"He who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps."
The Parish of Saint Kenelm & Saint Benedict
The Parish Priest is the Rev'd. Fr. Canon Robin Westwood and the Parish is based in Cheltenham.
Canon Robin was ordained by Bishop Robert Mercer CR within the Traditional Anglican Church (TAC) on the 14th September 1997 in The Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, he then returned to the UK where he served as a Deacon at the TAC Mission in Presteigne, Powys.
In 2001 he together with Bishop Robert McBride founded the English Catholic Church (ECC) and he was ordained a priest and in time this Church became known as the Old Catholic Church in Europe (OCCE). Fr. Robin and Bishop Robert together with others left the OCCE and founded the Ecumenical Society of Saint Augustine of Canterbury where Fr. Robin now serves as a Mission Priest in Cheltenham.
Fr. Robin has recently been appointed The Director of Contemplation and Religious Life and is also Bishop Martyn’s Personal Chaplain. Father has a great love of the Religious Life and his greatest inspirations are Thomas Merton and Saint Benedict of Nursia. He has recently embarked on a Master’s Degree in Theology in Monastic Studies at the University of Wales. He has also studied over many years Comparative Religions, which include Buddhism and Islam and is a member of his local Inter Faith Group. He has travelled to many various locations in the world where he has been on retreat from a Coptic monastery in the Egyptian Desert to an Ashram in India.
Fr. Robin has recently been awarded the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies where he was awarded a distinction for much of his work.
Father works full time and is a Registered Nurse. He works for a National Cancer Charity and is a Nursing Manager in Palliative Care. He is also a fully qualified Counsellor and Spiritual Director, which he does on a voluntary unpaid basis.
Father’s interests are Travel & Exploration to the more off beaten places of the World, Monastic History, The works and writings of Thomas Merton OSB, Contemplation and Meditation (daily). He also enjoys rural England and Wales and Hill Walking.
A Small Hermitage or chapel is being sort at this time and further news should come of this in the future.
Daily
Monastic Offices and Mass are presently said within Father’s home in Cheltenham
in his private chapel of SS Kenelm and Benedict. Saint Kenelm being the Patron
Saint of the Cotswolds, which is within the beautiful area of Gloucestershire
where Father lives.
email:canonrobin@tessac.co.uk
Sponsored Walk
Canon Robin went to Israel on January 26th to do a sponsored walk around the Old Walls of Jerusalem on the 28th with 70 other people, for three charities that McCabe fund. He raised over £400, so congratulations Canon Robin! A few photos from the few days...
Congratulations as Fr. Robin was made Canon by Bishop Martyn at St. Francis, Southampton, on Sunday 23rd January.
More pictures of the day can be found at: http://jalbum.net/a/878864/
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