Bishop of St Asaph to retire in December

Jun 3 2008 By Andy Davies

Bishop John Davies

THE Bishop of St Asaph John Davies is to retire from his role before the end of the year after nearly 10 years at the head of the diocese.

The Rt Revd Davies is to retire from his position as the 75th Bishop of St Asaph in December this year.

The decision was announced on Sunday, and the Bishop will complete his public duties by the end of November.

After ordination as deacon and then priest, John Davies then served in a wide variety of parishes in the diocese. He has been widely recognised as a well loved parish priest with a reputation for wise counsel, scholarly teaching and as a man of prayerful integrity.

He took on a number of diocesan posts during his early ministry and served as a Canon of St Asaph Cathedral and an Archdeacon before being ordained as Bishop in 1999.

In a letter read in every parish church in the Diocese on Sunday, Bishop John said: "I would at this stage like to express my deep appreciation of the support you have given me over the years and of the generous hospitality I have received everywhere I have visited.

"It has been a privilege and a joy to serve the diocese and I thank God for the devotion, commitment and sacrificial living and service of so many people in our parishes."

In his role as diocesan bishop, for most of the last decade, Bishop John has undertaken substantial work in the areas of ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, communication, the environment, Fairtrade and education.