A charity that aims to advance Christianity with Anglican principles has announced a prize of £1,000 for the best 5000-word answer to ‘Why I am an Anglican and believe I shall remain so’.
St Boniface Trust has been concerned that yet more divisions are being created within both the Anglican and the Roman Catholic Churches. Its response is to run the competition which is open to both lay people and clergy of all ages.
In a statement a spokesperson for the Trust said, “The Trust feels that more attention needs to be paid to the understanding of Anglicanism as a distinctive witness in a time when its self understanding is at a low ebb.
“There is a degree of urgency and to further this understanding it is offering a prize of £1,000 which will go to the writer of an essay of about 5,000 words on the subject ‘Why I am an Anglican and believe I shall remain so’.
“Essay submissions by lay people and clergy of all ages must be received by 1 January 2012 and entries will be judged by 2 senior clergy. The result will be announced next Easter and the winning essay placed on our website together with other significant contributions.”
The St Boniface Trust was established following the closure in 1969 of St Boniface College, Warminster. Originally founded in 1860 as a missionary college, from 1948 to 1969 the college was used as the fourth year of training for ordination candidates who were graduates of King’s College London, England.
The Trust is a small charity “established to advance the Christian religion in accordance with the principles of the Anglican faith in all parts of the world, especially for the provision of education and training of clergy and lay people by the award of scholarships and maintenance allowance or any purpose concerning their spiritual or temporal welfare”.
It is governed by the St Boniface Council and its local management committee. The Trust also supports the work of the last warden of the college, Canon John Townroe, in his unique ministry of spiritual direction which he has carried, based in Warminster, since the college closure.
If you are seriously interested in entering please contact the Trust secretary for further details. secretary@stbonifacetrust.org.uk or write to David Prior, Secretary, St Boniface Trust 4 Cley View, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 8NS, UK.