Bishop Dagmar celebrates the new library:
“Enriched, encouraged, and blessed”
October 2021
The Bishop of Huntingdon, Rt Revd Dr Dagmar Winter and Ridley alumna Revd Yvonne Desroches visit the college for the blessing and formal opening of the new library.
We were delighted to have the Bishop of Huntingdon, the Rt Revd Dr Dagmar Winter, and Ridley alumna Revd Yvonne Desroches join us on 7th October for the blessing of the building work which was completed as part of the Accessibility Project, and to formally open our new library.
In her homily, Bishop Dagmar reminded us of the vital role of the library in promoting rigorous scholarship, where assumptions are challenged and scholars wrestle with the truth. It is also a place where the disciplines of thought and study can be developed and where we can hear the many voices of the church from the present and the past. “Libraries,” the Bishop reminded us, “are places where we are enriched and encouraged and blessed, surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.”
We celebrated with a service of Communion and blessing in the autumn sunshine, conscious of the generosity of God and a sense of joy for the occasion.
That sense of joy was enhanced by the return visit of Revd Yvonne Desroches, who picked up on the theme of our generous God in her speech ahead of cutting the ribbon on the library entrance. Yvonne trained for ordained ministry at Ridley Hall from 2018 to 2020 and it was a delight to have her back with us. A wheelchair user herself, she was able to use the new accessibility features installed at the college, including the new lifts and ramps, and both Yvonne and Bishop Dagmar joined us for lunch in the dining hall before the event.
The Principal of Ridley Hall, the Revd Dr Michael Volland, said, "It was wonderful to welcome Bishop Dagmar and Yvonne to the site to mark the occasion of opening and blessing our new accessible library and accommodation.
"The event provided us with an opportunity to collectively express our gratitude to God and to all those whose hard work and generosity has made these important developments to the site possible.
"Ensuring the widest possible access to rigorous theological education and formation is at the heart of our mission as a College. There is more to do and we value the prayers and support of the wider Ridley community as we strive to continue to make progress in this area."
A chance to visit the library
Friends and supporters of the college who have not been able to visit because of the COVID restrictions will have an opportunity to see the new building work for themselves at our next Moule Day celebration on Thursday 9th June 2022, where the C.F.D. Moule Memorial Lecture will be given by the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Stephen Cottrell SCP, the Archbishop of York.
Photo gallery of the day's celebrations
