Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament

The decision of the Charity Commissioners (see above) concerning the grant made by CBS to the Ordinariate has resulted in the Ordinariate repaying the £1million which was given as a grant, together with the accrued interest. The speed with which this has happened is to be commended. It is salient that a complete new board of trustees and a new Superior-General have now been appointed. To view the details click here.

It is to be hoped that this matter which has caused so much controversy can now be laid to rest.

It wasn’t all Greek - a sin of omission!

I don’t know how it occurred but in the last blog entry I omitted to make reference to the generosity of Father Andrew Fenby, Vicar of St. Francis, Barkingside for allowing me to take the Solemn Requiem for Krist. Father Andrew was present and read the Gospel and took part in the blessing of the coffin at the end of the service.  I know how much Krist’s family appreciated the help he gave and I am most grateful to him, to his team of servers and Churchwardens for making me so welcome

It wasn’t all Greek

Yesterday I celebrated Mass at the Hospital Chapel and blessed the new icon of St. Thomas of Canterbury which had been given as a gift by Pamela and Tom. When I arrived home I found the Postman had left the new chasubles for the Hospital Chapel which have been given by the Trustees. I have to say they are very beautiful. It was then of to chair the Governors meeting at New Rush Hall.

Today I celebrated a Solemn Requiem Mass for a former parishioner Krist who was a member of the Greek Orthodox Church but who had attended St. Francis with his family for many years. I was privileged to be able to give Krist Viaticum just before he died and he and his family had asked that I take his funeral together with a Greek Orthodox priest.Following the blessing of the coffin with incense and sprinkling with Holy Water the Orthodox Priest Father Andreas led us in prayer (some in Greek and some in English) We then went to the grave where Father Andreas officiated inviting me to say a prayer for Krist and to assist during the internment. I was interested in the ceremonies which took place including the pouring of olive oil into the grave together with wheat and water and then the breaking of the containers. The ceremony ended with a glass of wine, bread, halloumi and olives. We then returned to St. Francis Church Hall for a buffet.

It was really good to be able to share this service with Father Andreas who commented that the Mass I celebrated was very similar to the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom. It made me yearn for the day when Christians can be one, as Our Lord prayed just before he died

THE HOLY LAND

THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE
Ann and I have been to the Holy Land for the past week on an exploratory visit organised by McCabe, the tour operators. Father Martin and I hope to lead a pilgrimage there in October of 2013 for the congregations of the Church of St. Augustine’s, Rush Green and Ilford Hospital Chapel.We stayed in Jerusalem for 4 nights and Tiberias for three. The Leader of this tour was Bishop Michael Lewis, Bishop in Cyprus and our numbers included several different denominations.(More later)

CONGRATULATIONS TO FATHERS BARNES, SILK AND MERCER of the ORDINARIATE who have been appointed MONSIGNOR by POPE BENEDICT.

SAME SEX MARRIAGES

At last, the Bishops have made it clear that they are opposed to the proposal to legislate to make possibly gay marriages. They have pointed out that although it is not intended to compel CofE clergy to officiate they believe that this would, or could, be challenged in the courts and the canon lawyers have advised that it is more than likely that any such challenge would succeed. The have reaffirmed that marriage is a Sacrament between one man and one woman for life.

This stance is to be welcomed but I wonder why it has taken so long for the Bishops to make their position clear.

HAINAULT COUNTRY PARK & FOREST

On our way home the other afternoon we decided to have a quick ride round Hainault Country Park and were horrified by the extent of the Snoozebox hotel complex being erected over a vast area of this much used and loved Country Park. It will accommodate security staff and the British Army working at the Olympics. They will have to travel backwards and forwards and I believe some will go by coach whilst others will be expected to catch the tube which will put great pressure on those trying to get to, and from, work.

It will still be possible to have limited access to some of the park with a small amount of parking available. I hope the local authority who will undoubtedly being paid handsomely for this use, will plough every last penny back into the Country Park to rectify the damage that is inevitable and, if there is anything over, to increase the amenities.. Call me a sceptic but why do I think that unlikely?

10th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

As we celebrated Corpus Christi on Thursday, today we used the reading for the 10th Sunday. We had a full church with many children which was a delight.

WATCH for/against Women Bishops

It seems the members of both WATCH and GRAS are not happy bunnies and they are considering throwing their toys out of the pram. They are considering if they should vote against the legislation when it comes before General Synod in July. I’m very happy to offer them my considered advice which is: yes, vote against it. After all you don’t like the fact that the Bishops have made very minimal changes in their attempt to keep Anglo-Catholics and Evangelicals within the Church of England so this is a sure way of defeating the Bishops! (of course, you defeat yourselves at the same time)

I hope the measure is defeated so that there is a reasonable breathing space before it reappears. During that time perhaps a more charitable attitude will be taken by those who espouse, as one cleric put it, “these novelties” and that a much more suitable provision will be made for Catholics and Evangelicals, bearing in mind the response remains “A Code of Practice will not do”.

THE BBC BROADCAST ON THE ROYAL PAGEANT ETC.

The many critical comments received by the BBC about both the coverage and the reporting on the Royal Pageant are totally justified. The commentary was inane and the coverage, to say the least, pathetic. This was a once in a life time occasion ruined by both the poor coverage and the commentary which induced me to shout at the television to “Shut Up” Why do these commentators think it necessary to ramble on incessantly? We saw very few of the boats taking part.

Then on Tuesday’s coverage the BBC included Fern Cotton and Paloma Faith discussing Jubilee Sick Bags. What a scintillating topic on such an occasion. Over the years the standard of broadcasting has, in my opinion, fallen to a very low level. When I think of such commentators as Richard Dimbleby and what we get today, there is no comparison.

CORPUS CHRISTI

This morning at the Ilford Hospital Chapel we kept the Solemnity of Corpus Christi with Mass, Procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. I was the celebrant and, as it was the first Thursday, we had the Ministry of Healing.

Tonight, I played the organ for the celebration of Corpus Christi at St. Augustine’s, Rush Green where Father Martin was the celebrant.

BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY

For the first time for many years, we didn’t attend the National Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham on Bank Holiday Monday. Early last week we decided that the weather forecast was so dire that we just didn’t see the point of getting wet through. A few years ago we went when it rained virtually non-stop and I was soaked to the skin; it was then I resolved  that I would avoid that again. I cost a fortune to get my cassock sorted out too. However, the weather was OK but by then it was too late so instead, we went to our own Street Party, organised by some of the folk on the estate and very good it was too. Our daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren came as well. On Sunday, our son, our daughter-in-law and the other two grandchildren came for lunch all the way from Gloucestershire. So over the course of a few days we saw both families. We are going to Walsingham in October so we will look forward to that.

THE MOST HOLY & GLORIOUS TRINITY

Today I celebrated and preached at St. Alban’s, Romford  as Father Roderick, who is the newly elected Mayor of Havering’s Chaplain, had to attend a Civic Service in the Church of St. Edward the Confessor, Romford. I used the illustration of an egg for the Trinity, in my sermon and managed crack an egg into its three component parts with out making a mess.

After Mass I headed back to St. Augustine’s to enjoy coffee but more importantly to pick up Ann who travelled to church on the bus from St Augustine’s as she was on duty today as a server. As the price of petrol has escalated so much we try our very best to only ever use one car, and only then when we can’t, for one reason or another, use public transport. Our bus passes are proving to be very valuable.

JUBILEE PARTY

This afternoon we went to the Jubilee Street Party organised by the Rush Green Regeneration Group in conjunction with St. Augustine’s Church. You can read a full report and view some photo’s here.

TICKETS FOR THE OLYMPICS

Silly me – I thought all the tickets for the most popular of the Olympics had been allocated long since, by ballot. But here’s the good news – you can buy a ticket for virtually any event as part of a package which includes breakfast and, I quote “a sumptuous lunch” for around £5/700. (Advertised yesterday in The Metro) So, needless to say, I’m still not attending.