All Saints Parish Paper MARGARET STREET, LONDON W.1 JANUARY 2013 £1.00 VICAR’S LETTER Our series of “Ten to One Talks” on Sunday doctrine of the incarnation which had is making its way around the church. Last come from reflection on St John’s Gospel Sunday, in good time for Christmas, we with its meditation on the “Word made reached the Nativity panel on the north flesh”. That Gospel and doctrine speak to wall. This brings together, as so many us of the union of divine and human in the depictions of Christ’s birth do, the arrival person of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word. of the shepherds at the stable, as told by The liturgy holds these two approaches Luke, and the visit of the Wise Men from together so that one informs the other. the East who offer their gifts, which we The ancient prayers of our liturgy set the find in St Matthew’s Gospel. story of the birth of Jesus in the context of God’s creation and redemption of the Our Saviour’s birth has been celebrated world. Together with St John they serve in music as well as in painting and as a necessary corrective to the tendency sculpture. The Bidding Prayer at the to sentimentalise the Christmas story. Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (one Equally, crib and carol help put human of the Church of England’s most inspired flesh on what might seem arid doctrine. liturgical inventions) invites us “let it be our care and delight to hear again the It’s apt that the feast of St John the message of the angels, and in heart and Evangelist, the “Prologue” of whose Gospel mind to go even unto Bethlehem, and see we sing on Christmas morning and as the this thing which has come to pass, and climax of the Festival of Nine Lessons and the Babe lying in a manger”. Carols, should fall in Christmas week. This year, it will have a particular poignancy at The infancy stories in Matthew and Luke All Saints because Fr John Pritchard will continue to fascinate and charm; perhaps be leaving us in February to become Priest- because they echo so much of what we feel in-Charge of St John the Evangelist, Upper about the birth of a child. The Christmas Norwood. The church is a magnificent Crib and the Nativity Play can both be said building designed by John Loughborough to descend from the tableau of Christ’s Pearson, set in a residential area close to birth arranged by St Francis when he Crystal Palace. Fr John will be licensed celebrated Christmas at Greccio in 1223. St by the Bishop of Southwark on Monday Francis was reflecting a growing emphasis March 11th at 7.30 p.m. I am sure there in prayer and imagery on the humanity will be a large supporting crowd from All of Jesus. This grew out of the Church’s Saints. 1 Not only do we have to appoint a new by the trust my fellow clergy have placed Director of Music in the New Year (the in me and grateful as always for your process is under way and the interviews support and prayers. take place in January), and a new assistant priest, but we will also be looking for With all these departures, I might be a new parish administrator. After thirty tempted to say, “I, only I am left”, were years of faithful service, Dennis Davis has it not for the strong corps of committed decided to take early retirement. As many volunteers, lay and clerical, and the new of you know, he returned from holiday faces willing to join them, who make so this summer suffering from angina. After much of the life and mission of All Saints successful treatment, he is now free from possible. pain but is undergoing a strenuous course of A last thought before Christmas. While rehabilitation. Dennis will be leaving at the preparing to preach at St Paul’s on the end of February. We hope that, freed from feast of St John of the Cross, I immersed the stress of a busy city centre parish office, myself again in his poetry and came across he will be able to enjoy a long and happy this small gem, in Roy Campbell’s English retirement. We will organise appropriate translation: farewells to all three of our “leavers” so that we can pay suitable tribute to all that “Concerning the Divine Word” they have given to the parish and through it With the divinest Word, the Virgin to the wider Church. Made pregnant, down the road Comes walking, if you’ll grant her This issue of the Parish Paper, with A room in your abode.” no less than three funeral or memorial sermons, reminds us that a number of other May we all make room for Christ in our friends who have been in very different lives and homes this Christmas and may ways part of the human face of All Saints, I wish you all a joyful Christmas and a an expression of the incarnation, have been peaceful and fruitful New Year. taken from us by death in the past year. As Yours in Christ, those who believe in the communion of saints, we believe that, as that same carol Alan Moses service Bidding Prayer says, as their hope was in the Word made flesh, they worship TERESA BUTLER with us still, but “on another shore and in a greater light”. Members of Teresa’s family and friends from All Saints gathered for a Mass for Given these major changes in our parish Teresa on Saturday November 24th. The staff, not to mention the state of Church Vicar’s sermon at the service is published of England politics after the General in this issue. Synod vote on women bishops, this might not have been the most convenient or Teresa’s son Glen and his wife Jennifer peaceful of times to be elected to chair the wrote to the Vicar: House of Clergy in the Diocesan Synod. “…to thank you so much for the service I am still finding out how much this new for Teresa and the dedication of the bench. responsibility involves but I am honoured It was very special, very moving and 2 absolutely what she would have wanted. GRAHAM HAWKES Our special thanks to you and Father John and also to those who went to Graham had been ill for some 18 months the trouble of laying on nibbles and but had shown great resilience. His end drinks which were unexpected but much came quite quickly and peacefully in appreciated.” Trinity Hospice. A large congregation of family and friends from a variety of walks The bench can be seen below the of life gathered for his funeral Mass. His Annunciation scene and facing the gate. ashes have been interred at his local church of St Mary’s, Merton, where he started as a CHRISTOPHER RAWLL choirboy. Fr Alan’s sermon at the Mass is also in this issue. A Mass of Thanksgiving for Christopher st was celebrated on Saturday December 1 . BISHOP AMBROSE WEEKES Christopher’s brother Peter and nephew Andrew read lessons and Peter spoke about Bishop Ambrose had asked that his ashes Christopher at the reception afterwards. be interred in the family vault in the Canon David Hutt, Fr Gerald Reddington churchyard of Holy Trinity, Queenborough and Dr Peter Galloway were in choir. in the Isle of Sheppey. This took place Dr Galloway and Christopher were co- on Monday December 10th. Fr Alan and authors of “Good and Faithful Servants,” Bishop Ambrose’s executors, Stephen the history of the first twelve Vicars of All Borton (a former chorister of All Saints) and Saints, also spoke at the reception. The Michael Fletcher, met Bishop Ambrose’s Vicar’s sermon at the Mass is published in cousin Ian at Sevenoaks and were then this issue. driven in his 1930s vintage Rolls Royce (called Rosemary) to Queenborough. Our Letter from Peter Rawll (Christopher’s progress was stately rather than speedy. brother): Rosemary does not like to be rushed: she Dear Alan, overheats if driven at more than 50 miles I write for all the family to express per hour. Fr Alan, sitting next to the driver, our thanks for all the arrangements had to keep a wary eye on the temperature on Saturday, particularly for your gauge, while Michael navigated. friendship and celebrating the Mass of We arrived in Queenborough, rather later thanksgiving for brother Christopher. than expected, but a dozen or so people, We came nearer to understanding how including the Vicar and a Churchwarden, much All Saints Church came to mean were there to greet us. With the wind for him, and the opportunity it gave sweeping in off the Medway, the weather to realise his talents on his spiritual was bitterly cold, so it was just as well journey. that the committal service is brief. After placing Bishop Ambrose’s remains among I would like to think that he would his ancestors, family and friends gathered have been both pleased and humbled by around to admire the car, before the the occasion. visitors retired to the Flying Dutchman 3 pub for something warming. Three of us new lighting system should allow us to who had to be back in London rather more read what and where we need to, as well quickly than Rosemary could convey us, as illuminating the building in a sensitive walked to Queenborough Station to catch way.