Vicar's Letter	Archive
I am writing this in the third week of Eastertide; it is good to remember that the forty days of Lent are matched by forty days of Easter which culminate on Ascension Day on 2nd June. The first Sunday after Easter Sunday is traditionally referred to as ‘Low Sunday’, presumably this relates to the attendance figures being a little down on the previous Sunday. For us at St Cross, particularly this year, Low Sunday came and went with no sense of ‘lowness’ at all! Yes the numbers were lower than those of Easter Sunday, but in all other respects we continued very much in celebratory mood. This was helped along by our having a Church family Wedding, that of Laura Broughton and Marcus Garcia-Bradley, following on from all the national celebrations around the Royal Wedding which so many of us enjoyed. Many aspects of the Royal wedding will stay in my memory for a long time to come. The Bishop of London’s sermon which began with this quotation from Catherine of Siena on whose Feast day the wedding took place: ‘Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.’ gave much for all of us to ponder. The prayer he included and that was composed by Catherine and William showed just how much careful thought had been given by the couple to their marriage celebration. The choice of music will be remembered by some – for me a highlight was the Parry ‘I was glad’ sung as the Bride entered the Abbey. And others will remember the fashions – for me I have been so pleased this week to discover more about how the lace work on the bride’s dress was done. I was prompted then to look more closely at the photographs with the aid of a magnifying glass! With my interest in lace, and bobbin lace in particular, I was fascinated to see how the lace motifs of the rose, the thistle, the shamrock and the daffodil, representing the whole of the British Isles, were first hand cut from bobbin lace and needle lace made in England (Cluny Lace)and France (Chantilly lace) and then appliquéd onto the ivory silk tulle by the team from the Royal School of Needlework, using what is known as the Carrickmacross technique which originated in Ireland in the 1820’s. Interestingly it was nuns who revived lace making in Carrickmacross, Ireland. This brings me to the two nuns who had two of the best seats in the Abbey for the Royal wedding and about whom there has been much speculation in the press, with one article even suggesting that they were in fact MI5 agents in disguise, there for security reasons! In fact they were there because they are serving as chaplains to the Abbey staff – a lovely reminder that all of us, clergy included, need support and prayer in our ministry to, and care of, others. And then this week I have come across this from ‘The Tablet’ entitled Sermon in trainers. ‘In less than 12 months, Great Britain has been given two opportunities to regain its soul, its inner sanctum. The first was Pope Benedict’s address in Westminster Hall last September, and the second was a few mitres away in Westminster Abbey last Friday at the royal wedding. The prayer of William and Catherine was powerfully spiritual and full of modern - ity. The sermon, by Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, was strong advice for every married couple, especially the two young people he addressed. The fact that the nun, as chaplain to Westminster Abbey, was wearing a pair of cheap trainers spoke volumes – a vow of poverty amid the leaders of fashion and the royalty of the world. Three sermons in one, the last being the most impressive.’ (Fr) Tom Grufferty Havant, Hampshire In this month of June we celebrate the Ascension (on 2nd) and then with the first apostles we await with expectation the coming of the promised Holy Spirit celebrated at Pentecost (on 12th). I close this letter with the Ascension Day blessing, reminiscent of those words of Catherine of Siena quoted at the beginning: May the Spirit, who set the Church on fire upon the day of Pentecost, bring the world alive with the love of the risen Christ. And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.

Vicar's Letter

Archive

I am writing this in the third week of Eastertide; it is good to remember that the forty days of Lent are matched by forty days of Easter which culminate on Ascension Day on 2nd June. The first Sunday after Easter Sunday is traditionally referred to as ‘Low Sunday’, presumably this relates to the attendance figures being a little down on the previous Sunday. For us at St Cross, particularly this year, Low Sunday came and went with no sense of ‘lowness’ at all! Yes the numbers were lower than those of Easter Sunday, but in all other respects we continued very much in celebratory mood. This was helped along by our having a Church family Wedding, that of Laura Broughton and Marcus Garcia-Bradley, following on from all the national celebrations around the Royal Wedding which so many of us enjoyed.
Many aspects of the Royal wedding will stay in my memory for a long time to come. The Bishop of London’s sermon which began with this quotation from Catherine of Siena on whose Feast day the wedding took place:
‘Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.’
gave much for all of us to ponder. The prayer he included and that was composed by Catherine and William showed just how much careful thought had been given by the couple to their marriage celebration. The choice of music will be remembered by some – for me a highlight was the Parry ‘I was glad’ sung as the Bride entered the Abbey.
And others will remember the fashions – for me I have been so pleased this week to discover more about how the lace work on the bride’s dress was done. I was prompted then to look more closely at the photographs with the aid of a magnifying glass! With my interest in lace, and bobbin lace in particular, I was fascinated to see how the lace motifs of the rose, the thistle, the shamrock and the daffodil, representing the whole of the British Isles, were first hand cut from bobbin lace and needle lace made in England (Cluny Lace)and France (Chantilly lace) and then appliquéd onto the ivory silk tulle by the team from the Royal School of Needlework, using what is known as the Carrickmacross technique which originated in Ireland in the 1820’s.
Interestingly it was nuns who revived lace making in Carrickmacross, Ireland. This brings me to the two nuns who had two of the best seats in the Abbey for the Royal wedding and about whom there has been much speculation in the press, with one article even suggesting that they were in fact MI5 agents in disguise, there for security reasons! In fact they were there because they are serving as chaplains to the Abbey staff – a lovely reminder that all of us, clergy included, need support and prayer in our ministry to, and care of, others. And then this week I have come across this from ‘The Tablet’ entitled Sermon in trainers.

‘In less than 12 months, Great Britain has been given two opportunities to regain its soul, its
inner sanctum. The first was Pope Benedict’s address in Westminster Hall last September,
and the second was a few mitres away in Westminster Abbey last Friday at the royal
wedding. The prayer of William and Catherine was powerfully spiritual and full of modern -
ity. The sermon, by Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, was strong advice for every
married couple, especially the two young people he addressed. The fact that the nun, as
chaplain to Westminster Abbey, was wearing a pair of cheap trainers spoke volumes – a vow
of poverty amid the leaders of fashion and the royalty of the world. Three sermons in one,
the last being the most impressive.’
(Fr) Tom Grufferty
Havant, Hampshire

In this month of June we celebrate the Ascension (on 2nd) and then with the first apostles we await with expectation the coming of the promised Holy Spirit celebrated at Pentecost (on 12th). I close this letter with the Ascension Day blessing, reminiscent of those words of Catherine of Siena quoted at the beginning:
May the Spirit,
who set the Church on fire upon the day of Pentecost,
bring the world alive with the love of the risen Christ.
And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.