RIPPLES The Parish Magazine of CULMINGTON, ONIBURY BROMFIELD and STANTON LACY Crocus March 2019 PARISH INFORMATION CONTACTS The Parishes of Onibury, Bromfield and Stanton Lacy are part of the Bromfield Benefice of Parishes. Enquiries about Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals may be made to :- Grace Johnson, Benefice Administrator, Bromfield Benefice, Westwinds, Gravel Hill, Ludlow, SY8 1QU Office hours Mon and Wed 9.30-12.30 Tel.07493 247184 [email protected] Reverend Fr Justin Parker Culmington Parish is a member of the Corvedale Group of Parishes. For enquiries about Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals please contact the Rector, Revd. John Beesley, St. Michael’s Rectory, Munslow, Craven Arms SY7 9EU. Tel. No. 01584 841488 or email: [email protected]. BELL RINGERS 1st & 4th Mondays at Bromfield Tower 7.30 pm Fridays at the Stanton Lacy Tower 7.30 pm WOMEN’S INSTITUTE 2nd Tuesday at Westhope Village Hall 7.00 pm 2nd Thurs. at Stanton Lacy Village Hall 7.30 pm HONEYSUCKLE CLUB 1st Tuesday at Onibury Village Hall 2.00 pm Contact : Rose Haran 01746 787 449 CLOVER CLUB 1st Thursday at Westhope Village Hall 7.30 pm March- Dec Mrs. M.Hall 01584 861282 PLAYGROUPS Little Lambs Onny School Friday am 856320 Corvedale Centre for Children 841707 CULMINGTON HALL Bookings taken by John Lakey 861254 DIDDLEBURY HALL Bookings taken by Sally Woodhouse 841265 ONIBURY HALL Bookings taken by Marion Jones 856350 STANTON LACY Bookings taken by Elaine Lloyd 823357 SCHOOLS: Onny C of E Primary School & Penny Knight 01584 856320 Little Pippins Nursery Class Corvedale C of E Primary Jonathon Brough 841630 Ludlow C of E Secondary Mrs Hearle 01584 872691 Articles, News Items, Comments etc. for inclusion in RIPPLES to: Mr Jeff Williams Seifton Court, Seifton Lane, Culmington, Ludlow SY8 2DG Tel : 01584 861849 E-mail: [email protected] 2 The Parishes of Culmington Onibury, Bromfield and Stanton Lacy MARCH 2019 From the Dean of Hereford When you read this letter, I expect to be away from Hereford on a period of study leave. Part of my time will be spent in Rome. I’ll be looking at some of the churches there, noting how their own approach to prayers at the shrines of the saints compares with our own intercession ministry, back in Hereford. Do the saints in the Eternal City provide that focus of intercession that we so encourage in English cathedrals? For some of the time, I’ll be staying at the Anglican Centre, set up during the 1960s after the historic meeting of Archbishop Ramsey and Pope Paul VI. The Centre provides a focus in Rome for dialogue between our two Communions. I’ll also be staying just down the road at the Venerable English College. This is the historic Roman Catholic Seminary for priests in training from England and Wales. Set up in the second half of the 16th century, during penal times, priests trained there often returned to England to minister amidst great danger and many were martyred for what they believed. Since the mid 1970s, the College has invited two Anglican ordinands to stay at the college for four months of their training. I did this 1981-2 and Neil Patterson did the same ‘exchange’ a few years later. It was a hugely influential part of my formation– helping me to see how Roman Catholics were trained for priesthood and ingraining in me a real passion for Ecumenism, which has never left me. Indeed, quite of few of those I met almost 40 years ago, have remained friends. When I return this Spring to stay at the College, I’ll be speaking to current staff and students and generally trying to get an understanding of how the ecumenical scene has changed in those years. We know that aspirations for corporate unity between churches has taken something of a back seat, as Christians have focused more on united social action– with arguably less doctrinal division. Nevertheless, discussions at all levels of our churches continue 3 and I shall be particularly interested in the extent to which training for ministry contains ecumenical elements today. When I was at the College in 1981, I was present at the great ceremony when the relics of the College’s martyred saints were solemnly placed in a great bronze reliquary beneath the newly-consecrated altar. Such an event might have proved an occasion for disunity and blame – but on the contrary it proved to be a great ecumenical event – all united in the sense that the saints of all denominations lead us to God and give us a glimpse of his powerful working in human lives. Meanwhile, we all work in our own parishes and ministries to carry forward that great and loving command of Christ himself: Ut omnes unum sint – That they may all be one From the Rector of Bromfield Benefice Dear Friends in Christ, The year continues to race away! No sooner have we packed away the crib, but the Sundays before Lent beckon again. The three Sundays before Lent have wonderful and ancient names: Septuagesima (17th February), Sexagesima and Quinquagesima. Three Latin words which indicate how far away we are from Easter- that is, 70, 60 & 50 days respectively. The Latin names arose by analogy with Quadragesima, the first Sunday in Lent, known as the "fortieth day" before Easter. Quinquagesima is exactly fifty days before Easter but Sexagesima (60) and Septuagesima (70) are only approximations. But wait! Doubtless you have just checked your calendar and found that Lent is longer than 40 days! It is – but it isn’t. We don’t include in Lent the several Sundays which lie between Ash Wednesday and Easter Day, because each and every Sunday is a celebration of God’s gift of life to us at Easter. If you take away the several Sundays in question, the answer is 40 days. So how will you prepare during the 4 days of Lent? Each year, people all over the world give something up. In medieval times, the faithful gave up meat, fish, fat, butter and almost everything that was enjoyable, as a sign of repentance and faithfulness with Christ in the wilderness. It’s a good thing, in our wealthy and rather portly Western world to turn back to some old observances, to give up excess and to try and live modestly, even if only for 40 days, so perhaps giving up chocolate, or biscuits will do us all no harm. How about going one better? Whilst giving something up, take up something too. Why not try, every day, to do a good, kind and decent thing, uncalled for, unexpected and unrewarded on earth. You will feel better for it, I do not doubt, the angels of Heaven will surely rejoice with you! This year, Ash Wednesday falls on 6th March. We will mark that important day with a service of the Holy Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes at Bromfield at 7.30pm. We remember that dust we are and to dust we shall return, so we should get on with the important job of living well whilst we still can do so. You would all be most welcome! Your Priest and friend Justin HAYTONWOOD DESIGNS Poultry Houses Animal and Pet Houses Summer Houses – Garden Sheds etc. Bespoke service for a personal Touch Visit our website www.haytonwood.co.uk Tel 01584 823297 Mob 07967033420 5 From the Rectory – March 2019 As we all know, the date of Easter moves about. It is dependent on the phases of the moon and is normally not far from the date of the Jewish Passover, the festival which was happening at the time of the events we remember in Holy Week. The earliest possible date for Easter is March 22nd, the latest is April 25th. This year Easter falls on April 21st, so is almost as late as it can be – it won’t be this late again until April 21st 2030. It won’t be later than this until April 25th, 2038. Since the date of Ash Wednesday is dependent on the date of Easter, that too is late this year, falling on March 6th. We will mark the beginning of Lent with the usual service of Holy Communion, to be held this year at Holdgate at 7:30pm. Whilst we hope to get the heating and lighting at Holdgate sorted out during this year it hasn’t happened yet – if you’re coming please bring a torch and wrap up well if it’s chilly. In several of our churches you will find some lovely stained glass windows, a part of our surroundings we see often but perhaps rarely really look at. This Lent we will be thinking about them in more detail during the Lent Course which meets at the Rectory on Mondays from 2:30pm. You are welcome to join us. Wednesday evenings will see us moving round the churches to enjoy services of Compline – a peaceful and reflective service for the end of the day. Details of where we will be each week are in the service rota. The stained glass in our churches is of course just one aspect of the buildings, buildings which we perhaps see a lot but rarely look at. This is a shame as we can miss much which was created, sometimes hundreds of years ago, to help us to think about God and to help us to pray. We can, of course, pray at any time and in any place, but it is also important that we have places set apart for us to focus on God: places where we will not be distracted by the busyness of everyday life, places where the walls are soaked in prayer, places where our surroundings help us to lift our thoughts to heaven.