1. Donald Spargo Allister was born on 27 August 1952 and is a retired Church of England bishop who served as the Archdeacon of Chester from 2002 to 2010 and the Bishop of Peterborough from 2010 to 2023.
20 Facts About Donald Allister
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Donald Allister has been a member of the General Synod of the Church of England since 2005 and was on the committee which drafted proposed legislation regarding the consecration of women as bishops.
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Donald Allister is a member of the Council for Christian Unity.
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In 2001, Donald Allister attracted media attention after it was reported that he had refused to allow a couple to have the hymns "Jerusalem" and "I Vow to Thee, My Country" at their wedding.
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Donald Allister was born on 27 August 1952 in Liverpool, the son of a manager of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company and a nursing sister.
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Donald Allister then went up to Peterhouse, Cambridge to study medicine, later changing to theology.
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Donald Allister was made a deacon at Petertide 1976 and ordained a priest the next Petertide, both times by Victor Whitsey, Bishop of Chester, at Chester Cathedral.
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Victor Whitsey 8.
Donald Allister was then appointed vicar of Christ Church, Birkenhead in 1983, working as a part-time hospital chaplain.
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In 1989 Donald Allister became rector of St Mary's Church, Cheadle.
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Donald Allister was chairman of the Church Society, a conservative evangelical Anglican charity, from 1995 to 2000.
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In 2002 Donald Allister was appointed as the Archdeacon of Chester.
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Donald Allister acted as the bishop's adviser on healthcare chaplaincy.
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Donald Allister became a member of General Synod in 2005 and was appointed to the commission drafting legislation relating to the possible consecration of women as bishops in 2006, serving until it delivered its proposals in 2008.
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On 5 November 2009 it was announced from 10 Downing Street that Donald Allister had been nominated as the next Bishop of Peterborough.
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Donald Allister was consecrated as a bishop in St Paul's Cathedral on 25 March 2010 and was enthroned as Bishop of Peterborough in Peterborough Cathedral on 17 April 2010.
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On 4 February 2014, Donald Allister was admitted to the House of Lords as a Lord Spiritual.
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On 3 July 2022, Donald Allister announced his intention to retire in January 2023.
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In 1999, Donald Allister objected to the admission of children to Holy Communion before confirmation.
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Donald Allister later changed his mind about the ordination of women.
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Donald Allister is married to Janice, a general practitioner and they have three children: their son, John, is a vicar in Nottingham.