The Bishop of Buckingham

Several months ago I took exception to something posted on the Bishop of Buckingham’s blog, and in the debate which ensued invited him to come and spend a day in the parish. To his credit, and our mutual benefit, he accepted and that day was today!

Thus at 9am I met +Alan at the train station and introduced him to our parish. The early morning was spent ‘setting the scene’, as I explained the local history, tradition of our church, parish demographics etc.. We did this whilst walking the streets. A detour was made to call in at the bustling workshop for ‘Camden Road the Musical’- the Bishop was very excited by this project and I think we have sold our first ticket! We also called in at the Pre-school where the Bishop was asked to judge an ‘Easter bonnet’ competition! I am glad he did this as the responsibility always frightens me! The Bishop was very interested to hear about the preschool and our plans to transform our tired hall into a thriving community centre. He wishes us every success in the implementation of this vision and has taken a business plan home with him. (Photograph of the bonnetts to be updated later as they are on the mobile phone!)

At 11.15am the Bishop joined in the recitation of the Rosary. Due to the presence of a guest I decided to ‘unveil’ our Lady for the duration of this service. My reason being that Rosary before a bagged head might seem particularly strange to the uninitiated!:

After Rosary, the Angelus and Low Mass were offered at the Lady Chapel Altar and we then shared lunch. I must pause to congratulate the congregation here. I thought it would be the usual half dozen or so who come on a Tuesday, but in the end nearly thirty turned up in support of our parish!! This was really excellent as it allowed the Bishop to meet the people who really matter. Listening to your voices explain why the Anglo-Catholic tradition is so important is far more powerful and pertinent than letting me speak for you. I know the Bishop found this a useful and informative excercise. I was particularly delighted to hear him say to somebody that this was ‘clearly a parish in which each person is valued for who they are’. Such inclusivity is not something others always understand about us from the outside.

After lunch we toured the school and there was an opportunity to meet Headteacher and staff. There was a lot of conversation about the injustices of the town’s catchment areas and what the church might do to serve the community better. The Bishop was very taken by the very strong relationship between church and school, and rejoiced in the ‘joint vision’ which we have.

The children were a credit as always and it was a fantastic place to end the tour of the parish. I especially love this picture which captures Mrs. Anderson’s delighting in a rather outrageous comment made by the parish priest!

The day ended with tea in the Vicarage and a chance to chat things over. For my part I was taken by how much more I had in common with +Alan than one might assume based solely on the evidence of our blogs! The internet is a wonderful tool but it can be a dangerous one too. If I am honest it was far easier to talk with him, and really understand him, face to face than comment to comment online! Written text is all well and good but the ‘human element’ can be missing.

Something we agreed on was that there is not enough interaction between Christians of different traditions. The bishop rightly highlighted that one of the regretable consequences of the ‘Act of Synod’ is that we Catholics have been bundled into a clique. We are not always visible to those in the wider Diocese and this can have negative consequences. More days spent like this would be a good thing for many. Anglo-Catholics need to take this criticism on the chin for it is valid! How can we engage with the wider Church more effectively?

Another point that kept cropping up was centred around authentic holiness. The Bishop detected, and was moved by, a very real devotion in the church. Such a thing cannot be made, it is only ever grown over a great many years. He likened it to a priest of our tradition he knows who is simply effective by being holy! I suggested that though such holiness cannot be made we can cultivate the right soil in which it is grown. This was a useful dialogue as it led to the Bishop understanding that there is a need for Anglo-Catholics to be granted a fair share in the garden of the wider church in which such soil may exist! Sadly however he is not a Synod man and will have no say in the final decisions made there. Indeed he admitted to not really knowing what stage proceedings were at! I must say this shocked me rather. When your future hangs in the balance you assume all others understand the full implications…but I guess it is only human that others less concerned with such issues do not follow closely. But if Bishops are not clued up what about those on Synod itself? Hmmm I do feel that misinformation and lack of understanding may end up being our undoing far more than doctrinal difference!

Finally the Bishop gave me God’s blessing before being bundled back on a train bound for Buckingham. It was a day full of theological reflection and debate which leaves the head buzzing! But it was a rich day and a happy day. I am very grateful to Bishop Alan for spending time with us, and I am delighted he left the parish with a better understanding of our situation. He goes with our prayers and best wishes as a brother in Christ. How wonderful that we CAN still have our differences within the Church but allow them to lead us to places of deeper unity and understanding.