Linda Nicholls

Linda Carol Nicholls (born 1954) is a Canadian Anglican archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. She was previously the Bishop of Huron, and was suffragan bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto from 2008 to 2016. She is the first woman to head the Anglican Church of Canada, and the second female primate in the Anglican Communion.[2]

The Most Reverend Linda Nicholls
Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada
Church	Anglican Church of Canada
See	Extra-diocesan
In office	2019 to present
Predecessor	Fred Hiltz
Other posts	Bishop of Huron (2008–2016)[1]
Orders
Ordination	1986
Consecration	2 February 2008
Personal details
Nationality	Canadian
Denomination	Anglicanism

Ordained ministry

Nicholls was educated at Wycliffe College, Toronto and ordained in 1986. After a curacy at Scarborough,[3] she was the incumbent of Georgina from 1987 to 1991 and Thornhill from 1991 to 2005. She was also the Co-ordinator for Dialogue within the Anglican Church of Canada until her election as Suffragan Bishop in 2007.[4]

Internationally, Nicholls serves on a member of the Primate's Task Group of the Anglican Communion Office, a member of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission III, a participant of Indaba and a faculty member of Living our Vows of the Episcopal Church College of Bishops.

Nationally, Nicholls has served as a member of the Commission on the Marriage Canon[5] from 2013 to 2016, the co-chair of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue in Canada[6] from 2012–present, a member of the Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee of the Anglican Church of Canada from 2011 to 2016, first a member and the chair of the Standing Committee on Religious Orders of the Anglican Church of Canada House of Bishops, the chair of the Primate's Theological Commission of the Anglican Church of Canada from 2008 to 2010, a member of the Task Force on the Role of the Primacy in the Anglican Church of Canada from 2008 to 2010, co-chair of the Ecumenical Health Care Network of the Canadian Council of Churches, a member of the Canadian Christian Jewish Consultation from 2005 to 2008, co-chair of the National Muslim Christian Liaison Committee from 2005 to 2008, staff resource to the Human Life Task Force from 2005 to 2008, member of the Interfaith Task Group of the Canadian Council of Churches from 2005 to 2008, staff resource to the Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee of the Anglican Church of Canada from 2006 to 2008, a member of the Canadian Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue from 1989 to 1998, Chaplain to Church House, national office of the Anglican Church of Canada, a General Synod delegate in 2004 and staff to General Synod in 2007, a member of the Partners in Mission Committee of General Synod in 2005 and a member of the Windsor Report Response Task Force of the Anglican Church of Canada in 2004–2005.

Episcopal ministry

Nicholls was consecrated a bishop on 2 February 2008.[7] She served as a Suffragan Bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, Canada from 2008 to 2016: she was in charge of the Trent Durham area of the Diocese.[8] On February 13, 2016, she was elected coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Huron — she was the first woman to be elected a bishop in the Diocese[9][10] — and she automatically succeeded to the role of diocesan Bishop of Huron on 1 November 2016, upon the retirement of Robert Bennett.[11]

On 13 July 2019, Nicholls was elected the first female Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.[12][1] She was installed as the 14th Primate on July 16 during a service at Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver.[13]

References

2. https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2019/2-august/news/world/indigenous-canadians-to-have-an-archbishop
3. "Fenelon". Archived from the original on 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
4. Anglican Journal
5. "The Commission on the Marriage Canon - Anglican Church of Canada". Anglican Church of Canada. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
6. "Roman Catholic Church - Anglican Church of Canada". Anglican Church of Canada. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
7. "Nominee Information: The Rt. Rev. Dr. Linda Carol Nicholls" (PDF). Election of the Fourteenth Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada. 2019.
8. Diocesan web-site
9. "Bishop Linda Nicholls elected in Diocese of Huron". The Diocese of Toronto. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
10. nurun.com. "Female bishop a first for diocese". The London Free Press. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
11. "Bishop of Huron to retire November 1 – Anglican Journal". Anglican Journal. 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
12. "Anglican Church of Canada elects its first female primate – Bishop Linda Nicholls". Anglicannews.org. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
13. "Election of a new Primate - Results". General Synod 2019. The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada. 13 July 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.