Community of St Frideswide is drawing to an end

The Community of St Frideswide was set up in 2018 to be a dispersed community of young adults who commit to a common rule of life for a year at a time with the desire to go deeper in prayer and be more adventurous in mission. Being part of the community has proved formational for those who have been involved but numbers have remained low with year-on-year totals adding up to 21. 

The Community’s oversight group has come to the conclusion that though valuable for a season and for those involved, the end of the 2022/23 academic year is the appropriate time for the project to be brought to an end. Present members may well choose to continue to meet together informally for mutual support and fellowship beyond the summer. 

The Bishop of Oxford and the oversight group have paid tribute to Kate Seagrave and Rachel Cross for all the gifts and energy that they have brought through their leadership and the blessing that they have been to those who have been members of the Community. 

We would also like to take this opportunity to express our very grateful thanks to those people, organisations and charities that have supported and funded the Community of St Frideswide and in particular, 

• Community of St Mary the Virgin
• Sisters of the Love of God
• Mary Magdalene Church Oxford
• St Aldates Church Oxford
• Those who made individual donations
• Ministry Development Fund, ODBF
• The Commeline Trust
• The Bishop of Oxford’s Outreach Fund

“My very grateful thanks to each member of the oversight group for their wisdom and generosity of time and support – Sr Stella, Emma Firth, Paul Cowan and Quentin Chandler. My prayers and best wishes go to each person who has been a member of the Community over the past five years – the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford