St Paul, Royton

Photos from this Run the race Bishop's pilgrimage

The Bishop of Manchester met parishioners of all ages on his pilgrimage to St Paul's Royton, Oldham, on Tuesday, 16th September 2008

After beginning his visit with prayer in St Paul's the bishop was taken to
St. Paul's C.E. Primary School where he met Headteacher, Joanne Caine and enjoyed a tour of the school. The bishop also visited Bees' Knees - a day nursery based in a former Orthodox church and spoke with Gina, the owner, who also attends St Paul's.

The bishop then paid pastoral visits to parishioners in their own homes  including a visit to Throstle Court, which offers sheltered accommodation to elderly residents.

Returning to Downey House, St Paul's Parish Centre, the bishop met the local Rainbows group before moving over to church for a community reception, attended by representatives of the local community, including the Mayor of Oldham, Councillor Shoab Akhtar and the Mayoress. As guests mixed, they were able to take in displays of life and history of the church.

More than a hundred guests and parishioners attended the pilgrimage service in church. Among those taking part in the service was Charlotte Beesley, a server at St Paul's and current Rose Queen, who handed the baton back to the bishop.

Vicar, Fr. David Booth relates: "I felt it was a very successful evening: St Paul's is a Forward in Faith parish, and there are significant theological issues we feel need to be addressed, but these didn't spoil the evening. One reason is  that the Bishop of Manchester comes over so well and preached so powerfully. We agreed beforehand with the bishop that it would be sacramentally appropriate for the curate and I to administer the anointing, but it felt very natural.

"People felt affirmed and encouraged by what the bishop said, even those who, because the church has direct pastoral oversight from the Bishop of Beverley, weren't entirely sure why Bishop Nigel should want to come and visit us! This was a positive event for St Paul's: Anything that reminds us to go out and share the Gospel can only be good for the church and for the parish."


Fr. David Booth continued:
"St Paul's is a very positive church and we connected enthusiastically with the bishop's clear message and call to engage in mission.

"A lot of church members have other roles in the life of the community, the parish centre is very well used, and the church still has a high a profile in the community. Local people were flattered to be asked to take part and many saw the Bishop of Manchester's visit as another example of the church taking an interest in them and their lives - also the fact that we weren't asking for money made a real impact!"

"People felt the bishop came with great good-will and he was met with a genuine good-will and a warm welcome."