A Row Has Broken Out Over The Appointment Of An Indian Vicar To A Parish Church In Luton

Sam Prasadam and Jemima Prasadam are welcomed in spite of two objectors.

This Anglia TV news item starts with a newspaper photograph of the Rev. Sam Prasadam and his wife Jemima (who was the first non-white woman to be ordained a priest in the Church of England in 1987). Exterior views of All Saints Church, Luton where Rev. Sam Prasadam has been appointed as vicar. Anglia TV reporter Peter Lugg says that Sam is considered by the Church to be eminently qualified for the post. He is a former missionary and has worked previously in areas with large Asian immigrant populations and proved to be a successful bridgebuilder between the communities. The Parochial Church Council has been largely supportive of his appointment to All Saints, but two church members have objected because they do not want an Indian minister, and because they do not approve of his proposed fraternisation with the Muslim community. The Right Rev David Farmbrough, Bishop of Bedford, says that he is not sure about the basis of the objections, but thinks it is partly because Sam Prasadam is Indian, and partly that the objectors are anxious about something unknown. The Bishop says Sam Prasadam is particularly suitable for the role because the parish has a large ethnic minority community of other faiths, and Sam and his wife have previously done much work in Newcastle and have the expertise to bring good community relations across the faith communities. The Vicar’s institution ceremony will take place the following month. One of the deputy wardens who raised objections has already resigned. This short video was made to be shown in a news story on Anglia Television early evening news / magazine programme About Anglia.

Keywords

Religion; Church of England; Racial tension; Interfaith community; Women priests

Additional Description

Rev. Sam Prasadam and his family settled in Luton and he forged connections with the north-east England region where he was previously Church Missionary Society Area Secretary, providing north/south and rural/urban links as well as inter-faith connections. Jemima was born in Andhra Pradesh, southern India. Her grandfather was converted to Christianity by British missionaries. She emigrated to Great Britain in 1975 to help spread the Christian message. When the Anglican Church admitted female priests in 1987, Jemima Prasadam became the first non-white woman to be ordained. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2002/jul/17/guardiansocietysupplement.religion David John Farmbrough (1929 – 2013) was Bishop of Bedford from 1981 to 1993.