News

Commissioning at Lancing College

It was a pleasure to join Mrs Sherwood and Fr Gareth in visiting Lancing College to see the Commissioning and Installation of the new Senior Provost of the Woodard Corporation, Reverend Dr Matthew Bullimore.

On arriving at Lancing, we had some refreshments, then made our way over to the Chapel for the service. The Chapel, which is the largest school chapel in the world, took 153 years to complete. With a gorgeous rose window and tall vaulted ceilings, it is truly breathtaking. The talented choir sang beautifully throughout the service, filling the chapel with music and lifting the spirits of all attending. During the service, Dr Eve Poole, Executive Chair, read aloud a portion of the Woodard Preamble, reminding us of the founding principles of the family of which our school is part. Fr Matthew Bullimore was then presented to the President, Bishop John, who installed him in the Provost’s chair.

I particularly enjoyed the sermon, which was delivered by the new Senior Provost in such an accessible way. Fr Matthew spoke about the importance of understanding our individual strengths and touched on the fact that striving to be like Jesus does not make us any less ourselves, but rather the best version of ourselves we can be. After returning to the reception area, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and spoke about the history of the Woodard Corporation with the Director of Education, Chris Wright. I also had the pleasure of meeting both Commodore Jol Woodard (great great grandson of the founder, Nathaniel Woodard) and Dr Scott Crawford, the new headmaster of Lancing College.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable experience, and I am grateful to have been able to witness his commissioning. Many congratulations to Rev. Matthew Bullimore on his new appointment. 

Timea T-T (Year 13)