Published on: 21/09/2025
A busy week has seen Revd Leah Vasey-Saunders consecrated and installed as the Bishop of Doncaster.
Bishop Leah was consecrated at York Minster on Tuesday 16 September by the Most Revd and Rt Hon Stephen Cottrell. Following this, on Saturday 20 September Leah was installed at Sheffield Cathedral. The service featured the hymns, ‘The Church’s one foundation’, ‘Hear the call of the kingdom’ and ‘Longing for light’. Bishop Pete introduced the service by saying:
As we hear the word of God, and offer our praise and thanksgiving, please pray for Leah and for her ministry among us; for Mark and their family; for this Cathedral Church and its ministry; and for the Diocese of Sheffield, that we may all be strengthened in our witness to the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Old Testament reading was from Isaiah 33: 13-17, with Matthew 6: 19-34 used as the Gospel reading and Psalm 34 delivered after The Preces from the choir. Following the Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Canonical Obedience, the Very Reverend Abigail Thompson, Dean of Sheffield Cathedral, installed Bishop Leah to her seat in the chancel.
Bishop Leah delivered a sermon at the service, emphasising the importance of hope in the world. She also called back to the reading in Isaiah and the sense of hopelessness feared at that time, but maintaining our hope in God and His enduring promises through Jesus.
It was a joyous occasion at both services, and another opportunity to give thanks to God and to commemorate the hard work taking place across the Diocese of Sheffield. Please pray for Leah and her family on these exciting next steps in her ministry as Bishop of Doncaster.
Leah became the first female Vicar of Lancaster when she was appointed to Lancaster Priory in 2021. In her ordained ministry to date, she served as a Canon Precentor at Wakefield Cathedral and as a vicar in parishes across Staffordshire, Yorkshire, and the North-East. Leah trained for ministry at Cranmer Hall, Durham, and was ordained as a Deacon in 2003. She is deeply passionate about renewal within the Church of England and currently chairs the board of trustees for On Fire Mission—a charity that promotes Charismatic renewal alongside the spiritual heritage of the Catholic tradition. Leah is a trained classical musician who enjoys a broad variety of styles of music and continues to love singing when the opportunity arises. She enjoys all forms of fibre related craft, from sewing to spinning and weaving. Leah is married to Mark and they have four children.
Photo credits: Maria Ellmore