Saints
and Commemorations in June
Joint
Statement from the Archbishop of York and Archbishop of Canterbury
Palestinian
Christians want a Peace Lamp in every church
Things
children say: Christian Crackers
A
New Archbishop of Westminster
As usual there have been all
sorts of amazing things happening at St Mary’s over the last month. The first
big event we had was the exhibition of wedding and christening robes over the
first May bank holiday. Not only did the church look beautiful – and a huge
thank you to everyone who lent such widely varying dresses – but it was a
really good opportunity for people to come into the church and see what we are
about. All too often, people seem to believe that churches are places that are
locked away, that they are posh places, only for those who are dressed in a
particular way or speak in particular way. The barriers that we unintentionally
put up around our churches can be surprisingly high and yet invisible. So it
was great to see the church full of people all day on the Monday, people
reliving their memories of their own weddings, showing their children where
they had been married, planning weddings to come. People really seemed to feel
welcomed into the church, and many seemed to realise that it was their church
too. Many serious and profound conversations took place over the course of the
weekend, as well as great laughter and joy being shared. Perhaps one of the
most unexpected aspects of the event were the number
of candles that were lit in prayer and the number of prayers requests that were
made. People really seemed to feel that the church had been opened to them.
If the Bank Holiday event
was successful if a little chilly, we had much better weather for another
occasion in the month. Praise and Play is our toddler service, meeting every
fortnight during term time. We normally have a congregation of about 8-10
children aged 4 and under and the same number of adults. On the Feast of the
Ascension we heard about Jesus returning to his Father so that we could all
share in his love, rather than just those who could see him. To help us think
about this we made some very beautiful labels declaring ‘Jesus loves you’ and
attached them to helium balloons which we watched going up into the sky and
vanishing beyond the IKEA towers into the distance. We were sad to see our
balloons go, but delighted when we got an email from a family in the
Netherlands telling us that they were now playing with a Praise and Play
balloon which had travelled over 300km in just over a day. They were having a
really lovely time, and so sent us their love as we had sent ours.
There are two really
important messages here for the church. The first is about helping people to
come into the building, to discover that Christians are not weird or unusual,
that the building is not reserved for people other than them. In doing that we
are drawing people towards God’s love. The second point is that we need to give
God’s love away, not knowing who, if anyone it will reach, but not being
surprised when it touches lives in unexpected ways. As the disciples did, so we
too need to learn that God is not ’ours’ exclusively, and that God’s love is
for the whole of creation. We need to learn to share
Every Sunday we pray for people
living and working in two or three roads in
the parish. In June they will be:
7 June
Guy Road & Manatee Place
14 June
Church Paddock Court, Church
Lane & Church Road
21 June
Archway Close, Streeters Lane & Gisbourne
Close
28 June
The Brandries
& Whelan Way
7 June - Trinity Sunday
Isaiah 6:1-8
Romans 8:12-17
John 3:1-17
14 June - Trinity 1
Ezekiel 17:22-24
2 Corinthians 5:6-10, (11-13), 14-17
Mark 4:26-34
21 June - Trinity 2
Job 38:1-11
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Mark 4:35-41
28 June - Trinity 3
Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15;
2:23-24
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Mark 5:21-43
1 Justin, Martyr at Rome, c.165
3 The Martyrs of Uganda, 1886 and 1978
5 Boniface (Wynfrith)
of Crediton, Bishop, Apostle of Germany, Martyr, 754
6 Ini Kopuria, Founder of the Melanesian Brotherhood, 1945
8 Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells,
Non-Juror, Hymn Writer, 1711
9 Columba, Abbot
of Iona, Missionary, 597
9 Ephrem of Syria,
Deacon, Hymn Writer, Teacher of the Faith, 373
11 Barnabas the Apostle
14 Richard Baxter, Puritan Divine, 1691
15 Evelyn Underhill, Spiritual Writer, 1941
16 Richard, Bishop of Chichester, 1253
16 Joseph Butler, Bishop of Durham,
Philosopher, 1752
17 Samuel and Henrietta Barnett, Social
Reformers, 1913 and 1936
18 Bernard Mizeki,
Apostle of the MaShona, Martyr, 1896
19 Sundar Singh of
India, Sadhu (holy man), Evangelist, Teacher of the
Faith, 1929
22 Alban, first Martyr of Britain, c.250
23 Etheldreda,
Abbess of Ely, c.678
24 The Birth of John the Baptist
27 Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, Teacher of
the Faith, 444
28 Irenæus, Bishop
of Lyons, Teacher of the Faith, c.200
29 Peter and Paul, Apostles
Tuesday 2
Contact Group 7:30pm in
Church
Wednesday 3rd
Eucharist - Carew Chapel -
10am
Deanery Synod - St Johns
Belmont - 8pm
Thursday 4th
Praise and Play 10:00am St
Mary’s Centre
Mother’s Union 7:30pm St
Mary’s Centre. June Allen Africa Off Camera
Saturday 6th
Men's Breakfast 8:30—9:30am
St Mary’s Centre followed by Morning Prayer
Wandle Valley Festival –
Church open 10.30 am – 1pm
Albinoni String Orchestra and St Mary’s Choir Concert –
7.30pm
Sunday 7th
Trinity Sunday All services at the usual times
Church open 2pm – 6pm
Monday 8th
Buildings Group 7:45pm St
Mary’s Centre
Tuesday 9th
Time for God - 9.30am –
Carew Chapel
PCC Meeting 8:00pm St Mary’s
Centre
Wednesday 10th
Eucharist - Carew Chapel –
10am
Thursday 11th
Praise and Play 10:30am St
Mary’s Centre
Sunday 14th
Trinity 1 – all services at
the usual times
Admission to Communion
Guides and Brownies come to
the 9.30am Eucharist
Wednesday 17th
Eucharist – Carew Chapel
10am
Poetry Circle meets, St
Mary’s Centre – 2pm – 4pm
Thursday 18th
Mother’s Union AGM Fairfield
Hall 10am
Sunday 21st
Trinity 2 Services at usual
times
Finance Committee meets
after 9.30 service
Monday 22nd
Theology Book Club meets 32 Waterer Rise – 7.30pm
Wednesday 24th
Eucharist – Carew Chapel
10am
Friday 26th
St Mary’s Centre open for coffee and cake – 10am -11.30am
Saturday 27th
Friends of Wallington Library Fair
St Mary’s Bellringers – 10.15am
Sunday 28th
Trinity 3 Services at usual times
Music
Festival on 28th June at St.Elphege's Church at 7pm.
10th May
Oliver William Browne
31st May
Jack and Alice Desouza
Holly and Joseph Hargreaves
9th May
David Shrimpton
and Gemma Dean Ralph Ashwood
and Patricia Hollings
16th May
David Carra
and Joanne Trigg
23rd May
Daniel Montague and Kelly Dallman
30th May
James Jewell and Natalie Tomlinship
Kris Thompson and Amanda
Jones
8th May
Gladys Hughes
22nd May
John Phillips
Congratulations to Tim
Boxall our Head Chorister who will be confirmed on the 14th June at Carshalton Methodist Church.
We welcome into communion at
Corpus Christi:
Emily De Ritter
Oliver Thompson
Paul Goodridge will have
been Curate at St Mary’s for one year on 15/6/09. In the next magazine he will write a
reflection on his first year.
At the Volunteer of the Year
Ceremony:
Hazel Peach
Sylvia Burrows
Madeleine Reid
Kath Chilcott and
Beryl Coville
–Smith
Received awards for over 25
years voluntary service, some were nearer 50 or 60 years.
Congratulations, and it is
right that this long service should be recognised as so many people give
unstintingly of their time to allow others to benefit.
Welcome is an important part
of the life of St Mary’s were people who are new are made to feel at home and
an immediate part of our family.
The Welcome Group part of
the PCC working groups initiative will need to meet
soon, if you are interested in this initiative please see Paul Goodridge
FAIRFIELD HALL, CROYDON
18TH JUNE 2009 10:00am
The founder of the Mothers’
Union – Mary Summer had her own personal prayer – here it is –
All this day O, Lord let me
touch
as many lives as possible for thee
And every life I touch do
thy by thy spirit quicken
Whether through the world I speak
the prayer I breathe on the life I live
Amen
"The European
Parliamentary and local elections on June 4th will take place at a time of
extraordinary turbulence in our democratic system. It is a time for great
vigilance over how to exercise our democratic right to vote.
"The temptation to stay
away or register a protest vote in order to send a negative signal to the
parties represented at Westminster will be strong. In our view, however, it
would be tragic if the understandable sense of anger and disillusionment with
some MPs over recent revelations led voters to shun the ballot box.
"Those whom we elect to
local councils and the European Parliament will represent us and our collective
interests for many years to come. It is crucial to elect those who wish to
uphold the democratic values and who wish to work for the common good in a
spirit of public service which urgently needs to be reaffirmed in these
difficult days.
"There are those who
would exploit the present situation to advance views that are the very opposite
of the values of justice, compassion and human dignity are rooted in our
Christian heritage.
Christians have been deeply
disturbed by the conscious adoption by the BNP of the language of our faith
when the effect of those policies is not to promote those values but to foster
fear and division within communities, especially between people of different
faiths or racial background.
"This is not a moment
for voting in favour of any political party whose core ideology is about sowing
division in our communities and hostility on grounds of race, creed or colour;
it is an opportunity for renewing the vision of a community united by mutual
respect, high ethical standards and the pursuit of justice and peace.
"We hope that electors
will use their vote on June 4th to renew the vision of a community united by
the common good, public service and the pursuit of justice."
Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury and
Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop
of York
June 10
St Margaret was a Saxon
princess and a relative of Edward the Confessor. Her family fled to Scotland
when William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings. Until then, they had
hoped a Saxon King might win the English throne again. They found shelter in
Scotland as guests at the court of King Malcolm.
Malcolm fell in love with
Margaret and they married in 1070. It was said that Margaret had no wish to
marry but having done so, put all she had into her new life and made a great
success of it. Her influence on her somewhat rough husband was very great. He
became a devout Christian and together they made many reforms in both spiritual
and secular matters.
Margaret also had much to do
in her own household. They had six sons and two daughters. She brought them all
up with great care, training them in the Faith and educating them for the high
positions they achieved.
One daughter, Matilda,
married Henry I of England and three of her sons, Edgar, Alexander and David
succeeded to the Scottish throne. David was also revered as a saint. Margaret
spent her life in devotion to God and her fellows and showed great love for all
poor and sick people.
When William Rufus attacked Alnwick Castle, Malcolm and his sons were involved in the
war that followed. Margaret had become very ill and about four days after her
husband and son Edward were killed, she died at the age of 47. Her illuminated
copy of the Gospels is in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. It had been dropped
in a stream but, miraculously, there is only a tiny watermark on the cover
which can still be seen.
On her special day, let us
pray that all mothers may bring up their children in the Christian faith.
Lord Jesus Christ, who
showed on earth your reverence and love for children, grant that all mothers
may be guided to bring their children to the knowledge and love of You, their
Lord and Saviour.
June 16
Cyriac was the child of a Christian widow called Julitta, who lived in Iconium in
Turkey in the 4th century. When the Diocletian persecution broke out, Cyriac and his mother fled to Tarsus but Julitta was arrested and taken before the Governor. The
little boy ran along after his mother copying everything she did, just as small
children do.
To all the questions put to
her, Julitta replied, "I am a Christian."
The Governor ordered her to be placed on the Rack and to keep the
three-year-old quiet, tried to take him on his knee. But Cyriac
struggled to free himself and run to his mother, crying, "I am a Christian.
I am a Christian." The governor,
angered, pushed the child roughly from him. Cyriac
fell, banging his head on a marble step and died instantly. His mother was
later beheaded.
Some scholars have tried to
disprove this story but holding the thought of St Cyriac
can help make us more tender towards children. The
media too frequently recounts horrendous tales of neglect and cruelty to
children and we need to pray this should end.
O God, our Heavenly Father,
who provides for the needs of your children, grant that the ignorance and sin
which cause people to treat your children cruelly and wrongfully, may be
overcome. Guide and prosper the efforts of all who seek to right the wrongs
which are done to the young.
(St. Augustine of Hippo)
Prayer is like watching for
a kingfisher, all you can do is be where he is likely to appear – and wait.
Often nothing much happens.
There is space – silence and
expectancy.
No visible sign – only the
knowledge that he’s been there- and may come again.
Seeing or not seeing ceases
to matter – you have been prepared.
But, sometimes, when you’ve
almost stopped expecting it – a flash of brightness gives encouragement.
Remembering
the Sermon on 17.05.09 the theme of which was Love.
What does love look like?
It has the hands to help
others;
It has the feet to hasten to
the poor and needy’
It has the eyes to see
misery and want;
It has the ears to hear the
signs and sorrows of men
That is what love looks
like.
Almighty and Everlasting God
Let justice and peace
embrace our lands,
Let love and security
replace violence and pain,
Let hands raised in anger
and hands,
Ready to strike become hands
that,
Are ready to offer peace,
Amen.
Ingredients:
4oz digestive biscuits
2oz butter
1 level tablespoon caster
sugar
Filling:
¼ pint double cream
6oz can condensed
milk
2 large lemons
Crush the biscuits, melt the
butter with sugar. Add biscuits – turn
into 7” pie dish. Press into shape round
base and sides with back of a spoon.
Mix together cream, milk and
grated lemon rind. Slowly beat in lemon
juice. Pour mixture into flan base and
chill for several hours until firm.
Decorate as you wish.
P.S. Delicious with
strawberries!!
A very dirty little boy came
in from playing in the garden and asked his mother, “Who am I?”
Ready to play the game, she
said, “I don’t know. Who are you?”
“Wow!” cried the child. “Mrs Smith next door was right. She said I was so dirty that my own mother
wouldn’t recognise me.”
One moment, one question,
one aim: half a million people to be invited 'Back to Church'
Churchgoers across the
Church of England are set personally to invite up to half a million people to
services on Back to Church Sunday, 27 September 2009, making the event one of
the largest co-ordinated evangelism events shared across the Church in recent
history.
Every one of the Church’s 44
dioceses are taking part in the initiative this year, by encouraging
churchgoers to invite someone they know who used to attend church to come back
on a particular Sunday. Churches will focus on extending an even warmer welcome
than usual on the day, supported by ‘Back to Church Sunday’ resources such as
special red ‘welcome’ T-shirts and subsidised ‘party packs’ of fairly-traded catering
products, produced in partnership with Traidcraft.
Up to 16,000 Church of
England churches could be taking part, joining congregations from Churches
Together in Scotland, the Church in Wales, Baptist, Methodist and United
Reformed churches nationwide, Elim Pentecostal
churches and Anglican churches in Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Canada.
‘Back to Church Sunday’
began in Manchester in 2004, spread to Wakefield Diocese in 2005, nine dioceses
in 2006, 20 in 2007, and 38 in 2008, when an estimated 37,000 people came back.
While not each of the Church of England’s 16,000 parish churches will
necessarily be taking part this year, each church has the opportunity to do so,
with bishops encouraging parishes to get involved.
“The impact of Back to
Church Sunday is not just measured in statistics; it is measured by the
wonderful impact it has had on numerous individual lives,” comments the Rt Revd Jonathan Gledhill, Bishop of Lichfield.
Funny how long a couple of
hours seem spent at Church, but how short they are when watching a movie!
Funny how a £10 note looks
so big when you take it to Church, but so small when you take it to the
supermarket!
Funny how people are so
consumed with what others think about them rather than what God thinks about
them!
Funny how everyone wants to
go to heaven, provided they don’t have to believe, or
think, or say, or do anything!
FUNNY, isn’t it! (Author Unknown)
There have been two
successful meetings of the Men’s group, a breakfast and a social evening at the
Plough. There has been some lively
discussion of current topics and about how we want the group to progress.
There will be an evening on
Islam and Christianity
and after each Breakfast there will be the opportunity to meet in Prayer.
More members are wanted to
add to the current group and we are also going to target someone to bring along
who is not a regular attender at the Church or at any
Church.
If you are interested please
let Paul know.
Next Meeting
6th June 2009
Breakfast 8:30 to 9:30 St Mary’s centre followed by morning prayer in the Carew
Chapel.
Breakfast 4th July 2009, all welcome.
Its population may be
dwindling, but the Palestinian village of Taybeh is
striving to maintain normality in the midst of conflict, and hope in the midst
of oppression. Taybeh,
14 kilometres north east of Ramallah, is one of the
few predominantly Christian villages in Palestine. Like villages all over the
West Bank, it is suffering as many of its people decide to emigrate, seeing no
other choice given the economic and physical hardship they suffer under Israeli
occupation. In the 1960s the town had a population of 3,400. The population
today is 1,300. Unemployment stands at around 50 per cent.
But for Father Raed Abusahlia, priest of the
Latin (Roman Catholic) church of Taybeh, the grim
situation only adds urgency to efforts to empower the local people spiritually
and economically, as he explained to an ecumenical delegation visiting the
village in March. The delegation – a
Living Letters team travelling on behalf of the World Council of Churches (WCC)
– visited churches, ecumenical organizations and civil society groups in Israel
and Palestine from 7 to 14 March.
There are three
congregations in the village – Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic and Roman
Catholic. The congregations worship together at Easter and Christmas, and are
all actively involved in local projects.
The Latin parish runs a school, a medical
centre, a hostel for pilgrims, and numerous church services and youth
activities. These projects are designed to give the people hope, and a reason
to stay in Taybeh, says Fr Abusahlia. Its Peace Lamp initiative makes use of an
abundant local product – olive oil – to promote peace and justice in the Holy
Land. The lamps are produced in a workshop in Taybeh,
providing jobs to 20 young men and women. The goal is to place a Peace Lamp,
with accompanying olive oil and a small candle, in every church in the world,
and in this way, to encourage prayer and solidarity with the people of
Palestine. All revenue from the sale of the lamps goes to charitable
organizations like the Caritas medical centre and Beit
Afram, Taybeh's home for
senior citizens.
Around 50 young people aged
between five and 15 sing in the parish youth choir. The choir has produced a CD
called With One Voice, and in 2006, eight children from the choir participated
in a musical tour of France, performing 14 concerts throughout the country.
"Maintaining the Christian presence in
the Holy Land is the responsibility of all the Christians in the world,"
he said. "When people visit, they can see that Taybeh
is a place of peace. We encourage them to talk about Taybeh
to their friends and family when they return home, and promote products like
our Peace Lamps. That is the best sign of solidarity."
David Khoury, mayor
of Taybeh, remains hopeful of peaceful coexistence
between Israelis and Palestinians. Road
closures and checkpoints are a daily reality, and while Israeli products,
including beer, flow tax-free into the West Bank, Palestinian export products
can be delayed for hours at checkpoints and often sent back, meaning no income
is made that day. He is realistic about
the challenges facing the village. "Very soon we'll have empty churches in
Taybeh," said Khoury.
"The moment people have a chance, they leave. They are sick and tired of
the way things are."
But "The Palestinian people live on hope. We're determined that we want to
live in peace, and stay in this Holy Land."
June 1989
There was a plea in
"Carousel" for the church to be open on Sunday afternoons throughout
the summer. This seems to be something that has continued throughout the past
20 years. (The ringers used to provide Cream Teas most weeks!!)
June 10 was to be the
wedding day for past organist John Sharples and Helen
Vergano. Let's hope they celebrate their 20th wedding
anniversary in style!
St Mary's Youth Fellowship
(SMYF Mark II), which had sprung to life through John, had written an article
explaining why the regular Sunday evening meetings were being abandoned. Most
of the youngsters who had been founder members of this
group, had grown away from the activities. Indeed, several had gone, or were
about to go, to universities and colleges, while others were out earning their
living.
As there appeared to be very
few youngsters following on, it was agreed to meet on a more ad hoc basis until
the number of teenagers increased. I recall that Night Hikes, cinema visits and
parties in the "West Wing" were among some of those ad hoc
get-togethers.
David and Mary Richardson
had sent a bulletin of their activities in the Seychelles, where David was
spending his Sabbatical. Their tale of the mixture of horror and charm made
interesting reading.
The Boys' Brigade had made
some good impressions at their recent Display, engaging in First Aid, marching,
music and games. One young lad, Iain Axon, was singled out for praise. He was
the first boy of the 1st Beddington Company to gain his Gold Achievement Badge.
There were contributions
from the Mothers' Union, Beddington Floral Society and from Vera Stevenson
regarding the Parish Audit, the results of which were to be presented on June
25.
(Where
does that saying come from?)
Most people got married in
June, because they had their yearly bath in May, but by then they were
beginning to smell a bit high again, so the bride carried a bouquet of flowers
to hide it. The custom is carried on today
and is why brides still carry a bouquet of flowers.
Baths consisted of a big tub
filled with hot water. The man of the
house had the privilege of the clean water, then came
the other males, followed by the women and children and finally the
babies. The water was now so dirty that
a baby could easily be ‘mislaid’.
‘Don’t throw the baby out
with the bath water’
Houses had thatched roofs
with straw piled high on top but without any wood underneath for support. This meant that there was nothing to stop bugs
and spiders from falling inside. This
posed a real problem as these droppings messed up a nice clean bed. Four posts with a sheet draped over the top
afforded some protection which is how the ‘four poster bed’ came into being.
The floor of most houses was
soil or dirt and only the rich had other types of flooring.
‘Dirt poor’
The wealthy had slate floors
which could become slipper in winter, so they spread thresh (straw) on the
floor to prevent them from falling. As
the winter progressed they added more straw until when the door was opened in
began to spread outside. To prevent this a piece of wood was placed in the entrance which became
known as the ‘threshold’.
They cooked in the kitchen
with a big kettle hanging over an open fire.
Every day they added further things to the pot. They mainly ate vegetables and very little
meat. They usually had stew for dinner
and the leftovers remained in the pot with more being added the next day. Often food was left there for several
days. ‘Pease pudding hot,
pease pudding cold, pease
pudding in the pot – nine days old.’
It’s
amazing what a difference 25p can make
What is Gift Aid … and what
has it got to do with us?
GIFT AID is a scheme which
enables registered charities, including St Mary’s, to turn every £1 donated
into £1.25.
How does it work?
For every pound donated to
St Mary’s, the Treasury gives us an additional 25p at absolutely no cost to the
giver.
Who can take part in the
scheme?
EVERYONE
who is a UK taxpayer – whether your tax is paid on your earnings, on a pension,
or on savings – provided you pay more tax than we reclaim.
How can I take part in the
scheme?
You can pick up a simple
Gift Aid form from the back of the church, or you can ask Heather, Pierre, Ian
or Chris (phone numbers at the back of this magazine). They can all help you. After you have filled in and returned the
form, every donation – one-off, regular, large or small – can qualify for the
Treasury’s 25p.
If I sign this Gift Aid form
will I be taking on a commitment to keep on giving money in the future?
NO. The Gift Aid Scheme works only for donations
after they have been given. The Gift Aid
Scheme does not require any commitment to future donations.
Do I need to inform the
taxman?
NO. Once you have filled in the one simple form
you won’t need to fill in any more forms.
St Mary’s will make the claim to the Treasury – you don’t have to do
anything. BUT, if you are a higher-rate
taxpayer you may be eligible for personal tax relief on your gifts. See your tax return form for details.
If I join the Gift Aid
Scheme will people know all about my financial affairs?
NO. The two people who run the scheme at St
Mary’s need to calculate how much money you have given. That’s all.
This enables them to fill in the Treasury’s claim form. They keep this information completely
confidential and tell no-one, not event the Rector.
If I cannot give very much,
is it all worth it?
YES, DEFINITELY! Most of the donations to St Mary’s are not
very large, but they all help to make up the total amount p.
For example: If 20 people
each give £10 a month, St Mary’s gets £2,400.
If these 20 people all join the Gift Aid Scheme, this £2,400 becomes
£3,000. So St Mary’s gets an extra £600. THAT’S WELL WORTH IT.
A little girl, saying her
prayers one night, was head to finish with the remark: “Please, God, take care
of yourself, because if anything happens to you, we’re all sunk!”
A little girl, sitting in
Church with her father, suddenly felt ill.
“Daddy” she whispered, “I have to be sick !” Her father told her to hurry to the toilet,
but in less than two minutes, the child was back. “I didn’t have to go far,” she explained,
“there’s a box at the door with a sign that says, “For the sick
The new Roman Catholic
Archbishop of Westminster , came to take possession of
his archiepiscopal sedia, on Ascension Day. On the
stroke of noon the tall west doors opened, and the congregation saw outlined in
the entrance the processional cross, below which the Archbishop knelt at the
threshold in prayer. Then the Most Revd Vincent Nichols, aged 63, the former
Archbishop of Birmingham, came in.
It was a ceremony of new
gold vestments, 16th-century plainsong, all interspersed with moments of
gentleness and humour.
There were the “ecumenical
and interfaith guests” — archbishops and bishops of the Orthodox and Coptic
churches, a scattering of Anglican and Free Church clerics, a Sikh, a Buddhist,
a Muslim, and a Jew — took their seats in the body of the church.
The co-presidents of
Churches Together in England were given places of honour in the cathedral, but
not everyone in this ecumenical service had a walk-on part. “Those
not in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church” were welcome to
receive a blessing, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York did
not take up the invitation.
Dr Williams stepped forward
to welcome him in his new position as a fellow co-president of Churches
Together in England. “The Roman Catholic and Anglican communities in England
and Wales have the God-given task, along with all our other brothers and
sisters in the faith, of making the Good News of Jesus compelling and
attractive to a generation deeply in need of hope and meaning — in need of
something they can trust with all their hearts.
“Dear Vincent, I hope that
as you join us as a co-president of the Churches Together in England we may
work together at this task, as I had the privilege and delight of working with
your predecessor, who was and is such a friend and example to us all.
“Be sure of the love and
prayers of all your colleagues in the churches of England and Wales, as you
take up the yoke of Christ in this fresh ministry.”
In his sermon, Archbishop
Nichols called for a society “in which we genuinely listen to each other, in
which sincere disagreement is not made out to be insult or harassment, in which
reasoned principles are not construed as prejudice, and in which we attribute
to each other the best, and not the worst, of motives”.