David Morris was priest of St Paul’s Church in Grangetown for seven years before his new role
A FORMER Grangetown priest has just been appointed Wales’ youngest ever bishop at 37 years old.
David Morris has been appointed Assistant Bishop of Bangor and will be consecrated later this year on May 11.
The boundary-breaking bishop, who is originally from the Rhondda Valley, was also previously the youngest ordained person in Wales.
His relationship with the church began when he was just 10 years old when he developed his own faith in God.
“I heard the local church bell ringing and I asked my mum if I could go to church and she said, ‘Of course’ and that she had been thinking of going back herself and that maybe that was something we could do together,” he told The Cardiffian.
Reflecting on his newfound status as the youngest bishop in Wales, he said: “I don’t think that’s a bad thing, especially if we want to target a younger mindset, to understand what it is that young people are looking for in the life of the church and how we might engage more meaningfully with this generation.”
Mr Morris served as priest in Grangetown and had responsibility for St Paul’s Church and St Dyfrig and St Samson Church for seven years.
“I absolutely loved my time in Grangetown, some of the happiest years of my life,” he said.
“I loved the diversity of the area. I loved that tremendous sense of community that Grangetown still seems to sustain which other parts of the city might not experience that much and just a sense of feeling welcome in Grangetown,” he said.
David completed his master’s degree in theology and formal training at St Michael’s College, Llandaff. At just 23 years old, he became the youngest ordained person in Wales at the time.
His new appointment was announced on January 19 and he will take the titles Bishop of Bardsey and Assistant Bishop of Bangor.
“[I am] very excited but also quite apprehensive because I’m conscious of the scale of the task, really, and the level of responsibility that’s been entrusted to me,” he said.
David, who is engaged to his partner Marc, moved back to Bangor in 2022 to become Diocesan Director of Ministry there.
“It’s got a bit of a different feel. I suppose there is some multiculturalism because we get lots of international students – in Grangetown it was far more diverse and a richer community for it,” he said.
The Archbishop of Wales said: “[David] has already made a tremendous contribution to the life of the diocese, and I know that he will provide inspirational leadership and deep pastoral care to our congregations and the communities they serve.”
