SHE kept believing and now former Rector of Glan Ithon in Llandrindod Wells has become the first female bishop in Wales.

Joanna Penberthy was officially consecrated as the 129th Bishop of St Davids in Pembrokeshire by Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, on Saturday (January 21)

She said: "I didn’t think at the beginning of my ministry that I would ever see women in the episcopate but you had to keep believing."

The 56-year-old has been at the forefront of campaigning for women to be ordained as Bishop since the 1980s. Dr Barry Morgan paid tribute to the Church’s women clergy for ’daring to trust and hope’ during what had been a ’long and hard journey’ to ordination.Bishop Joanna was elected by members of the Electoral College in November, having previously served as Rector of Glan Ithon, in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon. She will be enthroned at St Davids Cathedral on February 11. She was joined by more than 500 members of the clergy and congregation to celebrate the historic event.

More than 500 people attended the bilingual service which was held at Llandaff Cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop, who is also Bishop of Llandaff. The service began with a procession of nearly 200 people, including clergy, bishops, diocesan registrars and chancellors, canons, and members of the Church’s Governing Body and Electoral College.

The Church’s five other bishops assisted the Archbishop, who was carrying out his last public duty before retiring at the end of the month, anointe her with the oil of Chrism and presented her with the symbols of office - the episcopal ring, pectoral cross and mitre. He also presented her with a Bible and a pastoral staff.

"While being made Bishop is awe inspiring," said Joanna. "I am very much looking forward to joining the people of St Davids diocese as we seek to live out and share our faith in the Risen Christ."

She added: "God calls all of us to his ministry in a way which fits our own particular gifts and talents.

"Today has been a marvellous day and one which the Church has been praying about and moving towards for a long time. I hope not simply to be encouraging my clergy and our people to be sharing our faith in the community but also to get to understand life for people in St Davids Diocese, particularly with the difficulties which lie ahead for rural communities because of the Brexit vote and ongoing austerity."

In his sermon Dr Morgan said it is wonderful that it is now possible for the Church in Wales to appoint women as well as men to all three Orders.

"And, to regard that as being perfectly normal," he said. "It has been a long and hard journey for women - first to be made deacon, then priest and now bishop.

"But the great thing about our women clergy is that they did not give up or become cynical or bitter. They dared to trust and dared to hope and so are part of a long and distinguished company of people in the Old and New Testaments who trusted in God’s promises and hoped against hope that all would be well. It needs to be remembered that Joanna is validly, canonically ordained to the See of St Davids and has jurisdiction and pastoral care over every parish within it and is a diocesan in this province of Wales. She is therefore no different from any of us, her male colleagues. As bishop, she offers ministry to everyone in all kinds of ways and it requires all sorts of skills."

"I never expected to be consecrating the first woman bishop so it is a sheer delight to do that here in Llandaff. I can't think of a nicer way to end my ministry - it is fantastic."