29th June 2003
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
The honest man must be a perpetual renegade, the life of an honest man a perpetual infidelity. For the man who wishes to remain faithful to truth must make himself perpetually unfaithful to all the continual, successive, indefatigable, renascent errors. Charles Péguy
Truth is a clumsy scullery maid who breaks the dishes as she washes them up.
Karl Kraus
WELCOME
Welcome to our services. The order of the Eucharist is from "A Prayer Book for Australia". We like our worship to flow, so there are few directions given during the service. In the printed version not this Web Page version page numbers are given as are the Prayer of the Day, Readings, Psalm and Hymn Numbers.
PRAYER OF THE WEEK
O God, You have given me flashes of understanding, glimpses of eternity, hints which can only be followed by guesses. Let me follow the hint half guessed, the gift half understood, keeping faithful in prayer, discipline and obedience, until you make your presence felt again and lead me into deeper knowledge, truer truth, more loving love, timeless peace and union with you, O blessed and eternal One. Georg Appleton
THE LAST WORD
With due solemnity, for two hundred years, the vintage port after dinner has been passed clockwise round the table. It is a tradition which has persisted, with only regrettable lapses, up until the present time. It is told of an English country Squire who had, as such men do, raised a large family of children, that at the birth of each child he had laid down in his cellar twelve dozen bottles of very fine port. Every morning his butler, with the aid of a candle and a subtle hand in pulling the cork released the nectar into a Waterford decanter, making sure that none of the sediment leaked into the glass. In childhood his children put up with the ceremony. In the mischief of adolescence they decided one day to call father's bluff. They poured the nectar from his decanter into the rose garden and replace it with something they had collected for a few shillings from the local grocer. After dinner they watched wide-eyed as the old man settled again into his port. Nosing it, he said: "Magnificent!" Bursting their sides, the children revealed where they had bought it. The old man pressed the bell for his butler. "How long have you worked for me, James?" "Thirty one years, sir." "You are sacked. You have been selling my Taylor's 1927 to the village grocer."
LAUGHING WITH ANGLO-CATHOLICS
Fr Andrew Neaum
The Anglican Church spans the divide between Protestant and Catholic, calling itself both Catholic and Reformed, the via media (middle way). High Church is Catholic or Anglo Catholic, Low Church is Protestant. In Australia the Diocese of Sydney, barring a few aberrant parishes that are exceptions to the rule, is almost totally so Low Church that it has all but fallen out of Anglicanism altogether. To go to one of its typical churches is little different from attending a Baptist Church. My own inclinations are High, though I have never been an extremist, tempering my tastes to suit the parish and people among whom I minister.
You can get away with anything in a good Anglo-Catholic establishment. At the 7.00am Eucharist in Harare Cathedral one Sunday, my server asked me if he could wear his masonic apron. It was an important anniversary of his reception into the masons. Assuming that he meant to wear the apron discreetly beneath his cassock, I assented. To my horror he came to the sacristy door, to process up the long aisle, with the gaudiest of tassled, red and gold aprons dangling beneath the front of his cotta. I was far too soft-hearted to tell him to remove it, so in we processed, he in happy pride, I in trepidation. What would people make of it? No one commented at all. Those who noticed must have assumed it to be just another extravagant Anglo-Catholic aberration!
I love Anglo-Catholicism. Although it is probably its sometimes extravagant and colourful worship that first attracts many folk to it, there needs to be much more than that to make it truly admirable. John Ruskin makes this point in a splendid diatribe written in response to Augustus Pugin's conversion to Rome in 1850: "....of all fatuities, the basest is the being lured into the Romanist Church by the glitter of it, like larks into a trap by broken glass; to be blown into a change of religion by the whine of an organ-pipe; stitched into a new creed by gold threads on priests' petticoats; jangled into a change of conscience by the chimes of a belfry. I know nothing in the shape of error so dark as this, no imbecility so absolute, no treachery so contemptible...."
Acceptable Anglo Catholicism
Anglo-Catholicism's real appeal lies in beautiful liturgy, certainly, but also in its devotion to the sweet good sense of sacramentalism (God acknowledged and known in the bread and wine of ordinariness), in its ability to cope realistically and honestly with human frailty and sin, in its sense of historical continuity and awareness of tradition, in its appreciation of “the holy” and mastery at evoking it, in its ability to move the heart as well as the head to devotion, and in the will to good works as well as to prayer. Above all else authentic Anglo-Catholicism has fun, laughter and love at its heart as well as sanctity. Only when it becomes grimly fanatical and defensive does it become offensive and unacceptable.
A Feather Of St Michael
Colin Stephenson's book, "Merrily on High", captures the right note. His extreme anglo-catholicism was tempered by a great love of people, a relish for their eccentricities and foibles and a delicious sense of humour and fun. He ended up as successor to the famous Father Hope Patten as Warden of the Shrine of our Lady at Walsingham. In "Walsingham Way" he records that Father Hope Patten was an enthusiastic collector of relics, albeit with a somewhat “cigarette card collecting” approach. "When some young men enclosed a feather in a reliquary and labelled it St Michael, so that a rather innocent nun placed it on the altar, he was furiously angry....."
The Lunatic Son
In "Merrily on High" Stephenson recalls the extreme Anglo-Catholic Fr Arthur Wagner of Brighton who built huge basilica-like churches.... "when the Brighton Corporation, horrified by the height of St Bart's, refused permission for another building of the same proportions, he excavated for the Church Of The Resurrection so that one entered at the head of a mighty flight of steps. It did not withstand the damp very well and by the time I knew it it had already been turned into a refrigerated meat store..... His father, the Vicar of Brighton, seeing his son pouring away the family fortune on these extraordinary buildings preached from the text: ‘Lord have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatick’ (Matt17:15KJV). Once when after some trouble Fr Wagner sacked both his curates the sermon was preached on the text: ‘Stay ye here with the ass, while I and the lad go yonder.’" (Gen 22:5)
Ridiculous Anglo-Catholicism
The book "Merrily on High" is full of such delightful anecdotes and is required reading for anyone wishing to understand the appeal, humour and fun of Anglo-Catholicism. Stephenson's reminiscences are delightful because, although an extravagant extremist, his humour indicates a sense of proportion in him in spite of this. There is truly something ridiculous about Anglo-Catholicism. Above all others Anglo-Catholics themselves need to see this. That its ridiculousness can be seen by so many of them without diluting their devotion to it, is another reason to love Anglo-Catholicism and take it seriously.
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Aaron Willison who celebrates his birthday today, the 29th, to Georgina Edgar for Tuesday the 1st and to Doug Elliot for Thursday the 3rd.
DREAMING
Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives. Charles Fisher
HALITOSIS
A couple of weeks ago I noticed on the ABC Website the following: Mr Beazley says Mr Latham's contributions to the leadership debate have been unhelpful. "Everybody in the Labor Party or most people in the Labor Party await with baited breath for him to do as much damage to the Liberal Party as he does to the Labor Party and taxi drivers," Mr Beazley said. Really? Everyone in the Labor party suffers from halitosis then! Baiting their breath with a stink foul enough to attract Mr Latham to violence! Breathless breath is bated not baited.
SNOW TRIP
The Diocesan Youth Ministry Snow Trip takes place from the 1st to the 2nd of August. There is more inform-ation on the table in the Narthex as well as application forms.
PARKING ON THE APRON
Feel free to drop people off at the door of St John's but, for safety reasons to do with emergency entrance and exit, please don't park your car on the apron. Move on to park elsewhere and then return to pick your passenger up.
RACHMANINOV VESPERS
At 8.00pm on Saturday the 19th of July in the Cathedral in Wangaratta, the Melbourne Chorale with over a 100 voices are singing Rachmaninov's Vespers. This will be a rich and rewarding experience. There are more details in the Narthex. $25 concession $20.
THANK YOU
Grace Cogdell, once more fiddle-fit and fully recovered from her fall, thanks all her parish friends for their support, prayers and love.
BILLETING
The Victorian Welsh Male voice Choir will be performing at St John's on Saturday August 16th. We are seeking offers of accommodation on that night for some choir members. Required: 4 double/twin and 6 single. If you can assist please ring Lyla Richards 60243271 as soon as possible, the choir needs to know if we can oblige.
SACKAN
The Sewing Group meet this Thursday at 9.30am in the Narthex to enjoy themselves while doing some good work. Newcomers are welcome.
RAFFLE
Our 2003 Raffle is due to start on 17th July. Tickets will be sold on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at various venues around Wodonga and Albury. Jenny Elford is desperate for help!! If you feel you can volunteer to sit in the beautiful winter sun and sell tickets, please ring Jenny on 60591212.
BUILDING COMMITTEE
There is a meeting of the Building committee in the Narthex on Tuesday at 7.30pm
PASTORAL CARE EUCHARIST
On Wednesday the 10.00am Eucharist is followed by a cup of tea and a nibble. This is to encourage those who find it difficult to get out to Church to come along and enjoy both church and then a yarn in good company. Please think of someone to give a lift to and bring a plate of something good for morning tea.
BUS TRIP
Fr Andrew is being inducted as Rector of Shepparton on Friday the 17th of October at 7.30pm. The choir hopes to be in attendance and we plan to hire a bus if there are enough takers. It will leave Wodonga at about 4.30pm and leave to return no later than 10.00pm. Cost $18. Sign up on the list in the narthex
THANK YOU
Marion Ellis thanks all those who prayed for her recovery from her recent operation and sent cards. It was much appreciated.
FISH AND CHIPS
The Fish and Chips night takes place on Wednesday 23rd July at 6.00pm. The price remains at a mere $5.00 per head. Please put your name and number of those coming on the list in the Narthex. The list closes on Sunday 7th July.
DUTIES up to & including 29th June
Cleaning & Tea Team 9
Readers Jean Ardern, Margaret Morse, Lyla Richards
Eucharistic Assistant Roger and Cheryl Cobcroft
Intercessor Celebrant
Door Gaye Petzke, Melissa Watson, Shirley Boynton
Vestry Dave Gillard
Mowing Nil
Narthex Clare Russell & Liz Elliott
Linen Wendy McGregor
Welcome Table Anne Andrews, Jenny Elford
Servers Tabitha, Paige, Ryan, Candice, Aimee, Howard
DUTIES up to & including 6th July
Cleaning & Tea Team 10
Readers Gaye Petzke, Sylvia Gillard, Jenny Schubert
Eucharistic Assistant Margaret Andrews, Wilma Drummond
Intercessor Celebrant
Door Joan Redman, Daniel Saunders, Phil Watt
Vestry Bill Elkington
Mowing Nil
Narthex Rosemary Cadman
Linen Linda McWaters
Welcome Table Rosemary Cadman, Volunteer
Servers Jayne, Caldwell, Daniel, Travis, Jess, Catherine
IMPORTANT DATES
July 8th Stewardship Meeting 2.00pm
July 23rd Fish and Chip night
July 27th Confirmation Day
Jul 30th 2.00pm Pastoral Care Committee
Aug 14th-15th Choral Festival
Aug 16th Welsh Choir
Aug 20th 2.00pm Pastoral Care Committee
Aug 24th Hall Opening and Thanksgiving Lunch
Sep 17th Friends of our Lady Eucharist & Coffee Morn
Sept 24th 2.00pm Pastoral Care Group
Oct 5th St Francistide Pet Service
Oct 12th Farewell Service and lunch for Neaums
Oct 22nd 2.00pm Pastoral Care Committee
Oct 25th Flower Show and Fete
Nov 23rd Bishop's Pastoral Visit
Nov 26th 2.00pm Pastoral Care Group
Dec 3rd Combined Friends of our Lady & Pastoral Care
FOR PRAYER
The Sick
Ed Baumgarten, Jean Byrnes, Betty Caldow, Eunice Charlton, Sally Craven, Gwen Goldsworthy, Joyce Hall, Robert Jones, Andrew Kleinert, Edna Naismith, Bobby Nicholson, Thora Pyke, Bob Phillips, Simone Rattray Reid, Val Saunders, Pam Willoughby, Heather
Rest in Peace
Blanche Coyle, Doris Caton, Klaus Radtke
Anniversary of Death.
Gwendoline Cole, Edward Bennets, Jack Skepper, William O'Connell 29th, Annie Gordon, Leonard Gilbert 1st, Jean Turton, John May 2nd, James Kneebone 3rd, Lillian Jenkins, Violet Cook, Keith Riordan, Gertrude Filby 4th.
THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH
Monday 30th June
Fr Andrew's Day off
7.15am Mattins & Eucharist - St John's
5.00pm Evening Prayer - St John's
Tuesday 1st July
7.15am Mattins & Eucharist - St John's
9.00am Pastoral Care - Parish Office
Clergy Hospital Visits
1.00pm Ministers' Fellowship - Sacred Heart
5.00pm Evening Prayer - St John's
7.30pm Building Committee Meeting - Narthex
Wednesday 2nd July
7.15am Mattins - Emmanuel
8.30pm Churchwardens' Meeting - Rectory
9.00am Meditation - Narthex
10.00am Eucharist (Pastoral Care) - St John's
10.00am Home Communions
5.00pm Evening Prayer - St John's
Thursday 3rd July
7.15am Mattins & Eucharist - St John's
11.00am Eucharist - Westlands
1..30pm Eucharist - Osburn Lodge
7.30pm Choir Practice - St John's
Friday 4th July
7.15am Mattins & Eucharist (trad rite) - St John's
5.00pm Evening Prayer - St John's
7.30pm Jazz Evening - Narthex
Saturday 5th July
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - St John's
6.00pm Vigil Eucharist - St John's
4th Sunday after Pentecost July 6th
7.30am Said Eucharist - St John's
9.00am Eucharist - Emmanuel
9.30am Eucharist - St John's
11.00am Eucharist - Talgarno
7.00pm Evening Prayer - St John's