Transition time for St Michael's

I made a return visit to S Michael's College this morning to meet the Principal Peter Sedgwick for a catch-up chat. He's in his last few weeks in office now before his retirement begins with a term in Durham University, dedicated to writing. His decade of leadership and labour in re-developing the roles and functions of the College has been in every sense a remarkable enterprise. He's taken the College a lot further in response to contemporary mission educational demands than some in the Church in Wales have yet to realise. There's a persistent mind-set which prefers to remember the institution as it used to be, despite the facts. 

Already Vice Principal Fr Mark Clavier has taken up the baton as acting Principal, with the prospect of interesting times ahead. The College's plan for redeveloping ministry training, implemented since last summer has been well received by participants. All this happened despite the proposed closure of the residential training component of the College being on the agenda and hanging over everyone. The strategic review of ministry training has been long drawn out. I believe its recommendations are soon to be decided upon by the Bench of Bishops. It's up to them to set the priorities for the Church in Wales' future mission. Do they value sufficiently the assets they already have? 

The great strength of St Mikes is that is fits the unique context of the Province of the Church in Wales with two indigenous languages shaping discourse - Welsh of course and the English spoken in Wales (Wenglish?) with all its nuances, poetic variety and historic differences. Church ministry leadership is mainly made up of ordinarily capable people, whose strength is in both their sense of belonging and their ability to adapt and identify with the community they serve. Fitting in is vital. I think St Mike's is good at helping people to learn this. It doesn't come naturally to everyone with a vocation, but it's essential to healthy spiritual formation.

I gather there are further plans to redevelop the provincial training programme in a way that will see groups of students together on pastoral placement in new grouped parish ministry areas, during their academic learning phase. This is a challenging innovation for all involved, I believe that moving the training and learning experience close to the pastoral front line could a lot of good, both to students and parishioners. Practically speaking, it is bound to be costly and involve sacrifices all round in an era of income constraint. Other small churches like ours have given up on their residential training, sometimes decades ago, and now admit their regret at having done so.  Affordability is a matter of values and priorities. I fervently hope those who advocate closure, in favour of sending Welsh ordinands to English Colleges will renounce this temptation to ecclesial suicide and recant of their ill founded belief.