Feast of St Andrew, 2023

After nine years as the Chairman of The Society’s Council of Bishops [Note 1] and as the Chairman of Forward in Faith [Note 2], the Right Reverend Tony Robinson, the Bishop of Wakefield, has chosen to step down from both roles.

The bishops of The Society have chosen the Right Reverend Jonathan Baker, the Bishop of Fulham, to succeed Bishop Tony as the Chairman of The Society’s Council of Bishops.

The trustees of Forward in Faith have chosen the Right Reverend Paul Thomas, the Bishop of Oswestry, to succeed Bishop Tony as the Chairman of Forward in Faith.

Bishop Jonathan commented:

“Our entire movement owes a huge debt of gratitude to Bishop Tony for his many years of selfless devotion to the flourishing of catholic life in the Church of England, all conducted with a profound sense of pastoral care to clergy and people alike, and with pragmatism and good humour.

 

In terms of The Society, I would particularly highlight Bishop Tony’s achievements in developing and consolidating The Society as an ecclesial body and in being an architect of the move from often internally focused discussions to a more externally driven approach, emphasising the importance of mission.

 

I shall look to continue Bishop Tony’s excellent work on behalf of The Society and in particular will seek to complete the implementation of his twofold vision for The Society. Firstly, we should seek to harness the charisms of the entire catholic movement so that The Society can act as the focal point and as the banner for the witness of all of our parishes in the Church of England. Secondly, we should ensure that our catholic societies work harmoniously with one another in support of our goal of building up our shared catholic life.”

Bishop Paul commented:

“I echo Bishop Jonathan’s words and would like to register my own deep thanks to Bishop Tony for his immense efforts on behalf of us all. We would not be in the strong position we are today without Bishop Tony’s dedication and hard work.

 

In terms of Forward in Faith, Bishop Tony showed admirable leadership in getting us through the crisis caused by the Covid pandemic, and more recently he has acted as a keen supporter of the redesign and relaunch of our New Directions publication.

 

I look forward to working closely with Bishop Jonathan to ensure that Forward in Faith works with the other catholic societies for the renewal of the catholic movement in the Church of England. Forward in Faith will continue its campaigning work on behalf of the movement so as to promote the historic faith, particularly by creating new disciples for Our Lord Jesus Christ and by upholding and advancing the universal Church’s teaching on all seven sacraments.”

Prayer for The Society

Heavenly Father,

Bless the bishops, clergy and people of The Society.

Bind us together in love and faith.

Renew us in service and witness.

And by your Holy Spirit

Guide our future and make plain your purposes.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.

Saint Andrew, pray for us.

Saint Wilfrid, pray for us.

Saint Hilda, pray for us. 

Note 1

The Society is an ecclesial body, led by a Council of Bishops. The purposes of The Society are to:

• Promote and maintain catholic teaching and practice within the Church of England.

• Provide episcopal oversight to which churches, institutions and individuals will freely submit themselves.

• Guarantee a ministry in the historic apostolic succession in which they can have confidence.

Note 2

Forward in Faith is a registered charity which:

• Is committed to the catholic faith as the Church of England received it, and to proclaiming it afresh in this generation.

• Upholds catholic order and the catholic doctrine of the Sacraments, and in particular the threefold ministry in historic succession, which the Church of England shares with the Church throughout the world and across the ages.

• Longs for the visible unity of Christ’s Church, and especially for communion between the Church of England and the rest of the Western Church.

Forward in Faith is delighted to note that its Treasurer, Dr Richard Mantle, has received a knighthood for services to opera in the recently announced King's Birthday Honours List. Many congratulations, Sir Richard!

The Forward in Faith Festival 2023 took place on Saturday 20 May 2023 at the Church of St Alban the Martyr, Holborn.

Texts, photographs and sound files will be posted here as they become available.

Mass

Sermon

Text

Audio

Meeting

Presentation from Fr Chris Brading, Society Missioner

Text

Audio

Presentation from Bishop Jonathan Baker on current issues of interest and concern in the Church of England

Text

Audio

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

The Catholic Group on General Synod has elected a new Chairman, following Fr Paul Benfield's decision to retire from the role after seven years as Chairman.

Fr Adam Gaunt, Rector of Loftus-in-Cleveland & Carlin How with Skinningrove in the Diocese of York, is the new Chairman. Fr Adam is local to that area, having been born in Middlesbrough and raised on Teesside. In 2015 he was elected to the House of Clergy of the General Synod and was re-elected in 2021. In 2017 Fr Adam was appointed as a board member of Together Middlesbrough & Cleveland, a joint venture between the Church Urban Fund and the Diocese of York, and in 2020 he was elected as a trustee of the Prayer Book Society.

Bishop Tony Robinson, Chairman of Forward in Faith, commented: "I warmly welcome Fr Adam to this important role. I know from his grounding in the life of his parish, and from the various trusteeships he has held, that he has the right blend of experience and skills to represent the Catholic Movement on General Synod effectively and with due consideration of the differing views held by fellow Anglicans, particularly at this testing time for Synod. I would also like to pay tribute to Fr Paul for undertaking the role with such aplomb over the last seven years. I am grateful that his legal expertise will remain available to our Movement."

The retirement of Fr David Houlding SSC has been announced with Fr David's last Sunday on duty being 23 July 2023 and a farewell celebration scheduled at All Hallows', Gospel Oak for Saturday 3 June 2023. Bishop Tony Robinson, Chairman of Forward in Faith, has responded to the news: "Fr David has served the Catholic Movement in the Church of England with great distinction. We particularly remember his tireless efforts as Chairman of the Catholic Group on General Synod during challenging times for our Movement. We wish Fr David well in his retirement and we pray that a worthy successor may be identified to succeed him in his role as a parish priest."