A Surrey woman will today become the first female Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England’s 1,400-year history.

Bishop Sarah Mullally DBE will today (Wednesday, January 28) become the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury at her Confirmation of Election at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Dame Sarah grew up in Woking, where she attended Winston Churchill School and Woking Sixth Form College. She later trained as a nurse at South Bank Polytechnic and the Nightingale School of Nursing at St Thomas’ Hospital in London.

Before her appointment as Archbishop, she served as Bishop of Crediton and later as Bishop of London.

The Confirmation of Election is a legal ceremony, set within a church service, at which Bishop Sarah, the Archbishop-elect, legally becomes the Archbishop of Canterbury. Archbishop Sarah’s first act as Archbishop will be to take up the Primatial Cross and give the blessing at the end of the service.

From bishops and clergy to local schoolchildren and choirs, today’s service will feature the participation of people from across the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, with hymns and readings reflecting this diversity.

Alongside the Choir of St Paul’s Cathedral, which will sing an anthem by Elgar, there will also be music from Christ’s Hospital School’s gospel choir. A Xhosa South African chant, Thuma Mina (Send Me Lord), will recognise the contribution of the Anglican Communion.

A reading will be given by a student from the Urswick School in Hackney in both English and Portuguese, the majority spoken language in the Anglican Province of Mozambique and Angola, with which the Diocese of London has a pastoral link.

The Confirmation will be followed by an Installation service at Canterbury Cathedral in March, where Archbishop Sarah will preach her first sermon as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Between her Confirmation of Election and Installation, Archbishop Sarah will pay homage to The King and meet with leaders of other Christian denominations and other faiths in the UK. She will also co-preside at the Church of England’s General Synod in London in February, where she will deliver the Presidential Address. By tradition, Archbishop Sarah will begin her public ministry and full programme of public engagements following her Installation.

Bishop Sarah said: “It is an extraordinary and humbling privilege to have been called to be the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. In this country and around the world, Anglican churches bring healing and hope to their communities. With God’s help, I will seek to guide Christ’s flock with calmness, consistency and compassion.

“These are times of division and uncertainty for our fractured world. I pray that we will offer space to break bread together and discover what we have in common – and I pledge myself to this ministry of hospitality.

“I want us to be a Church that always listens to the voices of those who have been ignored or overlooked, among them victims and survivors of church abuse who have often been let down.

“I am committed to equipping the Church to be a kind and safe place that cares for everyone, especially those who are vulnerable, as we rise to the challenge of God’s call to justice, equity, peace and the care of creation.”