THE new Bishop of Durham will be formally consecrated at York Minster today.

The Very Reverend Justin Welby, previously the Dean of Liverpool, will be welcomed and commissioned to the North-East by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, in a ceremony rich in symbolism and tradition, beginning at 11am.

Bishop Welby, a 55-year-old former oil worker, said he felt a sense of responsibility and privilege – and was torn between excitement and terror.

“I’d like to pretend I was just perfectly calm and relaxed, but I have to admit I was awake at five o’clock thinking about it,” he said.

The father-of-five, who tragically lost a sixth child in a road accident, succeeds Dr Tom Wright, who left Durham after seven years as bishop in August last year.

The first Bishop of Durham for many years not to live in Auckland Castle, he moved into a home nearby earlier this week.

During today’s service, he will make a series of promises to carry out his duties as bishop, before several other bishops place their hands upon him and pray for him.

A sermon will be delivered by Dr Josiah Fearon, Bishop of Kaduna, in Nigeria, who Bishop Welby has worked with in reconciliation ministry in northern Nigeria.

Bishop Welby, whose appointment was announced in June, said: “There had been some very heavy fighting over many years and I worked with him very closely on bridging the gaps between the two sides and working towards a more peaceful future.

“He’s a tough, very courageous, very remarkable man.”

Looking ahead to his consecration, when he will wear bishop’s robes for the first time, he added: “It’s going to be interesting for me because I’ve never been to one.

“Normally people have gone to friends’ consecrations, but it’s all ‘first time’ for me.”

Bishop Welby will soon visit the Queen at Buckingham Palace, before being installed at Durham Cathedral in a service on Saturday, November 27.

He will be consecrated today alongside the Venerable Robert Freeman, the new Bishop of Penrith.

The Durham diocese covers the old county boundaries, stretching from the River Tyne to the River Tees.