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.
