Father Nigel Prior is to be the next Rector of St Mary’s Woodbridge and Priest-in-Charge of St Mary’s, Great Bealings. Father Nigel will be formally licensed and Inducted on St Bartholomew’s day, 24th August, by Mike Harrison, the Bishop of Dunwich.
“I am very excited to arrive, if a little later than planned,” he commented. “I look forward to serving both churches (soon to become a United Benefice) as faithfully and imaginatively as I can.”
Father Nigel has come from the Parish of Mayfield in East Sussex, after over twenty years in post and brings considerable pastoral, liturgical and community-minded skills to a Parish that has thrived under the charismatic Ministry of Rector Kevan McCormack, “Kev, the Rev”, over the same period. He hails originally from Loughton in Essex and is married to Liz from Irlam in Manchester who was Headteacher of Our Lady’s RC Primary School in Rottingdean (near Brighton) before retiring recently.
He added: “It is important to keep the rumour of God alive by every means of communication and contact possible. Even if social distancing still feels awkward, we all need to feel and know the ‘still, small voice of God’ in our midst, and that we are each valued and loved by Him despite all the challenges we face.
“Suffolk is a very lovely place – the home of Benjamin Britten and Maggi Hambling, so I’m in good company. Woodbridge is a buzzy, diverse market town while St Mary’s Great Bealings is a country church which serves what is still a close-knit rural community.
Comments