Archbishop awards Crosses of St Augustine

Wednesday 1st November 2006

The Cross of St Augustine was founded by Archbishop Michael Ramsey. It was first awarded by him on 19 February 1965. It is a circular medallion bearing a replica of the 8th Century Cross of Canterbury and on the reverse side is an engraving of the chair of St Augustine at Canterbury. The ribbon is of "Canterbury Blue" and it is worn around the neck by clergy and on the left breast by lay people.

This award has historically been given to clergy and lay people of foreign churches who have contributed conspicuously to advancing friendly relations with the churches of the Anglican Communion. More recently it has also been given for outstanding service within the Church of England whether centrally or in the dioceses, or the Anglican Communion as a whole, and to those who have contributed to advancing relations between the various Christian communions and churches.

The eight recipients of the Cross of St Augustine were as follows:

The Revd Gethin Abraham-Williams

The Revd Gethin Abraham-Williams is a Baptist minister who is retiring as secretary of CYTUN, the Churches Together in Wales after sixteen years. He has worked on different ecumenical projects including a discussion of a possible ecumenical bishop of Wales. He invited the Wales Covenant and the Free Church Council of Wales to become integrated with CYTUN and the Black Majority Churches of Wales as observer members. He has worked to make CYTUN the representative body for the Welsh Churches in dealings with the state and other faiths, and in this capacity since 9/11 he has established a permanent inter-faith Forum for Wales.

The Revd Donald Brewin

The Revd Donald Brewin is soon to retire from being the UK National Director of Sharing of Ministries Abroad (SOMA UK). He has worked to promote spiritual renewal in the Anglican Communion, not only as a transformation for people, but for the communities and societies in which they live. His work has mainly been with dioceses in Africa building strong links with Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. He has written teaching materials for clergy and lay leaders that are translated into local languages and in his work with young people he has provided teams for national youth events. Since being appointed director there are now eleven national bodies sending teams to over 60 countries.

Miss Margaret Doak

Miss Margaret Doak read Theology and worked as a Religious Education teacher before embarking on a career in the counselling and healing ministry. Founder of the Shalom Centre in Maidstone she is now retiring as its director after ten years. The centre is staffed by professionals but in order to make it affordable for everyone the counsellors give their services voluntarily and the clients pay what they can afford. The aim of the centre is to help people come to a wider understanding of themselves, God's world and creation. Much of her energy has gone into fundraising , which is enabling the enterprise to continue under new leadership.

Mr David and Mrs Hazel Gedge

David Gedge is currently the longest serving British cathedral organist and choirmaster, having worked at Brecon Cathedral since 1967. Hazel, also a professional organist has supported and worked alongside him throughout the forty years. They have dedicated their professional lives to the worship of God through sacred music and are widely renowned and acclaimed throughout South East Wales and in wider Anglican circles. They have built up the cathedral choir to a high standard, vastly expanded the musical and liturgical repertoire and trained and nurtured the choral society as well as playing a leading role in founding the Gwent Chamber Orchestra.

The Revd Dr. Paul Gibson

The Revd Dr. Paul Gibson is a clergyman in the Canadian Anglican Church and has specialised as a liturgist. As the liturgical officer he played a considerable part in creating the Canadian Book of Alternative Services and Common Praise, the Canadian official hymnal. From 1989 until the present, he has been working for the Anglican Consultative Council as Co-ordinator for Liturgy for the Anglican Communion. This has included reporting to the Primates' Meeting and the Lambeth Conference where he has monitored liturgical revision and developments and functioned as secretary to the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation.

Dr. Bernard Knowles

Dr. Bernard Knowles has been organist at St Mary's Church, South Elmsall, West Yorkshire for the last fifty years. He has maintained a large choir to a very high standard. Despite being variously a full time teacher, deputy head of Batley Grammar School and Chairman of the Yorkshire Schools Cricket Association he has managed to make time for three rehearsals a week for two main Sunday services. Every year, at the Royal School of Church Music Awards within the diocese, there are at least three or four Dean's and Bishop's awards for this choir. South Elmsall is a small working class town, which has undergone the post-industrial trauma, felt by so many other mining towns. His work has contributed towards raising the spirits that has helped transcend some of those difficulties.

Miss Catherine Widdicombe

Miss Catherine Widdicombe, a Roman Catholic, entered the Grail Community in 1949 where she still remains, having become its president in the mid 1990's. In the 1960s she headed a small secretariat in Rome for the Roman Catholic Bishops of England and Wales during the sessions of the Second Vatican Council. She was concerned to apply the findings of Vatican II in a "non-directive" manner. After meeting Dr. George Lovell, a Methodist minister, they formed AVEC. The aim was to work together with churches and church-related bodies to counsel and train clergy and lay people in the various tasks facing them in the field of community development.

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