Chatswood rector Stuart Robinson has been consecrated bishop of Canberra and Goulburn by Archbishop Peter Jensen, Metropolitan of NSW, on Saturday.

About 1300 people packed every nook of Goulburn's St Saviour's Cathedral for an epic and largely "catholic' 3-hour service.

Another 150 people sweltered in an overflow tent on lawns blistering under a 36-degree midday sun.

Despite the heat the congregation's mood seemed buoyant throughout, with Mr Robinson receiving warm applause on being presented as bishop.

It was a colourful occasion reflective of the church's diversity " and not just because it represented Canberra Diocese's liturgical breadth.

There was a surprisingly large contingent of Sudanese present " the women in colourful robes - as well as members of Chatswood's own Chinese congregation. 

Many of Bishop Robinson's friends made the trip down from Sydney including rectors of Chatswood's neighbouring parishes such as Simon Manchester (North Sydney) and Mark Calder (Roseville), as well as Ian Powell, rector of St Barnabas', Broadway, which partnered in Bishop Robinson's former church-planting venture in Pyrmont.

Mr Robinson's North Sydney regional bishop, Dr Glenn Davies, was presenting bishop in the ceremony along with the Bishop of Bendigo, Andrew Curnow.

Mr Robinson had also been chairman of St Andrew's Cathedral School and principal Philip Heath, who is also in the process of moving to Canberra to head Radford College, gave the Old Testament reading.

St Andrew's Cathedral treble choristers sang ‘King of Kings’, just one a series of awesome choral and musical performances throughout the service.

Be a non-partisan bishop

The Bishop of the Northern Territory, Greg Thompson, delivered the sermon.

Explaining that a bishop's calling is neither having "a territory to master or "a tribe to protect', Bishop Thompson turned to Hebrews 11:13 and the idea that Christians do not belong to any one tribe.

Christians are "strangers and sojourners', a "pilgrim people' heading "for a home that is not of their making" with God’, he said.

In applying this text, Bishop Thompson recalled the extraordinary story of Mordecai Vanunu the bishop said he "inherited' when rector of St John's, Darlinghurst in Sydney. 

After soul-wrenching time of reflection at St John's, Vanunu came to the decision to not only become a Christian, but betray his homeland by revealing Israel's nuclear capability because he felt Jesus required him to.

This decision led to Vanunu's kidnapping by the Israeli secret service and lengthy imprisonment.

Bishop Thompson likened Vanunu's step of faith to throwing yourself into the Nietzchean abyss and finding "Christ is there to catch you'. 

Like Vanunu, according to Bishop Thompson, a bishop must "venture into morally ambiguous terrain with only Christ as a guide'.

"You are never to be captured by one agenda, by one political party," he said. "You are bishop of the Church, not a subdivision of the nation."

It was a message particularly appropriate for the bishop set to lead the Anglican Church in the nation's capital, where the PM Kevin Rudd is part of the flock.

"A church leader must speak the local language but also speak a strange word" a word from God. That word might challenge the shibboleths, and the media-gatekeepers," Bishop Thompson said.