Previous statements
18 October
Written for a different humanitarian catastrophe, but is on my mind right now:
10 October
A prayer for peace in the Holy Land
Holy God of Peace, We know your heart breaks when your children fight and kill. We pray for peace and justice in the Holy Land, for the safety of all people, and for an immediate end to violence. Be with all those who are wounded, bereaved and terrorised, and gather in your eternal arms all those who have died. Turn the hearts of all those who believe killing is the answer. In the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we pray. Amen.
28 September
Remembering Bishop Keith Riglin FKC
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of Bishop Keith Riglin on Sunday 24 September 2023, following a short illness.
Keith left King’s in April 2021 to move to Scotland as Bishop of Argyll & The Isles in the Episcopal Church of Scotland, but kept in touch with many former colleagues and students, and he will be remembered with great fondness by many across the university.
Keith joined King’s in April 2012 as maternity cover for the Chaplain to the Denmark Hill & Waterloo campuses, and after that year was delighted to be asked to stay in the Chaplaincy team in the newly created post of Chaplain to the St Thomas’ campus. Over the next eight years Keith put in a tremendous amount of work at St Thomas’ to build relationships amongst both King’s and GSTT staff, becoming a valiant supporter of all the students’ needs on that campus.
From 2017 Keith also took on the role of first Assistant Dean and then Vice-Dean, and was a hugely enthusiastic supporter of the AKC programme, taking the course himself (completing it in 2016) as well as hosting discussion groups at St Thomas’ and serving on the Steering Committee from 2012 to 2020.
In common with other members of the Chaplaincy team, Keith greatly enjoyed being on the platform to applaud students at Graduation ceremonies, and he especially appreciated spotting the AKC epitoge on graduands’ gowns. He was deeply honoured to be awarded the Fellowship of the College in January 2023.
Keith was also a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Theology & Religious Studies from 2016-19, and maintained the link after his move to Scotland, as a Visiting Research Fellow.
Keith had the hugely enviable gift of making friends and contacts wherever he went; at any Chaplaincy social event he could be guaranteed to spot someone new, and start a conversation with the phrase “I don’t think I know you – I’m Keith”. He will be very sadly missed across more of King’s than just the St Thomas’ campus, and beyond the Dean’s Office & Chaplaincy.
"Keith’s wonderful gift for friendship made him deeply beloved at King’s and beyond. We will greatly miss his wit, his kindness, and his delightfully infectious joie de vivre."