Simon Killwick, Chairman of the Catholic Group in General Synod, explains the post of Synod Elections Officer
As part of the settlement over women bishops, we are invited not simply to continue, but to flourish within the life and structures of the Church of England. One of the good things about the settlement is the atmosphere around it, which is much more positive than there has been for many years. In this positive atmosphere, we need to re-engage with the life and structures of the Church of England at every level, from Deanery and Diocese, to General Synod.
We have a vocation within the Church of England, beyond the mission of the Church in our parishes; that vocation is to witness to traditional Catholic faith and order, to the rest of the Church of England. The Anglo-Catholic movement has never been an inward-looking one, concerned only about itself; it has always been about recalling the Church of England to her Catholic identity – and that vocation continues today to be part of our raison d’être in the Church of England.
To help us re-engage with the General Synod, I am delighted to report that Forward in Faith and the Catholic Group in General Synod have appointed Mrs Anne Gray to be our Synod Elections Officer. We are asking our Bishops’ Representatives and FiF Chairmen in each Diocese, to appoint a Diocesan Elections Officer to work with Anne to ensure that we have a good number of candidates standing in next year’s elections to General Synod, so that we can witness effectively in that assembly.
I am greatly encouraged by Anne’s willingness to undertake this role, inspired to do so while kneeling in the Holy House at Walsingham, and am pleased that she is going to introduce herself to you below. ND