The trustees of Forward in Faith are saddened to hear of the death this morning of Sister Mary Teresa SSM, sometime Reverend Mother of the Priory of Our Lady of Walsingham, a member of the first elected Forward in Faith Council, a founder of RooT, and also the deliverer of the Devotional Address at the very first Forward in Faith National Assembly.

Jesu mercy, Our Lady of Walsingham pray.

Obitury

Today, the day on which its National Assembly was due to be held, we release a set of videos comprising an annual review of its activities, including its support for the work of The Society. The videos include a Chairman's address from the Bishop of Wakefield, a devotional address from the Bishop of Fulham and a video highlighting the excellent array of on-line resources produced by our constituency during the pandemic.

Chairman's Address

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On Saturday 14 November, the day on which its National Assembly was due to be held, Forward in Faith will release a set of videos comprising an annual review of its activities, including its support for the work of The Society. The videos will include a Chairman's address from the Bishop of Wakefield, a devotional address from the Bishop of Fulham and a video highlighting the excellent array of on-line resources produced by our constituency during the pandemic. The videos will be available from 12pm on Saturday via this website. 

Forward in Faith shares in the anguish felt by many at the news that public worship is to be suspended from 5 November which would regrettably restrict our celebration of the sacraments - a celebration which has brought great joy and solace to so many in these testing times.

Since our buildings reopened, our church communities have worked tirelessly to make our buildings Covid-secure, and as a result our churches have become once again (as they have been for countless generations) vital centres of community and charitable activity in an unprecedented time of national crisis. 

Our church communities are sustained in this work by the regular round of prayer and worship. The importance of this is recognised by the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to freedom of religion, and the right to manifest that faith in worship and observance. This is restricted only by limitations which are necessary in the interests of public safety and health. As yet, the Government has shown no evidence which would justify banning public worship on these grounds, and has ignored the profoundly harmful impact on the mental and spiritual welfare of many which such a ban would provoke. 

We call on the Government to produce evidence which would justify the banning of public worship. In the absence of such evidence, we urge the Lords Spiritual - and all other members of both houses of Parliament - to defend the right to worship freely when the draft legislation is placed before them later this week.

It has been announced that Dr Colin Podmore, Director of Forward in Faith from 2013 to 2020, is to be awarded an MBE. Bishop Tony Robinson, Chairman of Forward in Faith and Chairman of The Society's Council of Bishops, commented:

"I am delighted that Colin has been recognised in this way. He has served the Church of England and particularly its Catholic tradition with great distinction over many years. We wish Colin well in his retirement and are overjoyed that his faithful service to the Church has been marked by an honour."