South African visitor to join in prayers for new Blackburn bishop (From Lancashire Telegraph)

South African visitor to join in prayers for new Blackburn bishop

3:41pm Wednesday 16th January 2013 in Blackburn

The Bishop-elect of Free State, South Africa, Rev Dintoe Stephen, will attend tonight’s Praying For The Bishop event at Blackburn Cathedral.

He will join Anglicans from Lancashire to pray for the new Bishop of Blackburn to be appointed next month.

Rev Stephen, 49, is making a visit to the diocese and wanted to get involved in the event while he is here. He was born in Kroonstad, Free State, which is a ‘link diocese’ of the Diocese of Blackburn. He is married to Maureen and has three children. He will be ordained in March. All parishes in the Diocese of Blackburn have been encouraged to send representatives to the event, which is open to the public, led by the Archdeacon of Blackburn John Hawley.

There will prayer stations in the cathedral allowing worshippers to pray in different ways, alone or together.

Archdeacon Hawley said the prayers were a way of seeking God’s guidance and blessing for the process of appointing a successor to the Rt Rev Nicholas Reade.