Bishop of Llandaff retires
After five years serving as Bishop of Llandaff, The Rt Revd June Osborne retires on Wednesday 30th November.
In a message to the diocese, Bishop June said, “It has been an honour to serve as Bishop of Llandaff. I would like to give thanks to my wonderful colleagues and friends who have been a constant source of inspiration and support. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of shaping Llandaff. It has been such a privilege and you have been such a mighty blessing to me.”
Bishop June announced in September her intention to retire after 47 years in ministry. Speaking at Diocesan Conference, Bishop June said she has been taken aback by comments that she was retiring early, “It seems my decision to retire in December has taken many of you by surprise. Indeed, I’ve had lots of messages talking about me ‘retiring early’. I’m not sure any of the clergy here would think that retiring at 69 and a half was going early!”
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of shaping Llandaff.
Explaining her decision to retire, Bishop June said, “I would have had to have retired next June at the very latest. Given that, I wanted to choose a timing that was best for the Diocese. Two factors were decisive in my making that judgment. The Church in Wales has announced that £100m will be released for evangelism and church growth and the decisions associated with spending part of that money in Llandaff ought to belong to my successor. It is they who’ll account for it and so it ought to be they who decide how it’s to be spent.
“In addition, I want them to have the current senior team intact as they step into that responsibility. One of the greatest gifts we have to offer the next bishop are the skills and character of my senior colleagues, and the sense of working, through agreement and disagreement, as a highly effective and profoundly dedicated team.”
The diocese will continue to hold a special place in Bishop June’s heart and she will keep the future of the diocese in her prayers, “The diocese will always be in my prayers and I will be cheering on the next bishop. We have a strong direction of travel and I hope the Ministry Areas continue to thrive and develop. I hope our brilliant lay leaders continue to feel empowered to do what they do so well. I hope the Church in Wales learns how to cultivate its own future leadership. I hope that church planting, as part of a diversification of church life, continues to excite people and that the young are trusted to plant new churches in a style which will attract their generation.”
The diocese will always be in my prayers, and I will be cheering on the next bishop.
When asked about her plans for retirement, Bishop June said she is looking forward to worshipping next to her husband Paul in church, “I do have one big plan and that is to sit next to my husband Paul in church. My ministry has always left him sitting on his own or looking after children and it will be a wonderful novelty for us to worship side by side.”
Bishop June’s farewell service takes place 6pm at Llandaff Cathedral on Wednesday 30 November.