Our Vicar
Father Dane Batley-Gladden
Father Dane became vicar here at St Mary's in November 2014, additionally serving a five-year term as Area Dean of Dartford from May 2024.
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As part of his duties, he provides support to a number of organizations in the local community. He has been a school governor since 2000, joining the governors of St Mary's Primary School in 2014 when he became vicar here. He was elected vice chair in 2017 and has served as chair of governors since 2020. He is a member of the Royal British Legion and since 2017 has been Branch Chaplain for Swanley, Crockenhill & Hextable Royal British Legion and since 2018 has served as Branch President. Fr Dane became Mayor's Chaplain for Swanley Town Council in 2017 and this has been renewed each year since. In 2020, he began the process of becoming a Commissioned Officer in the Royal Naval Reserve, as chaplain to the Chislehurst and Sidcup Sea Cadets Unit. Sustaining a link with his previous parish, Father Dane is a patron of the BYT Charity associated with the Orion Primary School (click here for more details, we always need support!)
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He was born and brought up in Belvedere and after a career in finance and admin trained for the priesthood at St Stephen's House, Oxford. Fr Dane was made deacon in 1999 by the Rt Rev'd Richard Chartres and served in the parish of St Alphage, Burnt Oak, he was ordained priest in 2000 by the Rt Rev'd Peter Wheatley. In 2001, Father Dane moved to serve the parish's daughter church, St Augustine's, which is on the Grahame Park estate. Whilst at Grahame Park, he served as a trustee of the London Diocesan Board for Schools, chaired the Colindale Communities Trust and, briefly, the advisory board of the Wingfield Sure Start Centre. He was also vice chair of the Grahame Park Regeneration Partnership Board. He became chairman of governors for Goldbeaters Primary School in 2001 and chairman of The Orion primary school's governing body in 2002. These two schools were joined in a federation in 2004, and he served as chair of governors from then until 2014 when he left Grahame Park to become vicar of St Mary's Swanley.
Our Bishop
It was announced on Tuesday 10th December 2024 that the Ven Luke Irvine-Capel, currently Archdeacon of Chichester, has been appointed as the next Bishop of Richborough. It is expected that Fr Luke's consecration will take place in the first quarter of 2025. We look forward to welcoming him and will be praying for him and for his family as they prepare for the move and his new ministry among us.
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Our Bishop-pastor until our new bishop arrives is:
The Right Reverend Jonathan Baker
Bishop of Fulham
The Bishop of Richborough is an assistant bishop in the diocese of Rochester and is a Provincial Episcopal Visitor, appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Bishop looks after the eastern half of the Province of Canterbury with dioceses stretching from Lincoln in the north to Winchester in the south and from Leicester in the west to Norfolk in the east.
Bishop Norman Banks retired as Bishop of Richborough on Easter Day 2024. We wish him well in his retirement and will continue to pray for him regularly. Bishop Norman served parishes in the north east and in Norfolk before being appointed as bishop and has retired back to Norfolk.
Our Diocesan Bishop
The Right Reverend Dr Jonathan Gibbs
Lord Bishop of Rochester
Bishop Jonathan began his ministry as Bishop of Rochester in 2022, having previously served as Bishop of Huddersfield in the Diocese of Leeds.
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He has served in the north west of England and in Europe. Bishop Jonathan is married to Toni and they have three grown-up children. At the time of his appointment, the Bishop said that his interests included walking (usually with his dog) and rummaging in second-hand bookshops - whether he now gets time for much of either we can't be sure, but he is often in our prayers and in them we offer our hope for his rest and relaxation as well as his work!
OUR OFFICERS
Churchwardens
Christine Parkes and Kevin Merrick are our churchwardens. Both offer their voluntary service to St Mary's enabling us to prosper.
