Kenneth Stevenson
Academic (liturgy) | |
---|---|
Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
Kenneth William Stevenson (9 November 1949 – 12 January 2011[1]) was the eighth Bishop of Portsmouth in the Church of England.[2]
Life
Stevenson was born in Edinburgh on 19 November 1949.[3] He was educated at Edinburgh Academy and the University of Edinburgh, taking his MA in 1970.[3]
Stevenson was consecrated as Bishop of Portsmouth in 1995, following parish work in Lincoln,[4] Guildford,[5] and in the university chaplaincy at the University of Manchester.[6] He was married, with four children.[7]
Stevenson held a PhD from the University of Southampton and a DD from the University of Manchester where he lectured in liturgy alongside his work as a chaplain. He was involved in the Church of England's participation in the Porvoo Communion, not least because he was part-Danish.[8] He was a Knight Commander of the Kingdom of Denmark's Order of the Dannebrog.[9]
As Bishop, Stevenson was "a highly public bishop and loved the city's diversity. He was at home at
In 2006, having been diagnosed with leukemia, Stevenson began a course of treatment and he returned to work in November.[11] On 22 February 2009 he announced at a service at Portsmouth Cathedral that he would retire in September 2009 due to continuing ill-health. He presided at his last confirmation service on 19 July 2009 at St Peter's Church Seaview, Isle of Wight. Stevenson commented in a statement:
"There is a sadness in the decision but I know that it is the right one. I did wrestle with it and it has proved to be the most difficult decision of my life. I have loved being your Bishop and have never wanted to be Bishop of anywhere else."[12]
In retirement, Stevenson continued to write
Stevenson had two
Works
- The Catholic Apostolic Eucharist, Doctoral Thesis, Southampton University, 1974[21]
- Family services (Alcuin Club, 1981)
- Nuptial blessing: a study of Christian marriage rites (Alcuin Club, 1982)
- To join together: the rite of marriage (Liturgical Press, 1987)
- Accept this offering: the Eucharist as sacrifice today (SPCK, 1989)
- The first rites: Worship in the early church (Lamp Press, 1989)
- Covenant of grace renewed: a vision of the Eucharist in the seventeenth century (Darton, Longman and Todd, 1994)
- Handing on: borderlands of worship and tradition (Darton, Longman and Todd, 1996)
- The mystery of baptism in the Anglican tradition (Canterbury Press, 1998)
- All the company of heaven: a companion to the principal festivals of the Christian year (Canterbury Press, 1998)
- Abba, Father: understanding and using the Lord's prayer (Canterbury Press, 2000)
- Do This: The shape, style and meaning of the Eucharist (Canterbury Press, 2002)
- The Lord's prayer: a text in tradition (SCM Press, 2004)
- Watching and waiting: a guide to the celebration of Advent (Canterbury Press, 2007)
- Rooted in detachment: living the Transfiguration (Darton, Longman and Todd, 2007)
- Take, eat: reflections on the Eucharist (Canterbury Press, 2008)
- Liturgy and Interpretation (SCM Press, 2011)
- A Following Holy Life: Jeremy Taylor and His Writings (Canterbury Press, 2011)
References
- ^ a b "Diocese of Portsmouth - News - Bishop Kenneth Stevenson RIP". www.portsmouth.anglican.org.
- ^ Office, Anglican Communion. "Page not found | Anglican Communion". Anglican Communion Website.
{{cite web}}
: Cite uses generic title (help) - ^ a b "The Right Reverend Kenneth Stevenson". The Daily Telegraph. 1 February 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-7136-8555-8
- ^ "Brief biography". Archived from the original on 31 March 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-7151-1030-0
- ISBN 978-1-870520-95-9
- ^ "The Right Revd Dr Kenneth Stevenson: Colourful priest with a special interest in liturgy who became a popular Bishop of Portsmouth". The Independent. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ "Rt Rev Kenneth Stevenson obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ "Rt Rev Kenneth Stevenson obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ "Back page interview: Kenneth Stevenson, Bishop of Portsmouth". The Church Times. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ "Anglican Bishop retiring early as he fights illness"- article by David Hurley in The News dated February 23, 2009.
- ^ Times Online, Birthdays: Dr Kenneth Stevenson, Times Online, November 2009
- ^ A Michaelmas Medley Archived 17 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Music for Leukaemia Research, Holy Trinity Sloane Square, 25 September 2009.
- ^ British Antiques Dealers Association Charity Gala Evening , 18 March 2010
- ^ "The Right Revd Dr Kenneth Stevenson: Colourful priest with a special interest in liturgy who became a popular Bishop of Portsmouth". The Independent. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ "Rt Rev Kenneth Stevenson obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ Who's Who (ibid): Stevenson and Tustin married two sisters; while Forster married Stevenson's sister
- ^ "Bishop's funeral details". www.portsmouth.co.uk.
- ^ "Portsmouth Today 26-1-11".
- ^ "Stevenson, Kenneth William (1974) The Catholic Apostolic Eucharist. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis". University of Southampton Institutional Repository. Retrieved 5 May 2023.