1. Kanishka de Silva Raffel was born on 6 November 1964 and is a British-born Australian Anglican bishop of Sri Lankan descent, who has served as the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney since 28 May 2021.
13 Facts About Kanishka Raffel
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Kanishka Raffel previously served as the 12th Dean of St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney from 4 February 2016 until his installation as archbishop.
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At the age of 21, Kanishka Raffel was convinced by the words of Jesus in John's Gospel: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day".
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Kanishka Raffel graduated from the University of Sydney with English honours in 1986 and in Law, in 1989.
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Kanishka Raffel then trained at Moore Theological College, graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity and Diploma of Ministry in 1996.
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Kanishka Raffel was ordained deacon in 1996 in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, and priest in 1996 in the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn.
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Kanishka Raffel served at St Matthew's Church, Wanniassa from 1996 to 1999, and then moved to the Anglican Diocese of Perth where he served for 16 years as rector of St Matthew's Church, Shenton Park.
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Kanishka Raffel obtained a Master of Arts in Theology from Moore Theological College in 2010.
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Kanishka Raffel was appointed Dean of St Andrew's Cathedral in 2016 and installed in that position on 4 February 2016.
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Kanishka Raffel was the first person from a non-European background to hold the position.
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On 6 May 2021, Kanishka Raffel was elected to the position, at a special election synod.
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On 28 May 2021, Kanishka Raffel was consecrated a bishop by Geoffrey Smith, and installed as archbishop in Sydney's St Andrew's Cathedral.
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Kanishka Raffel is the first person from a non-European background to hold the diocesan bishop's position.