The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby, the leader of the Church of England, is visiting Churches in Hereford Diocese today, Saturday 9 December as part of the Year of Prayer.
The Archbishop’s visit is supporting work spearheaded by the Rt Revd Richard Jackson, the Bishop of Hereford, who called for a year of prayer across churches in the diocese during 2023.
The Bishop’s mission in the Hereford Diocese has been to inspire people to pray and is a core part of the diocese focus as it seeks to re-imagine the work of the church for the 21st Century. Next year, the Bishop is leading a Year of Faith, building on the foundations of prayer, calling Christians to rediscover the Bible.
The Archbishop’s visit, has included an opportunity to meet local people, share his passion for regular prayer, participate in prayer-walking across the city centre and join in the weekly prayers for peace at Hereford Cathedral. Prayers for peace, which is a weekly event, is usually attended by a small group led by the Dean, The Very Revd Sarah Brown. Today, numbers swelled to a congregation of nearly 200 who came to join in the prayers at which, Sasha, a young Ukrainian girl who is living and studying in the city, read a poem she wrote for peace.
The Archbishop is encouraging Christians to pray as he explains: “it’s the most fundamental thing I can do in my job as leader of the Anglican Church.” Speaking following prayers for peace, he explains that in the beautiful cathedral surroundings: “you could genuinely sense people’s desire for peace in our world.” In an earlier conversation at St Peter’s Church in the city centre with The Bishop, the two senior church leaders discussed the challenge of finding time and space to pray every day. The Archbishop also shared how when he prays for peace it is not just about seeking a solution to global conflicts but is also finding peace in everyday relationships with each other.
He sums up: “Today has been hearing about further progress on the new city University which I visited in 2019 as well as learning about growth in some of the tiny rural churches which make up Hereford Diocese.”
“I’m here to encourage others to pray and in doing so, I hope they will find the faithful God who through Jesus Christ comes close to us.”