THE
P RTAL
July 2016
Things
Anglican
Page 11
Anglican
News
The Revd Paul Benfield
Trinity Sunday
saw me in Chichester, where I had spent three years at the Theological College
prior to my ordination in 1989. I was there for the ordination of Sean Gilbert as priest. He is a son of
the City since his father, Fr Mark Gilbert SSC was, until last year when he moved to Petworth, Vicar of St
Wilfrid’s in that city. Sean trained at St Stephen’s House and was ordained alone by the Bishop of Chichester
in his Cathedral. It was a splendid service with a large congregation and many priests joining in the laying
on of hands.
I imagine it is many years since the presiding bishop
at an ordination there has said at the end of mass
that we will now process to the Shrine of St Richard
where our new priest will give first blessings. The next
day many of the same people were present at Christ
Church, St Leonards when Fr Sean presided at the
mass for the first time. His father preached at that
service, but sadly his grandfather, also a priest, was not
well enough to attend.
in Nottinghamshire and a local Roman Catholic
Dominican sister. Also present was the former mayor
of Trelleborg, who praised Sister Gerd’s vision and said
that the centre was a great resource for the area. He,
in turn, was thanked for having re-opened the village
railway station which makes travel to Chris tian’s Acre
much simpler!
The next day we travelled to the university and
cathedral city of Lund for mass at St Lawrence’s chapel
It is good to see that there are in the Church of which is the equivalent of Pusey House in Oxford. It is
England young men continuing to be ordained who run by trustees and provides accommodation for male
hold to the traditional view of a priesthood ordained and female students and offers traditional worship
in the historic succession. At the end of June I hope with male priests.
to be in Sheffield Cathedral when David D’Silva and
Bishop Jonathan presided and preached in English
Tom Carpenter will be ordained deacon and Edward
Morrison will be ordained priest by the Bishop and another English priest and I concelebrated,
of Beverley. These are only a small number of the together with two Swedish priests. The hymns were
ordinations of traditionalist men which will take place in Swedish, though many were familiar to us in their
English versions. It was particularly moving to hear
this year.
‘O Lord my God when I in awesome wonder’ in the
At the beginning of June I was in South East original Swedish of Karl Boberg.
Sweden attending the 10th Anniversary
of the Dedication of the Chapel of the
Holy Cross at Christian’s Acre. I had been
present 10 years earlier when Bishop
John Broadhurst, Bishop of Fulham, had
presided at the dedication of the chapel,
which is a chapel of ease of the Parish of
All Saints, Notting Hill.
For the anniversary, the present Bishop of
Fulham, Bishop Jonathan Baker, presided
and preached. Sister Gerd, who is on
the staff of All Saints, inherited the farm
buildings from her family and has turned
them into a retreat and conference centre.
Amongst those present were some
sisters of the Holy Cross from Costock
Chapel of the Holy Cross at Christian’s Acre