Sacked vicar refuses to leave church because the ‘Holy Spirit guides him’
A vicar who claims he is being ‘guided by the Holy Spirit’ has refused to quit his role despite being kicked out by the local parish council.
After five years of service, Father Oliver Learmont of St Mary the Virgin Church, in Steeple Ashton, Wiltshire, has been ousted because parishioners say the church has ‘drifted and declined’ on his watch.
They say improvement projects like restoring the 18th-century church organ pipes, have been brought to a grinding halt.
In protest over his refusal to budge, the local choir refuses to sing and the treasurer, secretary, and church warden have quit in protest.
Lynda Beaven, a local bellringer, explained the situation and said: ‘Last night [May 30] the vicar said that he would not respond to an ultimatum, but he would be guided by the Holy Spirit.
‘From the show of hands supporting the long-suffering churchwarden and the same hands showing no confidence in the vicar, I would hope that it will not be long before the Holy Spirit gets the message and starts guiding the vicar.
‘The message could not have been clearer last night.’
Lord Geddes, chairman of the St Mary’s Preservation Trust, asked whether Father Oliver was getting a message from the meeting to which he replied, ‘I am listening’.
The parishioner added: ‘Father Oliver was keen to move on to the agenda on the paper but was reminded that he had had an overwhelming vote of ‘no confidence’ which he should address.
‘Father Oliver replied that he would not and that if anyone didn’t like it, they could leave.
‘At this point, there was a general exodus that was briefly halted by a clearly shocked Rural Dean who tried to steady matters. To no avail.
‘Most people left the church to have the meeting continue with a bare-bones PCC committee.’
The churchwarden, Michael Moore, 60, wrote a letter to the vicar saying he would quit if he didn’t step down.
It read: ‘If I have received a written assurance from you by June 13 2023 that you are intending to move on from the parish within a year, I will continue to offer you my support until July 2024.
‘Furthermore, if I have received a written assurance from you before the 2023 APCM (annual parish council meeting) that you are intending to move on from the parish I will extend my offer of support up to advent 2024.
‘If, however, I have not received a written assurance from you by June 13 2023 that you are intending to move on from the parish within a year, I will then be obliged to cease my support at the end of June 2023.’
At a parish council meeting held on May 30, the vicar said he ‘does not respond to ultimatums’ before a unanimous vote of no confidence of 41 people was held.
He said: ‘I don’t really have a comment. Nobody has resigned from the PCC. The organist retired but we do have an organist in place. There is a choir but it is not singing at the moment.’
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Salisbury said: ‘We continue to offer pastoral support for Steeple Ashton and its vicar, as with all of our parish churches across the Diocese of Salisbury.’
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