Twelve-year-old Jason Kellinger, Bishop’s Chorister at Salisbury Cathedral, will deliver his own sermon on Sunday as part of a tradition dating back to medieval period.
Jason, from Calne, will assume the role of Chorister Bishop and receives the staff and ring of the Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Rev Nicholas Holtam, at the cathedral’s Choral Evensong service.
The ceremony, which dates back hundreds of years, sees the church’s hierarchy reversed and is a lesson in humility and recognition of the wisdom of youthful innocence.
Jason said “It is a real honour for me to take on the role of Chorister Bishop. I am looking forward to giving my sermon which will focus on the role of children in society.”
Dressed in replica Bishop’s regalia, Jason will lead the prayers and receive the collection, as well as writing and delivering the sermon.
The Rev Tom Clammer, Cannon Precentor, said: “By putting a child in the place of the Bishop for one special evening we all remember not only that we are all God’s family but that the life God calls us all to is one of humility and service and that we know God best when we approach him like children”
Jason, a former pupil of Fynamore Primary School, was chosen to be Chorister Bishop as he is head chorister in the Boys Cathedral Choir, having joined in September 2011.
David Halls, Director of Music, said: “This is always a special occasion as it throws into the limelight the superb job the choristers do for Salisbury Cathedral day by day.”
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