New Anglican Bishop of Richborough

Fr Norman Banks,
Chaplain to HM The Queen

We warmly congratulate Fr Norman Banks, vicar of Walsingham, on his appointment as bishop of Richborough. Fr Banks served for a number of years as a trustee and member of the Council of the League and inspired in so many ways our focus on the importance of honouring the martyrs in a spirit of reparation and the healing of memories, as called for by Blessed Pope John Paul. He was instrumental in ensuring that the cell where the last sub-prior of Walsingham Priory, Fr Nicholas Mileham, was held on the eve of his martyrdom was dedicated as a chapel in the old Sue Ryder building. The League placed an altar there, bearing our emblem of the crossed key and crozier, in memory of our much loved late General Secretary, Geoffrey Wright. Until the future of the building and possible use and access to the cell-chapel are settled, Fr Banks has been looking after the altar. Before the Sue Ryder building closed, the altar was much used for mass and was at the time one of the few places in Walsingham where Catholics and Anglicans alike could celebrate a eucharist in the same holy space.

Let us pray that, thanks to the prayer and faithfulness of all the martyrs, Catholic and Protestant alike, and their self-oblation in union with the sacrifice of Christ, the Christians of today may grow ever closer together into fullness of communion in his one Church. We know how deeply Fr Norman cares for the Catholic faith as it has been lived in the Anglican Church and what it has promised for the reconciliation of all Christians. So we assure him of our prayers for God's blessing in his future ministry to bring about the day of unity in Christ's one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.