Church of England Archbishop Is Guest Preacher at St. Stephen’s

The Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell, the Church of England’s 98^th Archbishop of York, will be guest preacher on Sunday, June 7, at the 10 a.m. service of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. in Ridgefield. According to The Reverend Whitney Altopp, St. Stephen’s rector, “Bishop Cottrell is a sought-after speaker throughout the Anglican Communion. We welcome everyone to take this opportunity to hear the church’s second-most senior bishop (after the Archbishop of Canterbury).” Graduating seniors will be recognized by Rev. Altopp and Bishop Cottrell during the service.

This will mark the second time Bishop Cottrell has preached at St. Stephen’s. In 2017 he was guest preacher for “Come and See”, a three-day event that was designed as a means of renewal in an increasingly hectic world. Also on June 7, he will preach at a 5 p.m. Choral Evensong at St. Paul’s on the Green Episcopal Church in Norwalk, with the combined choirs of St. Stephen’s, St. Paul’s and other area parishes.

The bishop has written widely on evangelism, spirituality and discipleship. On evangelism, he wrote, “We know that the good news of Jesus Christ is hope for every person and for the whole world—the medicine that heals the deepest ailments of the human heart.” Bishop Cottrell has also been a strong advocate of the role of women in the Church of England. It was he who assumed the role of Archbishop of Canterbury after the resignation of Justin Welby in January 2025 and until Sarah Mullally was installed in March 2026 as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman to hold that position.