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Rev'd Prebendary Mike Vockins
College Chaplain Honoured by Bishop
7th January 2009
Our College Chaplain has a new title. He is now the Rev’d Prebendary Mike Vockins.
The change comes through an invitation to Mike, made in early December by the Bishop of Hereford, the Rt. Rev’d Anthony Priddis, to become a Prebendary of Hereford Cathedral. The title and role is an honorary one, usually accorded to senior clergy in the Diocese.
The Bishop’s invitation was made in recognition of Mike’s ministry as Hon. Curate to the parishes of Cradley, Mathon and Storridge, near Malvern, over the past twenty years, alongside his role as Rural Dean of Ledbury and as the Bishop’s adviser for self-supporting ministry in the Diocese and, of course, of his role here at College as Chaplain since 2005.
It also recognises Mike’s link with cricket. He was, for thirty years from 1971, Secretary (chief executive) of Worcestershire County Cricket Club, a role he filled alongside his clerical role for some thirteen years, “So there is a sense in which I have a cricket parish too,” Mike said. He retains an active link with first-class cricket as a member of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s Major Match group which determines the allocation and venues of Test Matches, One-Day Internationals and major domestic competitions.
“The Bishop’s invitation came as a complete and wholly unexpected – and therefore delightful - surprise,” Mike said, “I never expected anything like this to come my way, and one is conscious that there are only 24 Prebendaries at any one time, in addition to three residentiary Canons of the Cathedral.”
The role dates back to the Middle Ages. Cathedrals based on monastic foundations could call on the monks to conduct their daily round of worship. Those not based on monastic organisation (of which there are thirteen, known as the ‘Old Tradition’ cathedrals) needed to appoint additional clergy – Prebendaries – for this purpose. These posts were funded by income from a group of parishes, hamlets or an area of land, which is why all the prebendary-ships carry ancient titles, e.g. Prebend de Bartonsham, de Prato Majore, de Church Withington etc.
“Of course the income is no longer received by the Prebendaries,” Mike explained, with a smile, “but neither are the duties as onerous as in those times. Prebendaries are invited to preach in the Cathedral once or twice a year, and to attend meetings of the College of Canons. If there is a change of Bishop they also play a small but formal role in the process of electing and appointing a new Bishop.”
Each Prebendary is allocated a special seat, a ‘stall’, in the Cathedral Choir, and Mike is due to be formally installed during Evensong on 10th May.