A Reflection on our forthcoming interregnum

"It’s 10.30am on a Sunday morning. I’m sitting on a wooden pew, near the back of a little stone-built church in a small village. The sun streams through the stained glass of the East window.   The Stations of the Cross are in place on the North and South walls.

There’s a Memorial to those who lost their lives in two World Wars and a font by the door. Hymn numbers are displayed on the board.   The organ plays quietly. More people arrive. There’s much meeting and greeting as hymn books and service sheets are handed out for a service of Holy Communion. A pause for prayer. “Hands together and eyes shut tight” as we used to say in Sunday School. I open my eyes. The choir takes it places. A priest enters. The congregation, nearly all adults, of what some might call `a certain age`, rises to its collective feet.

The service unfolds, following a familiar pattern. There’s lay involvement, in reading from the Bible, in leading Intercessions, taking the Offertory, administering the Chalice. A shining example of Rotas at work! The Peace is exchanged before the Offertory hymn is sung, and all are invited to the Lord’s Table to partake of the Bread and Wine, or to receive a Blessing.   The Service concludes, people leave or linger, coffee is served and we wend our way home.

Where am I?

I could well be in St. Peters, Salesbury, in the Diocese of Blackburn on any Sunday morning for our Sung Eucharist, and if I close my eyes, that’s where I’ll be. But, hang on a moment. When I open my eyes, a few differences emerged.   I’m sitting on a wooden pew, without the comfort of any softening cushion. The floors are flagged, not carpeted. The choir sits in the front pews, without robes…but fully clothed I hasten to add.

A nave altar is in place. There are statues, especially of the Virgin Mary. We stand to receive our Holy Communion. There are variations in the tunes used for the Gloria and Responses, and we say the Creed instead of singing it. Mid sermon(!) the preacher pauses, as he cannot compete with the Church clock which strikes eleven times, once,   and then once again.. Oh, and there may also be an accompanying plainsong from the incumbent pigeons above our heads.

At the end of the service, after the final hymn has been sung, we sing a special Farewell song to each other, before heading outside into the sunshine, where folding tables have been quickly set up, and flasks of coffee are ready to be served. Be sharp if you want a chocolate biscuit, before the heat melts the chocolate!

Perhaps you’ve already guessed that I am in France. Thanks to the strong ecumenical spirit which has grown among the English speaking Christian community there, church congregations have come together in a number of different centres and the Chaplaincy of Christ the Good Shepherd in Poitou-Charentes has grown in area and in numbers.. We’re in the Diocese of Europe, and in a parish the size of Wales.

At St. Peter’s, much time, attention, energy, and money is dedicated to the maintenance of a much loved 200 year old building, built on the foundations and faith of previous parishioners, with many local families proud of their `roots` which stretch back for several generations. Much energy is also dedicated to fulfilling a Mission and a Vision for the 21st Century.

A relatively recent website, www.salesbury-stpeter.org.uk,is taking us out into the big wide world, as well as generating queries from nearer home, from folk who find it easier to initiate a conversation electronically.

www.Chaplaincy Christ the Good Shepherd, Poitou Charentes,   is essential reading if I, as an occasional visitor, (a bit like the swallows!) need to know in which direction to head, on any given Sunday.

In France, the Roman Catholic Church has welcomed `homeless` Anglican congregations into appropriately situated local churches, hence the statues, the candles on the High Altar, and the prominence of the Reserved Sacrament.

A French church is likely to be found at the heart of any village or town, on the street, usually with plenty of places for car parking, though without a traditional village green and graveyard, so characteristic of England..

For Anglicans in France, the responsibility and challenge is not one of `gutters and downspouts`, as our Archdeacons have been wont to remind us, or of maintaining the boiler and keeping the churchyard tidy.   It’s rather a matter of logistics, to plant, and grow, a church congregation that is accessible for as many people from any denomination as possible.

The object of the exercise being to offer a Sunday service that is no more than about 45 minutes away by car. So I might find myself in the parish Church at St. Leger de la Martiniere, or the Church dedicated to St.Medard at Magne. I can only marvel at the faith, and the groundwork that took place to bring about such a model of ecumenical co-operation., in the spirit of the early church. And I never fail to be impressed by the practicalities that ensure that doors are unlocked, an itinerant organ appears from the back of someone’s car, boxes of hymn books are transported, oh, and coffee is served without fail!

And as for those incidental differences - they only go to enhance and strengthen the richness of our Christian, and Anglican tradition, adapted as it has ever been to the needs of the community it serves, and the needs of the wider community too.

Thus in France, with Harvest Thanksgivings coming up, there’s a plea for items of tinned and dried food for the `banque alimentaire`, (or `food bank.) At St. Peter’s, the children, and adults too, will offer similar gifts, to be despatched to areas of Eastern Europe where the need is great. And, with the Bishop of Blackburn’s Harvest Appeal, there’ll also be gifts of money, this year to support the work of Christian Aid in Guatemala, and the Mother`s Union Project of Uganda.. There’s one more significant similarity between our two parishes. After a number of years as its tireless and faithful Chaplain, Rev. Michael Hepper has created a Vacancy in the Chaplaincy of Christ the Good Shepherd, Poitou- Charentes, by his return to the U.K. to take up the position as Vicar of Leyburn, Yorkshire. Holding a parish the size of Wales together during the Interregnum presents quite a challenge, for the Assistant Chaplain, Wardens, the Lay Readers, and for the congregations.

In a recent Jubilate, (the Chaplaincy’s Church Magazine) Linda, the newly licensed Lay Reader, writes: “we are having to come to terms with the removal of the amazing support, encouragement and teaching we have received from Michael. His coming departure is a sad moment for us, but it is an important new beginning. In last month’s letter, Michael talked about new challenges, and new ministries, all in the scheme of God’s plan for each one of us. In the last 12 years we have all grown in faith and gifts. Now we must trust as we minister to one another in the coming months, supported by an amazing Ministry team and the Holy Spirit who is poured out upon each one of us is sufficient measure to achieve all that God has in mind for this place”. Thank you Linda, for those words, because at St. Peter’s in Salesbury, (and beyond) we are preparing for the retirement of Canon John Hartley, after a faith-full ministry here, of over 20 years. The prospect of an interregnum is a daunting one. We are `lucky` to have a Church building that is open every day. Who will be responsible for its unlocking and locking in the future…and so on and so forth, and much much more besides ? Linda goes on to write, that “There will inevitably be moments of insecurity and doubt, but, girded by prayer, the Holy Spirit will strengthen, support and inspire”.

At St. Peter’s we are blessed in that our Burnley supporting curate, Rev. Andrew Malcolm, will continue his Ministry here until at least June 2012. So at least the ribaldry and rivalry between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley supporters will continue, although we’ll lose the input from the solo voice of the Wigan supporting Canon, (different game, different shape of ball, though, as it’s Rugby League).

In seeking prayers across, and for, both parishes, the words of the Blessing Song, sung in the Chaplaincy, seem appropriate:

“May the blessing of the Lord our God rest upon you day by day,

May He keep and guide you, every step of the way,

And may you know His peace, deep within your heart,

And may His love control all you do and say.

And let’s say ‘Amen’ to that."

Sheila Goodman

The work of the PCC on appointing a new Priest for St. Peter's

"The forthcoming `vacancy` at St. Peter’s brings with it a mixed bag of feelings, challenges, hopes, fears, opportunities….and tasks. You’ll have read in the September Magazine a summary of the process for the Appointment of a Vicar. On our behalf, members of the Standing and Finance Committee (are they not allowed to sit down at their meetings?) of the Parochial Church Council have been working extremely hard over the summer period to prepare the Parish Profile. This is a snapshot, if you like, in words and pictures, that will attract applications from suitable candidates to become our new Vicar. (Nothing wrong with the `Old` Vicar, you might say, except that the moment has come for him to retire.)

All aspects of the Parish of Salesbury have been considered, as we seek to present an honest account of the life the parish, and the context within which `the Church` lives and works. Here’s a taste of the document that has been produced. Soon a copy will be available in Church for all to peruse. But more importantly, it will be sent out to enquirers, and tell them all about the parish, what makes it `special`, and what sort of person is needed to “teach, inspire, and motivate us with an infectious love of God and His word, helping us to grow in numbers, faith and mission”.

Our Mission Statement commits St. Peter’s to: “Mission to all, through, and by, Prayer, Worship and Service”. We see ourselves as “A community constantly seeking to learn and develop itself, a community which engages in Mission locally and internationally, in all relying on Prayer and Worship”.
Members of the congregation were asked what St. Peter’s means to them, and these are some of the responses: “It is my rock”, “It’s very friendly and welcoming”, “It is a constant source of peace”, “It encourages you to share your talents”, “It makes me think about the purpose of my life”, “It has been invaluable in my life, I could not have survived without it”.

What would YOUR response be if asked, “What does St. Peter’s mean to you?”

The Parish Profile document leads us through the geography of the parish and its surrounding area; local amenities, in terms of education, health, activities, sports and leisure. It presents the Church building and its setting. Church life is described, in terms of worship and witness, patterns of services, organisations, activities and music. And if a picture is worth a thousand words, then the stunning photos which intersperse and illuminate the text do just that!

This briefest of brief summaries can't do justice to the quality of the content and presentation of “our” Parish Profile. We must thank the Standing and Finance Committee, and especially Clare Harding, for all her technical skills in layout and design, printing and production., for preparing a ‘picture’ of St. Peter’s which should attract applications from someone who will be “ A leader who will love and care for our church and its family, and help us to fulfil our potential” On offer is “an opportunity for someone with energy and enthusiasm to rise to this challenge”..

We pray that the `best` and the ‘right’, person will come forward".

Sheila Goodman

BIBLE TREES

UPDATE!!

See pictures

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June 2011

A Blessing of Bible Trees

Walking into Church on a recent Sunday morning we were greeted by a mini forest of trees. On this occasion, NOT the oak and the ash and the trees we see regularly around the Ribble Valley, but a far more creative Arboretum. On this Sunday, we saw butterfly trees, a Proverbs Tree, Bible Stories Trees, an apple tree, a flowering tree, a tree for the doves, and a beautifully sparkly tree. The children from school, with their teachers, had been very busy. Each class had prepared a tree, The little ones attending the morning and afternoon nursery sessions, had created an apple tree, with red and green apples. Class 7 chose flowers, Class 1, Class 3 and Class 6 all chose leaves. Class 4 chose butterflies as did Class 8A. Class 5 chose Doves, Class 6 chose Proverbs, Class 2 chose their favourite Bible stories, Class 8B planted a Jack and the Beanstalk of a tree and Class 2 created a sparkly stained glass tree.

We could see, at a glance, what the children have been learning: the Old Testament stories of David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, Noah’s Ark, and Jonah, who “he eaten by the whale and he comes out the water spout”.

And the New Testament parables of the Good Samaritan, “ because it demonstrates kindness and selflessness within different religions and people”, or The Lost Sheep, “because I like it when the Shepherd counts his sheep. The moral of the story is to never give up on finding something that is precious to you.” or the Prodigal son, “ My favourite story is `Get lost, little brother`, because I know how it feels to be left out, but I still love my family.”

I hope you were able to pop into Church during Bible Tree Week, and see the children’s work for yourselves. They have a lot to teach us! Class 6 made a Proverb Tree. I like Proverbs Chapter 8 verse 6, “Choose my instruction instead of silver. Choose knowledge other than finest gold”.

We have a lot to learn from the Bible, its stories and its message, seen through the eyes of a child.

The Adults also contributed their favourite Bible verses. Closer examination of these will reveal a Top Five, which we’ll list in the next Church magazine.

Thanks to all who contributed to the Bible Trees, and to our celebration at St. Peter’s of this special year of the Bible.

Sheila Goodman

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'The Way of the Monk - I'

In my study I have John Darch (Blackburn Diocese Director of Ordinands and IME) and Stuart Burns' book, ' Saints on Earth' opened-up as it reveals daily which 'Saint on Earth' died - not through morbidity, but celebration. Two fascinating characters, whose anniversaries of their deaths are celebrated on the same day - the 17th January - are Antony of Egypt and Charles Gore. Whilst they lived many hundreds of years apart their lives were in many ways very similar. What makes them important to the Church and to our lives today, is the way they lived their lives following monastic principles - principles which are as relevant today, perhaps more so, as when they lived.

They lived lives of prayer, service and order. They knew how busy life was and of the temptations, trials and tribulations that life throws at us all, but their 'balance' was to seek out silence and solitude in order to pray, finding that as they did, their lives and work, whilst not becoming easy, found an order and a meaning to it.

In my January letter to the parish I suggested that perhaps now is as good a time as any to be resolved to do something different this year and spend more time being still and silent with God. We too, like Antony and Gore can do this by adopting a simple rule of life to make such a meaningful change and at the same time deepen our Christian faith.

Here is abrief extract from 'Saints on Earth' describing these two holy men;

Antony of Egypt, Hermit, Abbot, 356 ... grew up in a wealthy family in Egypt, but at the age of 20, after the death of his parents, he gave all his possessions away and started to live as a recluse, among the local ascetics in his village. From 286 to 306 Antony lived in solitude, first in a tomb, and then in an abandoned desert fort. Later he moved to the Red Sea, where a monastery was formed, and he remained there until his death at the age of 105 in the year 356.

... Antony battles with demons in the desert, and the story of his great spirituality served to fuel the growing desire for an authentic Christian life which the Church, with her greater connections with the Empire and State, was beginning to lose. (That's a bit close to home! - my words)

... Antony was a leader almost by default. He sought a life of solitude and contemplation, but discovered that he became a beacon to others seeking an ascetic life.

... life as a continual battle in which the believer is aided by the Holy Spirit, who guides him and opens the eyes of his soul.

... Antony ... is recognized as the founder of Western monasticism.

Charles Gore, Bishop, Founder of the Community of the Resurrection, 1932 ... was born in Wimbledon in 1853, educated at Harrow (where he first encountered and adopted for himself Catholic spirituality and practice) and Balliol College, Oxford. He was elected to a Fellowship at Trinity College, Oxford in 1875 and ordained the following year. He initially served a curacy in and near Liverpool before returning to Oxford as Vice-Principal of Cuddesdon in 1880, then as first Principal of Pusey House in Oxford, which for six years he combined with a canonry at Westminster Abbey. In 1902 Gore was consecrated Bishop of Worcester, being translated first to Birmingham in 1905 as the first bishop of the new diocese, then to Oxford in 1911. He resigned in 1919 to devote himself to a life of preaching, lecturing and writing.

... In 1892 Gore founded the Society (later the Community) of the Resurrection with the aim of adapting the religious life for men to the changed circumstances of the modern world. In 1898 the community moved from Oxford to Mirfield

... Gore was the author of numerous books, though perhaps the most influential and best remembered was Lux Mundi ... His achievement was to unite Anglo-Catholicism with a critical approach to the Scriptures and to give it a wider social conscience.

I have visited Mirfield on many occasions and the experience of taking part in the daily offices alongside the community really do help to emphasise that we are as Antony said '... aided by the Holy Spirit'.

Mirfield Chapel

The Community of the Resurrection can boast such luminaries as the present Archbishop of Canterbury who was a Lecturer there, Trevor Huddlestone was a member of the Community and if that's not enough, our own Diocesan Bishop trained for the ministry there - ambition precludes me from saying what year! I am convinced that never more so do we need to follow the example, even in our own small and inadeqaute ways, of Antony and Charles Gore.

Previously I have quoted the words, ‘Peace is born of silence, because silence is the threshold where the soul meets God’. In the year to come which will undoubtedly be challenging, let us find the time to be peaceful, silent and still - to be, rather than do - and find out what it is that God has in store for us.

Andrew

The Mission Priests of The Society of Saint John the Evangelist

SSJE

The Cowley Fathers

My previous article - 'The Way of the Monk I' mentioned Charles Gore who was the founder of the Community of the Resurrection at Mirfield - many don't know that Gore was heavily influenced by SSJE as were many others. I am a member of the Fellowship of Saint John and a Trustee of SSJE the oldest male Anglican monastic order in the country and the first monastic order to be founded at the time since the reformation. SSJE has had an enormous impact on Church life in England and in fact throughout the world. Their founder Father Richard Meux (pronounced 'Muse') Benson, was born on July 6, 1824 into a very wealthy family. His mother seems to have been the main influence in his life and she had been brought up in Clapham and her family's church life was centred on the Rector of Clapham, John Venn, and his circle. This circle, known as the Clapham Sect, included William Wilberforce. This radical group were to set the way for what was to become known as the Oxford Movement and Anglo-Catholicism in this country.

In 1844 Benson entered Christ Church College at Oxford and came under the influence of the Oxford Movement and its leader Pusey. Benson received a Bachelor degree in 1847 and his MA in 1848. He was ordained deacon in 1848 and priested in 1849. He then took an assistant curacy at Surbiton, and in 1850 accepted the curacy of St James's Church, Cowley, a suburb of Oxford. Fr Benson's parish of Cowley grew steadily and along with this church growth, a vocation had been growing within him to go out to India as a missionary. He had obtained two years leave from his Bishop and was ready. But it was not to be. Early in 1860, a plan was announced to convert Cowley Common, an open space in his parish, into an extensive town. His Bishop then asked him not to leave in the face of this new work, and he
relinquished his plan.

Father Richard Meux Benson

In the early 1860's Fr Benson became a preacher of missions and retreats, and had published several books of devotion. He had been a student of Pusey at Christ Church and was very much a man of the Oxford Movement. Now he was becoming well known in Tractarian circles. He seems to have been a sober and moderate figure. He was never to be a Ritualist, indeed, until the end of his life, he opposed Ritualism. What he had was the integration of Evangelical fervour with the Catholic sense of sacraments and the Church, which was the essence of the Oxford movement.

Benson was deeply involved in the movement of preaching missions to the un-churched in urban areas. In fact, he led one of the first of these in Lent of 1862. This mission was the model of those to come, especially the great London Missions of the 1870's. The call for this first mission had come from Pusey, who also asked for ‘organised bodies of clergy living among (the poor) to grapple with our manufacturing system as the Apostles did with the slave system of the ancient world.’ Benson must have heard in this call an echo of his earlier great desire to go to India, which had been dashed. In 1863 John Keble also spoke of the need for communities to be formed to extend the Kingdom of God. Drawn by this, Father Benson offered a house which he owned in Oxford, and he and one Simeon Wilberforce O'Neill and an American priest, Charles C Grafton started living together in the late summer of 1866. On December 27^th 1866 the three took vows to each other for life. This was the official foundation of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE), the first Anglican Monastic religious order for men in the UK and the forerunner of the Community of the Resurrection and the Society of the Scared Mission.

I have the privilege of access to their archives which trace the history of the order. They are all housed at St Edwards House, the home of SSJE at Westminster, London.

St. Edward's House, Westminster, London

To give an idea of the vast quantity of this material, there are approximately sixty shelves which hold the material which consists of the following: Over thirty large box folders which contain the handwritten notes about sermons, retreats and theological thinking of Benson. There are over thirty handwritten and bound books which contain his sermons and tracts and over thirty printed books. There are also at least seventy other boxed folders containing the writings of the other monks of the order over the years. There are in excess of 300 printed and bound books and magazines such as;

-          The Cowley Magazine

-          The Cowley Parish Magazine

-          The Cowley Evangelist

-          The Star in the East (Produced to report on the mission work in India etc)

-          Cowley (The Society Magazine produced by the Society in America)

-          New Fire

-          The Society and Fellowship News sheet

Contained in these are some really interesting historical facts. In the first Cowley St John Parish magazine in February 1867, the Bishop of Oxford on the 22^nd January 1867 said on observing some misbehaviour on the part of a confirmation candidate;

My dear boy, take care: God might strike you. I have known such a thing to happen. I have known a person come to the confirmation and after speaking to her three times I had to send her from the church. In three days time she took a fever and in less than a fortnight she was a corpse. Her father caught the fever and died, and her mother caught it and died too. The disease spread in the village and people said of her that she had mocked God.

A sign of the way things were around the time that Benson founded SSJE!

Another interesting find in the archives is the minutes of a meeting of the monks inthe 1970’s which states;

Economies

‘Milk consumption to be reduced to ¾ of a pint a day’

‘Jam or lettuce at supper’

‘Not to supply clothing made of expensive materials such as Jaeger’

‘Dispense with the Daily Telegraph’

What of the society today;

Members of SSJE since conception

-          The total number of SSJE brothers worldwide who have made life vows since 1866 who

            have died is 133

-          3 were bishops, 11 were lay brothers and the rest were priests

-          There are 4 priests and 2 lay brothers currently alive in the UK

Their work today

The Fellowship of Saint John (FSJ) Trust Association of which I am a Trustee is in place as a limited company to manage the assets of the order and has as a simple objective, ‘to engage in missionary and educational works for the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ’. Today SSJE has only one monastery in London but the work in communities still continues. They used to send monks as missionaries to India, Africa, Japan, Canada and the USA. Today the work continues through prayer and financial support to Africa, India, Eastern Europe and plans are to engage with other parts of the globe in the future.

As well as this they offer accommodation and a quiet place to stay within the heart of the City of London for a retreat or just simply some 'peace and quiet'.

The Main Chapel

The main chapel looking from the altar

The entrance hall of the monastery

The Lounge at St Edwards House

The lounge at St. Edward's House

Palace of Westminster

The view from one of the rooms at the monastery

There are few candidates for a religious life but SSJE is responding today as it always has done - mission in action.

If you would like more information about SSJE then do not hesitate to contact me

Andrew

THE WAY OF THE MONK II

'The Mission Priests of The Society of Saint John the Evangelist'

SSJE

The Cowley Fathers

As regular readers of the site will know I was ordained to the Priesthood on June the 27th and the following morning celebrated my first Eucharist at Church. At this service our guest preacher was my very good friend Father Peter Huckle the present Superior of SSJE.

Father Peter Huckle

Father Peter is now one of only two monks who are resident in the house, the other being Brother James Simon. There are only two others still alive, one of their number Father Alan Bean having just died in a Nursing Home. He was just short of his 96th birthday, had been a priest for alomst 72 years and in vows for 62 years and had the unique distinction of having a species of tropical butterfly named after him!

Father Peter Huckle

The house at London is more often than not full of guests and the monks there are engaged in a ministry of hospitality, teaching, preaching and pastoral care. As I mentioned above, as a Trustee of the Society our work is very active globally as we look to support many varied projects focussing on Education and Health.

SSJE Centenary stained glass

Stained glass images of the Society commissioned for their Centenary celebrations

At some stage in the future we will look to invite Fr. Peter to the Parish to spend a weekend with us preaching and teaching. If there is enough interest I would happily look at the prospect of taking a group to the monastery where we could spend time in London as well as receiving the benefits of all that comes from spending time in such a holy place as St. Edward's House - a place where the Mass, Morning prayer, Terce, Sext and Evening prayer as well as Compline have been conducted daily, virtually unbroken since the monastery first opened over a hundred years ago - a wonderful witness.