Following an appointment process, we are delighted to announce that Rev Annie Bolger has been appointed the assistant dean of women’s ministry in the Diocese in Europe. This role will work closely with Rev Canon Debbie Flach, Dean of Women's Ministry. As part of the diocesan strategy, a main focus will be on maintaining and tracking data on appointments across the diocese for the Gender Scorecard. 

Annie shared:

My discernment to ordination began in the Diocese in Europe about ten years ago, when there were still rather few female incumbents for me to look up to or learn from. In the intervening years, the diocese began to address this. Debbie took considerable time to support me in my curacy and early years of ministry. She has built a network of female clergy for mutual support and provided regular opportunities to meet, pray, retreat, and attend conferences to develop in ministry together. 

When the post of assistant dean was advertised, I was drawn to the role because I personally know the difference that intentional oversight, mentoring, and support of women in ordained ministry can make. It excites me to imagine building on the good foundations that have been laid and to do so in a time of strategic development for the diocese. Europe continues to struggle to recruit female clergy and to appoint them to senior decision-making roles, and now we have an opportunity to devote resources to examining the reasons why and to making systemic change. At a time when gender justice is being rolled back in some societies, it seems to me that the Church’s many justice concerns are meeting and mingling together, and God is still inviting us to follow a better, more radical, and evidently more difficult way.

My appointment is only for one year, but my dream for the church would be that in another ten years from now, our leadership will more closely resemble and mirror the faithful people of God in the pews, the "great multitude” of Revelation 7:9. Nothing is more exciting than our shared calling to take part in God's transformative healing of the world!”

Rev Canon Debbie Flach, Dean of women’s ministry describes the need for this role and how it will work with her: 

“The Diocese in Europe is fully committed to the sacramental ministry of women clergy and for their flourishing. 

The role of Dean of Women’s Ministry was established in the Diocese in Europe in 2022 as a senior position, now included as a full member of Bishop’s Staff. 

Both our bishops are strongly committed to the full and equal ordained ministry of women, but currently the Diocese in Europe has a smaller percentage of licensed women clergy than many other dioceses in the Church of England and there is still disparity between women and men in diocesan roles. There remain long standing challenges for women clergy in Europe, some of which are familiar to all women in ministry and some of which are particular to our circumstances. 

The number of ordained women clergy being appointed to posts in our diocese continues to grow. In order to expand the scope of my own voluntary half time role, I needed a female colleague alongside me to take responsibility for some of the things we would like to do. Annie’s volunteer role is for one day a month and is very much one where we work together to serve the ordained women in our diocese, as equal partners in this essential work.

We already have worked together on the initial stage of the Gender Audit and Gender Scorecard and plan to work together on the next stages. Much more to do of course, but we are both looking forward to working together.”