A Message from the Vice-Chairman of the Council of Priests....

The events of Saturday 15th of January when our former Bishop was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest along with the former Bishops of Fulham and Richborough will have stirred within many of us mixed emotions. Personally, I have lost two Incumbents that I have worked with to “Aunty” and former curates more recently, and such events are always a challenge to us on so many levels.

It is a truth that the Church of England does seem determined to embrace an all too secular agenda at times and that this does cause considerable anxiety for many clergy and many of the Faithful. However, there are Bishops and Priests in the Church of England who remain convinced that Anglo-Catholics still have a valued ministry to exercise, even if this is simply to remind the Church of England that it is part of the “one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church” and that it has no authority to change doctrines of faith and morals, nor to change the historic three-fold order of Bishop, Priest and Deacon.

Many of those who will be leaving us maintain that Bishops and Priests should, after the example of the Good Shepherd, lead their sheep to safe pasture elsewhere, and the move to the Ordinariate is an example of this. Yet, many sheep are left behind and still need shepherds. The image of the shepherd leading his sheep to safe pasture is one image that our Lord spoke of in relation to shepherds and sheep, but there are other important images that he uses. The Lord also talked of the shepherd as the door of the sheepfold, where the shepherd, having driven the sheep into the fold, would literally lay down his life across the gap in the fence or wall to prevent the wolf from entering and harming the sheep, and of course, the Church herself reminds us in the Preface set for Feasts of Apostles that Christ is “the eternal Shepherd who never leaves his flock untended.” Priests should always recall that it is Christ’s eternal priesthood that their Ministerial Priesthood is derived from. I cannot speak for others, but it seems to me that the undoubted attraction of firmer foundations and calmer shores ought not to detract from this sacrificial calling, whatever shore or foundation one finds oneself upon.

In all of us there is the temptation to want those calmer shores and firmer foundations after all surely that is what we have striven to achieve during the past nineteen years. Recently I anointed the dying knowing I was likely to hear of another departure the next day; and subsequently at the Requiem Mass we had nearly 300 folk in church and 150 Communicants I was forcefully reminded of the sacrificial nature of the priestly vocation and of the people’s need for priests who are prepared to serve in difficult and trying situations. I am also minded of Bishop Edward King and the words above his lintel in the Palace door at Lincoln: Pascite gregem (Feed my sheep). But, oh yes, that weekend was still difficult.... the pain of separation, the pain of being left; the longing for calmer shores and firmer foundations...... and yet the awareness of God’s grace, and the knowledge that at present he is perhaps calling some to remain and serve his people.

And meanwhile life continues for those of us within the See of Ebbsfleet. Fr Martyn Neale, from the Richborough Council of Priests, and I met with the Archbishop in December to discuss the appointment of new Bishops of Ebbsfleet and Richborough. While much of that meeting must remain confidential, all involved found it to be a profitable meeting and the Archbishop is clearly determined to appoint new Bishops. The process to achieve that has been put in place and will begin very soon. I am aware of all many of rumours floating around and those that have reached me so far are clearly based upon conjecture rather than fact. At present the pattern that the Archbishop outlined to Fr Neal and I is running to schedule.

In the meantime the Archbishop of Canterbury has kindly provided three Bishops to care for us during the Episcopal Vacancy and they will be writing to us soon and have arranged a series of Chrism Masses throughout the Province of Canterbury. We are very grateful to them for taking on these extra responsibilities on our behalf as each of them have considerable burdens within their own roles. The Chrism Masses this year are as follows:

Thursday 14th April 12:00 Noon

at St Mary & St Giles, Stony Stratford

Bishop Mark Sowerby

Friday 15th April 7:30pm

at St Aidan’s New Parks, Leicester

Bishop Lindsay Urwin

Saturday 16th April at 11:00am

Winchester Cathedral

Bishop Mark Sowerby

Monday in Holy Week 18th April 7:00pm

at All Saints, Clifton

Bishop John Ford

Monday in Holy Week 18th April 11:00am (time to be confirmed)

at Chelmsford Cathedral

Bishop Lindsay Urwin

Tuesday in Holy Week 19th April 11:00am

at St James, Wednesbury

Bishop Lindsay Urwin

Wednesday in Holy Week 20th April 7:00pm

at St Peter Plymouth

Bishop John Ford

Wednesday in Holy Week at 12:00 noon

in the Shrine of our Lady of Walsingham

Bishop Lindsay Urwin

I hope that all of our priests and deacons will be able to be present at a Chrism Mass this year, and that they will be wholeheartedly supported by the presence of many of the Faithful.

I have received a number of enquiries about The Society, under the Patronage of St Wilfrid and St Hilda. There is a little more information now on its web site and I understand that more information will be coming soon. The Bishops involved in this initiative have written a Pastoral Letter and I am sure that this will be disseminated widely.

A number of parishes are, understandably, concerned as to whether they will get able to get a new Parish Priest and there have been a trickle of enquiries from parishes as to what help is available from the See of Ebbsfleet to guide them through the process while there is no Bishop. Similarly, some clergy are looking for moves and are beginning to make enquiries. The Ebbsfleet Office is still maintained three days each week and enquiries can be made with me through it. I will be happy to advise priests and parishes where possible.

Lent is much later this year and Easter is one day short of being as late as it can be. With its theme of entering the wilderness, penitence and self-denial Lent is a time of spiritual growth for all Christians. This year the long period between the Baptism of the Lord and the beginning of Lent gives us the opportunity to properly prepare for Lent without it suddenly being upon us before we know it. Perhaps during the next five and a half weeks we could all give serious consideration to what our pattern of Christian discipleship ought to be this Lent. The theme of entering the wilderness is a good thing to consider, for our Lord entered the wilderness willingly in order that he could be prepared for his ministry, passion and death. All of us, whatever our future holds, will be entering upon Lent very soon; so let us prepare for it so that whatever shores or foundations we will be set upon we may keep our eyes fixed on Christ, the author and finisher of our faith.

Fr Ross Northing SSC

Vice Chairman of the Ebbsfleet Council of Priests

St Thomas Aquinas,

January 28th AD 2011