my uncle and aunt live in Marlborough so I've been coming as a visitor to this part of the world for quite a long time. 

"That doesn't mean to say that I know it but I've always been glad to come and now I'm actually going to be moving here so it’s even better."

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