AN INTRO TO THE NEW PRIEST IN CHARGE AT CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL
A Report for BBC World Service "Calling the Falklands" by Jenny Hargreaves (JH) 15/11/02
(Intro by Deborah Vogle)
It seems to be all change in the Islands at the moment. Not only a new Governor coming and the new Chief Executive, you’ve also got a newly arrived Catholic Priest (Prefect Apostolic) Fr. (Monsignor) McPartland, and he will be followed soon by the Rev. Paul Sweeting (PS). He will be taking up the job of the Rector (Priest in Charge) of Christ Church (Cathedral) next year. And, as he told Jenny Hargreaves, the new job is really good news for him and his family.
PS: We’re really delighted to have been offered the post and we have accepted. We are really looking forward to it.
JH: Are you an enthusiast for the out of doors life?
PS: Yes but that is not the only reason we are interested in the job. But absolutely, we love wilderness and both myself and my wife love that. We think our two boys, Jointy and Adam, will really enjoy that experience and get a lot from that. And, it will stay with them for the rest of their lives. To us to actually live and work in a community in that kind of setting is really right at the heart of what appealed to us in the first place.
JH: Can you tell me something of the work you’ve been doing in Blackburn? You are with St. Gabriel’s Church, aren’t you?
PS: That’s right. It’s a parish church right on the edge of Blackburn, so we’ve got a bit of everything on my patch. It’s got factory units, inner city areas and, going right out to the edge of the parish, there is a lot of farm land. There is huge diversity within the parish itself. I think there will be some similarities in the Church life and quite a wide range in the style of services across Sunday and during the week. It is a very strong community with similarities with where I am now and coming to Stanley. The Falkland Islands have the strength of community life which many people in Britain are feeling is disappearing. Certainly in Blackburn it is one of the things I love the most about being here. I think it will really be a feature of life in the Falklands. We are looking forward to being a part of that.
JH: I know that our listeners in the Islands would love to know something about your other interests.
PS: I certainly enjoy mountaineering. If I’ve got some spare time, I enjoy going off to the lakes or the Pennines for a walk. Maxine ad the boys would often come along on that kind of thing as well. I’m not much good at sport, football and that sort of thing but I enjoy mountaineering if I can but I don’t pretend to be any good at it. And, I enjoy socialising. One of the things I will miss about Blackburn is going out for a good curry and a drink. But I am sure there will be ample compensation in the Falklands in other forms and we are looking forward to experiencing that.
JH: He will be looking in on you for a week in early December.
(100X Transcription Service)
