ST CHRISTOPHER’S Cathedral will commemorate its 70th anniversary next month with the ordination of a new Dean and senior figure of the parish.
The Reverend Dr Richard Fermer will be installed at a special service on March 10 at 6pm led by Archbishop Michael Lewis, the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf in the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East.
The ceremony will also mark the platinum jubilee anniversary of the consecration of the Cathedral Church of St Christopher.
“As I come to a new country, I come with empty outstretched hands, so that I can receive the gift of this place and its people,” said the Swiss-born Brit who arrived in Bahrain this month with his Brazilian wife, Giseli.
“My first message is of humility and gratefulness which is at the heart of faithful living,” said the Reverend Dr Fermer, who is happy to be called ‘Father Richard’ but once ordained as Dean will formally hold the title of the Very Reverend.
“Humility makes one better at receiving and, therefore, seeing what one can give and contribute to others. Thank you, Bahrain for helping me to practice the spiritual journey of humility.”
Father Richard is particularly excited about his new role having heard of the good work carried out by the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence which celebrates Bahrain’s multi-cultural society comprised of many faiths and ethnicities.
‘Ignorance is the enemy of peace, and it is, therefore, our duty to learn, to share, and to live together, by the tenets of faith in the spirit of mutual respect and love’ is the message it offers to the world.
Father Richard agrees. “When you live with humility and the spirit of peaceful coexistence, one can recognise God in the other, whatever his or her creed,” he said.
The 51-year-old has moved to the island after 10 years as Priest-in-Charge of the Grosvenor Chapel in London. The famous parish church in Mayfair was used for the wedding scene in the 2003 Christmas romantic-comedy box office smash Love Actually.
“Humility and peaceful coexistence uncovers the traces of God in the life around us, which neither I, nor my faith group alone possess in all fullness, because we are finite beings,” he added. “For God is always greater than our conceiving of Him. Like a desert wind, God blows where He will.
“St Christopher is the patron saint of travellers, which is why the cathedral here in Bahrain welcomes people from all across the world. Life is an adventure, a pilgrimage, a journey.”
Father Richard’s spiritual journey started in the UK surrounded by loved ones, including his father, Gordon, a retired finance director, artist mum, Georgina, and brother David, a children’s author… not knowing where his curiosity as an adolescent would lead him.
“I was on an intellectual quest and driven by studies, so I did quite a long time at universities,” he explained, “but that journey actually led me to a deeper commitment of faith and a realisation of the importance of community.
“Sometimes, in academia, you get stuck in the ‘ivory tower’ and forget the importance of community. That was an important realisation and with it came the commitment to the church and, through that, a sense of calling to the ministry.”
He studied Philosophy and Theology at Oxford University and did a semester at the US University of California, Berkeley. He completed an MA in Systematic Theology at King’s College London, and followed that with a PhD.
Research grants also allowed him to spend time at the universities of Kiel and Heidelberg in Germany.
The Religious Education teacher also taught at the City of London School and Haberdashers Aske’s School for Boys.
He was selected for ordination by the Diocese of London and trained at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, West Yorkshire.
He first served his curacy at St John’s Church, Palmers Green, in North London, where, along with others, helped set up a youth network for the local deanery.
In 2005, he offered himself for service abroad and went to Brazil and found further spiritual guidance ... and romance. “Specifically Porto Alegre and Recife to work with the Anglican Church, teaching at their seminaries and doing pastoral work in parishes,” he added, which is where he met and fell in love with Giseli.
During his four-year term there, he delivered courses and assisted pastorally, as well as liturgically. He contributed to published articles in Portuguese to the church’s theological review and assisted with a NGO, ‘Espaço Vida’ working with those with HIV/Aids in Recife.
The couple married in the UK in 2009. They are both qualified massage therapists and enjoy music, cinema and dance, as well as visiting friends and family in Brazil.
After Brazil, he took on the role as Assistant Chaplain at St George’s in the French capital of Paris, leading two parish pilgrimages.
After three years there, he became Priest-in-Charge of the Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair.
“It is a church that was used to interact with the Arab world,” added Father Richard. “Not only do lots of Bahrainis visit and own properties in Mayfair, but in 2004 Prince Faisal bin Turki Al Saud, when he was the Saudi ambassador to the UK, came to a service and had an interfaith dialogue with the priest. It was reported in the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al Awsat.”
There he helped organise events such as Venetian and Brazilian Carnival Nights, an Opera Gala, a Children’s Singing Club and the Mayfair Community Choir.
His service to the community in promoting art, harmony and togetherness was well documented and his aim will be to carry on the good works in the kingdom.
The St Christopher’s Cathedral Council is ‘delighted’ to have its new man in place who replaces The Revd Canon Dr Bill Schwartz, OBE, who is now retired and living in the US.
“We are delighted to welcome Richard and Giseli to Bahrain and hope they will settle quickly,” said the chair of the council, David Axtell.
“The role of Dean is a demanding and multi-faceted one requiring a range of skills, combining influence and stewardship with discretion and diplomacy.
“Father Richard has experience of leading church communities in many different areas comprising varied languages and backgrounds – from Brazil to Paris – and now joins us after a decade in central London.
“In addition to a degree from Oxford and PhD from King’s College his teaching and counselling qualifications make him well-suited to embrace this challenge as we look to recover from the impact of Covid-19.
“As a community we are excited to learn from and work with both Richard and Giseli and share the joys of Bahrain and its people.”
Mr Axtell added that the council was also excited about the anniversary celebrations and they are incredibly grateful to Bahrain and its people.
“Of all the countries within the GCC it’s by far and away the most tolerant and understanding,” he added.
“The fact that we are able to celebrate 70 years is a demonstration that this is not a recent phenomenon and that freedom of religion is a way of life that has been practised for generations.
“There are many individuals and organisations that have been responsible throughout this long period of time for helping and serving and we thank them all.
“Covid-19 has probably had the toughest impact on the church in its history and we will be holding a variety of events and activities this year to help remind the community of the role the cathedral can play.”
The festivities will continue throughout the year with a fundraising dinner-dance in September as well as an exhibition, a charity event and the visit of representatives of the dioceses to which St Christopher’s Cathedral is linked – Exeter in the UK and Theka in Kenya.
mai@gdnmedia.bh
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