Message from the Dean

Welcome to the spring edition of St Albans Cathedral’s Social and Environmental Justice Newsletter. As we go to print, our Government is proposing laws that will see those who arrive on our shores across the Channel deported and with no right of recourse to stay, regardless of their situation. As we acknowledge the need for a global response to the horror and devastation experienced by the millions who are fleeing for their safety, the story of Alban and Amphibalus, and the welcome to the stranger on which our Cathedral and Abbey Church is founded, inspires and challenges us towards a better and more humane solution than this blanket ban. From the wonderful and challenging concert here in January, In a Strange Land, which highlighted the reality for refugees and asylum seekers in our world today, we hear the exhortation of the writer to the Hebrews when in chapter 13 he says, ‘Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers for by doing so some have entertained angels without knowing it’. In the pages ahead you will read of our upcoming Community Showcase in June, our continued work on our commitment to environmental sustainability and the call to consider how we can each be involved in our communities. Do not hesitate to speak with one of our team if you would like to be involved in any aspect of our justice work – it is at the heart of the Gospel call and our Cathedral’s mission.

Jo Kelly-Moore, Dean of St Albans