Honorary Assistant Bishop of London to preach at Church of the Redeemer

Oct. 21, 2014 / Sarasota, Fla. — Bishop Michael Marshall, Honorary Assistant Bishop of London, will travel to Sarasota to preach on All Souls’ Day, Sun., Nov. 2, as part of the Church of the Redeemer’s All Saints’ Preaching Mission — “For ALL the Saints: Celebrating the Past, Present and Future at Church of the Redeemer.” The weekend event is an annual celebration, but this year will also honor Redeemer’s 110th anniversary. Bp. Marshall will preach during the 7:30, 9 and 11 a.m., services, as well as during the 5:15 p.m. Solemn Evensong. Bp. Marshall is a longtime friend of Redeemer, having previously visited the church in 1984, in honor of its 80th anniversary, and having preached at the church on many occasions over the years.

On All Saints’ Day, Sat., Nov 1, Redeemer will offer a 10 a.m. Solemn High Mass with Holy Baptisms.

The following day, Sun., Nov. 2, Bp. Marshall will preach during all morning masses. The 9 a.m. mass includes a procession of Sunday School students and will be followed by Redeemer’s annual “All Saints’ Wax Museum,” which takes place in Gillespie Hall from 10:15 to 11 a.m. More than 50 children, after studying the lives of various saints, create a life-size timeline of heroes of the faith, complete with costumes and props, posing as unmoving “wax” figures. As Gregorian chant fills the candlelit hall, the congregation moves among the “museum” of children, admiring and learning about Christian saints through time.

Bp. Marshall will also preach at Sunday’s 5:15 p.m. Solemn Evensong, which will be followed by a 6:30 p.m. parish dinner held in his honor. A donation of $8.50 is requested for the parish dinner, $5 for children ages 5-12. Dinner ticket donations may be made securely via PayPal at redeemersarasota.org. Online donations may be made through 5 p.m. Oct. 29. The day of the dinner, Nov. 2., tickets will be $10 at the door for individuals of all ages. Complimentary parking is available between 3:30 and 9 p.m. at the BMO Harris Bank Parking Garage on McAnsh Square.

Bp. Marshall is the president of the Awareness Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to building respect and understanding between faiths, which he co-founded in 2003. He was educated at Christ’s College, Cambridge, and was ordained in 1961. His first ministry position was as a curate at St. Peter’s Spring Hill in Birmingham, after which he was temporarily a tutor at Ely Theological College and then a chaplain at the University of London. He was appointed vicar of All Saints, Margaret Street in 1969 and six years later became the youngest bishop consecrated since the Reformation and began serving as Bishop of Woolwich.

He was also the Director of Evangelism for the Church of England, a position he accepted at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury. He then became, first, priest in charge and, later, rector of Holy Trinity Sloane Street. After a brief retirement, he once again accepted a calling, as the interim rector of the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest on Fifth Avenue in New York City, in 2011.

An avid author and an evangelist at heart, Bp. Marshall is a consummate teacher and leader whose mission is to foster the teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in an Anglican context, and to bring others a faith firmly founded on the eternal message of Christ in the tried and tested traditions of His Church. The author of many books, Bishop Marshall’s latest publication is “The Transforming Power of Prayer: From Illusion to Reality,” a discussion of Lent and the importance of prayer in shedding illusions.

The Church of the Redeemer is a traditional Episcopal church located in the heart of downtown Sarasota, at 222 S. Palm Ave. For more information, visit redeemersarasota.org or call 941-955-4263.