New Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, New C of E Secretary for Ecumenical Relations and Theology, Membership of Steering Committee to prepare women bishops’ legislation, National launch for pioneering Worship4Today course
New Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh
Monsignor Leo Cushley has been named as the new Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh. He succeeds Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who resigned in March after admitting inappropriate behaviour towards several priests and seminarians.
The new Archbishop’s ordination will take place in St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh on 21 September.
At this time, he will assume the governance of the Archdiocese from Archbishop Philip Tartaglia who has been Apostolic Administrator since Cardinal O’Brien’s resignation.
Mgr Cushley is current head of the English-language section of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, in which role he accompanied Pope Benedict XVI to English-speaking countries, including the UK in 2010.
Commenting on his appointment, Mgr Cushley said he was “humbled” but added that reconciliation and healing would be one of his priorities.
“I know it’s a delicate moment and that there is a lot to be done, but with God’s grace and the kind support of the clergy and people of Edinburgh, I will work cheerfully and willingly with all the energy I can muster,” he said.
“There are certain important questions that I will also have to familiarise myself with. I have no jurisdiction in the diocese until after I have been ordained in late September. Only then will I be able to take stock of what has happened and see what can be done.
“It is my sincere hope to do this always in truth and in charity, with a view to reconciliation and healing among the Catholics of Edinburgh.
“My first task is to preach the good news, Christ crucified and risen from the dead, to confirm my brother priests in their Catholic faith and ministry, and to be a loving, simple, wise shepherd to the flock that has been entrusted to me.”
New C of E Secretary for Ecumenical Relations and Theology
The Church of England has announced that the Revd Canon Jeremy Worthen is to be the new Secretary for Ecumenical Relations and Theology at the Council for Christian Unity.
Based in Church House Westminster, this is a newly-configured role which combines the functions of the Secretary of the Council for Christian Unity and theological adviser to the House of Bishops and the Faith and Order Commission. Dr Worthen will work closely with the Chairs of the Council of Christian Unity and the Faith and Order Commission and will report to Jacqui Philips, the Director of Central Secretariat and Clerk to the Synod.
Bishop Donald Allister, the Bishop of Peterborough who chairs the Council for Christian Unity said: ‘I am delighted at Jeremy Worthen’s appointment, and look forward to his joining us at the beginning of next year. He is a well-read and clear-thinking theologian, with a passion for and understanding of ecumenical issues. He has proved himself a good manager and team leader in his present role, and will bring just the combination of skills that we need.’
Dr Worthen said: ‘I am really pleased to be appointed to this pivotal role to help shape the Church’s ecumenical work and theological reflection. My experience in theological education in an ecumenical context has helped me to delight in the Church’s diversity but also to feel pain at its enduring divisions. The call to unity is inseparable from the call to mission, and the Church of England has very significant opportunities to work with other Churches in responding to that.’
Dr Worthen will take up the position in January 2014.
Having studied Classics as an undergraduate, Jeremy Worthen completed an M. Phil. in the History of Doctrine at Cambridge before moving to the University of Toronto for his doctorate, where he wrote his thesis on twelfth-century theology and spirituality. His ordination training at Ripon College Cuddesdon included a postgraduate Diploma at the University of Oxford focused on Biblical Studies.
After ordination and a curacy at St Peter and St Paul, Bromley, Dr Worthen joined the staff team at the South East Institute for Theological Education (SEITE) where he has been the Principal since 2005. During his time there, SEITE has prepared men and women for ordained ministry in the Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist and United Reformed Churches alongside Ordinands and Readers in Training from the Church of England. Under Dr Worthen’s leadership SEITE has continued to enjoy a long-standing link with the Roman Catholic seminary at Bovendonk in the Netherlands and he has also served for ten years as one of the Church of England’s representatives on the English Anglican-Roman Catholic Committee.
Dr Worthen’s publications include Responding to God’s Call: Christian Formation Today (Canterbury Press 2012) and The Internal Foe: Judaism and Anti-Judaism in the Shaping of Christian Theology (Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009). He is an Honorary Canon of Canterbury Cathedral and also an Honorary Canon Theologian of Chichester Cathedral.
Membership of Steering Committee to prepare women bishops’ legislation
The Appointments Committee of C of E General Synod has announced the membership of the Steering Committee to take charge of the preparation of draft legislation to enable women to become bishops.
The Committee will meet a number of times in September and October to prepare the draft legislation for consideration at the November meeting of the Synod . The size and membership of the Committee will be reviewed by the Appointments Committee after this initial phase of work.
As outlined at this month’s Synod in York the size of the newly formed Steering Committee reflects the suggestion from the Bishop of Willesden, the Rt Revd Pete Broadbent, urging “facilitated discussions” to continue. Canon David Porter, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s director of reconciliation, who guided the facilitated discussions at Synod, helped advise the appointments committee.
Steering Committee members
The Revd Paul Benfield, The Revd Canon Jane Charman. The Revd Canon Robert Cotton. Dr Philip Giddings, Dr Paula Gooder, The Ven Christine Hardman, Dr Jamie Harrison, The Rt Revd James Langstaff (Chair), Mrs Susannah Leafe, The Revd Dr Rosemarie Mallett, Canon Margaret Swinson, The Revd Preb Roderick Thomas, The Rt Revd Dr Martin Warner, The Rt Revd Trevor Willmott, The Revd Canon Dr Dagmar Winter
The Very Reverend Vivienne Faull (Consultant)
National launch for pioneering Worship4Today course
Church of England] Worship4Today – a course for worship leaders and musicians, successfully tried and tested in the Diocese of Sheffield over several years – is being rolled out nationally from this week.
Compiled by Helen Bent and Liz Tipple, Worship4Today: Part 1: Laying a Firm Foundation tackles the priorities identified in the Liturgical Commission’s Consultation of Evangelical Anglicans: a need for theological training for songwriters and worship leaders in local churches, and for musical training and effective formation in worship leading for ordinands. Trialed in 100 churches, it has already been the catalyst for new church services, a new congregation and two new children’s choirs, and provided an essential boost for many flagging choirs and music groups.
The Bishop of Sheffield, the Rt Revd Steven Croft, said: “The ordering and leading of worship when the church is gathered is absolutely vital for the health and vitality of the church when we are dispersed throughout the week. The Worship4Today course is a vital resource to train and equip leaders of worship in a mission-shaped church. I have been particularly encouraged by the way in which the course encourages people to use their different gifts and builds up the confidence of those who are initially very hesitant in this ministry.”
The Revd Christopher Woods, the National Worship Adviser, said: “The Church needs an energising and enlivening course to enable God’s people to be led in sensitive and transformative worship. The success of Worship4Today as a local, diocesan resource has already been proven in many places, and so the benefit of having it available as widely as possible in a published form cannot be overstated.”
Co-author Helen Bent said: “Worship feeds us. It brings us healing and restoration. In worship, we encounter God and we are slowly transformed into his likeness. The deeper we go, the greater the transformation. As we look back over the centuries, so many life-changing things have grown out of worship, such as schools, the abolition of slavery, the hospice movement, so who knows what will grow next?”
Published by Church House Publishing, Worship4Today: Part 1: Laying a Firm Foundation