John Austin (bishop)

John Michael Austin OBE (14 March 1939 – 17 August 2007)^[1] was the Bishop of Aston from 1992 to 2005, filling a post which had been vacant since the previous incumbent Colin Ogilvie Buchanan resigned in 1989. After Austin the post again remained vacant for three years until the Diocese announced the appointment of Andrew Watson to fill the post^[2] In retirement, he served the Diocese of Leicester as stipendiary assistant bishop — called Assistant Bishop of Leicester — from 2005 until 2007.^[3]

Austin was educated at Worksop College and St Edmund Hall, Oxford (proceeding Oxford Master of Arts {MA(Oxon)}). He was ordained in 1965 and began his ordained ministry with a curacy at St John the Evangelist's East Dulwich.^[4] He then held positions in Chicago and Walworth before becoming the Social Responsibility Adviser to the Diocese of St Albans. Appointed the Director of the London Diocesan Board for Social Responsibility in 1984, he was a committed campaigner for social justice.^[5]

References

1. ↑ ‘AUSTIN, Rt Rev. John Michael’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 2007; online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2007 , accessed 4 July 2012
2. ↑ Daily Telegraph "Appointments in the clergy" p28 Issue no 47,670 (dated Monday 8 September 2008)
3. ↑ GS 2052 — Creation of suffragan see for the Diocese of Leicester p. 8, paragraphs 3 and 4 (Accessed 28 January 2017)
4. ↑ Crockford's clerical directory, 1995 (London: Church House ISBN 0-7151-8088-6)
5. ↑ Birmingham Mail

Sources

• Guardian obituary
• Birmingham diocese obituary
• Telegraph obituary