Bishop of Southwark to decide if Croydon Parish Church becomes Minster
By Ian Austen
HOPES that Croydon Parish Church will become a Minster now lie firmly in the hands of the Bishop of Southwark.
But there will be no immediate decision as a new bishop is not expected to be appointed until the autumn.
Despite this, hopes are still high that if he supports the idea the change of status could come about in the spring of next year.
The proposal leapt another potential stumbling block last week when it won the support of the Southwark Diocesan pastoral committee, representing both the clergy and laity.
That approval came hot on the heels of Croydon clergy backing the change through the Archdeacon of Croydon's pastoral committee.
The Archdeacon, the Venerable Tony Davis, told the Advertiser this week: "There was a lot of enthusiasm for the idea from Southwark pastoral committee.
"There was a belief it will be good for the Church and for Croydon. We all know that it is the Queen's Jubilee in 2012 and she is likely to be looking at creating new cities.
"A Minster in Croydon could be a nod in the right direction to help Croydon in its bid."
There is also a widely held belief that creating a Minster would help re-emphasise the importance of Croydon's historical connections with the Church and previous Archbishops of Canterbury.
Addington Palace and Old Palace in central Croydon were home to several Archbishops of Canterbury and five are buried at St Mary's Church in Addington.
The next formal step will be for the proposals to be studied to check there are no legal constraints on making the change.
2 Comments
by J, Croydon
Friday, June 04 2010, 8:41PM
“Its a nice church - but no it isn't as impressive or as architecturally interesting as York minster.
But then York Minster is large medieval cathedral.
The idea of the modern conferral of Minster status is to officially recognise the status of a church which is of greater historical & local importance than a simple parish church.
Traditionally, Croydon was an enclave of Canterbury, because it was the summer residence of the Archbishops. Its special connections to the, Canterbury, the Whitgift Foundation, and its place as the central, and most important local CofE church make it a fitting candidate for the title.”
by Ruth, Purley
Friday, June 04 2010, 8:03PM
“Doesn't exactly compare with majestic York Minster does it?”