It was a great honour bestowed on me by Dean Lynda Patterson, to be asked to bear a Chalice beside ++Rowan, Archbishop of Canterbury, this morning, at a Eucharist for All Saints-tide (and in Commemoration of 131 years since the dedication of the original, and now defunct, Christ Church Cathedral).
In the austere setting of the chapel Christ’s College, the residential School for Boys near the Christchurch City centre – standing in for the Cathedral congregation in the interim – about 700 of us (including our own Bishop Victoria Matthews, Dean Lynda Patterson and College Chaplain Fr. Bosco Peters) were privileged to hear ++Rowan as he spoke of the historic relationship between us in the down-under Province of Canterbury (named after the First Settlers from England) and the Mother Province of the Anglican Communion, of which he is both Primate and Archbishop.
The singing by the Cathedral Choir was a special blessing for those of us who are not usually privy to the sound of boys’ voices, blending so beautifully with those of the senior male choristers, in the setting of a Eucharist that was as ornate as it was musically and spiritually satisfying, made the occasion for us who were visitors all the more memorable. The Archbishop‘s voice in the said and sung parts of the service was clear and articulate, reminding us that here we have a senior cleric who is totally used to leading the celebration of public worship. The reverence with which he celebrates the Eucharist is palpable.
His sermon, delivered without any notes, was yet notable – for its reminder of the presence of the Saints around the Throne of Heaven together with us who were representative of the ‘saints (with a small ‘s’) who are still ‘working out our salvation’ here below. One could not but realise that, in our Primus-inter-pares, God has gifted the Anglican Communion with a person who is aware of his own fragility, and who is centred in his own spiritual awareness that God is always to be trusted – even in the darkest moments of our lives. Our ability and willingness to reach out to one another in times of distress was a way of showing the world that God is with us – and, through us, with them.
There was no specific talk of the ‘troubles’ in the Church – rather, the fact that we are agents of a loving, caring God, in a world of strife and difficulty. I’m sure that many of us came away from the service feeling that we were strengthened by the presence of this gentle yet persuasive Shepherd of Souls, who knows and understands the stresses and difficulties of following the Way of Jesus in the world of today
Standing beside ++Rowan at the Communion station, one could not help but be aware of his acute pastoral sensitivity – as he caressed the heads of children and babes in arms, brought by their parents for his blessing. One felt the aura of graciousness with which this Man of God had come amongst us. May God richly bless our Archbishop as he travels back to Auckland this afternoon, after he listens to the questions of a group of young people at a special Service of the Word at St. Christopher’s Church in the suburb of Avonside.
Whatever his critics may have to say about this Archbishop of Canterbury, they can never fault his rich humanity, his willingness to listen, and his gifts of preaching; his sacramental facility and his sheer humanity. We shall miss him when he returns to the halls of academe at the University on his retirement from Canterbury, in England. There can be little doubt that he will not cease to be of some influence in the world of Anglican affairs – if only by his prayers. May God richly Bless him!
(p.s. – Check this site for TV1 video of Archbishop’s city tour – with bald cleric at the end)
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/archbishop-canterbury-in-christrchurch-video-5194643
Father Ron Smith, Christchurch, New Zealand
Kiwianglo's Blog 
I was very impressed by what he had to say at St Christopher’s… not just impressed with the Archbishop as a great speaker, which he most certainly is, of course, but with the importance and wide applicability of what he had to say.
If only a wider range of people had been there. Do Anglicans come across as too “cliquey”? I don’t think it is just some 21st Century problem, nor unique to our neighbourhood of the globe, but it seems there is a public perception that people would no sooner go to hear him if they aren’t an Anglican than they would go to a cactus-growing meeting if they didn’t grow cactus plants. Christchurch has had a massive shake-up, and we have been tremendously blessed by people who can communicate faith, hope and love, but there still seems to be a problem getting that communication out beyond church walls.
Thanks, Mark, for your comment. I hadn’t thought that Anglicans were ‘too cliquey’. However, if that’s what is perceived, perhaps we really are. I know that those of us who were at Christ’s College Eucharist were impressed by the Archbishop’s ability to relate to any and everyone who cared to speak with him. His sermon was ‘spot on’ there, too. And his ability to conduct unfussy and yet dignifies Worship was a credit to the Anglican Church – which he truly represents.
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