A joyful celebration as Wales welcomes the new Bishop of Bangor
It was a joyful occasion in Newport on Saturday as Christians from across Wales gathered to celebrate the consecration of the Rt Revd Dr Manon Ceridwen James as the Bishop of Bangor.
Hundreds filled St Woolos Cathedral for the Episcopal Ordination, joining Bishop Manon’s family, friends, colleagues and representatives of the wider Church as she began a new chapter in her ministry.
Cytûn warmly congratulates Bishop Manon and joins the Church in Wales and the Diocese of Bangor in celebrating her new ministry.
“We celebrate with the Church in Wales and the Diocese of Bangor as the Rt Revd Dr Manon Ceridwen James is consecrated as Bishop of Bangor. Manon is a friend and a passionate supporter of ecumenical work in Wales, and we look forward to continuing to work with her as she steps into this new role. We wish her the abundant generosity and blessing of God upon her ministry.”
Raised in Nefyn on the Llŷn Peninsula, Bishop Manon was ordained deacon at Bangor Cathedral in 1994 and was among the first women ordained priest in the diocese in 1997. Her consecration now makes her the first woman to serve as Bishop of Bangor.
Her ministry has included parish, education, training and vocations roles across the dioceses of Bangor and St Asaph. She became Dean of Bangor Cathedral in October 2025, having previously served as Director of Ministry at St Padarn’s Institute.
The service drew deeply on the Christian and Welsh heritage that has shaped both Bishop Manon and the diocese she will serve. It took place close to the feast of St Deiniol, founder of the early Christian community at Bangor, and the Church’s commemoration of William Salusbury and Bishop William Morgan, whose work translating Scripture and the Prayer Book had a lasting influence on Christian faith, Welsh language and culture.
There was also a particularly appropriate message for the ecumenical life of Wales in Bishop Manon’s own reflections on her new ministry. Looking beyond her own calling, she said:
“As I respond to this call, I hope it will also be an opportunity for people across the Diocese of Bangor, and beyond, to reflect on their own calling and on what God might be calling us to do together. I am excited by the opportunities we have to serve our communities and to share God’s love with everyone.”
That emphasis on what Christians are called to do together lies at the heart of Cytûn’s work and our shared commitment to ecumenism across Wales.
The celebrations continue in Bangor on Saturday 19 September, when Bishop Manon will be installed as Bishop of Bangor at St Deiniol’s Cathedral at 2pm and welcomed by representatives from across the diocese.
Cytûn offers Bishop Manon our warmest congratulations and prayers as she begins this new ministry, and we look forward to continuing to work alongside her in our shared Christian witness across Wales.
You can watch the livestream on YouTube here: Consecration – YouTube
