The Installation of the Archbishop of Canterbury

The Installation of the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, took place on 25 March 2026. Archbishop Sarah is the first woman to hold the office in its 1,400-year history.

The service was attended by Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales and the UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.

Primates and representatives from across the worldwide Anglican Communion were also present, along with guests including faith leaders, charities, healthcare workers and school children. The service marked the start of her public ministry in the Church of England and worldwide Anglican Communion.

The Installation of Most Revd and Right Hon Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury in Canterbury Cathedral. The service was attended by more than two thousand people including senior members of the Royal Family and the Government, Anglican clergy and leaders from across the Church of England and Anglican Communion, and diverse guests including faith leaders, charities, healthcare workers and school children. Wednesday 25th March 2026. Photo: Neil Turner for Lambeth Palace

Archbishop’s sermon spoke of ‘a church for the whole nation and for the world’

In her inaugural sermon in Canterbury Cathedral, Archbishop Sarah shared her gratitude for the prayers and support she has received from people around the world. An excerpt from her sermon said:

‘Our world today needs the love, healing and hope that we find in Jesus Christ. I continue to pray that we renew our confidence in this good news, and recommit ourselves to sharing the joy of the Gospel.’ ‘The Church, through the ordinary lives of its people, contains so many extraordinary acts of love: God’s people, offering a listening ear, a word of encouragement, or prayer for healing; offering food and shelter, sanctuary and welcome; in a world that so often seeks to divide us, tables to sit at and conversations to be shared; And being a simple, loving presence, like the salt of the earth, a light on a hill, the treasure of the kingdom.‘A church for the whole nation and for the world, which looks for ways of joining with people of all faiths and none, in acts of service that will transform. A church which extends around the world, with our sister churches in the Anglican Communion, as part of the one holy, catholic and apostolic Church, to embody Christ’s love.’

A service that celebrated global family

Rooted in centuries of tradition, the service celebrated and reflected the diversity of the nation, the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, a global family of churches across 165 countries. At least 32 provinces (member churches) of the Anglican Communion were represented, with 26 Primates in attendance, and four others sending official representatives. Many robed and processed through the Cathedral’s nave, including five of the ‘Africa Six’, the first female Anglican bishops from across Africa. The service blended choral music led by the Cathedral Choir with music from around the Communion, featuring a Kyrie sung in Urdu and readings, prayers, music and a blessing, in six languages including English. The music to greet the proclamation of the Gospel was provided by the African Choir of Norfolk with their members drawn from a wide range of countries. Contributions from members of the Anglican Communion included a prayer in the Bemba language of Zambia by the Most Revd Albert Chama, Primate of the Church of the Province of Central Africa, and the Gospel reading in Spanish from the Primate of the Anglican Church of Mexico, the Most Revd Alba Sally Sue Hernández García. During the service, Archbishop Sarah took her seat, and was ‘installed’, in two special chairs: first as Archbishop of Canterbury in the Quire Cathedra and then in the ancient chair of St Augustine, as a sign of her role as Primate of All England and primus inter pares of the Anglican Communion. Following her installation in the Chair of St Augustine, Archbishop Sarah was presented with a Compass Rose, the symbol of the Anglican Communion by the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion.

The Installation service was attended by members of the UK Royal Family

The service was attended by Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales. Onyx Brass sounded a Royal Fanfare and the congregation stood as the Dean and the Lord Lieutenant of Kent escorted them to their places in the Quire of Canterbury Cathedral.

Ecumenical, Interfaith and Community Guests

Ecumenical and interfaith guests included delegations from the Holy See, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Coptic Orthodox Church, and all major Christian denominations. The crosier presented to Archbishop Sarah during the service is the same as the one used by Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher, the last Bishop of London to become Archbishop of Canterbury. He received this in 1961 as a gift from the thirty-three bishops and metropolitans of the then Anglican Communion. There were also representatives from the Commonwealth and United Nations, charities and schools, including pupils from the John Wallis Academy in Ashford, who greeted Archbishop Sarah at the Great West Door at the beginning of the service. As a symbol of the strong ties between Anglicans and Roman Catholics, she wore the pastoral ring given to Archbishop Michael Ramsey in Rome by Pope Paul VI in 1966, specially fitted for her by the Crown Jeweller.

Bishop Paulina Hlawiczka-Trotman of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain, one of the presidents of the Churches Together in England network, took an active part in the installation service, as one of the Christian leaders inviting the new Archbishop of Canterbury to sign an ecumenical covenant. Photo: LWF

While I was preparing for this service,” she [Bishop Paulina] said, “I researched the historical role of the Archbishops of Canterbury in ecumenical relations and I discovered that this is a specific requirement of their role – not just to lead their own Church of England, but also to work for the unity of the whole church. I look forward to working closely together with Archbishop Sarah to strengthen the Christian witness and respond to the needs of people around the United Kingdom and beyond,” she added.

Symbolism in the service

The service took place on 25 March, the Feast of the Annunciation, when the Church remembers how Mary was told by the Angel Gabriel that she had been chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. The story of the Annunciation will be reflected throughout the service. The symbolic elements also included Archbishop Sarah’s arrival at the West Door of the Cathedral, where she struck the door three times seeking permission to enter. The theme of Jesus as the Good Shepherd was reflected throughout the service, when the Dean of Canterbury, David Monteith, presented Archbishop Sarah with her pastoral staff, symbolic of her role as a shepherd. The Corporal Oath, when Archbishop Sarah laid her hand on the Bible and swore to respect the historical rights of the Cathedral, was sworn for the first time on the St John’s Bible. This is a copy of the first Benedictine, hand-illuminated Bible for more than 500 years, that was given to the Cathedral in 2023. The cope and mitre worn by Archbishop Sarah were commissioned when she was first consecrated, with the clasp made from the belt buckle she wore as a nurse while serving in the NHS. At the end of the service, Archbishop Sarah greeted the Prince and Princess of Wales outside the West Door of the Cathedral. From there, she walked through the Christ Church Gate of the cathedral precinct and prayed a blessing on the city and the diocese.

Original article: https://www.anglicancommunion.org/installation-of-the-archbishop-of-canterbury/