Michael Gay Bourke (born 28 November 1941) was the second

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while ''surface area'' refers to the area of an open su ...

and third overall

Bishop of Wolverhampton The Bishop of Wolverhampton is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands; the ...

from 1993 until 2007.

Education and career

Bourke studied Modern Languages at

Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus"), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th century through to the early 19th centur ...

and then Theology at Cambridge and Tübingen before training for the ministry at Cuddesdon Theological College. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

in 1967, and began his ordained ministry as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''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 w ...

at St James’

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...

after which he spent 22 years in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire in the Diocese of St Albans rising to be

Archdeacon of Bedford The Archdeacon of Bedford is an ecclesiastical post in the Church of England Diocese of St Albans in the Province of Canterbury. Historically the post was in the Diocese of Lincoln, then from 1837 in the Diocese of Ely, England. On 13 April 1914, ...

(1986–1993), until his ordination to the

episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member 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 of dioceses. The role or offic ...

. From 1996 to 2006 he was Anglican Co-Chairman of the Meissen Commission, the body which oversees the relationship between the Church of England and the Protestant Church of Germany (EKD), Bourke has lived in Hereford diocese, and is an honorary Assistant Bishop in that diocese (as retired bishops usually are).

Personal life

Bourke married in 1968 Elizabeth Bieler. They have a son and daughter. Bourke is a keen amateur astronomer, and counts star-gazing as amongst his chief spare-time pursuits. He has been an outspoken advocate of gay rights in both church and society, and has actively opposed institutional homophobia in all organisations, including the Church.

Awards

In 2008 Michael Bourke received the Cross of St Augustine, the second highest international award for outstanding service to the Anglican Church. This was awarded primarily for his services to ecumenism, although the citation also mentioned his work opposing racism and homophobia.

References

1941 births Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Alumni of Ripon College Cuddesdon Archdeacons of Bedford Bishops of Wolverhampton Living people British LGBT rights activists Recipients of the Cross of St Augustine {{ChurchofEngland-bishop-stub