Rt Rev Paulina Hławiczka-Trotman Consecrated as Bishop of the LCiGB

The Lutheran Church in Great Britain (LCiGB) announces the consecration of Rt Rev Paulina Hławiczka-Trotman as its new Bishop. The ceremony took place on January 20, 2024, at 2 pm at St Mary’s in the Lace Market, Nottingham. She is 40 years old, originally from Southern Poland, and was elected by LCiGB Synod as the next Bishop in September 2023.

The consecration service was officiated by the current Bishop, Rt Rev Tor B Jørgensen, consecrating Ministers included Rt Rev Jāna Jēruma-Grīnberga (Bishop Emerita, LCiGB) and Rt Rev Paul Ferguson (Bishop of Whitby, Church of England).

Jeffrey Trinklein, the Chair of the LCiGB, commented “We are thrilled that Bishop Paulina has been elected as Bishop of the LCiGB. Her international background is a great fit for our Church, since we come from so many places. She is also well known to the Church of England, and has deep connections with the University of Nottingham chaplaincy program.  We are very grateful for the service of Bishop Tor over the last few years, and look forward to Bishop Paulina leading the LCiGB along its future path.”

Bishop Tor Jørgensen said, “It is a great pleasure for me to welcome Paulina Hławiczka-Trotmanas the next bishop in the Lutheran Church in Great Britain. Paulina is illustrating the very history of our church. She is coming from an East-European Lutheran minority tradition. She has shown individual courage and integrity by following her call to be an ordained minister while that still was not possible in her own church. She has instead been a blessing for LCiGB since her ordination nine years ago. With her broad experience she will be an important voice not only internally in our church but also in an international Lutheran context and in the Porvoo-communion between Lutherans and Anglicans.”

Bishop Paulina Hławiczka-Trotman shared her reflections on the upcoming ministry, expressing, “I would like to listen to the needs of the people in times of economic difficulties and engage with ecumenical and interfaith partners in our joint work.” She added, “I believe we meet God in our biggest troubles and tribulations, that is why we are able to work on love and peace with all and everywhere, and this is what the world needs most now.”

The consecration was hosted in Nottingham, where Rt Rev Paulina Hławiczka-Trotman was initially appointed as a pastor to Trinity Lutheran Church in 2015. The LCiGB expresses gratitude to the Church of England, particularly St Mary’s in the Lace Market, for hosting this significant event. St Mary’s Church Wardens and congregation shared their delight, stating, “The Church Wardens and congregation of St Mary’s Church in the Lace Market, Nottingham are delighted and honoured to host the consecration of Rt Rev Paulina Hławiczka-Trotman as the next Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain. This is a unique and important event for both Churches and we look forward to continuing to build on our ecumenical relationship in our diverse city,”

The LCiGB is a member of the Lutheran World Federation. It is also a signatory of the Porvoo Agreement, which grants full communion between 15 Anglican and Lutheran churches in Europe. Through the Council of Lutheran Churches, the LCiGB is part of Churches Together in England and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.

The service was live-streamed and is available on the Council of Lutheran Churches’ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/counciloflutheranchurches/videos/1365389890843722/.

Photos by Dariusz Bruncz