Bishop Steven announces his retirement

The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, has announced he will retire next July. After 10 years as diocesan bishop for the Diocese of Oxford, Bishop Steven will lay down his crozier at a service at Christ Church Cathedral on 31 May. Bishop Steven’s retirement means he will also step down from […]

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Listening to Jethro

A Presentation to the College of Bishops 13th September, 2016. The College of Bishops is the gathering of all the bishops of the Church of England.  We met last week for two days with the Scottish, Welsh and Irish bishops.  Each church…

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…