Archbishop John receives prayer from the Life in the Spirit congregation: Archdiocese of Southwark

Archbishop John receives prayer from the Life in the Spirit congregation

01.07.24

A special Celebration Evening to mark the success of the Life in the Spirit seminars resulted in a unique request from Archbishop John to the congregation in St George's Cathedral.

Archbishop receiving prayer from the congregation

Archbishop John Wilson, in a striking symbolic gesture, came down from the sanctuary of St George’s Cathedral on Tuesday, 25th June 2024, knelt in the Nave and asked the congregation to extend their hands and pray over him as he set out on his travels for Nigeria the following day.

Liz Corcoran, a member of the Southwark Charismatic Team then led a beautiful prayer of blessing for the trip and for his ministry. The wave of love for the Archbishop by the congregation was palpable. Earlier sensing the mood, he had set aside his prepared talk to deliver an extemporised address. One participant, for whom this was all new commented:

“I thought this is going be long, full of pomp and lots of singing and its going to go on for ages. I had such a good time I couldn’t believe it. Amazing event so glad I made it. The Archbishop was amazing. It’s great when a sermon gets you laughing and ends with a point. I loved his humour and humility”.

The evening was one of celebration for the recent success of the Life in the Spirit seminars that had taken place at the Cathedral during the Eastertide period, which were also streamed to hubs across the Archdiocese. As well as a concelebrated Mass with all the Cathedral Clergy led by Archbishop John, there had been a time of praise and worship led by Deacon Javier Elderfield, the Cathedral’s Administrator. Personal witness was given by a selection of people who shared their experiences of the Life in the Spirit seminars, during which they highlighted what they had received from them, as well as how they had grown in their faith. One participant had travelled all the way from Oxford and another from Hull to be there.

One young man, who was unchurched, had come to the Holy Week liturgies at the Cathedral and had been profoundly touched. He had seen the flyer for the Life in the Spirit seminars, and signed up. As a result of his experiences, he has joined the RCIA at the Cathedral and is planning to become a Catholic.

The Life in the Spirit seminars is a series of evangelistic talks which proclaim the basic Gospel message in a personal and inspirational way, and which encourages participants to open themselves up to the reality of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The sessions, which had been given at the Cathedral, had been delivered by a mixture of priests and lay people, men and women. These included Episcopal vicar, Canon Gerard Bradley, Joan Fernandes from the Divine Retreat Centre in Ramsgate, Janet Iannicelli from Come and See Ministries, Allegra Mutanda, Director of Evangelisation in Winchester Parish in Portsmouth, Gary Stephens, Director of the New Dawn Conference and Fr Emmanuel Mansford CFR from Bradford.

Further exciting opportunities this Autumn include: