2020 / 2021 ST STEPHEN’S HOUSE NEWS 2 St Stephen’s House News 2020 / 2021 2020 / 2021 St Stephen’s House News 3 2020 / 2021 PRINCIPAL’S ST STEPHEN’S HOUSE CONTENTS NEWS WELCOME elcome to the latest edition of the NEWS WCollege Newsletter, in what has proved to be the most extraordinary year On the cover for us – as for most people – since the In recognition and Second World War. In March we were able thanks to our alumni for their many and to welcome the Chancellor of the University varied contributions of Oxford, Lord Patten of Barnes, to the Archbishop Stephen Cottrell Covid-19’s unsung alumni to society during (p13) heroes (p10) Covid-19. celebrations on Edward King Day, which were particularly important for us this year News ............................................................................................................................................................... 3 as we marked fifty years of our formal The College during Covid-19 ......................................................................................................................... 5 association with the University of Oxford, and A new VP in the House .................................................................................................................................. 8 forty years of our occupation of our current Alumni: celebrating the unsung heroes of Covid-19 ................................................................................... 10 Michael Dixon & Lydia Jones Joachim Delia Hugo Weaver buildings. Little did we know that within days, An interview with Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York ............................................................................. 13 the college and the University would be shut The College’s move to Marston Street: 40 years on .................................................................................... 16 Congratulations to… to residents, and the country in lockdown. Social (media?) action .................................................................................................................................. 18 • Ordinand Michael Dixon and his fiancée • Ordinand James Walton and his fiancée I have been hugely impressed and Remembering Bishop Edward Barnes .......................................................................................................... 19 Lydia Jones on their engagement. They plan Katie Gripton on their engagement. inspired by the commitment of my Fact File: Pusey House .................................................................................................................................. 20 to marry in summer/early autumn 2022 in • PGCE student Hugo Weaver who was colleagues and the students of the college to Where are they now? ................................................................................................................................... 21 their home church of St Matthew’s, Carver awarded a Half Blue for Badminton, keep going in the face of this – despite being The Principal’s perspective ........................................................................................................................... 22 Street, Sheffield. meaning that he represented the University away from Oxford, and having to make • Ordinand Josh Delia and his wife Emily in the Badminton first team. Virtual College Garden Party huge adjustments to working from home General College Enquiries Principal have welcomed a new baby son, Joachim • Prebendary Will Hazlewood (SSH 1998– Due to the Covid lockdown, the 2020 College Anna Matthew, College Secretary Canon Robin Ward and away from libraries, we coped with +44 (0)1865 613500 / [email protected] Mattathias Ronald Delia, born on 29th 2001) who was consecrated as Bishop of Garden Party moved online, taking place delivering teaching by Zoom and Teams, Vice Principal December 2019 in 1 Moberly Close – possibly Lewes on 15th July 2020. via Zoom on 15th June. We were delighted Development, Fundraising & Alumni Relations Fr Andreas Wenzel and we managed to enable all our students Rachel Makari, Director of Development & the first-ever baby to be born at home at the • The Revd Dr Michael Spence (SSH to have in the region of 40 members of the to complete their courses. As I write, we Alumni Relations Fellows College? An unexpected home birth, the 2004–6) who has been appointed College community join us from New York, are looking forward to the new term with +44 (0)1865 610489 / [email protected] Alison Parker: Bursar paramedics arrived just in time! Joachim’s President and Provost of University California, Armenia and Adelaide, Banbury Dr Mark Philpott: Senior Tutor hope but with some trepidation too, as the Summer Schools & Residential course hire Mthr Lucy Gardner: Tutor older sister Eva-Maria, turned three in July. College London. and Padstow, to name just a few! influx of 20,000 students to the city will tell Dr James Whitbourn Fr AKMA Adam: Tutor +44 (0)1865 613518 / [email protected] Dr James Whitbourn: Senior Research Fellow us just how virulent the Covid pandemic still Publications is. I hope this newsletter will be a cheering Accommodation Honorary Research Fellows Paternity, Progeny, and Perpetuation: Creating SSH Honorary Research Fellow Dr Norman Christ Unabridged: Knowing and Loving the Louise Gregory, Housekeeper Dr John Chesworth one for our old members, showing what has +44 (0)1865 659012 / [email protected] Dr Nigel Fancourt Lives after Death in the Hebrew Bible by The Russell proposes new ways of approaching the Son of Man has been published by SCM been happening and what people have been Dr Norman Russell Revd Dr Steffan Mathias, has recently been thought of this seminal medieval Greek bishop Press, to bring together papers from the 2018 SJE Arts The Revd Mark Fox able to achieve despite all this – we very Michele Smith The Archdeacon of London published by Bloomsbury Publishing, offering and theologian in his new book Gregory conference held at Pusey House. It includes a much value your ongoing support. [email protected] a fresh perspective on the importance of Palamas and the Making of Palamism in the paper by SSH Principal Canon Dr Robin Ward St Stephen’s House progeny and perpetuation of the family line in Modern Age. on ‘The Christology of the French School’ in Editor: Rachel Makari 16 Marston Street, Oxford OX4 1JX Canon Robin Ward With many thanks to all contributors. Registered charity number: 1177459. Company number: 11199178 the Hebrew tradition. the collection. 4 St Stephen’s House News 2020 / 2021 2020 / 2021 St Stephen’s House News 5 New roles • The Revd Dr Steffan Mathias Maciek Pietruszewski, Maintenance Manager became new Priest-in- Quickly things went from feeling quite normal to really strange Charge of SSH parish St Peter’s here at the College. Over the course of just a few days all the Streatham on 22nd July 2020. Fr Steffan’s students had gone home and most of the staff team were The Principal with Lord Patten at the Licensing Service was led by the Bishop working from home. Eventually it was just the Principal and I Canon Carl Turner, Rector of Saint College’s Edward King Day celebrations, of Southwark, the Right Reverend coming into College each day. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York, which took place shortly before the Christopher Chessun, on 26th July 2020. Initially I was pleased to be able to get a lot of things done preaching at Edward King Day Mass Covid-19 lockdown • Dr Richard Major (SSH 1992–4) has taken that can’t normally be done when the college is full of people – Edward King Day 2020 up a new role with the U.S. mission to THE jobs that are too messy or noisy. But fairly soon I started to miss The Chancellor of the University, Lord College’s formal association with the Palestine, as Programme Monitoring and having someone to talk to, although my morning chats with the Patten of Barnes, was guest of honour at University of Oxford, and celebrated forty Evaluation at the Palestinian Affairs Unit Principal were a nice start to the day. I also had great support the 2020 Edward King Day celebrations, years of its move to the current site, from within the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. COLLEGE from our Bursar, Alison. which this year marked fifty years of the Norham Gardens. • Fr Andreas Wenzel (SSH 2012–14) I would normally start off in the morning by doing a site has taken up the role of Vice Principal walk around to check everything was in order, and to tidy up SJE Arts and Director of Pastoral Studies at the DURING any rubbish and so on, then there were lots of regular jobs such After months of cancelled performances in St College, following his time as Shrine as doing the fire safety checks, and running the taps through John the Evangelist Church, in July SJE Arts Priest at the Shrine of our Lady of regularly to ensure bacteria wasn’t allowed to build up in the re-opened for socially distanced recordings, Walsingham. An interview with Fr pipes. I’ve lost count but there must be hundreds of taps in the the first being a programme of concerts for Andreas can be found on page 8. COVID-19 College! the Presteigne Festival, normally held in the • Dr James Whitbourn (SSH Senior As with many places of Everyone has been very supportive and I’ve also kept in Welsh Marches but this year held online. Research Fellow) has taken up a new role work, worship and study, touch with other maintenance teams across the university which Additionally, SJE Arts regulars Instruments of as Director