He was ordained in 1967, and began his ordained ministry as a curate at St James’ Grimsby[3] after which he spent 22 years in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire in the Diocese of St Albans [4] rising to be Archdeacon of Bedford (1986–1993), until his ordination to the episcopate.
From 1996 to 2006 he was Anglican Co-Chairman of the Meissen Commission,[5] the body which oversees the relationship between the Church of England and the Protestant Church of Germany (EKD),[6] Bourke has lived in Hereford diocese, and is an honorary Assistant Bishop in that diocese (as retired bishops usually are).
Bourke is a keen amateur astronomer,[7] and counts star-gazing as amongst his chief spare-time pursuits.
[8] In 2008 Michael Bourke received the Cross of St Augustine, the second highest international award for outstanding service to the Anglican Church.
This was awarded primarily for his services to ecumenism, although the citation also mentioned his work opposing racism and homophobia.