The chaplain to the speaker of the House of Commons provides pastoral care for MPs and staff at Westminster and the role includes being Priest in Charge of St Mary at Hill in the City of London.

The Speaker’s chaplain’s responsibilities also include leading daily prayers in the Chamber, conducting a weekly service in the chapel and presiding over weddings and baptisms of members.

Rev Hillas currently works at St Paul’s Cathedral as Canon and Pastor, responsible for the Cathedral’s pastoral work, overseeing the welfare of all staff St Paul’s and visitors.

She will be the 80th chaplain to the speaker and the second woman after Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin who was selected to become the next Bishop of Dover; Hudson-Wilkin will be installed on 30th November.

Before joining St Paul’s Cathedral, Tricia was vicar of St Barnabas in Northolt.

Born in Kuala Lumpur, she trained as a senior social worker, before her ordination in 2002.

The Dean of St Paul’s, David Ison, said she is: “a warm, intelligent, perceptive and creative colleague.

“She has challenged and stretched St Paul’s to be more inclusive of others, and I’m sure she will do a great job as Chaplain in Parliament in the midst of the great variety of people and issues she will encounter there. We will miss her and her contributions very much indeed; we wish her well, and will be praying for her in her new ministry.”

The Bishop…

The report by the Grenfell Tower inquiry states that the fire was started by an electrical fault in a fridge-freezer, through no fault of the owner.

The material in the building aided the fire to spread and for smoke on the outside of the building to re-enter the building and block the stairways, which were the only way to get out.

Rev Mike Long, the minister of Notting Hill Methodist Church, three minutes away from the tower, told Premier Christian Radio the recommendations are important to those who’ve lost family members: “I think they’re vital. If ever there’s going to be in a sense of healing and peace, there needs to be some kind of common understanding of truth and justice as well.

“For many people who are so closely connected, sadly, to this disaster, it’s impossible to forget and there’s this kind of aching, burning sense of frustration or longing to know what could have happened – the knowledge that, for instance, so many lives could have been saved, had key decisions been made differently on the night is very, very hard to bear for those who’ve lost loved ones.”

Speaking about how it has affected the community two years on he explained: “I think it shapes all our ministries in the local community because the community continues to be so affected by it. That’s not always of course on the surface but we know this is going to be a very long process.

“Also…

The Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) said that if the decline in the number of serving priests is not halted, members of the faith face being denied church weddings and christenings.

ACP is also advocating for priests being allowed to marry. Pope Francis has shown an openness to the marriage of deacons, in light of the recommendations from last week’s Amazon synod where a more open minded approach to the ordination of married deacons in the Amazon region is being considered.

Many priests who have left the ministry to get married could bring a “huge richness and wisdom” to the Church if they were allowed to return as leaders, he said.

Fr Roy Dononvan is concerned by the “failure” to address the issue of inequality for women within the Church.

He said: “Women can’t become deacons at the moment which means there’s no opportunity to become leaders. The synod has left women as second class citizens. The Church is not treating women as human beings and it’s a massive injustice at the heart of the Church.”

Spokesperson for the ACP, Fr Tim Hazelwood said the Catholic Church “faced a catastrophic situation” and priests were an “endangered species”.

He warned that unless new measures are brought in “we’re facing a really bleak future”.

The ordination of women and married priests will be discussed on 30th October at the Irish Association of Catholic Priests annual…

The announcement came after a general election was called for 12th December.

The Christian group said in a statement that it seeks “something of God in everyone and that leads them to work for justice for all”.

It said their “commitment to truth, peace, equality and simplicity leads to five priorities: climate crisis, migration, criminal justice, peace and disarmament, and the nature of the debate”.
Quakers in Britain said it is a time to influence future decision-makers.

It has called for the UK to commit to transition to a net-zero carbon economy in order to tackle effects of climate change.

Regarding crime justice, Quakers want “a system of restorative justice that transforms individuals, communities and countries for the better”.

They have urged the future government to invest in health, education and housing to “help address the inequalities that lead people to commit crime”.

The group has also mandated the language used by politicians is fair.

“Quakers are concerned by the violent language being used in the political arena,” it said in a statement.

“They call on everyone involved… to listen to each other, seek the truth and seek common ground from which to move forward.

“Humanity needs leaders of integrity and conscience, ready to be held to account by individuals and institutions, national and international.”

Quakers across Britain are engaging with politicians…

According to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), Pastor Bryan Nerren and two other pastors from the state of Tennessee arrived in India on 5th October to attend two conferences in India and Nepal.

The ACLJ reported that Pastor Nerren was then targeted and arrested by Indian customs agents after he told them he was a Christian.

ICC’s regional manager, William Stark said: “We here at International Christian Concern are deeply concerned by the arrest and detention of Pastor Nerren. We are most concerned by reports that Pastor Nerren was targeted by Indian customs officials after he told them he is a Christian.

Pastor Nerren was detained by customs agents whilst going through security for a flight to Bagdogra. The pastor was carrying funds to cover the expenses for the two conferences as well as the two-week trip for himself and the other pastors.

Customs agents questioned him about the funds and their usage for about an hour. According to reports, Nerren has been traveling to India and Nepal for the past 17 years to train people to become Sunday school teachers.

Customs agents specifically asked him if he was a Christian and if the funds would be used to support Christian causes. After explaining what the money was for, customs agents told Pastor Nerren he was free to go.

However, when Nerren arrived in Bagdogra, he was arrested and transported to Siliguri where he was jailed for six days and…

The Hollywood actor was a passenger in a vintage muscle car when the driver lost control, sped down an embankment and slammed into a tree near Malibu.

Hart suffered major back injuries in the crash, which authorities blamed on reckless driving.

Hart, 40, has now returned to social media and shared a video to Instagram documenting his recovery from September’s smash.

The star of films including Ride Along, Get Hard and The Upside is shown lying in a hospital bed, being assisted by nurses and using a walking frame to stand up.

“Basically you realise you’re not in control,” he said.

“No matter how much you think you’re in control, you’re not in control. At the end of the day it can all be over.

“When God talks you’ve got to listen. I swear life is funny because some of the craziest things that happen to you end up being the thing you needed most.

“In this case I honestly feel like God told me to sit down. When you’re moving too fast and you’re doing too much, sometimes you can’t see the things you’re meant to see.

“After my accident I see things differently, I see life from a whole new perspective,” Hart said.

 

Hart is also filmed undergoing physical therapy lessons at his home. His three children appear in the video, as does his wife, Eniko.

“My appreciation for life is through the roof. I’m thankful for my family, my friends,” he said.

Hart thanked fans for their “love…