Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally prays for healing and hope for the world ahead of historic installation.

More than two thousand people from across the country and around the world will attend the Installation of Archbishop Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury in Canterbury Cathedral next week. In a service attended by senior members of the Royal Family and the Government, Anglican clergy and leaders from across the Church of England and Anglican Communion, and diverse guests including faith leaders, charities, healthcare workers and school children, the Most Revd and Right Hon Dame Sarah Mullally will be installed at Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday 25 March. The service will be attended by Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch. As well as family and friends, the Archbishop – who was a nurse before becoming ordained – has also invited NHS nurses and carers working in hospitals and hospices in Canterbury. Archbishop Sarah is the first woman to hold the office of Archbishop of Canterbury in its 1,400-year history. The service will mark the start of her public ministry in the Church of England and worldwide Anglican Communion. It will include a Mandate from His Majesty The King giving instruction to install Archbishop Sarah, and see her deliver her inaugural sermon as Archbishop of Canterbury. The service is being held on the Feast of the Annunciation, when the Church marks the appearance of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, bearing the news that she will become the mother of Jesus. The service will reflect the theme of Mary saying yes to the calling of God, and how this offers hope for the Church and the world today. Rooted in centuries of tradition, the service will celebrate and reflect the diversity of the nation, Church of England and the Anglican Communion – a global family of churches across 165 countries. At least 32 provinces (member churches) of the Anglican Communion will be represented, with an expected 26 Primates in attendance, and four others sending official representatives. Many will robe and process through the Cathedral’s nave, including five of the ‘Africa Six’ – the first female Anglican bishops from across Africa. The service will blend choral music led by the Cathedral Choir with music from around the Communion, featuring a Kyrie sung in Urdu and readings, prayers, music and a blessing, in six languages including English. The music to greet the proclamation of the Gospel will be provided by the African Choir of Norfolk with their members drawn from a wide range of countries. Contributions from members of the Anglican Communion include a prayer in the Bemba language of Zambia by the Most Reverend Albert Chama, Primate of the Church of the Province of Central Africa; and the Gospel reading in Spanish from the Bishop of Mexico, and acting Primate of the Anglican Church of Mexico, the Revd Alba Sally Sue Hernández García. The congregation will include bishops and clergy from across the Church of England, and interfaith and ecumenical guests including delegations from the Holy See, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Coptic Orthodox Church, and all major Christian denominations. The new Archbishop of Westminster, The Most Reverend Richard Moth, will do a reading from the Old Testament. There will also be representatives from the Commonwealth and United Nations, charities and schools, including pupils from the John Wallis Academy in Ashford who will greet Archbishop Sarah at the Great West Door at the beginning of the service. Other elements in the service include: The hymns, chosen by Archbishop Sarah, include Tell Out My Soul, adapted from the Magnificat, Mary’s hymn of praise following the Annunciation, and Praise my Soul the King of Heaven, based on Psalm 103, speaking of God’s love and compassion for all. Celebrating the contribution to the Church down the ages of female scholars, musicians and writers, the choral music will range from the Renaissance to contemporary, including the anthem All Shall Be Well by British composer Joanna Marsh, which sets texts from Mother Julian of Norwich. The theme of Jesus as the Good Shepherd will be reflected throughout the service, when the Dean of Canterbury, David Monteith, presents Archbishop Sarah with her pastoral staff, symbolic of her role as a shepherd. The Corporal Oath, when Archbishop Sarah will lay her hand on the Bible and swear to respect the historical rights of the Cathedral, will be sworn for the first time on the St John’s Bible. This is copy of the first Benedictine, hand-illuminated Bible for more than 500 years, that was given to the Cathedral in 2023. The cope and mitre worn by Archbishop Sarah were commissioned when she was first consecrated, with the clasp made from the belt buckle she wore as a nurse while serving in the NHS. As a symbol of the strong ties between Anglicans and Roman Catholics, she will wear the pastoral ring given to Archbishop Michael Ramsey in Rome by Pope Paul VI in 1966, specially fitted for her by the Crown Jeweller. The crosier presented to Archbishop Sarah during the service is the same as the one used by Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher, the last Bishop of London to become Archbishop of Canterbury. He received this in 1961 as a gift from the thirty-three bishops and metropolitans of the then Anglican Communion. With Archbishop Sarah having walked the 140km ancient pilgrim route to Canterbury Cathedral in preparation for her Installation, the theme of pilgrimage is also reflected in the service itself, as it moves from the west end of the nave to the quire. Archbishop Sarah will first knock on the Great West Door, before being installed in the Cathedral Chair as the Diocesan Bishop of the See of Canterbury, and then the Chair of St Augustine as Primate of All England, which also symbolises her ministry in the Anglican Communion. Following her installation in the Chair of St Augustine, Archbishop Sarah will be presented with a Compass Rose, the symbol of the Anglican Communion by the Rt Reverend Bishop Anthony Poggo, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion. At the end of the service, Archbishop Sarah will greet the Prince and Princess of Wales outside the West Door of the Cathedral. From there she will walk through the Christ Church Gate of the cathedral precinct and pray a blessing on the city and the diocese. The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd Sarah Mullally, said: “As I prepare to begin my ministry as Archbishop of Canterbury, I am grateful for the prayers and support I have received from people here and around the world. To be welcomed into the city and diocese of Canterbury is an immense privilege – and I am grateful to be sharing in this moment with people of all ages and backgrounds from across the Church of England, the Anglican Communion, our nation and the world. “Our world today needs the love, healing and hope that we find in Jesus Christ. I continue to pray that we renew our confidence in this good news, and recommit ourselves to sharing the joy of the Gospel.” The Very Reverend Dr David Monteith, Dean of Canterbury, said: “Each new Archbishop brings their own particular gifts and experiences to the role with a sense of renewed hope. Installing Sarah as our first female Archbishop would have almost been unimaginable even 50 years ago. Today matters. As we combine centuries of tradition in this ancient service with those elements unique to Sarah’s ministry, we welcome her to our Cathedral and diocese, and pray for her as she takes on the role of Archbishop of Canterbury.” The Rt Reverend Bishop Anthony Poggo, Secretary-General of the Anglican Communion, said: “It is a joy to celebrate the Installation of the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury and to welcome so many representatives from Anglican churches around the world for this significant occasion. The office of the Archbishop of Canterbury carries an important pastoral and collegial ministry within our global Anglican Communion, working to foster Christian unity and partnership in proclaiming the hope of the Gospel. We assure Archbishop Sarah of our prayers as she serves God’s Church in this sacred calling.” The Bishop of Dover, the Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin said: “I am delighted to welcome our new diocesan bishop to the historic Diocese of Canterbury. That this is happening on the Feast of the Annunciation symbolically reminds us of another woman, Mary. She said ‘Yes’ to the angel Gabriel and was entrusted to carry the Living Word. Like Mary, Dame Sarah has said ‘Yes’ to lead the Diocese of Canterbury and the Anglican Communion. The reality of her inhabiting the historic role of Archbishop reaffirms the trust that God places on us as women to be bearers of his message of Good News.”

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