THE P RTAL
May 2014
UK Pages - page 15
Anglican
We must not
News
allow ourselves
to become
more separated from
our fellow Christians
Abishop
(now retired) used to say that he was in communion with anyone who loves Our Lady
or is in communion with the Church of England’s Pensions Board! As a member of that Board I can
assure all readers that we administer the investments and pay out the benefits without distinction between
those clergy (and lay workers) who remain in the Church of England and those who have joined another
Communion or who have lost their faith.
There will be many clergy in the Ordinariate who will hat and coat and she gave a smile to each recipient,
need the pensionable service earned in the Church of chatting with a few. Choristers from Her Majesty’s
Chapel Royal joined the Cathedral choir to sing music
England to help keep them now or in the future.
by Handel, Stainer and Wesley among others.
Yet in other areas there sometimes seems to develop
The Yeoman of the Guard were on duty in their
a greater chasm than ought to exist between those who
remain in the Church of England and those who have splendid uniforms, adding extra colour to that provided
left. Personal friendships sometimes become more by the many hatted ladies (who had to struggle with a
distant or even strained. I have been reflecting on this very strong wind). Jack Straw, Member of Parliament
during Lent and wondering if I have been partly to for Blackburn and former Foreign Secretary, read the
second lesson from Matthew 25 about serving Christ
blame.
in serving others in a wonderful way, drawing out its
There is no local Ordinariate group in Fleetwood, full meaning.
but we have good relations with our local Catholic
Parish of St Wulstan. In the past we have held joint our noble Duke
The service ended with the singing of the National
pilgrimages to Walsingham and during Lent we hold
joint Stations of the Cross on Sunday afternoons, Anthem in the traditional form in the County Palatine
of Lancashire ‘God save our gracious Queen, Long live
alternating between the two churches.
our noble Duke’ as the Queen is Duke of Lancaster.
more distant or even strained.
Last year local Anglican clergy were asked to suggest
possible recipients for the Royal Maundy, which was
to be held in Lancashire this year. We were asked
to consult ecumenical colleagues if we thought it
appropriate. It obviously was appropriate and it was
a great joy to find, after a long process of sifting by
the Cathedral Dean, Lord Lieutenant’s office and
Buckingham Palace, that St Nicholas’ Fleetwood and
St Wulstan’s Fleetwood each had a recipient.
The only sadness was that the Bishops of Lancaster
and Salford could not be present in the ecumenical
procession as they were presiding at their Chrism
Masses in their respective cathedrals – the Holy
Week timetable in the