Licensing Fr. Andrew Wadsworth

After months of careful preparation the moment finally came on Monday 3rd April when Fr. Andrew was licensed to be our new priest by the Right Reverend Lindsay Urwin, Bishop of Horsham.

The church was packed not only with our church family and clergy from neighbouring parishes but also friends and members of congregations from Fr. Andrew's previous churches in the Diocese of Lichfield, Exeter and his last ministry as Vicar of Bulkington with Shilton and Ansty in the Diocese of Coventry. A very special visitor, Dom Peter Kingsley, travelled all the way from the monastery of Vallechiara of the Monastic Fraternity of Jesus situated in Via Fontana Parata near Rome where Fr. Andrew stayed in retreat before joining us.

In the concluding moments of a most moving and heartening service, bishop Lindsay led us in St. Richard's prayer and the final hymn was a rousing 'We have a gospel to proclaim' . With all the groundswell of love and best wishes from all his old friends and his new congregation at St. Wilfrid's we were all left in no doubt that we have the pastor to lead us forward to do just that.

for more see: Vicars and Perpetual Curates of Bognor

April 2006 Magazine entry:

A Celebration to Remember

Welcome Fr. Andrew

Monday 3 April 2006 will certainly be a date to remember as the parish welcome Father Andrew Wadsworth into his new ministry at St. Wilfrid's Bognor.

The service to license Fr. Andrew led by the Bishop of Horsham, was The Right Reverend Lindsay Urwin, OSG. Fr. Lindsay gave a moving homily with grace, wit and deep spirituality on the theme of the service of the priesthood and the love of our God for us through His Son, Jesus Christ as we really are, stripped of our earthly positions, status and prejudices. Importantly, that we return that love by living in the Way of Christ. He reminded the congregation of St. Wilfrid's that we should cherish our new priest and uphold him as he goes about his new ministry allowing him to be remembered as a Godly man rather than good at specific things, sermons, cricket, for example.

The service was followed by a 'St. Wilfrid's Special' a reception prepared by the wives where everyone had a chance to chat to the Bishop, Fr. Andrew, friends and family of Fr. Andrew, visitors from his old parishes and enjoy the excellent buffet.

Thanks goes out to and from the team who arranged the evening. The Churchwardens, Parish Administrator and Bishop's Chaplain who organised the service structure and books. The clergy, sacristy members and sidesmen for assisting in the service and preparing the Church. The organist and choir for the superb music and the wives group for the reception.

Article in the Bognor Observer. Thursday 20th April, 2006:

New priest welcomed into parish

A NEW parish priest for Bognor Regis has formally begun work in the town.

Father Andrew Wadsworth was licensed in his new role at St Wilfrid's Church by the Bishop of Horsham, the Rt. Rev. Lindsay Urwin. More than 250 people attended the ceremony at the church in Victoria Drive. It has served as the Parish church of Bognor since St. John�s was demolished in 1971 to make way for shops.

Mr. Wadsworth (50) said he wanted to use St Wilfrid's status to strengthen the church's links with local people. �I want to get to know people and I want to got involved with the community and that will certainly involve schools;" he stated. "In terms of events such as funerals, marriages and baptisms - the rites of passages - people are interested in the church and feel they are important to their lives and want a Christian minister to do them. "There is also a lot of interest in spiritualism and I think the Christian church has a lot to say on that subject."

In the short term his biggest role will be ensuring the renewal of the electrical wiring at St. Wilfrid�s is carried out successfully.

The arrival of Mr Wadsworth, who is living in the vicarage next to the church, ends an 18 month interregnum since the departure of the previous vicar, Fr. Roger Calder. He arrived in Bognor from the large village of Bulkington, near Coventry, with 9,000 inhabitants where he was- in charge of three parishes around the West Midlands. He agreed to move to Bognor to become closer to an area with which he is familiar having been at school at Ardingly College in Sussex and where many of his family live.

"It's also one parish instead of three,� he stated, "and the worship here is Anglo-Catholic and that�s very much where I come from.�

He decided upon a life in the church from the age of 15 and has been a vicar since 1987.

Members of the congregations from his previous churches, which also include Shrewsbury, attended his licensing service at St Wilfrid's.