NEWS
The Institution, Induction and Installation of the Revd Graham Naylor as Rector of the Bungay Benefice by the Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, Assistant Bishop, and the Venerable Rich Henderson, Archdeacon of Suffolk, took place at Holy Trinity Bungay on Monday 17th February. The Venerable Sally Gaze, Archdeacon for Rural Mission, was the preacher and the singing was led by a combined choir from Lavenham and Barsham. The church was full and the congregation included a party of Graham’s supporters from Lavenham. Welcome Graham!
The Revd Graham Naylor will be running a Lent Course with weekly daytime sessions at Holy Trinity Bungay and evening sessions at Mettingham Village Hall. Details to be published separately.
In celebration of Candlemas on Sunday 2nd February, lighted candles were held by all for the singing of the introit hymn, When candles are lighted on Candlemas Day.
Spring Equinox, Thursday 20th March. Weather permitting, the illumination of the rood will be visible on the 19th, 20th and 21st March at about 5.15pm. All welcome.
The January sales table organised by Jenny raised a magnificent £120.00, a sum boosted by the sale of the Christmas gift tags so beautifully made by Chris Bardsley.
In January 210 items were donated to the Food Bank at St Luke’s. Warm clothes are still needed during these winter months.
FORWARD PLANNING
A date for the diary: The Summer Lunch will be on Wednesday 25th June.
SNIPPETS – The Taming of the Shrew’s Reputation
We share our house with a shrew. It emerges while we’re watching TV and scurries to and fro along the beam behind the screen. It does no harm and we accept it as a legitimate member of the household: shrews, after all, have probably lived in the building for hundreds of years. Reflecting on our little housemate, I realised I knew almost nothing about shrews, except for their unenviable reputation.
The shrew was reviled in folklore from the earliest times and in many cultures. Aristotle recorded the popular belief that the shrew was venomous (the water shrew does in fact have a toxic bite), and Pliny described various cures for shrew bites. In the evolution of the English language the word ‘shrew’ took on two meanings. In Old English ‘screawa’ referred to the creature, but in Middle English ‘shrewe’ came to mean a spiteful or malign person, and became a nickname for the Devil. A spin-off verb emerged and ‘I beshrew thee’ was a common spell for directing malign forces. The mid-13th century Bodleian Bestiarydescribed shrews as ‘greedy men who seek earthly goods and make the goods of others their prey’, and in the late 14th century Chaucer employed the word thus in The Pardoner’s Tale. By the 16th century the label ‘shrew’ had been assigned to the ill-tempered, scolding, nagging woman who had long existed as a comedic, stock character in traditional folklore, and Shakespeare employed this usage routinely, notably in The Taming of the Shrew.
In the early 17th century, scholars at the English College of Douai, translating the Latin Vulgate Bible into English, named the shrew in a long list of animals listed as unclean in Leviticus 11, though in fact they had mistranslated the Latin word for ferret! The shrew’s unfortunate reputation was summed up in Edward Topsell’s mid-17th century bestiary Historie of Foure-Footed Beasts and Serpents, which made the shrew ‘a ravening beast, feyning itself to be gentle and tame, but being touched it biteth deep and poisoneth deadly. It beareth a cruel mind, desiring to hurt anything, neither is there any creature it loveth or it loveth him, because it is feared of all’.
In contrast, some Native American traditions were kinder to the shrew. With its relentless search for food and survival, it was revered for its qualities of curiosity, resourcefulness and perseverance: an understanding of this fascinating and impressive creature that is so much nearer the mark.
The common shrew native to Britain is typically 5-8 cm in length and weighs just 5-12g. It must eat every 2-3 hours to stay alive and each day consume some 80-90% of its bodyweight in food – constantly hunting for insects, nuts, grain, worms, with only short snatches of sleep between. It does not hibernate, but in winter survives by shrinking, reducing its size – including its organs, skull and brain – by 30-50%, thus minimising the energy required to move, and reducing the demand for food in times of scarcity. Perhaps to avoid competing for food, the shrew is solitary and socialises only during the summer breeding season. It has an exceptionally high metabolic rate, with up to 800 breaths a minute and a heartbeat of 800 -1,000 beats a minute. Most closely related to the mole and the hedgehog, shrews are not rodents. They are the second most numerous mammal in Britain and are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981).
Through the lens of science rather than superstition and folklore, the shrew is now better understood and appreciated, but the Native American celebration of its qualities is worth holding on to. The curiosity of the shrew reminds us to sharpen our awareness, to explore, learn, ask questions, find hidden opportunities, pay attention to small details and to seek new experiences. Its resourcefulness reminds us to use our available resources wisely and with ingenuity; and its determination sets an example of diligence and tenacity in navigating life’s challenges.
MARCH DIARY
Sunday 2nd March – Last Sunday after Epiphany. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). RevdJonathan Olanczuk.
Wednesday 5th March – Ash Wednesday. 6.30pm Holy Communion with Imposition of Ashes, Holy Trinity Bungay. Revd Graham Naylor.
Sunday 9th March – First Sunday of Lent. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Canon John Fellows.
Sunday 16th March – Second Sunday of Lent. 11.15am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Desmond Banister.
Sunday 23rd March – Third Sunday of Lent. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Canon John Fellows.
Sunday 30th March – Fourth Sunday of Lent. Mothering Sunday. Benefice Service at Barsham: 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Graham Naylor.
Church correspondent: Robert Bacon 07867 306016, [email protected]