This is the Rev’d Mark Abrey, vicar of St. Nicholas’ Church, Chadlington, Oxfordshire. He seems to be a quiet and unassuming sort of minister, so you won’t find much written about him anywhere. Indeed, it took His Grace the best part of an hour to unearth a photograph. The Rev’d Mark happens to be David Cameron’s local vicar in his constituency. And this is what the Prime Minister said of him at Wednesday’s Downing Street Easter reception:
..it’s lovely to have here tonight the vicar from St Mary Abbots school, Gillean Craig, and also the vicar who looks after me spiritually in the constituency, Mark Abrey in Chadlington, who, when I often ”“ anyone asks me about the pastoral care that many vicars carry out across the country, I remember 5 years ago when we had to mourn the loss and bury my son Ivan, I can’t think of anyone who was more loving or thoughtful or kind than Mark. And of course, Ivan would have been 12 yesterday, which has had me pause to think about that.
Now, Mr Cameron said an awful lot more in his speech, which spanned politics, religion, the law of Christ, the Big Society and Dyno-Rod. And you may read all of that for yourselves and make up your own minds what you think about it. But His Grace is going to dwell on this single sentence of tribute to a single Church of England vicar, for this speech was extempore – not carefully crafted by some Downing Street hireling. And, clearly coming from the heart, it reveals rather more about the Prime Minister’s spirituality and appreciation of the Church of England’s ministry than anything he has previously disclosed.
Read it all from Archbishop Cranmer’s blog.
David Cameron on his vicar: "I can’t think of anyone who was more loving or thoughtful or kind"
This is the Rev’d Mark Abrey, vicar of St. Nicholas’ Church, Chadlington, Oxfordshire. He seems to be a quiet and unassuming sort of minister, so you won’t find much written about him anywhere. Indeed, it took His Grace the best part of an hour to unearth a photograph. The Rev’d Mark happens to be David Cameron’s local vicar in his constituency. And this is what the Prime Minister said of him at Wednesday’s Downing Street Easter reception:
..it’s lovely to have here tonight the vicar from St Mary Abbots school, Gillean Craig, and also the vicar who looks after me spiritually in the constituency, Mark Abrey in Chadlington, who, when I often ”“ anyone asks me about the pastoral care that many vicars carry out across the country, I remember 5 years ago when we had to mourn the loss and bury my son Ivan, I can’t think of anyone who was more loving or thoughtful or kind than Mark. And of course, Ivan would have been 12 yesterday, which has had me pause to think about that.
Now, Mr Cameron said an awful lot more in his speech, which spanned politics, religion, the law of Christ, the Big Society and Dyno-Rod. And you may read all of that for yourselves and make up your own minds what you think about it. But His Grace is going to dwell on this single sentence of tribute to a single Church of England vicar, for this speech was extempore – not carefully crafted by some Downing Street hireling. And, clearly coming from the heart, it reveals rather more about the Prime Minister’s spirituality and appreciation of the Church of England’s ministry than anything he has previously disclosed.
Read it all from Archbishop Cranmer’s blog.