The Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church in the US (TEC) the Most Rev Michael Curry will preach in a special service in St Andrew’s Cathedral, Aberdeen on Sunday 5 November. The Service is being held to install the Rev Dr Canon Charles Robertson from TEC as an Honorary Canon of St Andrew’s Cathedral and marks the joint role that the Scottish and American Episcopal Churches had in the birth of the Anglican Communion through the consecration of Samuel Seabury, the first American Bishop, in Aberdeen in 1784.
The historic bond that St Andrew’s Cathedral has with TEC includes an invitation by the Cathedral for the Presiding Bishop to nominate someone from TEC to be installed as an Honorary Canon of the Cathedral. The visit to Aberdeen comes at a time when St Andrew’s Cathedral is undergoing a major fundraising campaign for the repair and restoration of the interior of the building. The Provost of the Cathedral, the Very Rev Isaac Poobalan, hopes the visit will raise further awareness of the role that the Cathedral has in the community of Aberdeen’s city centre and beyond. The Service on Sunday evening will be attended by civic leaders and dignitaries and people from other churches and faith communities, as well as people from across the Scottish Episcopal Church.
During their visit to Aberdeen the Presiding Bishop and Canon Robertson will take part in a symposium on Monday that will explore the social history and common interests of the Scottish and American Episcopal Churches. Others taking part in this will include the Rt Rev Dr Gregor Duncan, Bishop of Glasgow & Galloway and the Rev Canon Dr Alison Peden, Director of Ordinands in the Scottish Episcopal Church.
The visit will then continue by travelling to Edinburgh – stopping off en-route at the Diocese of Edinburgh’s annual Clergy Conference being held in Pitlochry – and it is hoped may include a visit to Scottish Parliament and a meeting with Scotland’s First Minister.
The Most Rev Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church will accompany the Presiding Bishop and Canon Robertson throughout the visit and says “The Scottish Episcopal Church is proud of its role in the coming into being of what is now the world-wide Anglican Communion and I am delighted to welcome the Presiding Bishop in his first visit to Scotland when we can share our past, present and future bonds of communion and concern for the people we serve in our respective provinces.
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A video recording of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon can be found here: https://www.scotland.anglican.org/presiding-bishop-episcopal-church-tec-preaching-st-andrews-cathedral-aberdeen/