Anglicans share church

A CATHOLIC CHURCH is scoring what is thought to be an ecumenical first in being used for services by the congregation of an Anglican cathedral.

From now until August, evensong at the Cathedral Church of All Saints in Derby will take place five minutes walk across the city centre at the Grade II*-listed St Mary’s Church. The cathedral closed last week for the start of an £800,000 refurbishment.

“Its simply to help them out in a necessity,” said Fr Peter Ingman, assistant priest at St Mary’s. The two churches have already forged close links: both congregations take part in a Palm Sunday procession and work together to help the homeless.

Anglicans and Catholics are known to share churches but this is believed to be the first time it has occured with a cathedral.

The service will be held three evenings a week, and the first, on Thursday last week, was led by a woman priest, the Revd Dr Elizabeth Thomson, one of the cathedral’s canons.

“I suppose that was quite a significant move forward,” said Fr Ingman. “But it didn’t cause any problems within our community.”

Writing in St Mary’s newsletter, the parish priest, Fr Tim O’Sullivan, said the service was “the evening prayer of the Church observed in most cathedrals and monasteries”.