Snts 10-Oct 06-20Pgeid

All Saints Parish Paper MARGARET STREET, LONDON W.1 OCTOBER 2006 £1.00 VICAR’S LETTER the English marauders had been expelled, life was not entirely peaceful. The region A century ago, the Vicar of All Saints got as was strongly protestant at the time of the far as the Canadian Rockies on his summer Reformation — we had arrived in France holiday — and that in the days of steamship on St Bartholomew’s Day, the anniversary and train. You can read something of of the horrific massacre of protestants in it below. Our holiday plans were less the 16th century. ambitious. Once again we spent a fortnight at Theresa’s sister’s home in a small hamlet Having survived the wars of religion, south of Poitiers. Much of our time was the abbey fell into spiritual decay when, spent unwinding from the clamour of city as with many others in France, it found its life; enjoying the garden, good food and revenues diverted to a royal or aristocratic wine and books; “a Sabbath rest”. titular abbot to fund a life of luxury at court. Then came the revolution and We did stir ourselves for a few outings the suppression of the monasteries. The of a tourist nature: one to Cognac which thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment had was spiritual only in the sense of including no time for monks who were regarded as a guided tour of the Hennessy distillery; unproductive parasites. The opus dei, the another to a former abbey closer to work of God, was not real work at all. home which we had tried to visit in an After the revolution the monastery living earlier year without success. This time quarters were converted into a chateau for we were lucky and were shown round by an aristocratic family. The abbey church its remarkable lady custodian. She and was turned into a barn and now has no her architect-husband had bought it for roof. The house has a 19th century gothic their retirement and set about the task of private chapel. We were able to compare restoration. He was now dead but she was notes with our guide on the business of carrying on the task. restoring historic buildings. The royal abbey of Reau was an This part of France has an 11th or 12th Augustinian foundation — by happy century Romanesque church in almost chance we were there on St Augustine’s very village, unless there is something day — in the 12th century at the time of modern like a 15th century Gothic one. the Hundred Years’ War. The remains of All the churches are open, so it is easy just its fortifications — “necessary because of to pop in as you pass. In the little town of the English” — our guide told us more Charroux, the church looks down on the than once, could still be seen. Even after great tower of Charlemagne which is all that 1 remains of the mediæval abbey established We should not underestimate the power to minister to pilgrims on their way to of buildings themselves to communicate the shrine of Santiago de Compostella in faith. As A.N. Wilson writes in his new northwest Spain. The local commune — the biography of John Betjeman: “each parish equivalent of the civil parish council — has church, even the duller ones, is a gospel in bought a mediæval house next to the parish stone. Each tells us much more than most church to be a hostel and exhibition centre sermons or uplifting books.” for latter-day pilgrims. Professor David Brown who is a canon In the church we found a letter from the of Durham Cathedral and so worships in Bishop of Poitiers, Mgr Albert Rouet, in one of the greatest churches in Europe, which he addressed some of the problems speaks in his recent book “God and the and opportunities presented by the dearth Enchantment of Place” of the value of of priests. This means that not every church sitting quietly in a church building without can have a Eucharist every Sunday. It was even attending a church service. Professor not good, he said, for priests or people Brown argues powerfully that architecture for the clergy to be dashing from place to is sacramental, not merely practical. The place, appearing for services like “a gust of current fashion is to see architecture as wind” and then disappearing with no time to merely functional, subordinate to worship spend with people. When there is no priest, or evangelism or other congregational a parish has a Sunday Assembly, a Service activities. Brown sees architecture and of the Word led by lay people with Holy worship rather as complementary. It is no Communion from the Reserved Sacrament. surprise then to find him speaking positively Few churches outside major towns have a of Butterfield and All Saints. daily Mass. It is because Professor Brown is right The Bishop was encouraging his people about buildings that All Saints stands open to take responsibility themselves for every day, not just at service times, so maintaining the prayer life of their parish that people can just sit there. It is because and its church as a means of keeping the Mgr Rouet is also right that each day is memory of faith alive in their communities. punctuated by the worship of God in Office As well as participating in Sunday worship, and Eucharist. Here in Margaret Street we even when there was no Mass, groups might are able to maintain a daily round of services join together in the Rosary or some other which would be impossible in a group of devotion. He spoke of this as keeping alive village churches. However, this is not just the memory of faith in their communities. a clerical matter. It is the calling of the congregation here to see the maintenance of A church — whether in a French village this daily round as their responsibility just or a short walk from Oxford Street — might as much as it is for those parishioners in seem no more than an historical curiosity, rural France in theirs. to be visited for its architecture. But to us a church is much more than that. In the When people just pop into All Saints, the mind of the builders of those Romanesque building may well speak to them by itself. churches, it is “the house of God and the However, I suspect that for many it is the gate of heaven”, a place of encounter with sense of a community which worships and the presence of God. prays and serves God together, when they 2 encounter a group of people celebrating the Saints Sisters for the dedication of their Eucharist or Morning and Evening Prayer new guest accommodation and meeting together, which communicates the memory room at the Convent in Oxford. The new of living faith in the living God. buildings are named after the co-founders of Yours in Christ, the community, Mother Harriet Brownlow Byron and the Revd William Upton Alan Moses Richards (first Vicar of All Saints). PEOPLE The sermon preached by the community’s Visitor Bishop John Bone is printed in this Margery Duce 90th Birthday issue. Margery writes: Sr Jean Margaret will celebrate the Although I have known All Saints since golden jubilee of her profession in the All 1941, because of family commitments I was Saints Sisters on Monday October 16th. We only able to become a regular member of offer her our congratulations and prayers. the congregation about twelve years ago — since when the friendship and support I David Welch have enjoyed have irradiated my life. David’s funeral Mass was at All Saints on Tuesday August 22nd. The Vicar’s sermon I had a wonderful birthday week and at the service appears in this issue. It was cannot begin to thank you at all adequately good to see so many friends of David and for your part in a very happy experience John there, to say farewell to one brother which I shall remember as long as memory and to comfort the other. Refreshments lasts. I’m working on that: according to the were served afterwards in the Parish Room latest medical theory (fiction?), copious and this gave John opportunity to speak draughts of fruit juice will help to ward to friends before returning to Oxford. Fr off Alzheimer’s! Apple juice is my favourite Ivan conducted the burial at Fox Earth on tipple. Friday. Clint Doolittle from Mobile in Alabama John writes: has become a familiar presence over the “I would like to say thank you to Fr Alan last year. He was spending a post-retiral and Fr Ivan for their visits and for the year in London and began coming to lovely funeral Mass for David and to the Sunday Evensong at All Saints, as well servers who took part and all the people as attending his local church, St Gabriel’s who came to the service. in Pimlico. Clint became involved in a A thankyou to Fr Ivan for coming all the number of our parish activities, including way from London to commit David to his Church Watch and Sunday Lunch, as well last resting place. as bringing a steady stream of visitors from A big final thankyou to all the kind people home to All Saints. We have enjoyed his who sent me cards and letters. presence and friendship and look forward My love to you all and I miss you all.” to his planned summer visit next year. John The All Saints Sisters of the Poor Valerie Hargreaves-Smith Fr Alan and Theresa were guests of the All Valerie’s funeral Mass was at St Thomas’s, 3 Huddersfield, on Wednesday August 23rd.

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