As The Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft prepares to lay down his ministry as Bishop of Oxford later this year, this year’s Ascension Day carries special significance.
On 14 May, marking his final celebration of Jesus’ ascension into heaven as Bishop of our Diocese, Bishop Steven will attend the Annual Meeting of the College of Canons, at Christ Church in Oxford. At the meeting, members will discuss the mission and service of the Cathedral Church.
Bishop Steven reflects on what Ascension Day means:
"It is not only about Christ’s departure, but about hope, calling and the continuing presence of God in the life of the Church and the world.
“Ascension reminds us that Christ reigns not far away from the world, but over the whole of creation in love. It calls the Church to lift its eyes beyond fear and anxiety and to live with hope, courage and compassion.”
Across the Diocese of Oxford, churches will gather to celebrate the ascension of Jesus, a moment traditionally marking both ending and beginning. For Bishop Steven, that theme is especially poignant this year.
After more than a decade leading one of the largest and most diverse dioceses in the Church of England, he has spoken openly in recent months about the privilege and weight of being the Bishop of Oxford.
“There is always good reason to rejoice and always good reason to weep,” he reflected recently. “Holding both together in one heart is stretching and challenging.”
Throughout his ministry, Bishop Steven has consistently returned to a simple diocesan vision: “To be a more Christ-like Church for the sake of God’s world: contemplative, compassionate and courageous.”
That vision has shaped the Diocese through periods of profound change and challenge, including the Covid pandemic, conversations around safeguarding and inclusion, national moments of mourning and transition, and the continuing transformation of parish life.
Yet those who know him best often speak not first of strategy or structures, but of his love for parish ministry and the local church. He said:
“Being in different parishes every Sunday keeps me grounded and is the part of the ministry I will miss the most.”
Ascension Day also speaks powerfully into Bishop Steven’s long emphasis on vocation, the belief that every Christian is called to participate in God’s work in the world.
From his earliest sense of calling as a teenager, through parish ministry in Halifax, theological education, national mission work and diocesan leadership, he has described ministry as
“a continual journey of discovery of what God is doing.”
As he prepares for retirement, Bishop Steven says he is approaching this season not as an ending to vocation, but as the beginning of a new chapter.
“I’ve been energised by the question: ‘What now Lord?’”
He has spoken warmly of spending more time with family, especially his nine grandchildren, while continuing to seek God’s direction for the future.
For many across the Diocese, this Ascension Day will be an opportunity not only to celebrate the feast itself, but also to give thanks for Bishop Steven’s years of ministry, leadership and service.
And perhaps fittingly for Ascension Day, his message to us is one rooted not in endings, but in hope.
“The Church is called to be like Jesus and the church of the beatitudes: contemplative, compassionate, courageous.”