Bishop Keith’s Letter - September 2010

St Bonaventure 2010

PASTORAL LETTER 2010

THE AFTERMATH OF THE GENERAL SYNOD

The members of the General Synod have returned home; no doubt some will be preparing their addresses for the forthcoming Synod election in the autumn. For many this Synod achieved exactly what was wanted as far as the ordination of women to the episcopate is concerned but for a sizable minority it has left them feeling despondent and unwanted. When the Bishop of Manchester commended the draft legislation for revision in February 2009 he emphasised that it would be possible to make significant changes during the revision process. Despite the valiant efforts of some members of the Revision Committee what came back to the Synod this July was even less helpful than the original draft. I was not surprised. It was inevitable once the bishops decided to put the process in the hands of the Synod rather than controlling it themselves, which they had been doing until May 2008 when they sent a motion to synod recommending a Code of Practice as the best way forward. We have consistently said since then that: a Code of Practice will not do, and there is no reason we should change our minds. It simply will not do - not then and not now.

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York made a brave attempt to amend the legislation and while I did not think it would have been able to achieve what some hoped it would achieve it was defeated in the House of Clergy. It is not often, if ever, that two Archbishops have proposed an amendment to such a contentious piece of legislation concerning the future unity of the Church of England; to have done so and not succeeded says a great deal about the problems of our synodical structures. The Draft Measure will now go to the dioceses for further scrutiny though it is highly unlikely that it will not gain the necessary support. It will return to the Synod in 2012 when it will need to gain the necessary two thirds majorities in all three Houses of Laity, Clergy and Bishops.

If the Measure is passed - if it isn't the issue will not go away - the landscape in the Church of England for traditional Catholics and Evangelicals will be bleak. There will be no resolutions to be passed, no Episcopal Visitors to petition for, the Act of Synod will be abolished and the episcopal ministry of the Bishops of Beverley, Ebbsfleet and Richborough will not exist. The process of reception so ably explained by Dame Mary Tanner in New Directions a few months ago has been forgotten. All the promises which were made to us in the early 1990's about having a permanent honoured place in our Church have been ignored. No doubt many of the supporters of women's ordination will say there has been compromise on both sides. They will point out they preferred a simple piece of legislation without a statutory Code of Practice. However, from our point of view, this legislation offers us little hope. It addresses none of the issues which are of concern to us and about which we have argued for so long. The only provision will be that a parish can request a male incumbent or the sacramental and pastoral care of a male bishop when needed. It is simply not sufficient for those for whom it is supposed to apply. Far from providing for those who have serious theological objections to the ordination of women the legislation allows parishes to discriminate against women.

I cannot overemphasise how serious this situation is for us. No amount of promises from the Archbishop of Canterbury and others that there is more to be done can produce anything which would address the issues of jurisdiction, ecclesiology and sacramental assurance which we require.

Many of our priests signed an open letter before the July Synod of 2008, which began the process which has led to the present draft legislation, in which we said.

It is with sadness that we conclude that, should the Church of England indeed go ahead with the ordination of women to the episcopate, without the same time making provision which offers us real ecclesial integrity and security, many of us will be thinking very hard about the way ahead. We will inevitably be asking whether we can, in conscience, continue to minister as bishops, priests and deacons in the Church of England which has been our home.

The time for such discernment on the part of priests and laity has drawn considerably nearer since last week end. We will all have difficult questions to consider and the answers may depend as much upon our particular circumstances as on our understanding of the Church. What is essential is that we should have a period of calm reflection and prayer before any important decisions are made. Priests and people will need to have serious conversations about the future; we cannot bury our heads in the sand and hope this will go away. The priests in the Richborough Area have been invited, with other clergy from the Province of Canterbury, to a Sacred Synod on the 24th September to take counsel together.

The visit of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI to our country in September will give us a good opportunity to mediate on our Lord's call to Christian unity. The high spot of the visit will be the Beatification of John Henry Newman who himself wrestled with similar issues in his day. This may be a moment when his thoughts and writings can help us to consider the way forward.

May God bless you as you discern his will for you,

+ Keith

Fr Brian’s Letter - July/August 2010

Do read on, please! There is an unavoidable vitally important matter for all of us at S.Francis’ church to pray and think about. It cannot be ignored or put off for the time being – the time is now.

First, though, Britain has a coalition government for the first time. Everyone wonders how long it will last. The Church of England has been a coalition for more than 400 years since what is known as the Elizabethan Settlement – a coalition of sincere Christians – Catholics, Liberals and Protestants: three groups united by the Book of Common Prayer and an ordained ministry of bishops, priests and deacons.

The Prayer Book fell into limbo long ago, but a recognized ministry was maintained when, around 1992, provision was made for churches like ours to honourably keep to our Anglo-Catholic ways under bishops like Keith and Edwin. S. Francis officially accepted this provision.

However, in July the General Synod will certainly vote to cancel any and all provision for Catholic Anglicans. There will be no alternative to conforming to the new rules which will have the force of law. All requests to continue and improve provisions for Anglo-Catholics and conservative Evangelicals have been rejected. S. Francis’ is vulnerable as we have no vicar.

But this will happen against a most remarkable development we have all heard about. Pope Benedict has offered to Anglicans what our bishops and General Synod have refused. It is an Ordinariate – a special arrangement in which Anglicans will be able to continue in much the same way as before, but linked directly to Benedict himself, not the local Roman Catholic Bishop. The Ordinariate is not a take-over bid. It is an offer to brother and sister Christians, as equals, in a binding up of wounds caused by mistrust, ill will and the sins of past and present. It is about Christian unity, not about the ordination of women, gay marriage and laxity in faith. It is, in a small way, an attempt to answer the Lord’s own prayer that “all may be one”.

There is nothing to fear in all this. There is no need at all for tensions, disputes or judgment of others, no cause for criticism of others whose response is different. It is an offer to groups, however small.

The Ordinariate will not be large to begin with, but it will get going later this year. There are no practical details as yet but there is a great need to have a rough measure of peoples’ interest great or small. So with no commitment attached, nothing you can’t go back or forward on, I am asking those S. Francis’ people who are interested in Benedict’s offer to let me know.

Remember the coalition – S. Francis church is a working coalition of views and will remain so. We accept one another in Christian charity. The situation we are in will be resolved by faithful Christians seeking God’s will. Jesus’ prayer for unity is bold and daring. There is nothing God cannot do.

Fr Brian’s Letter - June 2010

Most of us have family photographs displayed at home, some current others not. They give pleasure to parents and children alike. Although they can embarrass sometimes when we as an adult see ourselves in a baby-gro prominently displayed. Family photos are a sign of love and remembrance bringing families together.

In the Church what brings people together is, above all else, the Holy Eucharist. It is, the old Prayer Book says, 'our bounden duty and service'. It is the duty and privilege of every Christian to take a full and faithful part in offering the sacrifice of the Mass and in receiving Holy Communion with joy.

Yes, the Eucharist is central and the priority in our worship. God in his mercy and love has brought us to see that this is right and proper. Full-faith Christians believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, God's presence among his people gathered to worship him. However, we do not leave the Lord behind in church when we go home. We carry the presence of Jesus literally within us as we turn away from the altar-rail. Remember Christ's words, 'I am with you always'.

But then, the Real Presence of Jesus remains in S. Francis church and thousands of others in the tabernacle. On the altar at the top of the steps behind the main altar in our church is where the Reserved Sacrament is kept. The tabernacle is veiled in the colour of the Church season - white at Eastertide, red at Pentecost, green for most of the year. This special Presence is acknowledged by bowing or genuflecting when passing nearby. The Sacrament chapel is a place where prayer is easier and deeper. It should be much more visited. To know that Christ is near always where the Bread of the Eucharist is kept is a great blessing. Many of us who take part in the Maundy Thursday Watch know how prayerful the atmosphere is and how close we are to the Lord.

The Church provides us with a service that responds to the desire of Christians to have an actual presence of God as a focus of devotion. It is Benediction. The service is brief and inspiring. The Sacrament is taken from the tabernacle so that people can see it. It is a fact that we like to see with our eyes and be aware and to see with our understanding - "I see what you mean". We feel someone is with us when we can look at them. Think of the family photos at home. Awareness of the Lord's presence is intensified and brought home when we look up at the consecrated Eucharistic Bread and are blessed beyond measure.

The Festival of the Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi, is June 6th this year. At 10.00 am. there will be a procession and Benediction at the end of the Parish Mass. At 6.30 pm. there will be Solemn Evening Prayer and Exposition with time for silent prayer with Jesus our Lord and Saviour.

Thanks be to God for the Holy Eucharist, for our receiving Holy Communion, for the wonderful blessing of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Church.

By the way, there will be Evening Prayer and Benediction at 6.30 pm one Sunday each month during the interregnum.

Fr Brian’s Letter - May 2010

The happy birds Te Deum sing,
'Tis Mary's month of May.
Her smile turns winter into spring,
And darkness into day.

ECHB 936

These are the opening words of a splendid nine-verse hymn. How true they are! After one of the most miserable winters, the spring flowers are blooming energetically, as if to make up for lost time. When the sun shines we cheer up and smile again.

How wise of Christian people, north of the Equator certainly, to call May the month of Blessed Mary. When we think of the mother of Jesus we should cheer up and smile in the sunshine she brings in to our lives. After all it is through Mary that our Lord and Saviour, the Son of God, came into the world and the Father's amazing plan of redemption and hope came to reality. It is perfectly natural, surely, to respect, honour and love Mary as the Mother of God, her title since the 4th century. Another hymn begins,

Shall we not love thee, Mother dear,
Whom Jesus loves so well,
And to his glory year by year
Thy praise and honour tell?

EH 184

One of the many blessings of the Oxford Movement which, in Victorian times, restored the fullness of the Catholic faith to the Church of England, is devotion to Mary in her humble holiness and her powerful prayers. More and more these days Mary is loved as mother of all Christians. Mary our Mother and our Mother the Church are linked together in a close bond of loving care. Another hymn includes these words,

Let us weave our supplications,
She with us we with her.
May the Mother's intercession
On our homes a blessing win.

EH 188

A good prayer for these days. Mary knows all about home and family life! At the end of Sunday Parish Mass until 23rd May we shall be singing the Regina Caeli. It begins,

Joy to thee, O Queen of Heaven, alleluia.
He whom thou wast meet to bear, alleluia.
As he promised hath arisen, alleluia.
Pour for us to God thy prayer, alleluia.

Where is Mary now if not in heaven? Greater love for our Lady leads to greater love for Jesus. Another hymn ends,

Heaven with transcendent joys her entrance graced.
Next to his throne her Son his Mother placed;
And here below, now she's of heaven possest,
All generations are to call her blest.

EH 182

All in all, May is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the God-given joy of our Christian faith, unchanging in a time of change. Mary said 'Yes' to God and look what happened to her!

Fr Paul’s Final Letter - April 2010

I find it hard to believe that this is the last letter I shall write as parish priest of S. Francis. So many times I’ve sat at my desk wondering what to write. Outside the window the seasons have come and gone. Writing for the magazine, I’ve looked up on different occasions and seen snow falling, or the blossom appearing on the trees, or the grass baked yellow by the summer sun, or the leaves being blown into drifts by the autumn wind.

The church seasons have come and gone as well. “Oh dear” I’ve thought to myself as I’ve picked up my pen, “yet another Christmas! What shall I write?” Or “surely it can’t be Lent already!” or “Time to say something about Corpus Christi (or the Assumption of Our Lady or S. Francis)”

I can remember when the desk was in a different position. When I first arrived at S. Francis I put it on the other side of the study and sat behind it, so that people entering the room faced me across the desk like people coming to see a doctor or head-teacher. I soon discovered that this didn’t feel right, and moved the desk to where it stands now. I can look out of the window and see the changing weather. I can watch the traffic coming down West Way. I can keep my eyes open for the postman, and see when visitors are wanting to get into the church.

In the last 27 years I’ve spent endless hours sitting at this desk. I’ve written magazine articles, sermons, letters, rotas, references, reviews and shopping lists. I’ve also doodled and done crossword puzzles. The sheets of paper and cardboard files have piled up. Goodness knows how many black medium-tipped Bic ballpoints, I’ve got through. The wastepaper basket has filled up as regularly and predictably as the sun rising.

And now it’s time to leave. Soon the desk will be loaded onto the removal van and the other furniture. When it reaches its new home it will again stand in front of a window so that I can look out from time to time as I write. The view will be across the village green. I shall see the children on their way to school, or playing on the swings at the end of the day. The little bus will go by on its regular trips to the station. But the very act of sitting and writing at the desk will be enough to bring back the experience of being a parish priest. And it will be you, the people of S. Francis, that I see in my mind’s eye.

My letters in the magazine must come to an end. Whatever their quality, whatever their mood, whether serious or not, they’ve been part of my ministry. But that ministry goes on. It continues in and through you. As S. Paul writes to the Corinthians about his apostolate among them:

“You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all men; and you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Cor. 3 : 2-3)

So my lasting hope and prayer is that the people of S. Francis may be the letter from Christ to the wider world that you are meant to be, a letter about the love, mercy and goodness of God