A question for Anglicans about a Christmas Service

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TomH1

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Yesterday morning, (Christmas Day) I briefly watched part of a Christmas morning Church of England service on TV (in the UK). The reason I watched (as a Catholic) was out of interest/nosiness because it was from a church in my home town. At the end of the service, which I believe was a Eucharist, the blessing was given, but not by a minister but by a 9-10-year-old girl dressed in bishop’s robes. Why would what is the function of a minister, not the laity, be done by a child? And, why would a child be dressed in the robes of a bishop?

I do hope, for the sake of charity, we will discuss why this happened and not digress into whether the Church of England has valid clergy and, therefore, valid Eucharist.
 
In Anglicanism only an ordained minister can give a blessing. I would imagine that the child-bishop is a recreation of a centuries old tradition of the boy-bishop.
 
Perhaps, since it was a church in your home town, maybe you could go to their website and ask your question. I would be happy to know they have to say.
 
TomH1 said:
At the end of the service, which I believe was a Eucharist, the blessing was given, but not by a minister but by a 9-10-year-old girl dressed in bishop’s robes. Why would what is the function of a minister, not the laity, be done by a child?
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It was the Eucharist from the Oldham Parish Church of St. Mary with St. Peter .

The girl prior to the blessing read three prayers , and then the blessing itself was given by the chief celebrant the Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev David Walker.
 
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It took the form of what we in the Catholic Church would call a solemn blessing. The parts before the bishop or priest says, “The blessing of …” are parts proper to the ordained clergy.
 
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