Who’s who

.Fr. Michael Bailey is our Parish Priest. He was ordained in 2011. He was a Cancer Nurse in London for 10 years before his ordination training. He trained at St. Stephen’s House, Oxford. Then he served his Curacy in North Coventry.  He was Vicar of All Saints, Sidley and P.I.C. of St. Barnabas, Bexhill. He is a Foundation Governor of our Church School and his Day Off is Monday. He can be contacted at vicar@sswsml.com

Fr Peter Hudson SSC is our Assistant Priest. He came to St Stephen’s in 2007. He is also the Forward in Faith Chaplain at The English Chapel, Christ The King Gordon Square WC1H 0AG, where he has an active ministry with the students and staff of the University of London, as well as members of Forward in Faith.  He has responsibility for technology. Fr Peter continues his interest in care of people with dementia. Fr Peter also provides cover for parishes which are without a priest. He is on Sabbatical from 21st May until the end of July 2023. He can be contacted at frpeter@sswsml.com

Fr Francis Gardom has been at St Stephen’s for over 50 years: firstly, as Assistant Curate under Fr John Davidson in 1968, then under Fr Michael Wright. In 1976 he became Hon. Assistant Curate in the parish and has continued to work here ever since. He has five sons and a large ‘Extended Family’. He continues to be very active, both inside the Parish and beyond, including including founding The Labyrinth Virtual Death Café, which meets every month to discuss matters concerning Death and Dying on the 3rd Saturday from 10a.m. Visitors welcome. He has made St Stephen’s his “spiritual home”. 

Fr Stephen Wilson SSC served in the stipendiary ministry 1979-2015 in the London and Canterbury dioceses. Since then he has been living in South London, with permission to officiate at St Stephen’s and other parishes in the Southwark diocese needing occasional Sunday cover. He is married with two grown-up sons and twin granddaughters . He has academic interests relating to his original trainings in philosophy (Newcastle University), and theology (Emmanuel and Westcott House, Cambridge), and he has published several articles within those areas since ceasing stipendiary ministry.

Fr Derek White MBE is a retired priest (former Church Army and a Chaplain to the homeless in London.) He is always willing to talk to people.

Greta Townsend – Churchwarden

Hello everybody. I have worshiped at St Stephen’s since Sunday 6th December 1981. I was made to feel welcome by both priests and laity. I was nurtured and encouraged in the faith by both. I have served the Parish as a Churchwarden for several years. I am also a parish pastoral worker.

Celia Bush – Churchwarden

Celia moved to London in 2018 after many years living in Suffolk. she now lives at Morden College in Blackheath, and has immediate family in the area. Celia is a relative newcomer to St Stephen’s, but was churchwarden in her previous church, St Mary at the Elms, Ipswich, for 6 years.

Sandra Baiden – Treasurer

“Sandra has been worshipping at St Stephen’s for over 10 years now. Having been inspired from her regular visits to Walsingham to be more involved in the matters of the church, she became the Parish Treasurer in 2018; with a background in Economics. In this role, Sandra is responsible for ensuring all financial matters of the church run smoothly; with the support of the Assistant Parish Treasurer, John.”

John Temple. Hon Asst Treasurer:

Fortunately for me, in June 1940, Winston Churchill’s armada of Little Ships rescued my father from the beaches of Dunkirk, paving the way for my birth in March 1941. I qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1965 and thereafter worked as a Financial Manager in Industry and Commerce .I took early retirement from British Telecom, who were in the process of halving their workforce – and became the Finance Director/Financial Controller of Lewisham Hospital. There I had the good fortune to meet Ailsa and so became a member of St Stephens in 1994. We were married in 1999. I am also fortunate to have two sons in their mid- fifties, a grand- daughter and grand son in their twenties and twin grand-daughter aged 12.I became the Treasurer of St Stephen’s on my retirement from the hospital in 2001. In 2019 Sandra took over the Treasurership and I became the Assistant. The handover of duties has been delayed by the Covid pandemic, but we will get there in the end.!