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Father Michael John 1952 - 1988
Harvey Father Michael Harvey
came to North Town in 1982. He was a young,
tall good looking priest with an attractive outgoing
personality.
Then, in 1986 the Sanctuary Floor around the Altar
began to collapse. This was the part of the church
which had been extended eastwards over an old boiler
house as part of the 1964 Completion Scheme. Now
natural subsidence had caused the hard core used to
fill in the old boiler room to shift badly. A lesser
man than Michael would have settled for running
repairs to the Sanctuary Floor but Michael believed
that Life's misfortunes present Life's
opportunities. So he conceived not merely
running repairs but a complete reordering of the
Church, complete redecoration and a refurbishment of
the Sanctuary.
It was a bold ambitious plan that had reached the
detailed planning stage in 1987 when Michael
contracted Cancer. He died the following year -
leaving a wife and two young children. He was 36
years old. North Town mourned as North Town has
rarely mourned.
But Michael’s dream was not abandoned. His successor
Father Keith Hodges master minded its
implementation. It included a new modern altar and
altar rails. These, as if to cock a snoot at the
enormous American Pitch Pine Pillars were built in
good old English oak and English sycamore. It was
all duly completed with a Mass of Thanksgiving at
which the Bishop of Guildford officiated on Jan 19th
1992. The ‘ poor and remote part of the Parish ‘ had
come a long way from the little tin Church of 1880.
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The following is a letter sent by Fr. Harvey to the
parishioners before his induction
The Vicarage,
Dear Friends,
As I write this still five days before the
Induction. It is Sunday morning and I sit at my desk
watching those of you who have been to the 8 a.m.
Eucharist pass by my window. Even though we don't
know anything about each other I begin to feel at
home. We have settled into the Vicarage and with all
our furniture around us things begin' to look
familiar and homely. We have also had a couple of
brief visits to your church and enjoyed the beauty
of your Floral Festival. For those of you we have
met, thank you for your welcome. One particular item
which makes me feel at home is the stone of St.
Augustine’s Abbey that you have in your church, I
spent a year at St. Augustine’s Canterbury, after
University, where I trained for the Ministry. We
also feel at home because we are moving into another
Christian family, and we share that common life in
Christ - brothers and sisters together.
I take this opportunity of thanking-- Alec and Mick,
and their wives Hilda and Patsy, for helping us in
so many ways both before and since our move. I could
say much more, but a simple 'thank you' is enough.
I want to express three themes which 1 hope will be
abiding attitudes for us at St. Augustine’s as we
worship and work together in the coming months, no
doubt they are attitudes which you practice anyway
but to remind ourselves of them will not be amiss.
We shall need to listen to each other. Listening is
a great gift. It is often not what .we say but how
we listen that can be so constructive. Having a new
priest can be a worrying time for a parish, and
working in a new parish can be a worrying time for
the priest. Whatever happens and where ever we go in
the future I hope that we can go together. We can do
this best if we listen to each other, and above all
spend time listening to God. There is no substitute
for time spent quietly in God's presence.
We shall also need to laugh. From the little I have
seen of you there seems to be plenty of laughter. I
am sure that laughter is close to the heart of God.
When things get difficult or mundane let us laugh,
laugh at ourselves, laugh with each other and laugh
with God. I do net mean superficial laughter, but a
laughter and joy which has its source in God.
And of course we shall need to know the great
Christian theme of love. We receive the deep love of
Christ in the Holy Eucharist. May our love for Our
Lord and each other grow each day. And may this love
spill out of our Church and into our parish.
There is much ahead of us. I confess that I don't
know what it is, but we must go ahead in faith. I
have the feeling that if we can listen to, laugh
with, and love, both God and each other, then the
future will hold many unexpected and exciting
things.
I look forward to meeting you all at Church and in
your homes.
Father Michael.
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Written and performed
by Father Michael Harvey for the Harvest SupperWhen I was a lad
I went to see
The mighty Bishop
of the Guildford See.
He said to me there's a parish in my care
We need an idiot that we can spare
I said• my Lord
I'll be quite pleased
to be a vicar
in this Diocese.
And then he said with a worried frown
It’s Saint Augustine's in North Town.
When I was the Vicar
I went to see
Alec and Mick
and the P.C.C.
They said to me don't take us to Rome
Or we'll put you on your bike and send you home
I said but please
I love the Pope
Candles, bells and lots of smoke.
But they all said with a worried frown
This is Saint Augustine's in North Town.
Now I am the Vicar
I want to be
The man in charge
of the P.C.C.
They said to each other he's got to go
We’ll kick him out on his elbow.
I said but please
Kick out Rite B
I want a new Liturgy.
But they all said with a worried frown
This is Saint Augustine's in North Town.
The problem is
it seems to me
You really can't win
with the P.C.C.
The Vicar's too fast or he's much too slow
He's much too High or he's much too low.
And he gives us all
a lot of stick
about being Catholic.
But they all said with a worried frown
This is Saint Augustine's in North Town.
And now my dears
A little tease
Please spend more time
on your knees.
This ain't a local Bowling Club
But a church where we worship God.
So dirty your hands
and work with me
this is my only plea.
But they all said with a worried frown
This is Saint Augustine's in North Town.
Institution Order of Service Cover
The Funeral Mass Order of Service Cover
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