Bishop Peter joins justice service in Bury St Edmunds

Bishop Peter Collins joined a service at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds for His Majesty’s Courts of Justice.

The service, on Sunday March 26, marked the end of the year in office of Suffolk’s High Sheriff. That position has been held by Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton.

The service was attended by representatives of the legal and criminal justice system, to pray for and give thanks for all involved in the legal system in the county. The event took place within the traditional Cathedral service of Choral Evensong at 3.30 pm.

The speaker was Major General James Cowan CBE DSO, the CEO of The HALO Trust which, for more than 30 years, has been clearing landmines and other hazards of war, in order to help countries recover after conflict.

The office of High Sheriff stretches back more than a thousand years, as the figurehead of the county’s legal system. It has traditionally provided support for the administration of justice in the county, but the modern role extends into a close relationship with the fast-growing voluntary sector in Suffolk.

The High Sheriff of Suffolk said: “We owe a great debt of gratitude to the judiciary, the police, the probation and prison services and all others in our county who are committed to the upholding of law and order, the foundation stone of society. I would also like to pay tribute to thousands upon thousands of ordinary people across Suffolk who spend the greater part of their waking lives helping others – whether as part of formed charities, in wider public service, as volunteers, or as lone actors who take it upon themselves to care and look out for others. It is this self-effacing majority that glues our society together and whose goodness percolates throughout our great county and defines us as Suffolk people.”

Canon Philip Banks said: “One of the hallmarks of our British way of life is that the rule of law, to ensure justice for all, is maintained by a judiciary independent of government. We live in challenging times, and this principle is more important than ever. At the annual service for HM Courts of Justice we pray for and affirm all involved in the criminal justice system and give thanks for their expertise and commitment to fairness and protection for all citizens.”

Pictured above are (left to right) the Venerable David Jenkins, Archdeacon of Sudbury; The Very Rev Joe Hawes, Dean of St Edmundsbury Cathedral; The Right Rev Peter Collins, Bishop of East Anglia, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, former High Sherriff of Suffolk; The Right Rev Martin Seeley, Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich; The Rev Canon Philip Banks, Precentor at St Edmundsbury Cathedral; The Venerable Jeannette Gosney, Archdeacon of Suffolk at the Suffolk Justice service. Below are members of the congregation.

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