THE
P RTAL
September 2012
Page 16
F a t h e r P e t e r ’s P a ge
Glorious diversity:
but one Faith
When I joined the Church of England as a teenager, I can remember the claims made concerning her
‘diversity’. Although I was told (warned?) that I would ‘experience’ different emphasis and diverse qualities
of ‘celebration’ throughout the Church of England (and the Anglican Communion) it was emphasised that
this was part of the ‘strength’ of the Church reflecting her tolerance and ‘breadth’. Nowhere is this more
apparent than on August 15 each year.
‘Glorious Assumption’
The Feast of the ‘Glorious Assumption’ (and both
words hang together) of Mary is one of the great
celebrations of the Church. In my Anglican travels I
have experienced its silence/denial in the Archdiocese
of Sydney, Australia; its ‘neutral’/ambiguous deference
in the Episcopal Church of the USA, and English
Cathedrals using the Alternative Service Book
Calendar where reference is made to ‘the Blessed
Virgin Mary’ – but the deafening silence that allows
one to ‘celebrate’ what one wants!; through to the full
triumphant acclaim in South Africa and South Korea!
outright incongruity
Gradually I came to realise that this was not ‘diversity’
but ‘contradiction’. The end of the life on earth of the
greatest Saint of Christendom; the proclamation of
a true understanding of the Communion of Saints;
and a full appreciation of what is meant by ‘Church’
were being ‘affirmed’ and ‘denied’ at the same time
within the same ‘body’ of Christians! Here we had
not just ‘diversity’ of style and/or flavour; but outright
incongruity.
Missa. But as well as a splendid ‘High Mass’ on the feast
day I also experienced something I had often read about
and studied, but never witnessed before.
Unity and Diversity
At dawn, just as the sun was rising, I was allowed
to enter to Abbey Church and in the atmospheric
darkened nave to observe at every side altar, a priest
and server celebrate in silence the great feast of the
Assumption. Yes! Here was a Unity and Diversity I
had never beheld before.
diversity but no denial
In the Catholic World, like in my Anglican days, I
have found a diversity of celebration: often reflecting
the culture and life styles of varied communities. But
amongst the variety there was no denial; rather an
affirmation of the one faith expressed in a variety of
ways. It is this ‘diversity’ and ‘variety’ within a world-
wide Communion – but all united with one belief –
that is one of the GREAT strengths of Catholicism.
to find an ‘English way’
John Henry Newman was fully aware of this
prodigious fact: You could not expect, he claimed,
In contrast, during my time as a Catholic, I have always Durham miners to scatter flower petals like Sicilians
tried to ‘celebrate’ the great feast of the Assumption in before a statue of Our Lady! He believed there was an
different surroundings. Outwardly, there seems to be ‘English’ tone which reflected our ‘reserve’: Hence his
also great ‘diversity’. I have been to Chartres in France, criticism and reluctance to believe that Catholicism in
where I have participated in a wonderful outdoors the UK could only have an Italian flavour. Rather it
celebration; to Portugal, where there was a great was necessary to find an ‘English way’ to “protect the
Mediterranean fiesta; and this year I was at the Abbey doctrine of the Incarnation, and to preserve the faith
monastery of Notre-Dame de Fontgombault.
of Catholics from a specious humanitarianism”. Such
he believed was enshrined in a full understanding of
over a hundred monks
Mary and the joyful celebration of her feasts.
Here, in a place often referred to by Pope Benedict XVI,
Vive la difference in our celebrations. One Faith;
is the most populous of Solesmes’ foundations, with over
a hundred monks. They celebrated Mass in Latin using One Church; One Lord.
the traditional pre-Vatican II rite as in the 1962 Roman
Father Peter Geldard
great ‘diversity’