THE P
RTAL
Our window into the CofE
The Revd Paul Benfield
October 2018 Page 11 Anglican News
For many years , a Church of England Sunday congregation met at a school in Carleton in the parish of Poulton-le-Fylde , Lancashire . It was not ideal as everything had to be set up each week for the Sunday Eucharist and there was no possibility of weekday services as the school building was not available . The then local Catholic priest offered to let them use his Church of St Martin de Porres . ‘ Just come ;” he said “ with no strings ”.
And so , one Sunday the Anglicans , under the patronage of St Hilda of Whitby , processed from the school to the church and were welcomed by the Catholics who stayed on after their mass to applaud them as they arrived . Things went well and members of both congregations helped re-decorate the church building .
As friendships grew and co-operation developed , it was decided to put the matter on a formal footing and so an agreement was signed under the Sharing of Church Buildings Act 1969 . I was privileged to attend , as diocesan registrar , the thanksgiving service on the 20 th anniversary of the signing of the agreement . At it we heard how the two congregations had worked together to bring a portacabin on site so that children ’ s work could be done and then raise money for the building of a fine new hall which is used by both congregations and the local community .
The Anglicans meet for the Eucharist at 11.00am on Sundays and at other times in the week . The Catholics have no problem with the fact that there have been a series of women curates serving there who wear the same vestments as the Catholic priest .
The service was based on our common baptism and showed what can be done ecumenically without sacrificing what either church believes or holds dear .
The same can be done within the Church of England where there are different views ( sometimes contradictory ) on various matters . I am writing this piece in London after attending a three-day conference called ‘ God ’ s Church in the World : the Gift of Catholic Mission ’ which was organised jointly by Forward in Faith and Anglican Catholic Future . The latter is a group which accepts the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate ( and is distinct from Affirming Catholicism ). Members of both groups had been at a joint retreat / consultation at the Royal Foundation of St Katherine at Limehouse , at which
the idea of the conference was conceived . It was felt that in the current Church of England there seems to be a view that the only people who can do mission are evangelicals who do it in the style of Holy Trinity , Brompton .
The conference , which was for bishops , priests , deacons and ordinands , was over-subscribed which was encouraging . It took place with a grant from the Church Commissioners and with the blessing of the Archbishop of Canterbury who kindly invited participants to Lambeth Palace for one day of the conference . He welcomed us and made some introductory remarks before departing for America .
Speakers included Bishop Rowan Williams , former Archbishop of Canterbury ; Bishop Philip North , Bishop of Burnley ; the Revd Canon Professor Alison Milbank , Priest Vicar of Southwell Minster and associate professor at the University of Nottingham in the Department of Theology and Religion ; The Revd Dr Andrew Davison , Stourbridge Lecturer in Theology and the Natural Sciences at Cambridge . There were keynote addresses and various seminars . Although non-residential , there was plenty of time for fellowship and mutual flourishing over meals , including at a dinner at St Andrew ’ s Holborn .
The whole was set in the context of worship including a choral evensong and sung mass at St Dunstan in the West , Fleet Street . Obviously , in order to cater for all present , the officiants at worship had to be men ordained in the historic apostolic succession , and so the Bishop of Burnley and the Bishop of Fulham presided . Other bishops present included Richborough , Ebbsfleet , Ely and Croydon .
I wonder if members of the Ordinariate and Forward in Faith will ever be able to put their differences aside and do something together for the sake of the gospel and mission .