In the process to elect a new bishop, the Preparatory Committee of St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane has been unable to achieve a shortlist of candidates by the due date. (Under the canonical process the Preparatory Committee is charged with preparing a shortlist of no fewer than three, nor more than five, candidates for presentation to the Electoral Synod.) In light of this, the Electoral Synod  will meet to hear an explanation of the position from its Preparatory Committee and will be invited to consider a second round of the election process which, following a new mandate from the Primus, would then allow a period of 120 days from the date of the new mandate for elections to take place.

 

The Christmas Card Competition has been won by Laura Buxel, aged 10 from St Mary’s, Dunblane.  Well done to Laura.

A big thank you and well done to all who took part.  Your entries will be shown on the Diocesan Facebook page in the lead up to Christmas.

Orders are now being taken for Christmas cards.  You can download the order form below.

Order Form

 

 Harvest Festival was celebrated at the small church of  St Columba’s, Stanley.  The service was taken by the Revd Canon Alan Tilson, who very kindly takes the service here once a month during the vacancy.  The church was well attended including many local children and was filled with beautiful flowers and baskets of fruit and vegetables donated by the congregation.

The Christmas Card Competition has been won by Laura Buxel, aged 10 from St Mary’s, Dunblane.  Well done to Laura.

A big thank you and well done to all who took part.  Your entries will be shown on the Diocesan Facebook page in the lead up to Christmas.

Orders are now being taken for Christmas cards.  You can download the order form below.

Order Form

 

 

The Revd Sam Ferguson was instituted as Rector of the congregations of Ellie and Pittenweem on Wednesday 13th September.

A gathering of congregation, visitors and invited guests all joined to wish her well in her new role.

 

Sam Ferguson’s Institution

 

On Sunday 23rd July at St Andrew’s, St Andrews Carol Latimer was Ordained as a Deacon.  This was Bishop David’s last official duty as Bishop to preside over the service.  It was a wonderful celebration and culmination of  Carol’s hard work and dedication to her faith and ministry.

 

The Diocese of St Andrews will be hosting a tent again at the Scottish Game Fair on Saturday.

It is a place where people are welcome to drop in, to take the weight off their feet, shelter from the rain, have a chat and contribute to our ’Trees for Life’ project.

We are bringing bare branches to tie round the inside of the tent, which we want to transform into living branches, by sticking on paper blossom and paper leaves.  We’re doing that as a way of remembering people who suffer from mental ill-health in our communities, known and unknown.

So we invite visitors to come along and take part: materials are provided free.

There will also be little trees to take away free, leaflets about therapeutic horticultural communities, lego and craft materials and books to entertain children.

The Very Revd  Hunter Farquharson  and Kate Sainsbury are offering a service of thanksgiving for our animals – a Pet Service – in the Main Ring at 8.45 on Sunday morning, followed by an invitation to breakfast in the Game and Wildlife Conservancy Trust enclosure for all present.  The service will be broadcast throughout the show ground.

The Bishop of Calcutta, Church of North India, The Rt Revd Ashoke Biswas and his chaplain The Revd Paritosh Canning are visiting the Diocese for a week’s visit.

 

 

Members of the Overseas Group shared dinner at the Everest Inn, Perth to welcome the arrival of Bishop Ashoke Biswas and Revd Paritosh Canning from our Companion Diocese of Calcutta.

 

 

Bishop Ashoke attended the Retirement  Service for Bishop David on Sunday evening and gave a short address at the end of the service.

 

The following day they visited the Alexander Duff Memorial in Pitlochy and Holy Trinity Church.

The Revd Alexander Duff was a Christian missionary in India and played a large part in the development of higher education.  He founded the General Assembly’s Institution in Calcutta which is now known as the Scottish Church College.

The Duff Church in Kolkata was named in 1910 in memory of Alexander Duff.

 

 

He has visited St John’s Perth and also dropped into the Buggy Club in their hall.  He has also visited Scotland’s  Jute Museum at Verdant Works  in Dundee.

Bishop Ashoke and Paritosh leave the Diocese on Friday to travel down to visit the Diocese of Derby with whom they are also linked.

Several hundred people from across the Diocese and the wider Scottish Episcopal Church together with Clergy, Lay Readers and invited guests attended a Farewell Eucharist for The Most Revd David Chillingworth, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church and Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane.

Among the invited guests were The Lord Lieutenant of Perth and Kinross, Brigadier Mel Jamieson, The Provost of Perth and Kinross Denis Melloy, John Swinney MSP, The Rt Revd Ashoke Biswas – Bishop of the Diocese of Calcutta, our companion Diocese and family members and friends of the Bishop.

 

The Bishop and the Canons of the Cathedral

prepare to process into the Cathedral

Thirty Glenalmond pupils completed the course of preparation for Confirmation and 26 were Confirmed at Glenalmond.The other four are to be Confirmed later.

The Most Revd David Chillingworth, Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church presided and preached at the service, and Mr Russell Mann, Elder and Session Clerk of Methven Kirk, welcomed candidates into membership of the Church of Scotland.