Yesterday I joined the well-wishers at Dean Atkins' well attended service of induction as Vicar of the new united Parish of St German's Adamsdown and St Saviour's Splott. Before it began, children of the Tredegarville School Choir sang several songs by way of a welcome for him. Dean already knows the children, as he has already started work as a Governor and regular pastoral visitor. The children visit St German's, class by class, to attend a Eucharist each Wednesday of term. There were four staff members I knew with them, but I was surprised not to see the Head Teacher among them. I thought it strange he didn't attend the induction of my successor last summer at St John's either, given that the school was actually in the city centre Parish up to that time.
All sorts of things are changing. For all I know the Parish boundary map may have been re-drawn to put Tredegarville in with St German's Parish. But to my mind that would be all the more reason for the Head of the school to be there to mark the change. Nobody else remarked on this, so probably nobody else cares. I still think it's odd, but I am grateful to be spared the background politics. It bothers me enough to mention it, but it's no longer any of my business. I got a lot of pleasure from taking services at St Germans' over the past eight months, and accompanying the congregation through a time of change. Being in the congregation last night was being among friends.
I had to get up early today, to be in College by 7.45am to take Matins and give an address - it's one of my challenges, getting up a couple of hours earlier than usual, and I was relieved to make it on time, and join students for breakfast before they dashed off to lectures. Our tutor group meeting was shaped around the preparation of sandwiches for the evening's Paradise Run food distribution to city centre street people, the College team being led by Marcus several times each term. It gave us an opportunity to chat in quite a relaxed way while we worked in the student kitchen - most enjoyable.
I was also back at St German's at lunchtime today for the Solemn Requiem Mass of Patricia Davies, PCC secretary. Her coffin was brought into church yesterday evening and rested in the Lady Chapel during the induction. So, she got to be at an event she'd been looking forward to and working for, in body as well as spirit. So sad for those who knew her that body and spirit are in separation for the time being.
She was a lay representative on the Church in Wales' Governing Body, for over forty years. Father Philip Ursell, who was Chaplain when Pat was a Chemistry student in Cardiff, had suggested that she be put forward as a young persons' representative. He was there, and gave an excellent address, which was both a proper sermon and an affectionate remembrance of a long standing friend. As many people attended her funeral as came to last night's induction - friends with whom she disagreed as well as those who agreed with her principled traditional convictions about women's ordination - a genuine sign of her charitable disposition. May she rest in peace.
She was a lay representative on the Church in Wales' Governing Body, for over forty years. Father Philip Ursell, who was Chaplain when Pat was a Chemistry student in Cardiff, had suggested that she be put forward as a young persons' representative. He was there, and gave an excellent address, which was both a proper sermon and an affectionate remembrance of a long standing friend. As many people attended her funeral as came to last night's induction - friends with whom she disagreed as well as those who agreed with her principled traditional convictions about women's ordination - a genuine sign of her charitable disposition. May she rest in peace.
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