Arthur Wellesley Pain (21 August 1841 – 14 May 1920) was an Anglican bishop and the first

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of Gippsland from 1902 until 1917. Born in Felmersham and educated at

St Catharine's College, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The college is located in the historic city-centre of Camb ...

, he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

in 1866. He began his career as

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

Holbrook, Suffolk Holbrook is a village situated close to the northern shore of the estuary of the River Stour, in Suffolk, England. It is located on the Shotley Peninsula in Babergh district, around south of Ipswich. To the south of the village is the Royal ...

before emigrating to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

two years later as incumbent of

Cobbitty, New South Wales Cobbitty is a rural town of the Macarthur Region near the town of Camden, southwest of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The area is mostly farmland with a population of around 2000. Overview The area is mostly farmland an ...

. His next appointment was as

Vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of Narellan, NSW then

Rural Dean In the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion as well as some Lutheran denominations, a rural dean is a member of clergy who presides over a "rural deanery" (often referred to as a deanery); "ruridecanal" is the corresponding adjective. ...

Camden Camden may refer to: People * Camden (surname), a surname of English origin * Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer * Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor Places Australia * Camden, New South Wales * Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...

. In 1883 he was appointed

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of St. John's, Darlinghurst, in East Sydney, and in 1893 chaplain to

Saumarez Smith William Saumarez Smith (known as Saumarez; K. J. Cable,Smith, William Saumarez (1836 - 1909), ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Vol. 11, MUP, 1988, pp 675-677. 14 January 1836 – 18 April 1909) was an Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Au ...

, Bishop of Sydney. From 1897 he was canon of

St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney St Andrew's Cathedral (also known as St Andrew's Anglican Cathedral) is a cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The cathedral is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney and Metropolitan ...

. It was announced in April 1902 that Pain would be appointed the first Bishop of Gippsland, and his ordination to the

episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

came when he was consecrated the following month.

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

, 21 May 1902; p8; "Ecclesiastical Intelligence: Consecration of the first Bishop of Gippsland"

Notes

1841 births People from the Borough of Bedford Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Anglican bishops of Gippsland 1920 deaths 20th-century Anglican bishops in Australia {{Australia-anglican-bishop-stub