Church hoping archbishop will visit Bermuda
•The Anglican Church is hoping its worldwide leader, the Archbishop of Canterbury will visit Bermuda next year.
The church next year celebrates the 30th anniversary of a name change which made it an autonomous body within the Anglican Communion.
And Bishop Ewen Ratteray is hoping the new Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will come to the Island to join the 30th anniversary celebrations.
Writing in the diocesan newsletter, Bishop Ratteray writes that in 1975 the church changed its name from the Church of England in Bermuda to the Anglican Church of Bermuda.
The church then became considered an extra provincial diocese of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
“Up to now, no consensus has been arrived at as to which province we might align ourselves. The choices are Canterbury/York England, one of the ECUSA (American) provinces, a Canadian province, or the provinces of the West Indies,” the bishop writes.
“One of our great hopes for next year is that the Archbishop of Canterbury will be able to come and share our celebrations.”The Bishop also notes Anglicanism has been deeply entwined in the fabric of Bermuda since the Island was settled.
There was an Anglican priest onboard Sir George Somers' ship the Sea Venture, whose sinking off St. George's in 1609 led to the settlement of Bermuda.