Archbishop embarks on three-day tour of Sussex
Variety of engagements take place across county
Sermons and answering children’s questions were on the agenda for the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin W el by during a three-day visit to Sussex this week.
The Archbishop packed in a variety of engagements across East and West Sussex between Friday and Sunday, meeting clergy, community volunteers, business leaders, students, prisoners and young people along the way.
The Bishop of Chichester gave his thanks for the Archbishop’s time and for sharing something of his faith to the people of Sussex.
He said: “What a wonderful weekend it has been. Archbishop Justin said how much he has discovered that is good and beautiful and wonderful in the Diocese of Chichester.
“He has shown us how faith can be nurtured in other people. He has also encouraged us in our faith. Thank you, we are so encouraged.”
Over the weekend the Archbishop gave interviews in which he shared his views on many issues facing local communities including Ukraine, refugees, homelessness, the current state of the housing market and how parishes are responding to local needs.
The Archbishop’s tour of Sussex began with a community leaders’ breakfast at St John the Baptist Church in Crawley.
Love and hope were the key messages that the Archbishop spoke of. He also mentioned how God could help leaders to make the hard, pressurised decisions necessary in business.
The Archbishop mentioned the hardships faced by the people of Crawley during
Covid-19 and the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Ukraine, but gave listeners hope that we as a nation have been through much darker times.
There was a question and answer session at the end, which was followed by a prayer for the people of Crawley.
‘Big Questions’ events were held at Holy Trinity Church of England Secondary School, in Crawley and Christ’s Hospital school in Horsham.
In Horsham, he told the
Gazette that Christ’s Hospital was ‘an extraordinary place’ and that he was impressed by the intelligent questions posed by the students.
He answered questions about his own faith journey and about religion and science, explaining why the church was involved in the synergy between science and theology. Headteacher Simon Reid said he was pleased to show the Archbishop what Christ’s Hospital stood for. He said: “We are very proud of our mission at
Christ’s Hospital which began in 1552 and carries on today: to challenge disadvantage through transformative education.”
Following the sessions, the Archbishop moved on to East Sussex, with engagements in Hastings, Brighton, Hove, Hartfield and Lewes.
He then returned to the west of the county, with a visit and Sunday Eucharist at HMP Ford, whre he met prisoners, staff and the chaplaincy team.
The Sussex visit concluded with a choral evensong at Chichester Cathedral. Afterwards, the Dean of Chichester held a reception at which everyone was invited and the Archbishop was joined by the Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, as they met community invitees.
Jo Shiner, Chief Constable of Sussex Police, said: “It was amazing and a really inspirational sermon at a time when the world absolutely needs it.”