French Kitchener Chang-Him

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(10 May 1938 – 26 May 2023) was a Seychellois

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

bishop who was active in the second half of the 20th century.

Early life and education

Born in

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

and son of Francis Chang King-Hime and Amelia Zoé, Chang-Him was educated at

Lichfield Theological College Lichfield Theological College was founded in 1857 to train Anglican clergy to serve in the Church of England. Uniquely at its foundation, the college did not require a degree, and non-graduates made up the majority of its ordinands. The college ...

and

Trinity College, Toronto Trinity College (occasionally referred to as the University of Trinity College) is a University of Toronto#Colleges, federated college of the University of Toronto located at the University of Toronto#St. George campus, St. George campus in Down ...

Career

He became a primary school teacher in 1958 and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

in 1962. After a

curacy A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are ass ...

Goole Goole is a port town and civil parish on the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town's Historic counties of England, historic county is the West Riding of Yorkshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom censu ...

he was the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Praslin Praslin () is the second largest island (38.5 km2) of the Inner Seychelles, lying northeast of Mahé, Seychelles, Mahé. Praslin has a population of around 7,533 people and comprises two administrative districts: Baie Sainte Anne and Grand ...

, then

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

of the

and finally its

Vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

. In 1979 he was appointed the

Bishop of The Seychelles The Bishop of Seychelles has been the Ordinary of the Anglican Church in the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean since its inception in 1973. The most recent bishop was James Richard Wong Yin Song. Bishops * George Briggs (1973–1979) * French Chang ...

, resigning in 2004; and in 1984 the Archbishop of the Indian Ocean, resigning in 1995. In 1975, Chang-Him married Susan Talma (died 1996). The couple had twin daughters. He was appointed an

Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

2014 Special Honours As part of the British honours system, the Special Honours are issued at the Queen's pleasure at any given time. The Special Honours refer to the awards of the Order of the Garter, Order of the Thistle, Order of Merit, Royal Victorian Order and th ...

"for services to human rights, reconciliation and democratic values and to British nationals in Seychelles."

Death

Chang-Him died in 26 May 2023, at the age of 85.Seychelles' beloved Anglican Archbishop French Chang Him passes away
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References

1938 births 2023 deaths Trinity College (Canada) alumni 20th-century Anglican bishops in Africa 21st-century Anglican bishops in Africa Anglican bishops of Seychelles Anglican archbishops of the Indian Ocean Seychellois Anglicans Seychellois people of Chinese descent 20th-century Anglican archbishops Alumni of Lichfield Theological College Honorary officers of the Order of the British Empire {{ChurchofEngland-bishop-stub