Trinity School Croydon welcomes former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams

10 Apr 2015

Trinity School Croydon was delighted to welcome former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams last week. Trinity School moved to Shirley Park 50 years ago and the school was opened by Archbishop Michael Ramsey so it was fitting to receive such an esteemed speaker as part of the School’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.

In three talks at Trinity, with students, former pupils and parents, Dr Williams discussed religion and its place in modern day life and shared his thought provoking views.  It was a pleasure to be able to interact and listen to one of the great intellectual thinkers of our age.  The audience was struck by his evident humility, his delight in being asked incisive questions by intelligent students and his ability to speak in an articulate and thoughtful way without notes.

The Trinity Boys Choir performed a piece, written by Peter Sykes who left Trinity in 2014, to celebrate the occasion setting one of Dr Williams’s poems to music.

James Dugan (U6) said, “I am extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to meet and talk with Dr Williams and have been inspired by his thoughts on both the RS A-level syllabus and more interestingly on the impact of religion on the modern world.”

Esmond Lee, Trinity’s Head of Religious Studies, commented, “It was a privilege for all of us to have our hearts and minds stirred by Dr Williams’s wisdom.  We will take away memories that will remain with us wherever each of us goes in the future”

Dr Williams said, “I felt very privileged to be able to spend time with the students at Trinity.  From youngest to oldest, they engaged warmly and enthusiastically – and I was hugely impressed by the choir too, and very moved by the fact that one of the students had set a poem of my own. 

As I said at the time to the Headmaster, a school can be judged by the ease with which students are able to talk naturally and creatively with adults – and on that basis Trinity scores very highly indeed! ” 

 

Photo: L-R,  Dr Williams meets Lower School pupils, Trinity Boys Choir perform one of Dr Williams’s poems set to music by former pupil Peter Sykes.