YOUR ANSWERS
When visiting my brother in Suffolk, we
discovered an unusual situation at the village church, where the
new vicar had removed the eucharist every first Sunday in the
month, and replaced it with an informal "Family/Children's
Service". Among those who were distressed about this move was a
retired priest with permission to officiate, who normally sat in
the congregation. He "let it be known" that on those first Sundays
he would celebrate the eucharist at the same time in his lounge,
and invited others to join him. As the Sunday eucharist is central
to our lives, we went along, and discovered 15 people there - most
refugees from the parish church, but three new Christians,
including a teenage lad. . . In some ways it was all very
wonderful, but is this not an illegal "church-plant"?
This lamentable and serious state of affairs is, I
hope, unusual. It is a conspicuous example of the disorder that
arises when normally accepted protocols in ministry are ignored. A
"rival service" may seem wonderful, but it is highly irregular.
Two fundamental principles are at stake. First, while
many may sympathise with the distress of the "refugees" from the
parish church, and even admire the willingness of a retired priest
to minister to them, it must, nevertheless, be strongly emphasised
that a new incumbent is given the cure of souls. That includes
the inalienable right, in consultation with the PCC, to organise
and control Sunday worship in accordance with the requirements
of canon law.
No one, therefore, can lawfully challenge that
authority in the parish, even when a new arrangement of services
doesn't win everyone's approval.
Second, a retired priest's permission to officiate
from the Bishop will be on condition that his ministry shall be at
the invitation of an incumbent - in this instance, his own: under
no circumstances is such permission carte blanche to officiate
as, when, and where he chooses, however well-meaning he is.
(Canon) Terry Palmer
Magor, Monmouthshire
I find it shocking that an incumbent fail to provide
a eucharist for his parish and people on a Sunday when he is
officiating at a non-eucharistic service in the same church, and
when there is also another priest available.
Nevertheless, for the retired priest to try to
resolve the matter by celebrating the eucharist in his home and
inviting members of the congregation to join him is quite improper;
for, in reality, it is a church-plant in another priest's parish,
even though it could be argued that, if the eucharist is not there,
the church is not there on that Sunday, as the eucharistic
community is the local church.
If, as it appears, the incumbent disregarded canon
law and refused to celebrate or permit another priest to do so on
those Sundays, those who were distressed should have taken the
matter to the Bishop.
(The Revd) Geoffrey Squire SSC Barnstaple, Devon
YOUR QUESTIONS
About 40 years ago, I read a novel telling
the story of Jesus's life, which gave some plausible explanations
of some of his healings and miracles. His walking on water was
possible because he was "surfing" on a wooden door floating on the
lake. The author was well-known. Can anyone remember who it was,
and the title of the book?
T. A.
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