A large and enthusiastic congregation gathered in Truro Cathedral on Saturday 22 September to welcome the Very Revd Roger Bush as he was installed as Dean of Truro.

The 350-strong congregation included the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Colonel Edward Bolitho, and the Deans of Exeter and Wells.

The service consisted of a number of parts – some legal, some religious – with occasional unscripted humorous exchanges between Roger and the Bishop of Truro, demonstrating the close working relationship the two already have established, the former having been part of the Bishop’s Staff group for a number of years as Archdeacon of Cornwall.

The Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall represented Her Majesty the Queen, and invited Roger Bush to swear allegiance to her as Defender of the Faith and Head of the Church of England. After the new Dean had been robed, he was physically led and placed in his stall by Canon Perran Gay who then led the congregation in a rousing round of applause.

Towards the end of the service, the Cathedral Choir were joined by St Mary’s Singers (the Cathedral’s voluntary choir and one that Roger Bush has belonged to for a number of years) singing Edward Bairstow’s Anthem: Blessed city, heavenly Salem.

Camborne Brass Band and Camborne Youth Band entertained the congregation before the service with a selection of music and ‘Cornish Cavalier’ by W E Moyle during the ‘Peace’.

In The Dean’s Sermon, he linked together the three themes of creativity, curiosity and commitment as foundations for our shared journey of faith. “We are all on a journey to a greater understanding of God’s nature, and it’s through our questing spirit that this is undertaken. I may have to rely on the creativity of others, but I am innately curious and am deeply committed to the Gospel, and I know that with a shared purpose we can all travel joyously towards he undiscovered country of God’s grace, God’s love”.

After the service The Very Revd Roger Bush said, “The Dean of Truro not only has care and concerns for the Cathedral community, but as Dean of the Truro Diocese in Cornwall, also has a wider role to proclaim the Gospel message; that God is there for everybody. I hope that as a Cathedral we can play a vital role in supporting such initiatives across Cornwall.”

Asked about his priorities for the coming few months, the new Dean identified two. One is to keep pushing forward with the Cathedral’s ‘Inspire Cornwall’ development project. This is a £1.5m project to restore the Old Cathedral School and transform it into a community-centred creative hub. And the other is to continue to develop the Cathedral’s outreach and mission.

He said, “I think that over the last few years, the Church of England has increasingly recognised the importance of reaching out to the local community in which the church, or cathedral, sits. I’d very much like to be part of the development of creating links and fostering debates over the many contemporary issues affecting our unique Cornish community.”

Full text of The Dean’s Sermon

 Photos: Paul Richards