Peter Forster

Peter Robert Forster (born 16 March 1950) is a British former Anglican bishop. He was Bishop of Chester in the Church of England from 1996 and a Lord Spiritual (member of the House of Lords) from 2001 until his retirement in 2019. He was received into the Roman Catholic Church in 2021. Early life and education Born in Solihull, the son of Thomas Forster by his marriage to Edna Russell, Forster was educated at the town's Tudor Grange Grammar School. He stated in the House of Lords on 8 February 2016 that he had spent his gap year making Land Rover Defenders and was auto-enrolled into the TGWU. He studied at Merton College, Oxford, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in chemistry, promoted to Master of Arts (MA Oxon) in 1973. At the University of Edinburgh, he graduated as a Bachelor of Divinity (BD) in theology in 1977 and as a Doctor of Philosophy in 1985. Ordained ministry Forster was ordained a deacon at Petertide (29 June) in 1980 and a priest the next Petertide (12 July 1981), both times by David Sheppard, Bishop of Liverpool, at Liverpool Cathedral. From 1980 to 1982, he was assistant curate of the Mossley Hill Parish Church in Liverpool. He was senior tutor at St John's College, Durham, from 1983 to 1991 and became the vicar of Beverley Minster in 1992. Episcopal ministry In 1996, Forster was appointed the 40th bishop of Chester. He was consecrated a bishop (alongside John Packer, Bishop of Warrington and later Bishop of Ripon and Leeds) during a service at York Minster, by David Hope, Archbishop of York, on 13 November 1996. He was enthroned on 11 January 1997 and in 2001 took his seat as a Lord Spiritual in the House of Lords.