New Bishop Dill may 'face challenges' and 'be challenging'

New Anglican Bishop Nicholas Dill on Thursday started work as the leader of the island’s largest faith group.

He said: “There are lots of meetings in the diary and lots of discussions to be had with people.”

The youngest-ever Bishop of Bermuda added he would be moving into his new office at the Anglican Cathedral next week.

And on Sunday, he will celebrate his first masses as Bishop at the Cathedral, at 8am and 10am.

Bishop Dill added: “It’s a new role, a new place and new clothes – but the same message.”

Packed

Bishop Dill, 49, was consecrated at a packed ceremony in the Anglican Cathedral in Hamilton on Wednesday night, watched by hundreds, including Governor George Fergusson, Premier Craig Cannonier and the US Consul General Bob Settje.

The congregation – many of whom had to stand throughout the near-two hour ceremony – applauded as Bishop Dill was presented with the robes and symbols of the office by a trio of senior Bishops from overseas and formally presented to his flock.

He later left the church, blessed the city and mingled with well-wishers, including the Catholic Bishop of Hamilton Robert Kurtz and representatives of other religious groups like the AME, Salvation Army and Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Bishop Dill said: “The service was absolutely fabulous – it was great to see so many people out there. I felt really uplifted and there was a wonderful atmosphere.

“It was a great beginning – I thought I was going to cry my way through it, but instead I felt a sense of joy and excitement.”

The service was led by the Bishop of Bradford, the Rt Rev. Nicholas Baines, who made a point of mentioning Bradford’s favourite adopted son, Bradford City star Nahki Wells.

Challenges

Bishop Baines, selected to represent the leader of the Anglican communion, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, read a message from the Archbishop to the new Bishop.

It said: “Please be assured of my prayers as you embark on this new phase in your ministry which will no doubt hold many challenges in the years ahead.”

Bishop Baines added: “We can fall apart over all sorts of stuff, but we need to keep the big picture before us and the job of the Bishop is to keep reminding people of the big picture.”

And he told the Anglican faithful: “Listen to your Bishop – you have chosen him. If God has called him and you have discerned that call, maybe he has some things to say.”

But he warned that what a new Bishop might say could be “challenging and uncomfortable.”