Signs of hope on Palm Sunday

Shadow of palm leaves

Bishop Steven reflects on the quiet revival taking place in our churches among Gen Z and young people for Palm Sunday.

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Summer Joy

I hope you had a very good summer. Mine was full of good things. My youngest daughter Sarah became engaged.  Her fiancée, Simon, proposed at sunset in Florence.  I was able to spend two weeks with my grandson (mainly playing with trains…

Letter to the clergy and people of the Diocese of Oxford

To the clergy and people of the Diocese of Oxford Dear Friends and Colleagues, Thank you for your various messages of welcome and for your prayers following the announcement of my nomination as the Bishop of Oxford. It’s an enormous…

The Referendum Result: a Reflection

“God is our refuge and strength A very present help in trouble. Therefore we should not fear, though the earth should change Though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea” Psalm 46 has a special resonance today...  The United…

The darkest valley: a reflection on this week in Parliament

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me” These words from Psalm 23 have been in my mind this week following the atrocities in Orlando and the terrible murder of Jo Cox yesterday. I’ve been…

Young minds matter

When was the last time you thought about mental health and young people? There is a major issue.  As many as 1 in 10 children and young people (aged 5-16) have a clinically diagnosable mental health problem.  The problems include depression,…

Let’s make sure we use our vote….

I hope you have appointments in your diary on Thursday 5th May and Thursday 23rd June.  There are opportunities to vote on both days and it’s vital to use them. On 5th May, people across South Yorkshire will vote in local elections and…

A Letter from Bishop Steven

Dear Friends, I write with some significant news and with a mix of emotions to the clergy and lay people of the Diocese of Sheffield. Downing Street has announced this morning that I have been nominated as the next Bishop of Oxford. …
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Gentleness

Easter Day sermon from the Bishop of Sheffield. Acts 10.34-43 and John 20.1-18 One of the great figures of the Quaker movement, Isaac Pennington, wrote these words in a letter to his friends in 1667.  He is trying to describe what it…
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The Vision Keepers

A sermon at the Chrism Eucharist Yesterday I was in St Peter’s Tankersley, one of the oldest churches in the Diocese. My reason for being there was to dedicate new building works.  There is a new heating system, a new kitchen and space…