St Albans Diocese News

Less than twenty-four hours after being made a bishop in a service of consecration in St Paul’s Cathedral, the Rt Revd Richard Atkinson will journey on foot through some of the communities of Luton and Bedfordshire on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th May.

During what he is describing as a mini-pilgrimage he will make a real journey, meeting people as he goes, as well as a spiritual journey, preparing for his new role. He will meet a Mayor or two, travel with a train driver, join leaders of other faith communities, clergy and members of churches on the way, visit schoolchildren and walk with shoppers, among others. He will encounter all these people as he makes his way, in stages, to his official service of welcome at St Paul’s Church Bedford at 4pm on Saturday.

The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith, has paid a warm tribute to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams.

Dr Williams announced today, 16th March, that he would step down as Archbishop of Canterbury from December 2012 to become Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge.

The Bishop of St Albans said: “Rowan Williams's unique blend of humility and prayerfulness allied to his formidable intellect has served the Church of England and the Anglican Communion well during his time in office. I believe that history will judge him as one of the great Archbishops of Canterbury.”

The next Bishop of Bedford, in the Diocese of St Albans, is to be the Venerable Richard Atkinson, 53, currently Archdeacon of Leicester, 10 Downing Street announced this morning, 1 March 2012.

The Church of England’s latest bishop expressed his excitement and surprise at being asked to take on this significant role, “As you will see from my CV, God clearly feels I need to stay as far away from the sea as possible – and that I have a particular calling to ministry to the M1 and Midland Mainline!” He added, “Bedfordshire is new to me, apart from visits to Whipsnade and Woburn and a friend’s wedding.”

“I am looking forward enormously to getting to know the diversity and depth of the communities of Bedfordshire and Luton. I am passionate about the Church’s capacity to change all lives and communities for the better. I am enthusiastic to enable and equip the Church to reach out in love and service to our contemporary world, and committed to speaking up for the marginalised, poor and vulnerable. I pay tribute to the work being done all over the Diocese of St Albans, but especially in Bedfordshire and Luton”

As the nation prepares to cook pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, over 20 per cent of adults are planning to observe the season of Lent, although nearly one in three of them don’t know what to ‘give up’ or ‘take up’, according to a new survey.

An innovation this Lent will see the Church of England in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire co-operating across the Atlantic Ocean with the Church in Central America. More than spiritual sustenance will be shared, as recipes from the Diocese of Belize along with weekly reflections will be put online while the Diocese of St Albans will contribute daily emails, texts and tweets. www.livethechallenge.co.uk . The weekly reflection will be written by the Bishop of Belize, the Rt Revd Philip Wright.