Bishop Robert continues his Prayer Pilgrimage

Bishop Robert spent a morning with chaplains and prisoners at Exeter Prison this week, as part of his prayer pilgrimage around the county in the run up to his installation.

He said his time at the prison was a “deeply moving experience”.

“I met a whole group of men in their 20s, one of them asked me to pray for his partner, who was expecting their first child and was suffering from being apart. I also spoke with a man who was on a ward on his own, dying. It was very moving seeing how the chaplains were ministering to these men.”

He went onto walk through and explore the villages of Branscombe and Beer, including visiting Beer Church of England primary school, which has just celebrated earning an ‘outstanding’ award in its Church inspection.

He planted a cherry tree to mark the achievement, and was shown around the school by head Martin O’Mahony, chair of governors Jean Smith and children.

The Rt Revd Robert Atwell will be installed as the 71st Bishop of Exeter on Saturday 5 July at the Cathedral, and everyone is welcome to the service, by 2pm. He is spending the days before the installation getting to know the diocese, listening to people’s concerns and offering to pray for them.

Bishop Robert is now heading for South Devon where he visit the Living Room project at Torquay.