All Saints Parish Paper Margaret Street, London W.1
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All Saints Parish Paper MARGARET STREET, LONDON W.1 AUGUST 2013 £1.00 VICAR’S LETTER This year has seen a changing of the guard himself as first among equals, rather than at both Lambeth Palace and the Vatican, an absolute monarch. The pope is urging with the arrival of both Archbishop Justin his clergy not to yearn for comfortable life and Pope Francis. Archbishop Justin is the styles — one in Colombia was so moved by first to admit that he is not Rowan Williams. this that he sold his Mercedes! The Church We could hardly expect to get two top rank is to be a poor Church for the poor. theologians in succession at Canterbury. But he has continued in the same simple Both share an accessible preaching style style: black shirts not purple, sleeves rolled which may not have the intellectual clout of up in “let’s get down to work style”; a their predecessors but is still worth listening self-deprecating humour which speaks of to. From their very different backgrounds, someone serious about his faith but not too they have both been firm in their critique serious about his status. of unrestrained capitalism. Both face huge challenges in dealing with problems from This too has been the mark of Pope the past and facing the challenges of the Francis from his first appearance on the future. balcony in St Peter’s Square; without the fur-trimmed cape. What we could not see It may come as a surprise to some then, but soon discovered, was that he was to hear the Vicar of a church at the not wearing the red shoes which had been a “never-knowingly under-dressed” end hallmark of his predecessor. Since then, he of the Anglican spectrum, applauding a has refused to live in the papal apartments, dress-down Pope. Of course, he has not preferring to stay in the hostel for clergy abandoned vestments and liturgy, any and others visiting the Vatican on business. more than we are going to. Jesuits tend to He celebrates Mass there daily with them favour a simpler approach to liturgy. After rather than a carefully selected group of the increasingly baroque style which had guests. (Anyone who knows anything about characterised papal liturgy in recent years, the private apartments at Lambeth Palace a return to what Vatican II calls “a noble knows that they are not exactly “palatial”.) simplicity” is to be applauded. The new Pope’s smile reminds people of In his first Presidential Address to the John XXIII, “good Pope John,” and of a less General Synod, the new Archbishop laid fearful and more kindly attitude towards the out some of his priorities. He spoke of being world. He usually refers to himself as the in Egypt in the days immediately before “Bishop of Rome,” which suggests he sees the ousting of the Islamic regime. He went 1 on to say that: ‘We live also in a time of ‘The cultural and political ground is many revolutions in this country… we are changing. Anyone, who listened, as I did, custodians of the Gospel that transforms to much of the Same Sex Marriage Bill individuals, nations and societies. We are debate in the House of Lords, could not fail called by God to respond radically and to be struck by the overwhelming change of imaginatively to new contexts — contexts cultural hinterland. Predictable attitudes that are set up by revolutions.’ were no longer there. The opposition to the Bill was utterly overwhelmed, with among He then outlines some of these: the largest attendance in the House and ‘The economic context and position of participation in the debate and majority our country has changed dramatically. With since 1945. There was a noticeable hostility all parties committed to austerity for the to the view of the churches… what I felt then foreseeable future, we have to recognise that and feel now is that some of what was said by the profound challenges of social need, food those supporting the bill was uncomfortably banks, credit injustice, gross differentiation close to the bone. Lord Alli said that 97% of income — even in many areas of of gay teenagers in this country report opportunity — pressure on all forms of state homophobic bullying. In the USA, suicide provision and spending: all these are here as a result of such bullying is the principal to stay. In and through the Church we have cause of death of gay adolescents. One the call and potentially the means to be the cannot sit and listen to that sort of reality answer God provides. As Pope Francis without being appalled. We may or may not recalled so memorably, we are to be a poor like it, but we must accept that there is a Church for the poor, however and wherever revolution in the area of sexuality, we have poverty is seen, materially and spiritually. not fully heard it.’ That is a revolution. Being a poor Church for Some are nervous about our new the poor means both provision and prophetic Archbishop because he used to be a member challenge in a country that is still able and of Holy Trinity, Brompton. But anyone who has the resources to reduce inequality — has examined his record or listened to his especially inequality of opportunity and speeches can hardly imagine that he is in life expectancy. But prophetic challenge the pocket of public school charismatics needs reality as its foundation, or it is mere who work in financial institutions. He has wishful thinking; and it needs provision already had a longer honeymoon period as its companion, or it is merely shifting than Archbishop Rowan, who was beset by responsibility. a chorus of opposition from neo-puritans ‘The social context is changing radically. from the very beginning. I suspect that There is a revolution. It may be, as it was, one sector of society in which he is not the 59% of the population called themselves very popular is in the upper echelons of Christian at the last census, with 25% saying the banking industry whose automatic that they had no faith. But the YouGov poll entitlement to bonuses he has subjected a couple of weeks back was the reverse, to rigorous critique. What he had to say almost exactly, for those under 25. If we are about homophobia should be welcome in not shaken by that, we are not listening. a congregation like ours where many have direct experience of this. 2 The Archbishop went on to speak of themes later. the three Quinquennial Goals, established In the meantime, if you are going to have under Archbishop Rowan: a holiday, I hope very much that you will l Growing the Church have a restful and recreative time. l Contributing to the common good Yours in Christ, l Re-imagining ministry. Alan Moses ‘These both express confidence in the Gospel and force us to look afresh at all our COMMUNICATION structures, to re-imagine ministry, whether it be that of the General Synod, or the parish HAD YOU HEARD OF ALL SAINTS? church, or a great cathedral, or anything between… For that re-imagination to be The notice board outside All Saints tells more than surface deep, we need a renewal people that this “famous church is open”. of prayer and the Religious Life. That It is true that many people do know of All is the most essential emphasis of what I Saints because of its architecture; others of am hoping to do in my time in this rôle. a more churchy nature know of its history And if you forget everything else I say… and of its on-going spiritual life. But people please remember that. There has never often ask what this church is famous for. been a renewal of Church life in western The Churchwardens and I had a salutary Christianity without a renewal of prayer lesson recently when interviewing and Religious Communities, in some form candidates for the post of Parish or another, often different. It has been said Administrator. When asked what they had that we can only imagine what is already known about All Saints before they saw in our minds as a possibility; and it is in the advertisement, two of them replied: prayer, individually and together, that God “nothing”. They had not even heard of All puts into our minds new possibilities of Saints. what the Church can be.’ It is easier for people to discover To a church like ours, where a religious information about All Saints these days community was founded, and which prays through the internet and we are doing all daily for our religious communities; a we can to improve this. church where the daily round of liturgical prayer is faithfully maintained, and where Modern means of communication can many people come to pray, this is something be a great boon, but they are not without we can say a resounding “yes” to. But risk. Our website was recently “hacked” by saying that yes demands that we commit someone and it was taken down until the ourselves even more wholeheartedly to that problem could be dealt with. The weekly life of prayer. parish email could not be sent. Our security has now been increased and we hope that Archbishop Justin’s address went on for normal service will be resumed by the time several more pages, as he addressed the you read this. goals, but that is enough to be going on with for the moment. I will return to the other 3 after being ordained deacon in Christ A NEW PARISH Church, Oxford.