(Please scroll down for more news)
Delay to Sunday parking changes
16 December 2011 Westminster City Council has announced that it will postpone its planned implementation of changes to Sunday Parking in Westminster from January 2012 until after the Olympics. This follows a decision of the High Court to examine the proposals through a judicial review. Please click here to visit read the announcement in full at Westminster City Council's website. New Vicar for St Martin-in-the-Fields
10 December 2011 The Bishop of London has announced the appointment of the Revd Canon Dr Samuel Wells as Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields. At present Sam is Dean of the Chapel and Research Professor of Christian Ethics at Duke University. We expect that Sam will take up his appointment as Vicar in summer next year when we look forward to welcoming him and his family to the Deanery. Please click here to read the Bishop's announcement. Please click here for St Martin-in-the-Fields' own announcement of Sam's appointment. Please click here to visit Duke University Chapel's website. Fundraising for schools
28 November 2011 The Deanery has this year raised £16,000 for Church of England primary schools in the area. The funds have been distributed to six Church of England primary schools within the Deanery. We are very grateful to all the parishes and congregations of the Deanery, the St Marylebone Educational Foundation and the Dean & Chapter of Westminster Abbey for their generous support. Over the past ten years, the Deanery has raised over £175,000 to support local schools. Over £90,000 of this amount has been donated by parish churches. Please click here to find out more about church schools. Please click here to find out more about the Deanery's financial role. Award for St George's, Hanover Square
5 November 2011 The Georgian Group has recognised St George's very fine and successful restoration of its Grade I listed church building in an awards ceremony held at Christie's. Viscount Linley presented the Rector, the Revd Roderick Leece, and the church's architect, Colin Kerr, with an award for the restoration of a Georgian church. Please click here to read more on the website of the Georgian Group. Appointments in the Deanery
16 October 2011 The Revd Dr Denise Yeldham has been appointed Assistant Priest at St Stephen's, Rochester Row. Denise was previously Assistant Curate at St Mary and All Saints, Plymstock in the Diocese of Exeter. Welcome to the Deanery, Denise. New Vicar for St Saviour, Pimlico
16 September 2011 The Bishop of London yesterday collated Fr Matthew Catterick as Vicar of St Saviour, Pimlico. Welcome to the Deanery, Matthew, Samantha and family! Please click here to visit St Saviour's website and see photos of the service of collation. Churches mark the tenth anniversary of 9/1112 September 2011
Churches in the Deanery have held services to mark the tenth anniversary of terrorist attacks in the United States. These included a service held at the Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair on behalf of the Awareness Foundation which was broadcast live on BBC Radio 4. At the service, which was led by the Revd Canon Dr James Rosenthal, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy lit a memorial candle. Please click here to read more about the service, on the BBC's website. New windows for St Mary le Strand10 September 2011
The Bishop of London has blessed ten newly-replaced nave windows at St Mary Le Strand. The new double-glazed windows make the church lighter and warmer and reduce noise levels from the Strand. They replace green and yellow 'cathedral glass' windows which were installed in 1870. The work was made possible by a bequest from Miss Hazel Reed MBE, a former churchwarden and member of the Association of Wrens, combined with other funds. Please click here to read more on the Diocese of London's website. Sunday parking charges1 July 2011
The Rector and Churchwardens of St George's Hanover Square are leading a campaign against Westminster City Council's proposals to extend parking charges in central London on Sundays. There is to be a public meeting at St George's, Hanover Square at 7.45pm on Thursday 7 July at which Councillor Lee Rowley will take questions and share his views. All are welcome to attend and your support would be greatly appreciated. Please click here to visit St George's website and find out more about the campaign to stop the extension of parking charges on Sundays. Local appointments
25 June 2011 The Vicar and Churchwardens of St Paul's, Knightsbridge have announced the appointment of the Revd Dr Stephen Young as Senior Curate. Fr Stephen is at present Chaplain of Dulwich College and will take up his new post in September 2011. Fr Stephen has served the Deanery before, both as a curate at St Gabriel's, Pimlico and as a self-supporting minister at St Mary's, Bourne Street. He is a Priest in Ordinary to HM The Queen. We look forward to welcoming Fr Stephen back to the Deanery in the autumn. Fundraising for schools
16 June 2011 So far this year the Deanery has now raised over £9,000 for Church of England schools in the area. The funds have been distributed to six Church of England primary schools within the Deanery. We are very grateful to the Dean & Chapter of Westminster Abbey and all of the parishes and congregations of the Deanery that have made donations to support local church schools. Since 2000, the Deanery has donated funds exceeding £120,000 to support local schools thanks to the generosity of its parish churches and local charitable foundations. Please click here to find out more about church schools. Please click here to find out more about the Deanery's financial role. Local appointments
20 May 2011 The Bishop of London has announced that the Revd Nicholas Papadopulos - Vicar of St Peter's, Eaton Square - is to be Director of Ordinands for the Archdeaconry of Charing Cross, leading the team already in place. From 1 June, all potential ordinands in the Westminster deaneries should be referred to Nick. The Bishop explains in his announcement that Nick will be working closely with Jeremy Crossley, together with Jackie Barry and Liz Russell to maintain the care of ordinands and to share the load of preparing candidates for Bishops' Advisory Panels. Please click here to read the Bishop's announcement. Clergy news
15 April 2011 10 Downing Street has announced that HM The Queen has approved the nomination of the Venerable Christopher Lowson, Director of Ministry at the Archbishops' Council, Priest Vicar of Westminster Abbey and associate priest of St Matthew's, Westminster as the next Bishop of Lincoln in succession to the Rt Revd Dr John Saxbee. Chris has been Director of Ministry since 2006 and is an associate priest of St Matthew's, Westminster. We all wish Chris and Susan well in their future in the Diocese of Lincoln. Please click here to read the press release from 10 Downing Street. |
Send us your News
If you would like us to consider placing a news story here relating to your parish church - or other organisation - then please contact us.
Clergy news
12 April 2011 10 Downing Street has announced that HM The Queen has approved the nomination of the Revd Nick Holtam, Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields as the next Bishop of Salisbury in succession to the Rt Revd Dr David Stancliffe. Nick has been Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields since 1995 and we will dearly miss him and his family when they leave the deanery for the Diocese of Salisbury. We all wish Nick well in his future work and ministry as a bishop. Please click here to read the press release from 10 Downing Street. Please click here to read more from St Martin-in-the-Fields. Listed places of worship grant scheme
5 April 2011 The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has now confirmed how the scheme will operate from the second quarter of 2011/12. The revised scheme no longer guarantees to fund the full 20% of VAT incurred by churches and will consider only work which has been invoiced within 12 months of the claim. A fixed amount of funding is made available through the scheme which will be split equitably between claimants to the scheme each quarter. If claims exceed the available funds then the full amount of VAT will not be paid. A link to the scheme is available in the finance section of this website. Please click here to read further information about the scheme. Clergy news
4 April 2011 The Court of Arches, convened at Southwark Cathedral, today heard an appeal by Fr David Gilmore against findings of the Bishop's Disciplinary Tribunal in December 2010. The Court confirmed the penalties imposed on the Revd David Gilmore, formerly Rector of St Anne's Soho, for conduct unbecoming or inappropriate to the office and work of a clerk in holy orders. The Revd David Gilmore is therefore removed from office as Rector of St Anne's, Soho and prohibited from exercising any function of his orders for two years from 16 December 2010. Pastoral provision for the parish is at present being provided by the patron of the parish, St James's, Piccadilly. A renewed commitment to reducing costs
4 April 2011 The Church of England has announced the appointment of Robert Kissick and Russell Stables as National Procurement Officers to support parishes in their efforts to collaborate and so reduce their costs. These appointments are to be funded for three years by the Church Commissioners. At a meeting of the Deanery's PCC Treasurers in the autumn of 2010, joint purchasing was raised by many as an area in which more support would be welcome. We therefore look forward to seeing this initiative develop. Please click here to read more about this initiative. Appointments in the Deanery
3 April 2011 We look forward to welcoming Fr Matthew Catterick as the next Vicar of St Saviour, Pimlico, together with his wife Samantha and their two children. Fr Matthew is at present Team Rector at Wembley Park and it is hoped that he will begin his new ministry at St Saviour, Pimlico in September. Please click here to read more about Fr Matthew's appointment. Deanery Synod votes yes to women bishops
18 February 2011
Deanery Synod yesterday evening considered, as requested by the London Diocesan Synod, the proposed legislation to enable women to become bishops. Members of Synod heard presentations from three members of General Synod and engaged in a warm, spirited and thoughtful conversation about the proposed legislation. There was a deep concern for those who, in conscience, cannot accept women bishops and a strong desire for the Church to provide a place for those people as well as to avoid fracture within the Church over this issue. Deanery Synod voted in favour of the proposals embodied in the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure and in draft Amending Canon No.30 and did not propose any following motions. The results of the vote were as follows: House of Clergy In favour: 10 Against: 1 Abstentions: 1 House of Laity In favour: 23 Against: 6 Abstentions: 2 Thank you to all who took part in yesterday's conversation and vote, and particularly to the three members of General Synod (The Revd Clare Herbert, The Revd Preb Charles Marnham and Mr Anirban Roy) for their presentations to Synod. Deanery Synod requests reforms to General Synod
18 February 2011
Deanery Synod yesterday evening voted in favour of motions proposed by the PCC of St Martin-in-the-Fields aimed at reforming General Synod. The Revd Nick Holtam (Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields) explained the motions and argued (a) for a more democratic General Synod (b) for one that meets less often and which is accessible to a wider range of people (including the younger, the less affluent, and people with ordinary working lives) than at present and (c) for alternatives to be considered to the current Parliamentary model of Synod, which can at present emphasise division rather than support a deepening of our diverse shared life in Christ. A motion addressing point (a) has already been put to the London Diocesan Synod, so points (b) and (c) were addressed with the following motions: Because of the issues relating to the balance and burden of synodical processes within the life of the Church of England, this Synod also asks that the Business Committee gives urgent consideration to the proposal that our General Synod should meet once a year, for a maximum of 5 days The Business Committee of the General Synod is asked to review the workings of Synod and to propose alternatives to the Parliamentary model currently used. The results of the houses voting together were as follows: In favour: 35 Against: 3 Abstentions: 6 Thank you to the PCC of St Martin-in-the-Fields for bringing this to Deanery Synod. The London Diocesan Synod will now be asked to consider these motions. General Synod
20 January 2011 General Synod will be in session between Monday 7 February and Wednesday 9 February. It will debate national Church plans for the next five years, Anglican-Roman Catholic relations, clergy discipline, parochial fees, baptism services and marriage after divorce & the ordained ministry. The Secretary of State for International Development will address the Synod, which will meet at Church House, Westminster. Please click here to visit the website of General Synod. Please click here to see who in our Deanery is a member of General Synod (members of General Synod are underlined). St Martin-in-the-Fields raises over £1m for others
14 January 2011 St Martin-in-the-Fields has now raised more than £1.2m through its Christmas Appeal which was launched on Radio 4 on 5 December. The funds raised are split between the Vicar's Relief Fund and the Connection at St Martins to advance a wide range of work supporting vulnerable people from a wide range of backgrounds. Please click here to read more about the appeal on the website of St Martin-in-the-Fields. |
