Bolton Parish Church

 

The New Font

 

It has always been my understanding that my cousin Margaret was the first baby to be christened in the new font of Bolton Parish Church. She was born on the 11^th January 1939 and I presume she would have been baptised within about 4 months.

 

My brother Derek also understood Margaret to have been the first baby to be christened in the new font. Margaret and I have no memory of these facts.

 

The old font is in the Museum Corner and was restored by Alice Ryder and her family in memory of her husband George Ryder who had been the Vicar’s Warden. There is a brass plaque about this near the present new font.

 

As a matter of interest it was George Ryder, John’s Great Grandfather, who modernised Newchapel, the home I have just left, in 1888.

 

My love to you all

 

Pat Ryder

ORDINATIONS – ONE THOUSAND NEW CLERGY!

 

Last year I did a resumé of the Petertide Ordination lists published in the Church Times.  This year’s figures are even more encouraging, showing that the fifty dioceses in the Church of England and the Church in Wales ordained around five hundred new deacons and a slightly larger number of priests.  In fact, two dioceses (Exeter and Lichfield) failed to send in their figures, so my total may be an underestimation.  The publication of the ordination names coincided with reports on the debate about women bishops at General Synod in York.  One Forward in Faith priest who was interviewed after the debate said that there were dozens of ordinands who now felt there was no place for them in the Church of England, but this does not seem to be born out by the ordination figures, as only five out of the thousand or so new clergy were ordained by the “flying bishops” of Beverley and Ebbsfleet for Forward in Faith parishes.

 

Of course, many of the new deacons and priests are non-stipendiary (like Professor Newport), but they nevertheless make it possible for many more churches to maintain weekly services, where one stipendiary priest is in charge of many churches. 

 

Another comment, quoted in the national press on the issue of women bishops, came from the Roman Catholic church and began with the words “If the Anglican Church ordains women bishops….”  Where have they been for the last twenty years?  The Anglican Church has had women bishops since 1989, when Barbara Harris, who preached here in Bolton during the 1998 Lambeth Conference, was consecrated as assistant bishop in the diocese of Massachusetts.  Furthermore, some churches in communion with the Church of England (e.g. the Church of Sweden) have had women bishops even longer. 

G.A.D.