New Assistant Bishop for Bangor
THE Archdeacon of Bangor, the Ven. Mary Stallard, has been appointed as an Assistant Bishop in the diocese of Bangor, it was announced last week. One of the first women to be ordained priest in the Church in Wales, she has served in four of the Church’s six dioceses. She will be consecrated at Bangor Cathedral on 26 February, and share the leadership of the diocese with the Bishop of Bangor, the Most Revd Andrew John, who is now also the Archbishop of Wales. Archdeacon Stallard trained for ministry at the Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham, and Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, in India.
Archbishop Welby to host Radio 4 interviews
THE Archbishop of Canterbury will interview six guests about faith and morality in a new Radio 4 series, The Archbishop Interviews, it was announced this week. The guests are: the former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair, the chief executive of Citizens Advice, Clare Moriarty, the former Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter, the psychologist Dr Susan Blackmore, and the novelists Stephen King and Elif Shafak. The Archbishop said that he would “relish the opportunity to be the one asking the questions rather than answering them”. The series will be broadcast every Sunday at 1.30 p.m., beginning on 20 February, and be available as a podcast on BBC Sounds.
Ex-churchwarden, serving life, appeals again
A FORMER churchwarden, Benjamin Field, who is serving a life sentence for murdering a university lecturer, is seeking again to appeal against his conviction, the Bucks Free Press reported last week. In 2019, Field was found guilty of the murder of Peter Farquhar, whom he had poisoned and defrauded (News, 16 August 2019). At the time of his arrest, he was five days away from attending a Bishops’ Advisory Panel to discern whether he had a vocation to the priesthood. The Court of Appeal dismissed a challenge by Field against his conviction last year, and he was refused permission to take his case to the Supreme Court. He is now attempting to reopen the appeal. His lawyers argue that the Court of Appeal’s judgment was flawed.
York MP opposes Minster’s flat plans
PLANS by the Chapter of York Minster to convert its Church House office block into flats have been put on hold after an intervention by the MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell, the BBC reported last week. It is estimated that rent from the flats would generate income of £150,000 a year, towards the cost of running the minister (£22,000 a day). Ms Maskell raised concerns about affordability: “If any developer is seeking to divert funding away from the provision of additional housing . . . then I am ready to highlight their responsibilities.” A spokesperson for the Minster told the BBC: “The Chapter of York requested that the planning application be deferred to allow the opportunity to discuss recent concerns about the affordable housing contribution.”
Chichester church meets demand for bench chats
DIOCESE OF CHICHESTER“Ric’s bench”, at St Richard’s, Haywards Heath
DROP-IN sessions at St Richard’s, Haywards Heath, are to be expanded in response to popular demand, Chichester diocese reported last week. The two-hour sessions offer hot drinks, snacks, and a place to chat, and are known as “Ric’s bench”, after a bench that was preserved from the original tin church demolished when the current building was constructed. Situated outside the hall, the bench has traditionally been a place where people sit and chat. The Vicar, the Revd Chris Brading, said: “Loneliness and anxiety were clearly on the rise because of Covid.” Some people have joined the sessions, which were launched in September 2021, after visiting the foodbank at the church and attending a Christmas lunch.
Lancashire church targeted by flagstone thieves
MORE than 100 flagstones from the church path at St Cuthbert’s, Halsall, Lancashire, have been stolen, Lancs Live has reported. The theft was discovered on Monday of last week. The treasurer, Colin Throp, was aware of other incidents in the county: “There’s a church in Leyland which has also been hit; so it may well be coordinated by the same people.” This week, Ormskirk and Rural West Lancashire Police posted on Facebook that three churches’ pathways had been “ruined by heartless thieves ripping up York stone flags and gravestones which will cost thousands of pounds to replace”.