The final act in the appointment of Bishop Mark as the diocesan Bishop of Chester was completed on Saturday 26 June at Chester Cathedral.
The symbolic enthronement service took place in front of a limited audience due to the ongoing coronavirus restrictions. However, hundreds viewed the service online via YouTube.
Visiting bishops from the Diocese of Newcastle contributed to the service, and students from Hoole Church of England Primary School and Bishop’s Blue Coat High School, Chester, welcomed Bishop Mark into the Cathedral.
In his sermon, Bishop Mark said: "We're not intended to build hope only in church, and certainly not only in our bishops, but when Christ is central we have all that we need to transform our societies and communities, person by person, life by life, in order that hope might be born even in the darkest of days. Herein lies my task and here in lies our responsibility, as Augustin once said: 'For you, I am your bishop, but with you, I am a Christian.'"
Referencing Mark 1:1, Bishop Mark said: "This good news that St Mark can only just begin to introduce to us in our Gospel, transforms the world one life at a time. In truth, in the 21st century, we know we cannot do everything - the needs are too great to deal with at once - but we can always make a start and the start that we should always make is Jesus-shaped good news."
Later in his sermon, Bishop Mark took the opportunity to offer a public apology for the times and occasions when the Church has failed to safeguard people.
He said that over the last 12 months he has "wept and raged over the behaviour of some in the past in our Church who have utterly broken trust and left abused, broken and scarred people in their wake."
Bishop Mark said: "I want to take this opportunity once again to apologise publicly, and to do so as the Bishop of Chester on behalf of the Diocese of Chester, to all, and I know some of you are joining us digitally today, whose trust has been broken by this diocese, who are victims and survivors of abuse. We have wronged you. You know my personal determination and commitment that we will do all in our power to make sure not only that the Church is the safest place that we can make it to be for all, but also to be those who continue to stand up for all whom the world would overlook or choose not to listen to. For this is not only your right - it is not only the vocation of all human beings - it is our distinctively Christian vocation."
He finished his sermon with a call to the diocese to "commit ourselves on this day and in this time, that above all we will be the beginning of good news of Jesus Christ, the son of God."
Bishop Mark said: "I can't tell you the future, but I can tell you who holds the future; I can't tell you the task exactly, but I can tell you what it looks like: it looks like checking in for duty with Christ and committing yourself to be good news. And we will be astonished what God can do among us, for he has barely begun his work among us. In his most holy name, amen."