I was privileged last year to lead one of the first pilgrimages to the Holy Land after Israel reopened its boarders following the global pandemic. In contrast to previous pilgrimages, the Holy Sites were generally quiet – ours was the only group present in the chapel in Bethlehem where Jesus is traditionally thought to have been born. That quiet extended to another of our visits, like the vast majority of pilgrimages, to the Holocaust Memorial, Yad Vashem, in Jerusalem.
Tag: Bishop Robert
A message from Bishop Rachel and Bishop Robert
Firstly, we want to reiterate our shame and sadness regarding the way those who identify as LGBTQI+ have too often experienced hostility and judgement within the Church rather than being cherished as members of the body of Christ with names and stories.
Bishop Rachel: Interim Dean arrangements
A message from Bishop Rachel about the departure of our current Interim Dean Andrew Braddock for Norwich, and Bishop Robert’s role for the coming months.
Living in Love and Faith – a message from Bishop Rachel and Bishop Robert
To our sisters and brothers in the Diocese of Gloucester … This week, we have spent a further three days with the Bishops of the Church of England in aContinue reading
Message from Bishop Robert, 6 December 2022
A week ago, Cate Williams wrote on the deep reality of the nature crisis that is wounding the biodiversity of our world and how, as disciples of Christ, we might begin to respond. As we begin our Christmas celebrations, we are given, should we need it, another reminder of why it is so important that we respond.
Eco projects at care home help residents connect with faith
Bishop Robert visited Badgeworth Court in Cheltenham to find out more about the environmental projects they use to benefit both their care home and their residents. Joana Matias, Activities Coordinator,Continue reading
Letting the wildflowers bloom
Sue Padfield, Churchwarden at St Mary’s, Witcombe showed Bishop Robert how the church team has been caring for the churchyard in a way that encourages nature. They leave two largeContinue reading
Message from Bishop Robert, 8 November 2022
This week, we will remember the victims of war, from the Great War to the Second World War and the conflicts that have followed to this very day. As we remember, we will commemorate all victims of war and we will give thanks for those who have worked to bring peace out of war and we will, I trust, commit ourselves, as we remember, to be people of peace.
Bishop gets eco tips from Shurdington School
Bishop Robert visited Shurdingon Church of England Primary School to chat with the children about their views on the environment.
Message from Bishop Robert, 4 October 2022
It was a very special privilege to gather last week with clergy and some of our lay leaders from across the diocese for our tri-annual Diocesan Clergy Conference. As the Church, we are charged in this time to share God’s love and to work for the coming of the Kingdom. So we return from the conference recommitted to sharing in this great commission with you, with the whole baptised people of God and with partners of goodwill across our communities.
Message from Bishop Robert, 20 September 2022
It will be a great joy to welcome our Reader community to the Cathedral this coming Saturday for our Annual Reader Day and, in the afternoon, our Annual Service during which Bishop Rachel will be admitting three new Readers who have now completed their training.
Readers have a long and distinguished history of ministry and play a significant part in the ministry of the church today and we owe them a great debt of thanks. Of course, their ministry is significant for all they do in preaching, teaching, pastoral care and, more recently, in pioneer ministry. It is, however, equally significant for what Readers are.
Message from Bishop Robert, 6 September 2022
For those of us who seek to follow Jesus Christ, this is where our hope and our confidence is to be found – a hope and confidence that will allow us to speak a different story, that will challenge the narrative of gloom and doom that seems all pervasive.
#EcoChurchInAnHour Caring for the environment
Bishop Robert meets the Assistant Operations Director at Trinity Cheltenham, Marion David, to talk about how care for the environment runs through everything they do as a church at Trinity.
The Lambeth Conference
Last week, Bishop Robert wrote about the Lambeth Conference and now we are here in Canterbury, alongside the Bishops from our partner dioceses. There are about 700 Bishops from all over the world, plus about 500 spouses and ecumenical guests, and it is a privilege to encounter one another and hear about contexts very different from our own, with challenges we can only begin to imagine.
Bishop Samuel visits Diocese ahead of Lambeth Conference
Bishop Rachel and Bishop Robert welcomed Bishop Prasana Samuel and his wife, Prof Esther Samuel, from our partner diocese in Karnataka Central, India, as they prepared to attend the 15th Lambeth Conference.
Message from Bishop Robert, 12 July 2022
In our Gospel reading last Sunday we encountered (Luke 10 v 25f) a lawyer who puts to Jesus one of, perhaps the most, fundamental questions of human existence. ‘What’ he asks, ‘must I do to inherit eternal life?’
Message from Bishop Robert, 28 June 2022
One of the priorities that Bishop Rachel and I share with the Archdeacons, is to spend time with benefices that are ‘in vacancy’ when we can. I don’t really like the word ‘vacancy’. It’s better than ‘interregnum’, between two ‘rulers’
Church of England unveils plan to become major provider of social housing nationally
The Church of England is taking steps to set up a national housing association which will enable the Church to become a major provider of social housing. It will pioneer a shared land management and development service to develop skills and capacity across its network of dioceses.
Message from Bishop Robert, 17 May 2022
A new feature of my recent visits to some of our schools has been to learn about how children and staff are welcoming Ukrainian children to their community. The hospitalityContinue reading
Easter Eve confirmations 2022
The evening before Easter, after sunset, a group of people who wanted to publically confirm their faith and trust in Jesus, gathered at Gloucester Cathedral for a confirmation service. BothContinue reading
Message from Bishop Robert, 22 March 2022
On Monday last week, I found myself with a group of our clergy in the Greek Orthodox Church of Nablus in the Palestinian West Bank.
Eco Church in an Hour: Registration
Churchwarden Roger Eldridge looks after the stunning St Mary’s Church in Edgeworth which achieved a Bronze Eco Church Award on first registration for the scheme. Bishop Robert visited him toContinue reading
‘Save the Parish’: A response from Bishop Robert
It is to the parish church I owe fairly much all that I am. As a child taken to my parish church, I first heard the stories of the scripturesContinue reading
Message from Bishop Robert, 1 February 2022
All our desire, all our intentions, will only be fruitful if they are rooted in a vision of the holiness of God.
