At our Special Parochial Church Meeting on Monday 8 April at St Mary Magdalen's, we will not only elect churchwardens and representatives to the Deanery Synod and the new PCC of the Parish of the Good Shepherd, but as it will take the place of our APCM, we will also receive the Annual Reports from 2023. Those reports are available on the link. Please do read through in preparation for the meeting, and consider whether God might be calling you to help lead our new parish into the next stage of our mission and ministry together.
As I entered into Sabbatical mode on 1 January, it felt particularly strange – three months of having no parish commitments faced me, and I have to confess, I was not 100% sure how I was going to deal with it. I had four weeks planned for a retreat to Assisi in Italy, but at that point the rest of the time seemed to stretch out ahead of me waiting for something to fill it.As I look back, it is with some surprise at the speed with which those weeks have gone by. I decided in January to spend a few days in Whitby preparing for the journey to Italy, and getting into the frame of mind to be away from the parish for this prolonged time. It was a joy to be by the seaside, and to make some use of the surrounding countryside for walks along the coastal path, and spending time sat on the pier looking out over the North Sea.On my return, my mind turned to packing and preparing to catch my flight out. The flight was at an unreasonably early hour, which meant a trip to the airport the night before, and an airport hotel for (half) a night, before heading to the terminal at 0400! All went well, and I landed in Rome and caught a train to Assisi. Then, forgetting just how far out of the old city the railway station is, I began the walk up to my apartment, which was exhausting trundling my suitcase, but did give me a true feeling of being on pilgrimage!Waking up in the bright sunshine and relative warmth of Umbria in January, it did seem strange when I arrived at the Basilica for the first time to see an enormous Christmas tree in the Piazza, together with numerous Crib scenes which adorned the town (Christmas 2023 was the 800th year of St Francis setting up the first Crib scene in Greccio). This was because I had arrived before the end of the Christmas season at Candlemas. I felt it was right to make a first visit to the tomb of St Francis (in the crypt of the Basilica), before doing the same across the city at the tomb of St Clare. St Francis’ tomb became a regular feature of the Retreat, as I made a practice of attending Mass in the Basilica most mornings, followed by a time of prayer at the tomb. Each day would then be concluded with Vespers in the Basilica above (my Italian got to the point where I could just about join in with the liturgy and get at least the gist of some of the sermons!)I spent the time walking around the streets of the mediaeval city, and visiting some of the places St Francis would have seen and known, Santa Maria degli Angeli, Rivotorto and San Damiano in the plain below, and the Hermitage some 5km up the mountain above Assisi. It was there that I had a profound sense of God’s presence and guidance, as I sat in the silence of the chapel before the Blessed Sacrament. This guided me to pray for renewal, both of my own priestly ministry, and of our parish as we look to a new future.It is so often in the aftermath of a strenuous journey, in the silence that follows, just like the disciples at the Transfiguration, that God’s voice can be heard. And this was very much so in this moment. I remain convinced that he has great plans for the church in this place, and that we can only realise those plans if we have the courage and determination to place our trust in him, and put ourselves into his hands. I returned down the mountainside having had something of a Transfiguration moment determined to act on that voice.I recommitted myself to the pattern of prayer I had adopted at the beginning of my time, and prayed fervently for this renewal to be realised. I would ask that we might all engage in similar prayer for renewal – the renewal of our enthusiasm for the Gospel, the renewal of our love for God’s people, and the renewal of our hope in God’s Church.By the end of the four weeks in Assisi, I was wondering where the time had gone. But it had been a time of spiritual nourishment and refreshment, and I think, though it is always sad to leave a place of such beauty, both in the mediaeval streets, and in the stunning decoration of the churches, with magnificent frescos by Giotto and Cimabue, it was the right thing to do. As we were reminded in that story of the Transfiguration, we cannot stay at the top of the mountain, revelling in the glory, but rather we are called to go back down to earth and live out the experience we have had in our day-to-day lives. Since returning to Accrington, I have spent some time in quiet reflection and reading, as well as taking time out walking in the Lake District (though with the weather, it was almost swimming!), and have had a few days on the Llyn peninsula in Wales, with opportunities for walking along the North Wales Coastal Path.I hope I have returned refreshed and ready to get back into the swing of ministry in our parish, and I pray that the experiences I have had will inform how I seek to guide us in the next phase of our spiritual journey. It is good to return at the time we celebrate the feast that stands at the heart of our faith – Holy Week and Easter – and it is this truth that we all are called to proclaim afresh to each generation. St Francis did that in his day, in his determination to rebuild the church in the 13th century. May we have that same determination in the 21st century, that the church in Accrington might truly be rebuilt and be fit for the call to mission for many years to come.If anyone is interested, there are a selection of photos from Assisi available online on the following link: https://tinyurl.com/Assisi2024I can certainly recommend Assisi as a place for a wonderful break, whether for a couple of days or for longer. It is a very special place where you can enjoy all that an Italian city has to offer – sunshine, good food and hospitality, together with the opportunity for spiritual nourishment at the many churches and shrines in the city.I would like to take this opportunity to offer my thanks for you understanding and good wishes as I have been away during these last three months. I appreciate that this has put extra burdens on members of the PCC and churchwardens, in making sure all that needs to be done has been done. And particular thanks to Fr Jordan, for his willingness to step in as sole priest in the parish during this time, and his good humour in dealing with the extra responsibilities these months have brought for him. It has meant so much to know that the parish has been in such good hands!
On Sunday 7 April, Bishop Philip will join us at the 11.00 am Solemn Mass at St Mary Magdalen's when he will administer the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Over the past weeks, six candidates have been preparing for this momentous day, when they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to equip them for their ongoing Christian lives. Their preparation has involved them learning about the Christian faith, and about their place within that faith, exploring aspects such as the nature of God, what the Church is, and how the Sacraments sustain us on our journey. They have looked at the meaning of prayer and how we grow closer to God in our regular conversations with him.Over the Easter weekend, they all took part in the liturgies of the Triduum, participating in the foot-washing on Maundy Thursday, taking part in the Watch at the Altar of Repose, standing at the foot of the cross on Good Friday, and gathering at the New Fire on Holy Saturday, before celebrating the joy of the Resurrection at the Easter Vigil.Please keep all of our candidates in your prayers as they approach the day of their Confirmation, and continue to pray for them as they embark upon the rest of their Christian lives. It would be wonderful if as many members of our congregations could join us at St Mary Magdalen's for the Confirmation, as we offer our love and support for these candidates.
The Easter Triduum began with the Mass of Maundy Thursday, where we remembered Jesus giving us the gift of the Eucharist, and sharing with us his love in washing his disciples’ feet. Our liturgy began with the reception of Holy Oils blessed by Bishop Philip at the Chrism Mass earlier in the week. Fr David preached about the three aspects of the Liturgy: Jesus giving us the priesthood, the Institution of the Eucharist and the commandment to love, reminding us that in offering us his love, Jesus asks us to be gracious in receiving that love, and diligent in sharing that love with the people around us.At the end of the Mass, a Watch was kept until Midnight at the Altar of Repose, representing the Garden of Gethsemane. It was wonderful to see so many people packed into the Lady Chapel for this act of witness at the beginning of the Watch, as together we watched and waited with Jesus.On Good Friday, following the Ecumenical Walk up the Coppice, we gathered for the celebration of the Passion of the Lord. Fr Jordan presided as we knelt in silence before the bare altar, Fr Jordan lying prostrate as a sign of the church’s abasement before the reality of the crucifixion. We then heard the Passion according to John, and Fr David preached on the love of God which sends his Son to die on the cross in order to reveal the promises of the kingdom to us his people.We then prayed for the church and the world in the Solemn Intercessions, before being invited to come to Venerate the Wood of the Cross as a sign of our acceptance of his love. The service concluded with receiving Holy Communion reserved from Maundy Thursday, before going in silence to watch and wait for the Easter Vigil.In the darkness of Saturday evening, we gathered to light the New Fire of Easter at St Andrew’s, and to light our Paschal Candle which will stand in church as a sign of the risen Christ throughout the Easter season. We then heard the story of our salvation through the readings from the Old Testament, gathered around the lectern, before singing Gloria and hearing our Gospel reading of the Resurrection. Fr David then preached to us about the joy of resurrection and our invitation to celebrate this supreme truth by sharing it with everyone we meet.After this we gathered around the font, and renewed our baptismal promises, before being sprinkled with the blessed water as a sign and seal of that renewal, before moving to the altar for our first celebration of the mass of Easter, glorying in the joy of resurrection life. At the end of the Vigil we were invited to continue the celebration over a glass of something with some cheese and biscuits and cake!The celebrations continued on Sunday morning as we celebrated Easter masses, with the added rite of receiving the Easter Candle at St Mary Magdalen’s, and the renewal of our baptismal promises in both churches. Both services gave us an opportunity to continue the celebrations with Buck’s Fizz at St Andrew’s and something celebratory to eat at St Mary Magdalen’s.
