On 25 March 2026, nearly 2000 people gathered at Canterbury Cathedral for the installation of Dame Sarah Mullally as the first female Archbishop of the Church of England. Given that 9 of the 10 Anglican parishes in Belgium are under the canonical authority of the Diocese in Europe, which is part of the Church of England, this is a point of celebration for roughly 20,000 Anglicans in Belgium. VRT video montage. In fact, Archbishop Sarah became the Archbishop of Canterbury earlier this year. The installation took place on the Feast of the Annunciation, celebrating the moment that Mary, the mother of Jesus said “Yes!” to God which has particular similarities to the events in Canterbury Cathedral.

Other parts of the worldwide Anglican Communion have already had female bishops and archbishops, but this only became possible in the Church of England recently when Libby Lane was consecrated in 2015.

Archbishop Sarah had a 20 year career in nursing with the NHS and was recognized for her work as Chief Nursing Officer when Queen Elizabeth II bestowed on her the honorrifc title of ‘Dame’. Bishop Robert Innes of the Diocese in Europe writes, “Bishop Sarah moves from being Chief Nurse to Chief Shepherd.” Archbishop Sarah’s link to nursing could be seen during the ceremony by the clasp on her cope was made from the buckle on her old nursing uniform.

Those who have known Archbishop Sarah describe her with words like: magnanimous, generous and that she is an ‘encourager’ of others. Having already been the Bishop of London since 2018, and the fourth woman to be consecrated as a bishop in the Church of England, she is quite used to challenges to her authority due to her gender, but she always handles it with grace. Again, words used to describe her leadership style are: calm, consistent, compassionate, even cautious. Many in the Church of England welcome Archbishop Sarah’s leadership as, “a safe pair of hands.”

Archbishop Sarah turns 64 today.

The Central Committee joins with Anglicans across the country to pray for Archbishop Sarah in this important and challenging ministry.