On Saturday 5 July 2025, St Paul’s Church, Lorrimore Square, was filled with joy and reverence as seven candidates were ordained to the priesthood by the Bishop of Woolwich, The Rt Revd Alastair Cutting. The service marked a significant milestone in their spiritual journeys, following a year of diaconal ministry.
The Revd Joshua Rey, who led the pre-ordination retreat, preached at the service. Those ordained included Bethany Austin, Alexandre Garziglia, Wayne Barron, Joanne McCrone, Anna Mills, and Owen Morgan, each now continuing their curacies in parishes across South London with renewed commitment to serve God’s people in word and sacrament.
(Quote above from Southwark Anglican website)
Here’s a link from some of the live feed we managed to rescue from the Facebook mangling (!)
VIDEO PART ONE and VIDEO PART TWO
We pulled out the stops with the choir who gave a beautiful rendition of Ancient Words and Lord For Thy Tender Mercies.
Our own Wayne Barron did his first Mass as an official celebrant then next day.
Saturday 5th July 2025 at 11.00am
A warm welcome to St Paul’s Church, Lorrimore Square!
Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate with Bethany Austin, Wayne Barron, Alex Garziglia, Jo McCrone, Anna Mills, and Owen Morgan to the Ordination of Priests.
This service will be broadcast live on Facebook – St Paul’s Church Lorrimore Square https://www.facebook.com/StPaulsSE17/
St Paul’s Church
Lorrimore Square
London SE17 3QU
Some History about St Paul’s…
The church you are in has a fascinating history, embodying over 150 years of faith, fiery controversy, devastating loss, and triumphant rebirth. Our story begins in the mid-19th century, a time of explosive growth for London and profound change within the Church of England. Consecrated in 1865, the original St Paul’s was a grand statement in the then-fashionable Gothic Revival style.
This new spiritual home for the rapidly expanding community of Walworth quickly became a bastion of something more specific and, to some, provocative: the Anglo-Catholic movement. Embracing ritual, sacramental theology, and aesthetics reminiscent of Roman Catholicism, St Paul’s became a leading light of the “High Church” tradition.
The church developed a reputation for its beautiful, elaborate liturgy and its commitment to social outreach in the often-deprived surrounding area, but this Anglo-Catholic identity wasn’t without its tensions. During a visit by the Bishop of Rochester in 1877, the intensity of local opposition to St Paul’s “ritualist” practices boiled over; as the bishop’s carriage departed Lorrimore Square, an angry mob pelted it with stones and rotten eggs. This visceral protest against the church’s embrace of “papal” practices starkly illustrated the deep divisions and passions ignited by the Anglo-Catholic movement in Victorian London.
The Second World War irrevocably altered St Paul’s destiny. During the last night of the Blitz on May 10th, 1941, a devastating incendiary bomb struck the church. The magnificent Victorian Gothic structure was consumed by fire with only the scarred outer walls and the defiant bell tower remaining. The congregation, their spiritual home in ruins, displayed remarkable resilience. Worship continued in a temporary hut amidst the rubble and the arduous journey of rebuilding the new St Paul’s began, culminating in its consecration in 1960.
While embracing modern materials and a simpler, more intimate post-war architectural style (a striking contrast to its predecessor), the new church consciously carried forward its Anglo-Catholic heritage anchored in the tradition of liturgy, sacramentality and commitment to the community.
A key element of the new design was its practical mission: the creation of a dedicated space beneath the worship area to serve young people in the area. This became the Cross Swords Youth Club, a vibrant hub of activity and support that served generations of local youth over many decades.
Today, as the needs of Walworth evolve, so too does the vision. The ground-floor space is now being reimagined as a flexible community hub, a place of gathering, creativity, support and hospitality at the heart of Lorrimore Square. Meanwhile, in the church above, the tradition of joyful and sacramental worship continues. St Paul’s remains a living testimony to the enduring hope of the gospel, and a vibrant, inclusive community committed to faith, service, and renewal.
St Paul’s Church
Lorrimore Square
London SE17 3QU
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