Michael Saward
Encyclopedia
Michael Saward is an Anglican priest
and hymnist.
Saward was born in Blackheath
, south-east London
, grew up in Petts Wood
, was educated at Eltham College
, and became a practising Christian
in 1946. For his National Service
, he served as a subaltern in the Royal West African Frontier Force
in Accra
, Ghana
. He read Theology
at Bristol University and was ordained priest
at Canterbury Cathedral
. He served as curate
in Croydon
and Edgware
- two London suburb
s. He was Secretary of Liverpool
Council of Churches (1964–1967). He then became Radio
and Television
Officer to Archbishop
Michael Ramsey
until 1972. He was then Vicar
of St Matthew’s, Fulham
until 1978, and he was Vicar of St Mary's, Ealing
from 1978 until 1991. He also became President of the House of Clergy of the Willesden
Area Synod
. Until his retirement at the end of 2000 he had been Canon Treasurer of St Paul's Cathedral
in London.
He has served on many councils and committees, among which were the General Synod
(1975–1995), the Church Commissioners
(1978–1993) and the Church of England Evangelical Council (1976–1993). He also served as Chairman of the Billy Graham
London Mission 1989 Media Task Group, a judge of The Times
'Preacher of the Year' competition in 2000 and as religious adviser to the film 'Cromwell'.
He was also a holder of a Winston Churchill
Travelling Fellowship, a Freeman of the City of London and a member of the Athenaeum
.
"Guiting Power" (named after the village of Guiting Power
in Gloucestershire) by John Barnard.
A long-term of the Jubilate Group
of hymnwriters, he was also its chairman from 1999 to 2001.
He is an active member of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
, currently serving on its executive committee.
and of author and rape campaigner Jill
and her twin Sue.
His grandfather was Captain Henry Kendall
the first person to use radio to capture a criminal (Crippen
) and Captain of the RMS Empress of Ireland when it sank.
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and hymnist.
Saward was born in Blackheath
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
, south-east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, grew up in Petts Wood
Petts Wood
-History:The name appeared first in 1577 as "the wood of the Pett family", who were shipbuilders and leased the wood as a source of timbers. William Willett, a campaigner for daylight saving time, lived in nearby Chislehurst for most of his life, and is commemorated by a memorial sundial in the...
, was educated at Eltham College
Eltham College
This article is about the school in London, England. For the school in Research, Australia see Eltham College of Education.Eltham College is an independent school situated in Mottingham in south-east London...
, and became a practising Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
in 1946. For his National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
, he served as a subaltern in the Royal West African Frontier Force
Royal West African Frontier Force
The West African Frontier Force was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. The decision to raise this force was taken in 1897 because of concern at French colonial...
in Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. He read Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at Bristol University and was ordained priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
at Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
. He served as curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
and Edgware
Edgware
Edgware is an area in London, situated north-northwest of Charing Cross. It forms part of both the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Harrow. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
- two London suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s. He was Secretary of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
Council of Churches (1964–1967). He then became Radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and Television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
Officer to Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Michael Ramsey
Michael Ramsey
Arthur Michael Ramsey, Baron Ramsey of Canterbury PC was the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury. He was appointed on 31 May 1961 and was in office from June 1961 to 1974.-Career:...
until 1972. He was then Vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of St Matthew’s, Fulham
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
until 1978, and he was Vicar of St Mary's, Ealing
Ealing
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
from 1978 until 1991. He also became President of the House of Clergy of the Willesden
Willesden
Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
Area Synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
. Until his retirement at the end of 2000 he had been Canon Treasurer of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
in London.
He has served on many councils and committees, among which were the General Synod
General Synod
-Church of England:In the Church of England, the General Synod, which was established in 1970 , is the legislative body of the Church.-Episcopal Church of the United States:...
(1975–1995), the Church Commissioners
Church Commissioners
The Church Commissioners is a body managing the historic property assets of the Church of England. It was set up in 1948 combining the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners formed in 1836...
(1978–1993) and the Church of England Evangelical Council (1976–1993). He also served as Chairman of the Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
London Mission 1989 Media Task Group, a judge of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
'Preacher of the Year' competition in 2000 and as religious adviser to the film 'Cromwell'.
He was also a holder of a Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
Travelling Fellowship, a Freeman of the City of London and a member of the Athenaeum
Athenaeum Club, London
The Athenaeum Club, usually just referred to as the Athenaeum, is a notable London club with its Clubhouse located at 107 Pall Mall, London, England, at the corner of Waterloo Place....
.
Hymn activity
Saward has written over a hundred hymns, of which "Christ triumphant, ever reigning" is his best known, usually sung to the hymn tuneHymn tune
A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm , and no refrain or chorus....
"Guiting Power" (named after the village of Guiting Power
Guiting Power
Guiting Power is a small Gloucestershire village in the Cotswolds, England.-Location:It is situated on the slopes above a small valley . There was a late Anglo-Saxon settlement on this site, when it was called Gyting Broc...
in Gloucestershire) by John Barnard.
A long-term of the Jubilate Group
Jubilate Group
Jubilate Group is a Christian publishing house, which administers copyright for more than sixty composers and writers. The group was founded by Michael Baughen in the 1960s....
of hymnwriters, he was also its chairman from 1999 to 2001.
He is an active member of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
The Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland was founded in 1936 for the purpose of*encouraging study and research in the field of hymnody;*promoting good standards of hymn-singing;*encouraging the discerning use of hymns in worship;...
, currently serving on its executive committee.
Family
He is the father of Rachel, Formula 1 journalist JoeJoe Saward
Joe Saward is a British Formula One journalist. He was educated at Haileybury College and attained a degree in history at Bedford College, University of London. In 1984 he joined Autosport magazine in London. He began reporting on Formula One in 1988, working alongside Nigel Roebuck and remained...
and of author and rape campaigner Jill
Jill Saward
Jill Saward is best known as the victim of the 1986 Ealing Vicarage Rape, a crime that scandalized the UK and led indirectly to changes in the law. She was educated at Lady Margaret School...
and her twin Sue.
His grandfather was Captain Henry Kendall
Henry George Kendall
Henry George Kendall was a British sea captain who survived several shipwrecks, including an attack by a German submarine during World War I, and was also noted for his role in the capture of murderer Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen.-Early career:Captain Henry Kendall began his career in sailing ships in...
the first person to use radio to capture a criminal (Crippen
Hawley Harvey Crippen
Hawley Harvey Crippen , usually known as Dr. Crippen, was an American homeopathic physician hanged in Pentonville Prison, London, on November 23, 1910, for the murder of his wife, Cora Henrietta Crippen...
) and Captain of the RMS Empress of Ireland when it sank.