Bishop to embark on a prayer pilgrimage round Devon

The new Bishop of Exeter is to spend the days before his installation at Exeter Cathedral on a pilgrimage around Devon.

Bishop Robert will spend several days visiting projects and people in different areas of the county as he gets to know the diocese, before he formally starts work as Bishop of Exeter on 5 July.

As he travels around, he will be listening to people’s concerns and offering to pray for them. He will be handing out a special prayer card and asking for their prayers too, as he begins his work as Bishop.

His pilgrimage will include spending time with patients at a children’s hospice in north Devon, with inmates of Exeter prison, pupils at a small primary school in Beer, east Devon, having a drink with the lifeboat team in Hope Cove and spending time with naval officers at the Devonport naval base. He will also be spending time in reflection with the monks of Buckfast Abbey, at the invitation of Abbot David Charlesworth.

Bishop Robert said: “The church isn’t buildings, its people. And getting out and about in Devon and meeting people is my priority. It will be a privilege to hear their concerns and bring them to God in prayer.”

He will be installed in a special service at Exeter Cathedral on Saturday 5 July.