of Apostolic Constitutions and feminine Mysticism

The full text of the Apostolic constitution is now available and you can find links to it and comment upon it on a number of blogs on the sidebar. In the initial stage it will be easy for some organisations and groups ( The TAC and the American Anglican Use) to conform themselves to the norms specified. In England any such process would be longer and more complicated, one presumes that a group of people must first make the journey into Roman Catholicism, and then, as a group, request status under the terms of the Constitution, they would then form a base group around which others will gather. Those (re) ordained into the new grouping would, it must be presumed, would then gather laity over a (wide?) area into proto-parishes, which would then be free to start a process of evangelisation. It is not yet clear if the reference to Priests in secular employment refers to such clerics as so exist in the present Church of England, or if, as has been suggested to me, is an invitation to married Anglican clergy who join the structure to become self-funding. There is clearly a grave responsibility upon the new ordinary(ies) to become resource hunters as they will be responsible for the housing, payment and pensions of the clergy in their jurisdiction. Well, like the First World War in won't all be over by Christmas.

There is some silly language in the air, 'having their (our) bluff called' and similar terminology, none of which will be helpful to the working out of the process, there needs must be scrupulous honesty about numbers, of laity rather than clergy, who might wish, or be able to make the move, and the implications of that for new structures.

There will now need to be a period of clear headed, and charitable discussion and opinion seeking.

On a more personal note, the recent events have meant that I have been much in contact with King's College London, seeking to change the subject of my final thesis for the KCL D.Min. I had started to write on the rule of SSC and of the pattern of priesthood that the rule seeks to form. After discussion I concluded that SSC will be found to be in a melting pot of uncertain outcome, and I, like all brethren would be part of that process. Thus the situation is not secure enough for the study I had planned.

Dr. Luke Bretherton and Prof McGrath of KCL have been splendid in their help and counsel, under their careful guidance I am submitting a new proposal on Mysticism as an essential to the grammar of the Church, with special reference to S. Bernadette, S. Therese of Lisieux and S. Gemma Galgani. Well, I always like hanging out with women mystics, so it will be three years in good company.

The liturgical photographer was not at Mass yesterday due to family sickness. The 8am Mass was a Green Mass, of the day, the 10am a Solemn Requiem for the fallen.
Number were well up on recent weeks, alas, not I fear indications of fervent revival in Wapping, but all too easily explained by, new confirmands and accompanying adult, those hearing their Banns, some with us just for Remembrance Sunday. All were, however, very welcome.

The cap badge of the KOYLI
The white Rose of Yorkshire with a (light infantry)French horn.
The KOYLI are now absorbed into The Rifles

My own prayer was offered for the repose of the soul of my late Uncle, 4699528 L/Cpl Frank
Peace Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, Killed on Active Service, 30/III/43 near Tobruck in North Africa. My late father, then serving with the 11th Hussars (PAO), who had not then met my mother and thus did not know my uncle, years later worked out that he was about five miles away when Frank was killed!

of Requiem and Confirmands

By ancient custom and tradition ( or at least since I have been here), the school Mass on the first free Thursday in November is the School requiem for the departed Teachers, Pupils, and staff. The children respond ' And let light perpetula shine upon them' at every opportunity and with some enthusiasm.The first school Mass after half-term also proved to be a break point, the singing was better, the serving of Mass more polished, fewer instructions needed, more panache offered with the thurible, confidence exuding, the year six have gone, long live the year six!

I am not sure if Ellie, confirmed in September had camera shake or was setting her stall for a place at Art College in six or seven years, either way this is her photo of the procession after Mass.

Yesterday the new vive Jesu et Maria group assembled for the first time. As ever the first lesson involved practical things, how to take holy water, how to genuflect... and why, what do do during the penitential rite and other such.As you see, we have started with nine children, more than I had hoped for, now, I am by nature a critical realist, thus I know there may be casualties on the way, but assisted by your prayers (please) we will nurture them all to the hands of the Bishop in September 2010.

The Italian crucifix decision, barring the symbol from state schools led me to reflect on the situation in our own (C of E Voluntary Aided) school. The old school, built by Father Lowder, and now rented out with a Church room retained, had many shrines, each classroom had a crucifix and there were statues in each classroom. When the new school was built on the old Wapping gas works site none of this was transferred. I found, in a cupboard, a few damaged statues.
I do not know if this was a fashion or a norm of the 70s and 80s, but when I came to St. Peter's there was no religious symbol in the school, other than a simple altar in the hall, without cloth or candlesticks.
Much has changed in the last thirteen years, the altar, once marginal to the school hall now is the central feature.Mass is offered here when school Mass is in school (as it will be next week). Each classroom now has a crucifix, the reception area has a large Victorian crucifix on loan from the Church and a picture of the founder of the School, Fr Lowder, an an 'all weather' crucifix hangs on a wall outside the school entrance.


The school chapel, once a store cupboard is used for other celebrations of Mass, for gathering the confirmation candidates to say the Rosary and by children for their own prayer.There is a school set of the stations of the Cross, they once hung in the Church of S. Paul Dock street, now closed, but famous in the 50s and 60s as the church where Fr. Joe Williamson struggled against the appalling prostitution of Cable street.
When, a few years ago, we built a new reception area for the school a statue of Our Lady and the Holy Child, on a brick plinth integral to the build, was placed prominently in the new space.

Now all if this is simply as it should be in a Church School, the proclamation of the Christian message as foundational to the work of the school and inhabiting every area of the work of the School. But it is not as I found it, as I found S. Peter's it might as well have been a community school for all the Christian iconography on show. What I found at S. Peter's reflects what can be found in many Church schools today, a watering down of the imperative of the message of the story of redemption, not because of wickedness but because the questions were never asked.

A number of pictures have built up on the parish camera which have never made it to the blog. These are of the School October devotion, the litter group above looking pleased with their task. When children first get to do these tasks, in Year 5, you often discover they have been plotting or years to be the one's who get to do this.The end of the procession, with our children waving white hanks ( well tissues really) Fatima style. There were three processions of Our Lady at School Mass this year, May, October and September, for the memoria of Our Lady of Walsingham fell on a Thursday and we thus had a procession to celebrate.


The Gospel.

Pictures of the Confirmation of Pete and Michelle did not come out well, thus there is onlythis,


It was a happy little evening, Confirmation administered in the Good Shepherd Chapel with a small reception following in the Father Foizey room.

On All Saints day Mass attendance was better than of late, a report on the Catholics for Growth meetings was given out, it will form the agenda of the next PCC. The new child confirmands came together for the first time, there are five this year, four girls and one brave boy.

All readers of the blog were remembered when I offered Mass at the Shrine at Walsingham on Friday.

There are good posts today by Father Ed, who still seems to rate a daily mention in the newspapers! Fr Hunwicke also has good things, see the sidebar for their blogs, blogger is not helping me with hyperlinks today. The media is still much taken with the Apostolic Constitution story, I have, since Sunday turned down journalists from two Radio stations, a National Newspaper and a French journalist. I feel unable to speak with them because A: I am useless at that sort of thing and B: because we really know no more than we did last week, everything we hear and read is 'informed source'...yea, as if, or conjecture based on what has thus far been said. There can be no further comment that matters until A: We see the Apostolic Constitution, B: Our Bishop and other Bishops study it and C: They gather us and talk to us about it.

I am hiding in semantics, when people say, 'Father are you going to be reconciled under the terms of the Apostolic constitution?' I answer, 'What do you think?' Which seems to fit the bill until we know more and pray more. How can I, or anyone, know at this stage, to be honest I'm not even sure which pair of my fifteen pairs of black socks I am wearing tomorrow!

This evening Peter and Michelle are to be confirmed by the Bishop of Fulham. They could have received the sacrament in September, but child Ellie had started the journey first and they declined to overshadow her evening, thus, bless, they opted for a low key, low (Episcopal) Mass on a dank October evening in a side chapel. May the Holy Apostles of the day pray for them. Pictures should follow after the weekend.

I am off tomorrow in the morning to join Anny at S. Philomena's Cottage, where she has been since last Friday. I will offer Mass in the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham on Friday morning and blog readers will be in my prayers. Next post Sunday or Monday.

The High Altar of S. Peter's, in Lent this year.

Like most priests who were at the National Assembly, I spoke at Mass this morning of the Apostolic Constitution, as we are thus far aware of it. I emphasised that we have, at this stage a skeleton and that when it is fleshed out it must become a subject for discernment and examination. A number of people asked about Synod and any provision there, I reported what we had heard at the Assembly.

The picture shows Father Lowder,assistant priests, and the choir of the Good Shepherd Mission Church in Wapping in June 1866, they are leaving the building for the last time on their way to the new parish church of S. Peter for the service of consecration. It was to buildings, as I had suspected that the thoughts of most people who addressed the question turned after Mass today. We spoke at the Assembly of the 'Anglican Patrimony' that we could bring to a structure in full communion with the Holy See. Many parishes of the SSC F in F constituency, (including this) have little or no such patrimony in public worship (the General Thanksgiving, an adapted Prayer for all sorts and conditions at Benediction?), married priests, a form of relationship between priest and people seems to constitute some elements of discernible patrimony, you may be able to suggest more. The building is however the outward symbol of such patrimony,
for many people, it is further the reality of the spiritual actualised. The building the the holy place of encounter, at Baptism, marriage, Funeral Mass, in the round of the Mass offered Sunday by Sunday, day by day, in just being the place where prayer is known to be valid. The building paid for and repaired by raffles and sweepstakes, the objects within it and the knowledge of the encounter with Divine reality, in this place at that time.

People at S. Peter's know this is a sacred site, a place where holy people have done holy things, a building made for Catholic life and worship. This story can be repeated in London, suburbia and the parishes of the provinces. To people who love them and worship in them all are sacred and the crucible of holy experience. For those who live their lives in the context of these sacred places, either whole lifetimes or lifetimes that really only begin when they encounter holiness in such places the buildings, which we priests, still in the thrall of some elements of 60s ecclesiology can so easily dismiss, are the patrimony.

In the days, weeks, and months (years?) to come, as priests seek, in conscience to lead, they must also listen, in such listening they will hear much of the patrimony and sacredness of place. This may be the hardest struggle, the liberation of place to serve the communities that love and serve God within them, or in the letting go of place. Something very special must be made ready to serve as a discernible and recognizable patrimony if the holy place is lost.

Synod also must think hard and listen, we are part of their patrimony, to create a situation where the ecology of the church becomes altered and unbalanced ,is to risk a climate change that will inevitable destroy the macro-climate of all Anglicans. Much care, much prayer is needed by all, it is easy to be drawn into a culture of dramatic words and gestures, what is needed is prudent discernment and prayerful self-opening.