Chester Diocese
News Item – 12/08/2004
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Our Old Catholic friends…
ANGLICANS are being urged to strengthen their links with a long-established but nowadays little-heard-of ecumenical partner – the Old Catholic Church. The Archdeacon of Macclesfield, the Ven Richard Gillings, is encouraging people to sign up to The Willibrord Society, the international Anglican / Old Catholic organisation which promotes relationships between the two churches. Over recent years St Michael’s Church, Bramhall, has enthusiastically embraced its link with the Old Catholic parish of Hilversum in The Netherlands. But generally there are comparatively few members of the society in the North of England, so the Archdeacon of Macclesfield, the Ven Richard Gillings, who is Vicar of St Michael’s, is encouraging people to sign up. Annual membership is £8. Subscription forms are available from Mr Gillings. On Saturday 13 November the society’s annual festival takes place in York Minster. The celebrant will be the Archbishop of York. The preacher will be the Archbishop of Utrecht. A lunch is available for members at a cost of £10. The Old Catholic Church is a federation non-Roman Catholic episcopal churches which separated from Rome at the end of the 19th century over doctrinal differences, including that of papal infallibility. Anglicanism and the Old Catholics have been in full inter-communion for more than 70 years. The secretary of the Willibrord Society is the Revd Alja Tollefsen, vicar of St Cross, Knutsford.
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Archdeacon Richard
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