International communities join English Benedictines

COMMUNITIES at Kylemore Abbey, in Ireland, Mariavall Abbey, in Sweden, and Jamberoo Abbey, in Australia, formally joined the Roman Catholic English Benedictine congregation during a meeting of the General Chapter at Buckfast Abbey, Devon, this month. The General Chapter observed a day of prayer for those affected by child abuse. Dom Christopher Jamison OSB was re-elected for a further four-year term as Abbot President.

Clergy Support Trust expands service

THE Clergy Support Trust (CST) is expanding its operations in response to “ever-increasing numbers of applications”, its chief executive, the Revd Ben Cahill-Nicholls, has announced. The CST helped more than 5000 clerics and clergy families in 2021. A total of 3535 grants were made, a 45-per-cent increase on 2020. Wellbeing grants made up 36 per cent of the trust’s annual spend.

Ripon and Burundi learn from St Wilfrid

THE Bishop of Matana, in Burundi, the Rt Revd Seth Ndayirukiye, visited Ripon Cathedral, dedicated to St Peter and St Wilfrid, this week, after being inspired to dedicate a church in his diocese to St Wilfrid. Last year, the Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd John Dobson, wrote to Anglican communities across the world asking to be put in touch with churches dedicated to St Wilfrid, as part of the commemoration of the 1350th anniversary of Wilfrid’s foundation of a monastery on the site. Inspired by this, and the life of the saint, Bishop Ndayirukiye decided to dedicate a new church in Burundi to St Wilfrid. “I was inspired by his humility, prayer, and ministry of evangelism,” Bishop Ndayirukiye said on his visit.