Gregory Cameron elected bishop of St. Asaph in Wales
Episcopal News Service, Church in Wales. January 5, 2009 [010509-04]
The Rev. Canon Gregory Cameron, deputy secretary general of the Anglican Communion Office in London, was chosen by members of the electoral college of the Church in Wales to be the next bishop of the Diocese of St. Asaph, Archbishop of Wales Barry Morgan announced January 5.
Cameron, 49, will become the 76th bishop of St. Asaph, an area covering the northeast corner of Wales -- the counties of Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. His election follows the retirement in December of the Rt. Rev. John Davies who served as bishop of the diocese from 1999.
A Welshman who was ordained in the Diocese of Monmouth, Cameron has been involved in the ecumenical relations of the Anglican Communion for the past five years. Previously, he served as chaplain to then Archbishop of Wales Rowan Williams, who is now Archbishop of Canterbury.
Cameron is married to Clare, with whom he has three sons, aged 11, nine and six.
"I am conscious that for the family of St. Asaph the choice of a new bishop is a profoundly important point in their life and that of the Gospel in North-East Wales," Cameron said. "I am both stunned and honored by the choice of the electoral college and hope that by God's grace I can at least in part live up to people's expectations. I will need the prayers of all the diocese and the church as we find a way forward together."
Morgan, who is president of the electoral college, welcomed the decision. "Canon Gregory is an immensely gifted man with wide experience of the worldwide Anglican Communion and of our ministry here in Wales," he said. "I look forward to working with him and welcoming him back to his home province."