By Peter John
Dame Sarah Mullally is to be installed as the first ever female leader of the Church of England at Canterbury Cathedral.
On the eve of the religious service, the Archbishop of Canterbury told the BBC that it would have “women’s voices right the way through it”.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will be part of the congregation representing King Charles and will see Dame Sarah’s first sermon as archbishop.
Among the 2,000 guests will be nurses and carers from Canterbury, invited to reflect the new archbishop’s long career as a nurse.
Although the city has been at the centre of a fatal meningitis outbreak, no changes to planned events were deemed necessary.
The installation – historically known as an enthronement – marks the symbolic start of Dame Sarah’s public ministry as the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The 105 previous Archbishops of Canterbury, from St Augustine in 597 AD, have all been men. Women were only allowed to become priests in the Church of England from 1994.
“Once I try and get my head around being the archbishop, I recognise the significance of being the first female archbishop, but I am also aware of the women that have supported me in my ministry,” Dame Sarah told the BBC.
The archbishop said men had also supported her but that this afternoon’s service – would give the sense of being “something about celebrating women”.
“But [it’s] also being able to say to other people, in a sense, it’s entirely possible for you to follow your dreams and what you want to do,” she said.
From 1980, Dame Sarah had been a nurse, eventually becoming the youngest ever chief nursing officer for England in 1999.
She was still performing that role when she was ordained as a priest in 2002 and became the first female Bishop of London in 2018.
In the days leading up to the service, Dame Sarah walked nearly 90 miles over six days in a pilgrimage from St Paul’s Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral.
The theme of “pilgrimage” continues into this afternoon’s installation service too, with religious rites performed in locations through the cathedral from its western most to eastern most ends.
It will begin with Dame Sarah knocking three times on the West Door of the cathedral with her pastoral staff after which she will be welcomed by local schoolchildren.
In the nave she will swear an oath on the Saint John’s Bible, the first time a new bible has been used since 1945, in what is being seen as a reflection of modernisation.
In the choir she will be installed as Bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury in the “Cathedral Chair” before moving to the famous “Chair of St Augustine” to be installed as Primate of All England.
While the service is rooted in historical significance, Dame Sarah has had a hand in choosing some of the hymns.
As well as the dignitaries and faith leaders invited to be part of the congregation, will be NHS nurses and carers from the Canterbury area.
There will also be nods to the diversity of the global Anglican Communion – with singing in Urdu, a Gospel reading in Spanish and a prayer in the Bemba language of Zambia.
