Issue 37 April 2013 The Inauguration of the Archbishop of Canterbury £2.50 A view from the inside… in 1942 at the enthronement of Archbishop he event was months in the planning. William Temple. In this issue TAt one stage the Cathedral Chapter An act of commitment to ecumenical at Canterbury was planning the farewell partners was signed before the Co-Presidents events for Archbishop Rowan Williams, and of Churches Together in England. The Ministry Inauguration of the considering what we were then calling the of the Word followed, the two Installations Archbishop of Canterbury 1,3 Enthronement Service. occurring between the New Testament Beginnings and Endings 2-3 The first act in worship is gathering, reading and the Gospel. Once installed in Reports 4 and on this day we had a considerable the Chair of St Augustine, the Archbishop Events 5 gathering, representing not only the Anglican was blessed in French by the Archbishop of Colin’s column 5 Communion, ecumenical partners and faith Burundi. This was really the high point of Music news 6 communities but also representatives of civic the service, and the Dean invited all present Book reviews 7-8 life: the Prime Minister, and those, such as to welcome the newly installed Archbishop. the Speaker of the House of Commons and African drums and dancers led the the Lord Speaker, whose gowns added to the Archbishop to the pulpitum arch to read the pageantry. There were no less than sixteen Gospel. He returned, quite properly, to preach sections of the entrance procession, each led from the Chair of St Augustine. The use of by a Virger. The first procession entered the the Nicene Creed omitting the filioque clause What is Praxis? Cathedral at 14.09, and finally the Dean and has raised a few western eyebrows. Perhaps Chapter welcomed the royal party at 14.50. the Apostles’ Creed would have been more Praxis was formed in 1990, A service such as this necessarily consists of appropriate, given the ecumenical tenor of the sponsored by the Liturgical a number of different elements. The challenge service. Britten’s Te Deum, though beautifully Commission, the Group for the is to structure it so that each element flows sung, seemed misplaced, and although the Renewal of Worship (GROW) and into the next and the whole coheres together. momentum was maintained, some may the Alcuin Club to provide and The reading of the mandate, following the have felt that from here one element simply support liturgical education in the followed another without any particular Church of England. formal welcome, gave the Dean the authority to install the new Archbishop. In fact, the liturgical logic. Affiliation Archbishop is installed three times; first in It is, of course, easy to be critical after the the diocesan throne, then in the chair of St. event, but the service, described as a Rolls The work that Praxis does is Augustine, and finally into the Prior’s seat in Royce service by the Archbishop in a moving supported mainly by affiliation. If the Chapter House before the Foundation. hand-written letter of thanks to the Cathedral you are not an affiliate, why not The Archbishop had expressly asked that the community, had a dramatic impact. It was consider becoming one? opening should not be too triumphant, so it clear that the theme of reconciliation was woven into the service, and perhaps here we Praxis News of Worship is copyright began with the opening dialogue at the West Door with a young member of the Anglican may see what is likely to become a major © Praxis 2013. Material for inclusion focus of our new Archbishop’s ministry. should be sent to the editor, Communion; this led into an act of penitence " The Canterbury Mole [email protected] recognising that there is much in a divided We reserve the right to edit material Church for which we need to seek God’s and make no guarantee to include healing mercy. The Passiontide theme was And from the outside... material submitted. The views sounded in Isaac Watts’ hymn ‘When I survey he three loud knocks on the Great West expressed are not necessarily those of the wondrous cross’ as the procession moved TDoor of Canterbury Cathedral were one Praxis or the Praxis Council. to the nave altar for the Prayers. Perhaps of the few familiar bits of the Inauguration the singing of the Veni Creator should have of Justin Welby as the 105th Archbishop Contact praxis@praxisworship. preceded the Lord’s Prayer and the Collects of Canterbury. What followed immediately org.uk rather than following them, but there needed after the doors were opened broke the mould. to be some transition to the next element Evangeline Kanagasooriam, a 17 year old For general enquiries, affiliation and of the service, the Declaration of Assent and woman, stood in front of the open door programme information, contact the swearing of the oath on the Canterbury facing the Archbishop. Praxis, 19 The Close, Salisbury, Gospels, believed to have been brought to ‘We greet you in the name of Jesus Christ. SP1 2EB, 01202 296886, praxis@ England by Augustine in 597AD. Although Who are you and why do you request entry?’ praxisworship.org.uk this act is probably seen as an ancient she asked. ceremony, it first happened in this context Continues page 3 column 3 Page 1 Beginnings and Endings Baby Matters Taking leave of the parish: rites of farewell and he new baby really matters. Godspeed Research completed last year T uring 2011, and looking towards my your midst. At the beginning of our ministry, with new parents showed that this Dsixtieth year, having spent nearly 15 you presented me with symbols expressing is a moment when they are thinking years in a combined parish benefice in the my special role among you. It is time for me to about big questions. Will my baby be West Midlands, I decided to make plans for return to you what you have lent me. safe? Will I be a good parent? There is retirement. I was called among you to baptize. Here an awareness of the big questions in I spoke informally beforehand to my area is water which symbolizes God's gift of life, a sense of awe and wonder as well bishop, and to the churchwardens to give belonging in Christ. (A vessel of water is given to as vulnerability. them as much notice as possible, prior to any a lay leader.) This is partly what drives parents formal, public announcement, which then There is one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, to seek out baptism or, as 9 out of 10 took place in mid-2012, over the Queen’s one God and Father of us all. will call it, christening. Jubilee weekend, as it happened (her 60 years I was called among you to proclaim the Those who come want to give their on the throne and my 60th birthday seemed a Good News. Here is the Bible that expresses child the best start in life, they want good symmetry somehow). this call. to be part of a family and community Thereafter, the usual formalities began to (A Bible is given to a lay leader.) tradition, they want a blessing … and fall into place: resignation notices, scheduling Thanks be to God for the Good News of they want water involved. an actual date of retirement, enabling Christ. I have just taken on the role of responsibilities to be shared between church I was called among you to lead worship and Head of Projects and Developments officers and so on. preside at Holy Communion. Receive now this for the Archbishops’ Council, and am Ominously, one of my churchwardens chalice as a symbol of our worship life. immersed in reading the consumer began to refer to my last Sunday as incumbent (A chalice is given to a lay leader.) Taste and see that the Lord is good. research together with interviews as ‘Peter’s Last Day’, (the capital letters In terms of ‘performance’, I chose the with clergy in the pilot dioceses of deliberate) which sounded rather apocalyptic, and made me wonder if he and the recipients of the signs of ministry as they Blackburn and Rochester. Over parishioners knew something that I did not! were needed, which allowed an element of the next few months we will begin Some of us talked together about marking spontaneity and meant that those taking part to try out ideas that will encourage my last services, and I tried to express didn’t become anxious beforehand, as folk families to consider having their something about the challenges I had can tend to do when faced with something baby christened and which will encountered over the years as well as the many ‘different’. also support clergy as they build a good things. The parishes had not been the Personally, I found it both moving relationship with families and make easiest of tenures, and I was conscious that I and helpful. Moving because it involved the occasion memorable. was leaving them to face an uncertain future people that I regarded as friends as well as There is much that can be done to so far as any new appointment was concerned. parishioners to be involved in a different way, make the baptism service accessible We decided that the services should follow and helpful because it was quite short, and the and personal. We have discovered the normal pattern for the Sunday, and that blessing by the people brought the worship to that parents are most likely to the evening service would take the form of an an end in an manner that was not sentimental, remember the symbols used and the informal thanksgiving for all that had been, but equally allowed for an expression of warmth of the welcome by the vicar with contributions from a range of people, goodwill for the future even from those and the congregation.