Dear Friends,
I am writing this as Alison and I travel back to New York. I can’t believe that it is Labor Day weekend already – the summer seems to have flown by. My late grandmother said that a sign of growing older was the apparent speeding up of the passage of time; it certainly is a contrast to my memories of long journeys in a car with my parents as a young boy, when my sister and I would call out “Are we nearly there yet?” every fifteen minutes!
My retreat with the Sisters of the Love of God was very nourishing and it was good to spend most of it in silence. The coming program year will be very full because of the Bicentennial Celebrations that will color much of the liturgical year.
It was a delight to see our family and spend lots of time with our grandchildren; they are growing so fast!
However, the weather in the UK during most of August was awful – it rained almost every day. By contrast, when we were in Italy, there was a heatwave and it was uncomfortably hot even during the night.
One of the joys of travelling to different countries is visiting beautiful places of worship, but especially worshipping in them in different languages and with different customs. One of the most notable was the great Duomo of Milan where Alison and I attended the Capitular Mass last Sunday. The patron saint of Milan is St. Ambrose, who was Bishop of Milan in the formative years of the established Christian Church in the Roman Empire from 374 to 397. He was a great theologian and also a great stateman, and the Eucharistic Rite used in the Archdiocese of Milan is named after him.
There are a number of differences with the Roman Rite that we also find in many Anglican Rites, most notably the peace coming before the Offertory. The chant Agnus Dei is not used; the fraction of the host happens in a different place; the Celebrant blesses all the lectors, and not just the Deacon for the Gospel Reading; the Creed comes after the preparation of the gifts; the color red is used for the Sundays after Pentecost and not green. It was fascinating, but especially when the we saw the thurible used: Instead of simply swinging the thurible towards the object or the person being honored, the minister would first swing the thurible in a full circle. This happened every time the thurible was swung; it was very dramatic! Please do let me know if you also worshipped in different places and in different traditions.
Wherever you are this Labor Day weekend, I pray that you will be blessed and enjoy the latter part of the summer. In a few days, our Choir School will begin a new term, and we will welcome back the full choir. A reminder that our last Summer Feast Day will be held on September 8 – the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – with a Solemn Eucharist sung by the Gentlemen of the Choir at 5:30 pm and followed by wine and cheese and soft drinks.
Finally, there will be a special celebration on the Eve of St. Michael and All Angels when Mother Turner celebrates the 25th anniversary of her ordination to the Sacred Priesthood in Chelmsford Cathedral in 1998. A priest’s silver jubilee is an important milestone in their journey of faith, and an opportunity to pause and to take stock. Please mark your calendars and celebrate this milestone with Alison at 5:30 pm on Thursday, September 28. Our preacher will be Father John David van Dooren, from the Church of the Transfiguration. There will be a brief party afterwards in Andrew Hall.
I look forward to seeing many of you on Sunday and catching up on all your news.
Affectionately,
Your Priest and Pastor,
Carl
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GrandchildrenSt. Ambrose
Milan Cathedral
