Kenneth William Stevenson (9 November 1949 – 12 January 2011
) was the eighth
Bishop of Portsmouth in the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
.
Life
Stevenson was born in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
on 19 November 1949.
He was educated at
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Stockbridge, is now part of the Senior Scho ...
and the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
, taking his MA in 1970.
Stevenson was consecrated as Bishop of Portsmouth in 1995, following parish work in
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincoln (na ...
,
Guildford
Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...
, and in the university chaplaincy at the
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...
. He was married, with four children.
Stevenson held a PhD from the
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton (abbreviated as ''Soton'' in post-nominal letters) is a public university, public research university in Southampton, England. Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universit ...
and a
DD from the
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...
where he lectured in
liturgy
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...
alongside his work as a chaplain. He was involved in the Church of England's participation in the
Porvoo Communion
The Porvoo Communion is a Communion (Christian), communion of 15 predominantly northern European Anglican and Lutheran, Evangelical Lutheran churches, with a couple of far-southwestern European (in the Iberian Peninsula) church bodies of the sa ...
, not least because he was part-Danish.
He was a Knight Commander of the Kingdom of Denmark's
Order of the Dannebrog
The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...
.
As Bishop, Stevenson was "a highly public bishop and loved the city's diversity. He was at home at
Cowes week
Cowes Week ( ) is one of the longest-running regular regattas in the world. With 40 daily sailing races, around 500 boats, and 2500 competitors ranging from Olympic and world-class professionals to weekend sailors, it is the largest sailing ...
or enjoying the hospitality of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
, also moving among some of the most deprived communities in Britain."
In 2006, having been diagnosed with
leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...
, Stevenson began a course of treatment and he returned to work in November. On 22 February 2009 he announced at a service at
Portsmouth Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, commonly known as Portsmouth Cathedral, is an Anglican cathedral church in the centre of Old Portsmouth in Portsmouth, England. Since 1935 the historic church has been the cathedral of the Dioc ...
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."
In retirement, Stevenson continued to write and give his support to fund-raising activities for
Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, e.g. through musical events and the artistic work of his daughter Alexandra. Stevenson died on 12 January 2011, his ''
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States
* Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
'' obituary noting that "he was drinking champagne and listening to his favourite Bach only hours before his death".
His brother-in-law the journalist and editor
Stephen Glover wrote in ''The Guardian'' about Stevenson's death that "he accomplished it with good humour, courage and firm belief."
Stevenson had two
brothers-in-law
A sibling-in-law is the spouse of one's sibling or the sibling of one’s spouse.
More commonly, a sibling-in-law is referred to as a brother-in-law for a male sibling-in-law and a sister-in-law for a female sibling-in-law.
Sibling-in-law al ...
who were also
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
s:
David Tustin and
Peter Forster. Both assisted at his funeral at
Portsmouth Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, commonly known as Portsmouth Cathedral, is an Anglican cathedral church in the centre of Old Portsmouth in Portsmouth, England. Since 1935 the historic church has been the cathedral of the Dioc ...
on 26 January 2011, along with his great friend
Patricia Routledge
Dame Katherine Patricia Routledge ( ; born 17 February 1929) is an English actress and singer, best known for her comedy role as Hyacinth Bucket in the popular BBC sitcom ''Keeping Up Appearances'' (1990–1995), for which she was nominated for ...
.
Works
* ''The Catholic Apostolic Eucharist'', Doctoral Thesis, Southampton University, 1974
* ''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
External links
Archived copy of Kenneth Stevenson's former website with some of his speeches, sermons and writing during his time as Bishop of Portsmouth between 2004 and 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Kenneth William
1949 births
2011 deaths
Clergy from Edinburgh
People educated at Edinburgh Academy
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Bishops of Portsmouth (Anglican)
20th-century Church of England bishops
21st-century Church of England bishops
20th-century Scottish Episcopalian priests
Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog
20th-century Anglican theologians
21st-century Anglican theologians