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Diocesan Bulletin for Christian Unity Archdiocese of Southwark T October 09 O G IN THIS ISSUE E Christianity or Not? English ARC Visits Mayday T Old St Michael’s, Welling Ecumenical Pilgrimage Forward in Faith H Receptive Ecumenism II E 80p R IN CHRIST Together in Christ, Diocesan Bulletin for Christian Unity, Archdiocese Southwark, Vol 27, No 85, October 2009 Page 3 Christianity or Not? Kathleen Easton and Michael Baldry 6 English ARC Visit Mayday Hospital 8 Old St Michael’s Church, Welling Desmond Miller 12 An Ecumenical Pilgrimage to Lourdes, 2008 Desmond Miller 14 Forward in Faith Desmond Miller 17 Receptive Ecumenism and Ecclesial Learning Report on Conference at Ushaw College – Part II Rev. Roger Paul 1 While the path to Unity appears to be slowing it is good to see that there is still forward movement as the churches recognise how much they really need each other. These communities are no longer challengers in evangelising the uninitiated, but partners working to show that the Christian faith is for all people searching for truth. Learning to trust and share the pool of skills and talent held in the churches requires listening and openness to learn how these churches are doing similar things in a different way. Thus we continue the examination of Receptive Ecumenism study held at Ushaw. An Anglican visit to Mary’s Shrine at Lourdes demonstrates openness to learning more about our different traditions and ways of belief. While Christine Easton’s look at the meaning behind Catholic sacramentals shows how we can find a richer meaning from the simple beads of the Rosary. Holy items and icons are being recognised for helping our understanding of Truth not replacing it. St Michael’s Church still manifests some imagery from the 14th Century when churches used wall paintings as teaching tools. Some research reveals their secrets. Our introduction to English ARC last time is completed with the visit to the Mayday Hospital Chaplaincy. Will the ordination of women to the Anglican priesthood and episcopate end any hope of eventual unity and damage the Church of England as a world-wide community? It’s been a shaky time at the General Synod. Michael 2 CHRISTIANITY or NOT? Christianity is certainly a ‘broad church’, incorporating a range of believers from those with uncertainty about the mystical truths of our Faith to those who find mysticism in the most mundane aspects of life. With such a range of belief, it would be helpful to agree on what we do believe – or rather, what should be believed, in accordance with the Scriptures. Many misunderstandings are caused by the way Christians worship rather than what they actually believe. In fact we all share basic beliefs. Both the so-called ‘low churches’ (in the sense that there is no High Altar, hence ‘low’) and denomina- tions which celebrate the Eucharist firmly believe that Christ alone is our Redeemer: A response to the psalm in the Catholic morning prayers asserts: ‘You redeemed us by your Precious Blood.’ However, even this shared belief gives rise to different interpretations of ‘Redeemed’ or ‘Saved’: Evangelicals tend to say, ‘I am saved’ (i.e. now, by the act of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice). Catholics talk about the opportunity for salvation, basing their interpretation on St Paul’s letter to the Philippians to ‘work out your salvation with fear and trembling.’ (Phil. 2:12) The firm belief in salvation – whether present or future – might render articles to aid devotion such as pictures, icons, statues or rosary beads, to be considered redundant. Before converting to Roman Catholicism I (Kathleen) remained a member of the United Reformed Church, but attended services at Pentecostal and other Evangelical churches from time to time. Through this association I developed a healthy scepticism about devotional items, which has only been slightly modified as a Catholic. Although most Catholics use devotional items, when questioned they will actually agree that we do not need them, but just consider them helpful to assist worship, especially for regular prayers. It would, of course, be wrong to attach such importance to them that they are considered worthy of devotion 3 in themselves, like lucky charms or talisman. Catholics do not hold such beliefs. Seeing Catholics kneeling before or kissing icons of saints can lead to misunderstandings too, but such practices are actually a way of indirect worship of God. Catholics believe that saints are people who conformed themselves to Christ as nearly as possible – often from a very shaky start! They are now accepted to be in Heaven and are able to intercede for us if we ask them to do so. Catholics may seem to be praying directly to certain saints and investing them with powers they do not have. Clearly, Catholic personal prayer needs explanation. For instance, a short prayer to St Anthony along the lines of, ‘Dear Saint Anthony please help me to find my keys!’ can be unpacked as meaning, ‘Dear Saint Anthony – please pray to God to help me to find my keys!’, Saint Anthony being the patron saint of finding lost items. Catholics pray the ‘Our Father’ in the Mass and as part of most set prayers – the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet and so on – so setting God the Father as the clear target of all prayer. Actions each of us do quite normally can be misinterpreted if they aren’t explained and clarified. Often symbols and habits are rooted in the distant past and the meaning and purpose is not always plainly understood. As a result, some might question whether these signs are needed in the modern church. The Catholic Church takes its role as custodian and guardian of the Faith seriously and encourages a continuity of Tradition. This approach prevents uncontrolled ‘modernism’ so the Church is slow to change. So long as articles reflect and relate to Christ and describe the ‘cloud of witnesses’ to Him, the Church is right to use them. ‘The beauty of the images moves me to contemplation, as a meadow delights the eyes and subtly infuses the soul with the glory of God’. (St John Damascene, De Sacris Imaginibus Orationes circa 647 -750) The Second Vatican Council was an awakening for the Catholic Church to join the modern world by encouraging a 4 freedom and participation by those in the pews previously unprecedented and for some, far too radical. Its real fruit, however, was an acceptance that the Church has a responsibility to be leading, by example, all the churches on the path of Unity. Ecumenism is the route towards agreements and co-operation, greater understanding of each other, supporting and some degree of sharing the things we hold dear. On this road we must learn to accept that some diversity in practice is valued not condemned, but all the time be open to explain what we do and to hear others explaining what they do. This acceptance must be measured by a sense of rightness and worth. We need to be more aware of and avoid spurious phenomena, sometimes practiced particularly in S.America, of mixing elements of Christianity with other ‘reli- gions’ and regarding it as Faith. Even so, in the strictest of churches curious habitual behaviour can appear unexpectedly. A minister told the story of a lifelong Christian who always sat on the right side. It was noticed when she arrived for a wedding to find the hall full, she seemed upset that she could not sit in her usual place. On questioning why, the minister discovered that she had a fixation about the ‘right hand side’ being the place of the sheep at God’s right hand in Heaven! Once he explained to her that what was the right side of the building to her upon entering, was the left side to him as he stood preaching from the platform, cured her and from then on she happily sat anywhere! Kathleen Easton Additional material by Michael Baldry 5 ENGLISH ARC VISIT MAYDAY HOSPITAL On Friday, November 21, 2008 some seventeen members of the joint Anglican-Roman Catholic Committee (known as ‘English ARC’) paid a pastoral visit to the chaplaincy team at the Mayday University Hospital in Croydon. As a body which seeks to foster ecumenism it is the custom of English ARC during one of its twice-yearly meetings to visit a local area to see how ecumenism works in practice at the grass-roots. The Anglican members of English ARC who were present included Bishop Michael Scott-Joynt (Bishop of Winchester and Co-chair of English ARC), Rev. Canon Paul Avis (Anglican Co-secretary), Mr Francis Bassett (Assistant Co-secretary), Rev. Canon Jonathan Goodall, Rev. Canon Dr Alvyn Pettersen, Mr Jonathan Scott and Rev. Dr Jeremy Worthen. The Roman Catholic members who were present were Bishop Declan Lang (Bishop of Clifton and Co-chair of English ARC), Bishop Paul Hendricks (Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark), Rev. John O’Toole (RC Co-secretary), Mr Anthony Castle, Rev. Canon David Evans, Dr Alana Harris, Mr Peter Harvey, Mgr Billy Steele and Mrs Louise Walton. The Church in Wales Observer, Rev. Canon Sue Huyton, was also present. Following a brief tour in groups to different parts of the hospital the members of English ARC gathered in the Hospital Chapel with 6 Dr Tony Newman-Sanders (Director of Diagnostics and Clinical Care) and clergy and lay members of the chaplaincy team (led by Rev. Hilary Fife and Sr Sheila Moloney) who described their work. This was followed by time for questions and discussion. The visit concluded with a time of prayer for the hospital and all those connected with it, after which the English ARC members went to the Emmaus Conference Centre in West Wickham where their meeting continued until lunchtime on Saturday.