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Rt Revd Arun Arora consecrated as Bishop of Kirkstall

The Rt Revd Arun Arora has been consecrated as the new Bishop of Kirkstall.

The service took place at York Minster, where Bishop Arun was consecrated alongside the new Bishop of Penrith, the Rt Revd Robert Saner-Haigh.

Bishop Arun said: “I’m deeply grateful to all those who have contributed to making this such a special day, and for the joy of celebrating Christ as a family.”

The service included the consecrations, Holy Communion, a sermon preached by Dr Paula Gooder, Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, and music from the York Minster Choir and a music group led by the Revd Pete Gunstone, curate at Fountains Church Bradford. 

The Rt Revd Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds said: “This is an exciting appointment for the Leeds Area and for the Diocese of Leeds as a whole.

“Arun has a proven range of gifts and will bring great energy and commitment to the tasks ahead.

“We all look forward to working with him and he is guaranteed a very warm welcome.”

The Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York said: “Bishops are ordained to service in God’s church, participating in God’s mission, and encouraging and enabling the ministry of the whole of the people of God. 

“They are the lead pastors and lead evangelists in the diocese – caring for their clergy and building up the Kingdom of God, preaching justice and peace for all.

“It is a delight to welcome the appointment of Arun as Bishop of Kirkstall. 

“His enthusiasm, zeal, and passion for communicating the gospel is well known in Durham and across the Northern Province.  

“Arun’s commitment to inclusion and justice was seen in the recent co-chairing of The Archbishops’ Anti-Racism Taskforce encouraging change and leading to the establishment of the Racial Justice Commission.  

“As a bishop he will continue to challenge the church in effectively living out its promises.”

Having originally trained and practised as an employment lawyer, Bishop Arun worked as Director of Communications for the Diocese of Birmingham and as press officer to Bishop Mark Santer. 

He trained at Cranmer Hall, Durham and served his curacy while also acting as Director of Communications to former Archbishop of York Lord John Sentamu. 

After leading a Church in Wolverhampton, Arun served as National Director of Communications for the Church of England before most recently being Vicar of St Nicholas Church in Durham.

A gallery of pictures from the service may be found here.

First published on: 15th July 2022
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