It has seemed a long time coming but now Holy Trinity Algiers has its new Rector. The church has been without a full-time priest for a long time and the arrival of the new priest was eagerly anticipated.
The installation and licensing of Rev Craig Watson as Rector took place on the 14th March 2025. Bishop Anthony Ball, Bishop of North Africa, came to Algiers to conduct the ceremony. The Church was delighted to welcome Mohamed Sayeb Habib from the Ministry of Religious Affairs who has worked with the Anglican/Episcopal Diocese of North Africa to secure the appointment of the new Rector. Cardinal Jena Paul Vesco, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Algeria, represented the Roman Catholic community at the occasion. He was joined by the ambassador from the Vatican and several Roman Catholic priests and sisters. The protestant evangelical church was represented by the head of the Algerian Bible Society.
The Bishop spoke of the importance of relationships in the work of the church and how God uses our past to prepare us for His work in the future. He commented on Craig’s role in leading Anglican parishes in England; his extensive knowledge and practice in education; his international experience from working in Oman, South Africa, Nepal, Moldova, France and Pakistan, and his ability to speak French All of this had prepared him for the role of Rector at Holy Trinity.
The Bishop outlined the challenge of ministry primarily to the English speaking community in Algeria. The congregation includes Sub-Saharan African students as well as the families of expatriate workers who look to the church for spiritual and practical support as they carry out their work in a foreign land. There is a ministry also to the diplomatic community whom the Episcopal/Anglican church has a duty to support.
Members of the diplomatic community were present at the installation. The American Embassy, whose Ambassador has attended Holy Trinity, sent two diplomats to represent the USA. The British Embassy’s deputy Ambassador was in attendance, expressing the support of the British Ambassador who was out of the country. The Ambassadors from South Africa and Zimbabwe who are regular members of Holy Trinity, and the Italian Ambassador whose Embassy relies upon the Italian School that Holy Trinity is able to host in its grounds, were also present
Craig writes:
The installation was a time of great celebration from start to finish, and as the strains of ‘To God be the glory’ faded at the end of the service, the sense that God has started a new chapter in the life of the English-speaking Christian community in Algeria was evident to all.