Bishop David Wilbourne
Bishop David was born in Derbyshire in 1955, schooled in Yorkshire, and studied Natural Sciences and Theology at Jesus College and Westcott House, Cambridge.
Prior to ordination, David worked for Barclays Bank for six years and also taught as a University Supervisor in New Testament and NT Greek. Ordained deacon in 1981 and priest the following year, he ministered first in urban Middlesbrough, then as rector of a semi-rural parish north of Pontefract, where, amongst other things, he ran a Ancient Greek class for twenty parishioners.
In 1991 he moved on to be the Archbishop of York's chaplain, working with John Habgood for four years prior to his retirement and then continuing to work with his successor, David Hope. He was also Director of Ordinands, selecting men and women for the ordained ministry and taking them through training to their first post.
In September 1997 he moved from Bishopthorpe to be Vicar of Helmsley, a moorland market town in North Yorkshire and for six years was chair of governors of Ryedale School, a high-achieving rural comprehensive.
Archbishop John Sentamu made him a canon of York in 2008.
A son of a priest, David is married to Rachel, a history and RE teacher and parish website designer, and they have three daughters. His interests include cycling, hill walking and writing, particularly trying to strike a balance between the humorous and the poignant.
His first book, An Archbishop's Diary, was published in 1995. This was followed by A Vicar's Diary and A Summer's Diary about which David comments: 'When I was ten my family moved into the deep country 15 miles south east of York. The place was described in Arthur Mee's East Riding as forlorn and far away - I think he was being over kind! But it was a place I grew to love, the fields, the farms, the Derwent and its Ings, the open countryside. It seemed natural to set my two novels there. In many ways I wrote the books in my head when I was ten. Then they simmered for thirty years before I set them down. I also wanted to celebrate people, the Church and the world around us. There's a lot of humour, a lot of poignancy which is worth noting. I'm not very fond of the culture of contempt where we seem to run everything down.' Both books are being sold by Llandaff Cathedral in aid of its Organ Fund.
His other two books are A Virgin's Diary (the diary of a teenage Mary-with-attitude in the run up to Jesus birth) and You were made for me (a study in how personal pronouns give away our faith and our take on life), and at present he is working on the authorised biography of John Habgood as well as a diary charting life in his previous parish, the Helmsley Chronicles, to be published this year.
Prior to moving to Wales, David was a regular diarist in the Church Times for over 12 years and is a Member of the Society of Authors. He is a frequent after-dinner speaker, broadcaster, retreat and conference leader.
David was consecrated Assistant Bishop of Llandaff in April 2009. On his appointment he commented: 'I have always admired the Church in Wales because it effortlessly combines friendliness with holiness, its Gospel one that is unashamed of its own tenderness: that strikes me as Anglicanism at its very best.’
Since his appointment, he has worked alongside the Archbishop within the Llandaff Diocese and Province, for the past two years heading up a Lent course in each archdeaconry with 30 addresses from the bishops, as well as organising a pastoral visitation by the bishops of every clergyperson in the diocese. He has also served as CME and IME officer and acting DDO, and led several diocesan study days and residential courses and retreats.
Some of Bishop David's writings and sermons can be found here.
Contact:
Llys Esgob, The Cathedral Green, Llandaff, Cardiff CF5 2YE (02920 562400) (Fax 029 2056 8410)