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Prince sees church's new glory

by Paul Handley

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arriving at St Martin's for the service PA   © not advert
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arriving at St Martin's for the service PA

IT IS rare to hear a vicar making light of a £2.5-million debt, but the Revd Nick Holtam seemed quite cheerful about it when he announced his current shortfall. He was speaking at the start of a service to celebrate the renovation of St Martin-in-the-Fields, in central London, on Monday.

The service in St Martin's PA  © not advert
The service in St Martin's PA

His mood might have something to do with the fact that the church has raised £33.5 million towards its £36-million target. The results were on display on Monday, at a service attended by the Prince of Wales, who acted as patron of the fund-raising effort. Also in attendance were the Archbishop of Hong Kong (St Martin’s has a large Chinese congregation, and one of the readings was in Cantonese), and the Bishop of London.

Dr Williams meets Rosemary pearse, daughter of the Revd Dick Sheppard MIKE DOHERTY  © not advert
Dr Williams meets Rosemary Pearse, daughter of the Revd Dick Sheppard MIKE DOHERTY

In his sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury praised the church’s work with homeless people, building on the work of the Revd Dick Sheppard, “one of the greatest names of the Church of England in the 20th century”. A key part of the renovation was the transformation of the crypt. Another has been the improvements to the centre for work with homeless people. Like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, said Dr Williams, St Martin’s “rests upon a network of unseen places. . . Every church is like that when it is doing its job.”

The Bishop of London dedicates the lower crypt, which has been excavated to make meeting rooms, a Chinese community, and a chapel  © not advert
The Bishop of London dedicates the lower crypt, which has been excavated to make meeting rooms, a Chinese community, and a chapel MIKE DOHERTY

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