THE CLARION The Magazine of The Parish of St Mary The Boltons rooted in faith • open in thought • reaching out in service May 2021 From the Vicar Before Easter I was invited, along with our In many ways those questions feel inadequate after churchwardens, to join the Bishop of Kensington this year, when so much has changed that it is for a Zoomed evening to discuss the question, difficult to recall what life was like when it began. It What is the Spirit saying to the churches? As we is easy to be nostalgic for the time when we did not marked a year since the first lockdown, the event need to cover our faces or stand apart, when we provided a timely opportunity to think about what could travel, visit, embrace and so on, and wish for we have learned from the church’s perspective those possibilities to return and to go ‘back to during the pandemic. We were offered two verses normal’. It may be harder to consider that the old from Revelation 3, where God writes to each of normal was a mixed blessing. What this year has the seven churches about what the Spirit of God revealed is how fragile, how unequal, how was saying to them, in their day. precarious life had been, and continues to be for so many people in our society, and indeed in our ‘To the angel of the church in Sardis write…Wake parish. Think of the jobs lost, the homes at risk, the up and strengthen what remains and is at the point education missed, the effect on mental health, on of death.’ (v.2) family life, on community life (including that of our ‘To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write…I church). What will things be like by this time next have placed before you an open door that no one year, I wonder? What will we need to do to can shut.’ (v.8) restore a sense of balance and security not just for These verses reminded me of four questions we ourselves, but to the lives of our neighbours whose began to think about here at St Mary’s as we came plight has been so much worse because of poverty, out of that first lockdown, never dreaming that we inequality, and discrimination? would be where we are nearly a year later, with continued restrictions, and the ongoing effects of the pandemic on our society, our church, our world, not to mention the appalling number of deaths from the virus. The questions were: 1. What did we stop doing as a result of the pandemic that we long to begin again? 2. What did we stop doing that we will be content not to do again? 3. What are the things that we started doing that we will be pleased to stop? 4. What are the things that we began to do, that will continue into the future? Dove window, St Mary The Boltons The verses from Revelation are a way to start: joined St Mary’s very recently; indeed, one began What are the things that remain, that need to be coming along to church last summer, when we strengthened? Perhaps our sense of responsibility reopened for worship after the first lockdown. The for others in need? Perhaps our sense of belonging sessions involved our discussion of Richard Giles’ to each other in our church and our community? book How to be an Anglican, so it was a short course And what doors of opportunity have opened up for of introduction to the Church of England, and what us? Opportunities are often hard to recognise as we it means to belong as a new Christian. mourn things lost, but they will be crucial to our One candidate, Elsie Powers, was confirmed on 22 moving through this crisis hopefully and faithfully. April at St Mary Abbots by Bishop Graham, and the other, Charlotte Stella will be confirmed later in the I hope we will together look at these questions in year, having done the course from her family’s the coming weeks and months, and pray for home in Northumberland. strength and openness to what the Spirit is saying to our church, and in our time. I am aware that there may well be others in our Jenny Welsh church community who have not yet been confirmed (or indeed baptised). I would like to encourage you to consider whether now is the time for you to be prepared for this next stage in your life of faith. There may be others who were confirmed years ago, who would like a refresher course on the basics of our faith and our church. If you are one such person, please get in touch with me and we can plan to run a course for you. We will soon be able to meet in person (up to 6 people, assuming the government’s roadmap is correct) and so I will be glad to host a group, either in church or at the vicarage, from after the end of May. If there are children from the congregation who would like to be prepared as well, I will gladly run a junior course, with the help of any interested parents. Please do be in touch. Confirmation Preparation Jenny Welsh, Vicar Many of us were baptised as children, our parents and godparents bringing us along to church to begin our journey of faith. For some people, the next stage was confirmation, when we made for ourselves the promises they made on our behalf, to follow in the way of Christ. During lockdown, I was pleased to have several sessions with two people to prepare them for confirmation. Both of these young women had 2 Elizabeth Lowry Corry I had to swear allegiance to the American The following text was written by Susanna, Elizabeth’s Constitution’. niece, with the intention to celebrate Elizabeth’s 100th She enjoyed her time there, took the opportunity birthday. Elizabeth sadly died on 18 April, only a few to travel and see places, but had no doubts about days before she would have reached 100. coming home to England by March 1956. ‘The Elizabeth was born in 1921, the eldest of four Americans all thought I was crazy not to stay’. children. In her earliest days she and her sister, Her time in America gave her the confidence that Edith, were looked after by a nanny, LaLa, at their sustained her future career in executive grandparents’ home, as their parents were based in administration. She worked first for Brooke Bond, India. LaLa was much loved and had also looked then The British Association for the Advancement after their mother when she of Science, and finally at the Association for was a child. When Elizabeth Information Management (ASLIB), where she ran grew out of the nursery she their conferences. In 1987 she published a book was taught by a governess, titled, Let’s have a Conference. Miss Rapley. ‘Rappey’ was In retirement she has proof-read new books for the not loved, but her teaching Army Records Society and been an active member showed its worth once of her Residents’ Association. She had already begun Elizabeth arrived at to paint, but on retirement painting, studying art boarding school at history and architecture, and enjoying classical Southover. music have been her main interests. Throughout her After school she embarked on the ‘Season’ and was life she has travelled widely, going as far afield as presented at court in a white silk dress sewn with Singapore, Australia, Thailand and Mexico, but tiny pink roses. without a doubt her greatest love was for Italy. In 1938 she left for Dresden for a six months In recent years she had often said ‘It would be so exchange. There was some anxiety about whether embarrassing to be 100’. she should go, as war seemed imminent. The family However, we know she was also rather proud of consulted a cousin, Lord Halifax, who was Foreign being so resilient. While she had to accept that at St Secretary at the time. They decided she could go on Mary’s Convent and Nursing Home she was in a condition that she would return the minute she was place that could care for her well, she missed her told to. flat and as a lifelong and committed Christian she She stayed with the family of Hans Riphahn, who missed her church. played the viola for the Dresden Opera. She had Susanna Carver piano lessons and learnt German. Staying with this family, she realised she was not really a musician, but did love going to the opera, which she did at least twice a week. This was a very happy time for her. During the war she worked for MI5, first at Blenheim and then in London. ‘Poor Mother, I arrived in London just as the bombs were starting’. She was working as a PA in an American Finance Company in 1954 when they offered her the opportunity to work for them in New York. She felt it a daring thing to do as few people she knew went to America in those days. ‘It was very complicated - 3 Would you be an NHS Volunteer had little to do for several months. However in Responder? December, because of the overwhelming demand, The NHS are still looking for more people to they changed the rules and I was able to apply to become volunteers. This may sound surprising in make deliveries to people in need. view of the easing of the lockdown, but there are still many people out there who are in isolation or You need to be over 18 and have a smartphone, who are afraid to go out where they could catch because the NHS Responder app is installed on a the virus.