Hereford Cathedral School pupils welcomed a very special guest to Chapel this morning: the Archbishop of Canterbury.
On the last day of his trip to Herefordshire and Shropshire, the Archbishop spoke to HCS pupils of how he had found his faith as a teenager, and that his decision to follow Jesus Christ had been the best he had ever made. In his address, the Archbishop said a prayer for our pupils: “May you bless and strengthen them as they go through their school years…with the issues of identity, their daily worries, but yet knowing that in you, there is hope, dear Jesus, thank you.”
HCS pupils later got to speak with the Archbishop at St Thomas’s Shrine.
HCS headmaster Mr Paul Smith commented: “It was a great privilege and honour to welcome the Archbishop of Canterbury to our chapel. Indeed, this may be the first time in the school’s 700+ years history that an Archbishop has delivered an HCS chapel. Archbishop Justin finished his address with reference to the legacy of our lives being measured in terms of the good that we have done, and not the space that we have occupied.”
HCS Sixth Former Eleanor D remarked on the Archbishop’s address: “He was very down to earth and welcoming man with an extremely calm demeanour.” Another Sixth Former, Eloise H, said: “He was very relevant to our time and truly appealed to the younger generation.”
The much-documented tour of the region has seen the archbishop visit communities and churches all over Herefordshire and Shropshire. On Monday he visited All Saints Church and attended a Messy Church event at St James Church.
Last night, Hereford Cathedral School teacher Mrs Beavan was pictured with the Archbishop at a ‘Setting God’s People Free’ event at Ludlow Brewery.
To stay up to date with the Archbishop’s visit, search #JustINHerefordshireShropshire on Twitter.
