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REACHING OUT
St. AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH NEWSLETTER
SUMMER 2006 NO 62
JUBILEE
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Not another one for the Queen! On 28th June I
celebrate the silver jubilee of my ordination to
the priesthood in 1981. I can of course remember
not only the Queen's Golden jubilee, but her
silver jubilee in 1977, the year l went off to
Chichester theological college, 'Chi High', to
begin my training as a priest salad days in that
quiet cathedral city, croquet on the lawn, and
if not quite honey for tea, a bottle of beer
after evensong to wash down one's supper.
It was a bit of a culture shock moving to
South London as a fresh curate, and a bigger
shock when the Vicar said he was off to the West
lndies for a couple of months my ministry had
begun, that first call, ' Father, Come quick,
we've just found a dead man in the flats, can
you come and say a prayer or something?'
`What are you O Priest?’, goes an old prayer,
a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,
how ever did I end up being a priest? I don't
know, it’s not a job, it's a vocation, God
chooses and the Church somehow discovers us.
Priesthood is 'sacredotal' it’s about handling
holy things on God's behalf, celebrating the
sacraments, especially the Mass or Eucharist,
but its much more than this, for there is much
more for holy hands to do in the busy world in
which we live. 'What are you O Priest?' I
sometimes wonder!
Yesterday was a typical day, wake up early
thinking about the young woman's funeral to take
place in church later, things to do no use lying
there, CD's to check, the heating to put on,
books to sort, furniture to move four teenage
children to try and comfort and Mum too in
between a dozen or so phone calls to take,
everyone requiring some kind of immediate
response, Rushmoor Healthy Living, a key that
doesn't fit a new lock, Social Services, 'Can we
have a meeting in your Hall?', Family Support
Service, 'Can we arrange a family conference?'
RHL again, 'Can we organize more activities for
the over 50's at St.A's?' Meanwhile I try to
call a children's entertainer to book him for
the children's Christmas party and ring through
notices for the weekly sheet. A cup of coffee,
one of several, then hear a telephone report of
a church meeting and organize a deanery meeting
with one of my colleagues, meanwhile another
call, 'do we have a flip chart for Saturday's
workshop with the PCC' Its only 10.15 and the
hearse will be pulling up soon!
Post lunch time, time to chill, a brisk walk
into town to the bank, call in to the
undertakers en route to cheer them up then buy a
few goodies for tea in M & S, one has to look
after the body as well as the soul! Return home
to more messages can someone have the church
open on Monday to say a prayer, an update on
someone who is very poorly in hospital, someone
who wants to arrange a christening, a family I
need to see to make funeral arrangements,
someone to complain about a dripping tap in the
church hall, another day! I feel ldeserve that
glass of wine when l sit down with The Times.
Sometimes it all gets a bit too much,
everything coming at me from all sides. It’s
easy to moan, but as one elderly priest wrote to
me when l came to St.A's in 1989, a priest
should always have THANKSGIVING on his lips, and
that's what my jubilee is all about.
Thanksgiving for the privilege God has bestowed
on me in priesthood, to be a lover of souls, in
that unique position in which daily l try to
bring God to people and people to God a priest
in this world and into the next.
Your friend and priest
Father Keith
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