David Thomas (bishop)
| The Right Reverend David Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Provincial Assistant Bishop | |
| Church | Church in Wales |
| Province | Wales |
| In office | 1996 to 2008 |
| Successor | No successor appointed |
| Other posts | Principal of St Stephen's House, Oxford (1982–1987) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination |
1967 (deacon) 1968 (priest) |
| Consecration | 21 December 1996 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1942 |
| Died |
11 May 2017 (aged 74) West Cross, Swansea, Wales |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Denomination | Anglicanism |
David Thomas (22 July 1942 – 11 May 2017) was a Welsh Anglican bishop. From 1996 to 2008, he served as the Provincial Assistant Bishop of the Church in Wales.[1] In this role, he ministered to those who could not accept the ordination of women as priests.[2]
Ordained ministry
In May 1967, Thomas was ordained in the Church in Wales as a deacon by his father Jack Thomas, the then Bishop of Swansea and Brecon.[3] In 1968, he was ordained as a priest by David Bartlett, the then Bishop of St Asaph.[1][3]
In the 1970s and 1980s, Thomas worked at St Stephen's House, Oxford, a Church of England theological college in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. He was Vice-Principal from 1975 to 1979, and Principal from 1982 to 1987.[1]
In November 1996, Thomas receives a letter asking him to become the first Provincial Assistant Bishop (PAB) of the Church in Wales; in that role he would provide episcopal oversight to those priests and parishes that could not accept the ordination of women. Having accepted, he was consecrated a bishop on 21 December 1996 during a service at St Asaph Cathedral.[4] He stepped down as PAB and retired from full-time ministry in 2008.[5]
Later life
On 11 May 2017, Thomas died suddenly, having just returned from a holiday; he was aged 74.[5] A Requiem Mass was held for him on 5 June 2017 at St Mary's Priory Church, Abergavenny.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 "David Thomas". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 28 January 2016. (subscription required)
- ↑ Thomas, David. "A Noble Task". Theology Wales: the Ordination of Women to the Episcopate. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- 1 2 "ROBBIE LOW INTERVIEWS BISHOP DAVID THOMAS". New Directions (23). Forward in Faith. 23 April 1997. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ↑ Rabjohns, Alan (June 2017). "Bishop David Thomas, 1942-2017" (pdf). New Directions. Forward in Faith. p. 12-13. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- 1 2 3 "Tributes are paid to Bishop David Thomas". Church in Wales. The Representative Body of the Church in Wales. May 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.