Local News

The Rt Revd Alan Smith, Bishop of St Albans has responded to the detail of the Apostolic Constitution, published by the Vatican today, 9 November 2009. He said:

During one of his first visits around the Diocese of St Albans since his service of inauguration on 19th September, The Bishop of St Albans, The Rt Revd Alan Smith has been to Potters Bar and met some of those affected by the Potters Bar rail crash in 2002.

Visiting Elstow Deanery, Bishop Alan went to Ursula Taylor VA School in Clapham. He saw bread that had been made for the Harvest Celebrations focussing on Uganda (where a teacher had made a visit), an RE class and got photographed with a scarecrow and the children who shared their classroom with him.

The Rt Revd Alan Smith began his ministry as tenth Bishop of St Albans on Saturday 19th September 2009 in St Albans Cathedral with two thousand people. The service of welcome and inauguration began with a three-quarter mile procession through St Albans and ended with around100 children from ten Church of England schools releasing 100 bio-degradable balloons each carrying a prayer.

Photographs of Bishop Alan's inauguration can be viewed here.

The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith visited Watford General Hospital to meet staff and patients at the hospital on Thursday 4th September as part of a series of visits around Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire in the run up to taking up his post on 19th September. The visit to Watford General is his first in Hertfordshire.

In the last few weeks before his inauguration as Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith is making a number of visits around Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire beginning on 2 September in Bedford.

Pioneering work amongst a Romany-Traveller community is documented in a new book, by the The Revd Martin Burrell, Vicar of Bushmead, Luton. The book, The Pure in Heart, An Epistle from the Romanies, is about the awakening of Christian faith amongst the Romany-Traveller community in Cranbrook, Kent, where Martin was based until Spring 2009. It reveals an unseen side of the Romany-Traveller community.

Canon Alan Winton, one of Hertfordshire’s best-liked clergy, is being lost to the Diocese of St Albans (covering Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire) but for the best of reasons. He is to be Bishop of Thetford, Norfolk, in the Diocese of Norwich.

Downing Street's announcement here

Norwich Diocese's announcement here

Pictures: The Bishop of Norwich and the Bishop of Lynn with Canon and Mrs Winton

St Albans Diocese’s bishops have joined forces with other bishops and church leaders across Christian denominations in the East of England to make their voices and their views clear about the forthcoming elections.

The Diocese of St Albans’ first ever day celebrating the children of the diocese drew over three hundred children to St Albans Cathedral on Saturday, 9 May.

Over seventy Heads of Church Schools in St Albans Diocese were adressed at their annual conference by not one, but two, luminaries.

In a legal and liturgical ceremony that has been part of church practice since the third century, the Rt Revd Alan Smith received the care, government and administration of the bishopric of St Albans on 31st March.

Middle and Secondary Schools in Hertfordshire commemorated Holocaust Memorial day on 29th January in music, readings and drama. A Holocaust Survivor, George Vulkan, from Austria, spoke to the students about his experiences.

Click on the image for more pictures

Holocaust Memorial Day was commemorated on 27th January 2009 by children from middle and secondary schools in Bedfordshire in an event named 'Stand up to Hatred'.

Click on the photograph to see more images of the commemoration.

Following the ballot which took place on January 9th January, the Presiding Officer and Diocesan Secretary have published the result of the election for one Proctor in Convocation and one House of Laity member.