Thursday 24 September 2009

Our Lady of Walsingham II


Great news just released from Walsingham: Fr. Graeme Rowlands, parish priest of St Silas, Kentish Town and Chaplain General of the Society of Mary, has been elected as a Guardian of the Anglican National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.
He succeeds Canon Peter Cobb, former Master of Guardians, who is standing down on health grounds.
The Guardians govern the life of the Shrine in all its diversity and support the work of the Administrator and staff in offering a pilgrimage place of welcome to thousands of visitors every year.
He will be installed when the Guardians gather in Norfolk on Monday 12th October.
Fr Rowlands played a huge part in last year’s successful ecumenical pilgrimage to Lourdes organized jointly by the Society of Mary and the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. It featured the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams and Cardinal Kasper, representing the Roman Catholic Church.
“This is great news for all of us at Walsingham. Father Rowlands brings a great deal of confidence, faith and experience with him to the College of Guardians,” said Canon Martin Warner, Master of the Guardians, today.
He added: “The ecumenical fruits of the joint pilgrimage to Lourdes are real and lasting.”
Fr Rowlands, who was born in 1953, has been a regular pilgrim to Walsingham for many years.
He was ordained priest in 1977 and served as Curate of Holy Trinity Reading from 1981-1989 before beginning his significant ministry in the Diocese of London.

We wish Fr Rowlands our best of wishes on this excellent appointment.

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