On Wednesday, I celebrated the midweek Eucharist at St Catherine's, and on Thursday at St John's as well. Fr Mark is away this week. I'm happy to do so, as it keeps me on my toes to re-engage with the old Church in Wales 1984 rite used in both churches for weekday and Sunday eight o'clock services. Spending half the year in the diocese in Europe obliges me to use 1662 BCP and Common Worship services, and the Church in Wales equivalent 2004 modern liturgy for main Sunday services here at home. That's four different liturgies with all their minor local variations to be familiar and at home with, quite an exercise in concentration. No wonder I can feel tired sometimes afterwards!
Apart from this, a funeral request for two weeks hence, it's been a quiet uneventful week, with a cold harsh wind. Frost and snow was expected, but we had rain instead. One way or another, there was little incentive for leisurely exercise. It was a matter of staying in and keeping warm, working my way through episodes of the Flemish TV series 'Professor T', with an occasional brisk excursion to the food shops. Some of the characters are quite quirky, making for superb comic moments, but what's interesting is the exploration of motives on the part of ordinary people who commit crimes.
Some of the discussions between the Professor and his students in case study classes are well drawn examples of a masterly teacher at work, challenging students to think deep and question themselves and their ideas as much as the case study subjects. How come, I wondered to myself, did we never have that quality of teaching in our moral and spiritual theology classes half a century ago. It seems to me we had to learn to think for ourselves away from the classroom, out of college for the most part. We were given a good survey of the subject material and its background, but most of the practical learning and good discussion happened on the job. Come to think of it, understanding how scientific method works was first of all an experience gleaned by working in a laboratory. Being able to study Philosophy of Science shed fascinating light on the process, but little would have made sense without learning by doing first.
I guess I was fortunate in being one of the few students in St Michael's to be allowed to train and work with the Samaritans, and do a regular overnight duty on suicide watch at the end of a telephone line. That stimulated a great deal of discussion among participants, and occasionally with our Samaritan duty supervisors, some of whom were clergy. At least I have reason to believe there's been a substantial improvement in theological education and ministerial formation since then. Such a pity that meanwhile so many people have parted company with the church, and vocations are far fewer. In my formative years, we were awakening to the crisis, but tragically it was too late to make much of a difference to the hemorrhage of committed believers and shrinking of the church.
Some of the discussions between the Professor and his students in case study classes are well drawn examples of a masterly teacher at work, challenging students to think deep and question themselves and their ideas as much as the case study subjects. How come, I wondered to myself, did we never have that quality of teaching in our moral and spiritual theology classes half a century ago. It seems to me we had to learn to think for ourselves away from the classroom, out of college for the most part. We were given a good survey of the subject material and its background, but most of the practical learning and good discussion happened on the job. Come to think of it, understanding how scientific method works was first of all an experience gleaned by working in a laboratory. Being able to study Philosophy of Science shed fascinating light on the process, but little would have made sense without learning by doing first.
I guess I was fortunate in being one of the few students in St Michael's to be allowed to train and work with the Samaritans, and do a regular overnight duty on suicide watch at the end of a telephone line. That stimulated a great deal of discussion among participants, and occasionally with our Samaritan duty supervisors, some of whom were clergy. At least I have reason to believe there's been a substantial improvement in theological education and ministerial formation since then. Such a pity that meanwhile so many people have parted company with the church, and vocations are far fewer. In my formative years, we were awakening to the crisis, but tragically it was too late to make much of a difference to the hemorrhage of committed believers and shrinking of the church.
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