Banner of St Augustine flies over his city
A NEW banner of St Augustine of Canterbury (above), derived from his medieval coat of arms, flew over Westgate, Canterbury, on the saint’s feast day, 26 May. Michael Butler, a parishioner of St Martin’s, Canterbury, explained that the banner’s colours — silver and gold — were “the two most revered ‘metals’ in heraldry. This signifies his important position. . . The black could refer to his Benedictine origins. The inner top quadrant announces the Y-shaped pallium with a cross on the top.” The design has been verified by the College of Arms. St Martin’s was the private chapel of Queen Bertha of Kent. It was from here that St Augustine, who arrived from Rome in 597, founded the Priory and Cathedral of Christ Church and the Abbey of Peter and St Paul.
Irish dioceses ready to amalgamate
THE Bishop of Tuam, Killala & Achonry, the Rt Revd Patrick Rooke, and the Bishop of Limerick, Killaloe & Ardfert, the Rt Revd Kenneth Kearon, are both due to retire on 31 October, the Church of Ireland confirmed last Friday. The Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd John McDowell, thanked them for their service: “Bishop Rooke has worked tirelessly on an enormous range of projects on behalf of the Bishops with his characteristic thoroughness and energy. Bishop Kearon brought with him an unparalleled knowledge and experience of the Anglican Communion, which he generously shared with many of us during the course of the last six years.” The joint retirement means that an agreement to amalgamate the two united dioceses, approved by the General Synod in 2019, will now go ahead. The election of a new bishop is expected early in the new year.
Religious contribute to prayer challenge
A 14-DAY prayer challenge begins on Monday, offering free five-minute audio meditations produced by Discovering Prayer and featuring contributions from religious in the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Orthodox traditions. The project, funded by the Sir Halley Stewart Trust, offers participants an opportunity to respond to a suggestion by the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Williams that “we might try looking east in winter.” discoveringprayer.com
Read a review of Looking East in Winter by Rowan Williams here
St Boniface recipients span the generations
A VOLUNTEER of 89, Aileen Badcock, who has been fund-raising for St Swithun’s, Littleham, for more than 70 years, and an 18-year-old student, Lizzy Flaherty, who has helped to keep Holsworthy Parish Church open during the Covid-19 pandemic, are among the 16 recipients of this year’s St Boniface Awards. These recognise people in the diocese of Exeter who have gone “above and beyond” to serve their churches and communities. The winners were admitted into the Company of St Boniface by the Bishop of Exeter, the Rt Revd Robert Atwell, during a special service in Exeter Cathedral on Saturday. exeter.anglican.org
DIOCESE OF EXETERRecipients of the St Boniface Award