Parishioners have just been told that Bath Abbey Missioner, the Revd Stephen Girling will direct ‘ the mission and ministry’ of the church until the appointment of a new Rector to replace the Revd Edward Mason who will be retiring in November.
An email from the Abbey announces:
” You may wonder why a successor has not already been appointed. In the Church of England it is recognised practice, following the resignation of the incumbent, that there is a period during which the position will remain vacant. (This is sometimes referred to as an interregnum.)
The Vacancy allows for a time of careful consideration and reflection on the needs of the church and on the appointment of a suitable person as a successor. The Church Council will be meeting with the Archdeacon before the end of the year as part of this consultation.”
The Rev Girling will be ‘Acting Rector’ from December the 1st – though the Revd Mason has agreed to stay on ‘ to support the Abbey team during the Christmas period.’
The Abbey will also be saying goodbye to another member of staff as the Revd Claire Robson has decided to leave at the end of this month.
The email says: “For some time, Claire has expressed a desire to devote significant time to writing and this is the direction on which she now proposes to embark.”
