Our Vicar

Father Dane Batley-Gladden

Father Dane became vicar here at St Mary's in November 2014. In 2019 he became Branch President, as well as Branch Chaplain, for the Swanley, Crockenhill & Hextable Royal British Legion. He has served as Mayor's Chaplain for Swanley Town Council since 2017 and has been a governor of St Mary's Primary School since 2014 and was elected chairman of governors in 2020.

He was born and brought up in Belvedere and after a career in finance and admin trained for the priesthood at St Stephen's House, Oxford and was made deacon in 1999 by the Rt Rev'd Richard Chartres. His title parish was St Alphage, Burnt Oak and he was ordained priest in 2000 by the Rt Rev'd Peter Wheatley. Father Dane moved in 2001 to serve the parish's daughter church, St Augustine's, which is on the Grahame Park estate. Whilst at Grahame Park, Fr Dane served as a trustee of the London Diocesan Board for Schools, chaired the Colindale Communities Trust and, briefly, the advisory board of the Wingfield Sure Start Centre. He was also chairman of both Goldbeaters and The Orion primary schools' governing bodies and then from 2004 to 2014 the Goldstar Federation governing body which combined them.

Our Bishop

The Right Reverend Norman Banks
Bishop of Richborough

Our Diocesan Bishop

The Right Reverend James Langstaff
Lord Bishop of Rochester

Bishop James is due to retire in July 2021: we should like to thank him for his wonderful kindness to St Mary's and wish him in his retirement.

OUR OFFICERS

Bishop James became Bishop of Rochester in 2010 after six years as Bishop of Lynn in the Diocese of Norwich. He has also been Bishop to HM Prisons since 2013.

He served in parishes in Guildford and Birmingham before his consecration as bishop, including a spell as chaplain to the Bishop of Birmingham.

As part of the arrangements for those who continue to have reservations regarding the ordination of women, Bishop James delegates sacramental care of St Mary's to Bishop Norman but remains keenly interested in, and supportive of, our ministry and witness.

Bishop Norman is an assistant bishop in the diocese of Rochester and is a Provincial Episcopal Visitor, appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Bishop Norman served parishes in the north east and in Norfolk before being appointed as bishop. Bishop Norman looks after the eastern half of the Province of Canterbury with dioceses stretching from Lincoln in the north to Winchester in the south and from Leicester in the west to Norfolk in the east.

Churchwardens

Christine Parkes and Kevin Merrick are our churchwardens. Both offer their voluntary service to St Mary's enabling us to prosper.