Prayers as priest goes on his way


PRAYERS and good wishes have followed a Maidstone priest who has said farewell to the parish he served for more than 40 years. The changing face of the Church of England has caused 74-year-old Fr Paul Gibbons to quit the church he has served for most of his life. Although he plans to stay in


the local area, he has applied to join theOrdinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, the section of the Catholic Church offered to Anglicans by the Vatican. Fr Gibbons said his departure


from StMichael and All Angels in Tonbridge Roadwas a doubly sad occasion, as he had in- tended to live out his days serv- ing the parish. “My plan was always to be


boxed and buried here,” he said. “However, the Church of England has changed so much,


I feel I can no longer stay.” Fr Gibbons described the Church of England as “too po- litical” and said “it sits and acts like a parliament”. Although he had no objection


to women priests, whom he felt fulfilled a valuable pastoral role, he did not believe they should be allowed to administer the Eucharist or rise to the rank of Bishop. The final straw had been the Church’s stance on homosexu- ality. He said: “The Church thinks that by going along with the demands of the modern so- ciety, the pewswill suddenly be full. In fact, the opposite is hap- pening.” He added: “I was proud to be


part of a broader church that ac- cepted everyone, but sad that this is no longer the case.” Fr Gibbons served as a Maid- stone magistrate for 24 years


Roll up for the Maidstone Sport Relief Mile HUNDREDS of runners are ex- pected to line up for the Maid- stone Sport Relief Mile in Mote Park on Sunday, March 25. The last event, held in 2010,


saw more than 850 people take part, raising more than £28,500 for the cause. The run, organised by Maid-


stone Council, is expecting to see more than 1,000 entrants run in one of three distances –


sixmile, three mile or one mile. The six mile starts at 10.30am, three mile at 10.45am and the one mile kicks off at 12.30pm – all starting from the lake area. To enter visit the Sport Relief website at http://my.sportre- lief.com/search/event/result?id =878&location=maidstone Throughout the day therewill


also be a family area with face painters and a bouncy castle.


Angels in 1972 from a parish in Croydon, where a well-meaning parishioner had given him a donkey as a “thank you” gift for helping out in a time of need. The priest and his four-legged


friend became a familiar sight when he moved into the vic- arage in Maidstone, where the donkey and a second addition, have always kept him company. Monty and Moonlight Breeze


and was chairman of governors at St Michael’s Junior School for 36 years. He also sat on the gov- erning body of the Infants School. He joined St Michael and All


often accompanied him on pa- rades and formed a popular part of special services at Harvest and Easter. He said: “Why this lady thought I needed a donkey, I will never know, but I duly went out and learned all there was to know about donkeys – as you do!”


Parishioners packed the church hall at St Michael and All Angels following his farewell service.


Stone plan for Downswood is diamond idea DOWNSWOOD Parish Council has unveiled a plan to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a commemorative stone. It would be located in Old Spot Lane where three parts of the


old road join to form a footpath. It would also be a direction marker for the Len Valley Walk and proposed local nature reserve along the Downswood and Bearsted valley. The stone has been designed as an elevated circle with sloping


sides. The top would be circular, flat and manufactured from green slate and the remainder of polished black granite, inscribed in Times Roman lettering. The granite would be laser etched with scenes from Downswood and the Len Valley in 2012. Maidstone Council will decide on the planning application.


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