Dear Friends,
Those who pay close attention to the Prayers of the People on Sundays may have noticed that we have dropped “Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury” from our petitions. Why? The simple answer is that Justin Welby stepped down from the position last month, and the See of Canterbury is currently vacant. It will take some time to find just the right person to fill it.
The more complicated answer is that Archbishop Welby resigned under pressure. Welby’s critics claimed that his institutional response to an historic case of sexual misconduct was inadequate. While the Archbishop himself was uninvolved in any transgression, some think he should have done more to shine the light onto the dark deeds of one person in particular, and safeguard the church from further harm. Still others are claiming that the Archbishop’s resignation and the scandal currently roiling the Church of England are both signs of a declining institution.
I make no pretension to expertise in contemporary English church affairs. We have prayed for the Archbishop of Canterbury (and we will pray for whoever comes next) not because the occupant of the chair is akin to our Pope. Rather, the Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church in the United States is a member. Our historic, theological, cultural, and liturgical ties are deep. Our ongoing global partnership enriches our faith.
As for the Church of England being in decline, such was not my impression at all when I visited London last April. Admittedly, my sample size is small, but St. George’s Church, Hanover Square, our companion parish for two years now, is a bustling, urban congregation. They have a rich music tradition, a vital outreach ministry, and they are closely associated with a school that bears their name, as are we. This year they are celebrating their tercentenary – 300 years of ministry all in the same glorious, Georgian building. George Frideric Handel lived around the corner, and was an active parishioner for many years while he composed Messiah. President Theodore Roosevelt was married there.
This Sunday it will be our delight to have the Rev. Roderick Leece with us at Grace Church. “Roddy” is only the 13th Rector of St. George’s Church in its 300 year history. By contrast, I am the 14th Rector of Grace Church in our 217 years (yes, I am doing my part to raise the average term of service). Roddy will preach at the 9 and 11 am services, lead the Sunday Forum at 10 am, and hold forth at coffee hour after the 11 am service. At the Sunday Forum he will continue our series entitled “The Shape of the Liturgy,” and focus on the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, which the people of St. George’s Church use every Sunday.
All “Book of Common Prayer” matters aside, since Roddy arrived at the rectory yesterday I have been pressing him for information about St. George’s Church – the building itself. At 300 years old, it is apparently water tight. Meanwhile, the name of the game at our beloved 179-year old edifice called Grace Church continues to be “Whack-a-Leak.” Tell us the secret, Roddy, of how to keep the water out. We’d like to know.
See you in church,
Don