Clouds and sunshine today, but no rain, and warmer again. I wish I could go out for an early morning walk. Clare returned from her walk and cooked delicious vegan pancakes for breakfast. Our Saturday treat. I have now worked out how to capture audio from YouTube with a Chromebook web app called 'Twisted Wave'. It's one which I must have used ages ago, as it recognised we when I logged in with my Google i/d. I can't have used it much at the time. After a lot of messing about, I found a way to channel YouTube sound from my Linux laptop to my little Sony hi-fi system, and then return it to the laptop's microphone input using a pair of stereo cables. This allows Audacity on Linux to capture the audio in an editable digital file. I could have done with knowing this yesterday.
I had a good chat with Hywel about our contrasting Balearic locum experiences. He was in Mallorca in February, leaving just before I arrived there. He too wonders how chaplaincies are going to cope as they derive a key proportion of income from visitors.
The Costa Azahar Chaplaincy closes this month as it is no longer able to raise enough founds to keep going. Fr Louis, their priest already accepted a part time stipend, and had a part time job. I understand he's keen to stay in Spain and continue ministry like this. He's been appointed to St George's Malaga and starts next month. That chaplaincy is equally susceptible to fluctuations in tourist income, but has its own building and grounds, an enormous asset, unlike Costa Azahar, where church buildings and shop-cum-social centre were rented.
It's a welcome move for Malaga, with good potential for redevelopment long term, and a young priest willing to earn his living in return for a house for duty plus expenses arrangement. The shape of things to come in many chaplaincies and parishes I suspect. No more locums there for me, but when it's safe to do so, we will visit a city that I love and miss. Rosella has kindly offered us the use of her apartment in Rincon de la Victoria.
Public health restrictions are to relax slightly, and will allow churches to re-open for private prayer. it sounds good, and is seen as an acknowledgement of the importance of public sacred spaces for the good of the people. The guidelines of managing the re-opening are strict in nature, and will take a good deal of planning and organising, regardless of how many people take advantage of it as intended. Many people, particularly older people who might value their church being open again, are still nervous about going out, and may be reluctant to make a visit.
Not that many Anglican churches have been opened regularly for personal prayer over the past 30-40 years for security reasons. Once they could no longer afford a virger or caretaker churches saw a rise in numbers of thefts and vandalism. I wonder if the PCC of Canton Benefice will be able to reach a conclusion about the practicalities of church opening like this? Is there a need? How can one know?
Back at the time of the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001, I was Chaplain in Monaco. The next morning, I kept St Paul's church open for prayer during daylight hours, until the following Sunday, and spent time there in case anyone came to pray who needed a priest to talk to. Just a small handful of people came, few of them church members. The doors of the church had been kept closed outside of service times for years. I was told that Casino gamblers used to drop by and make a note of the numbers displayed on the hymn board if they'd been left up, as this was considered lucky. Whether it was a joke or not, I don't know, but it said something significant about irreverence and sacred spaces.
I heard from my niece Nicky that my sister Pauline's funeral is to be on the afternoon of 3rd July. It'll be good for her son Jules, stuck in Dubai, after work on Friday, the Muslim day for weekly common prayer at the mosque. The service, at Worle crematorium in Weston will be relayed to those of us who cannot attend, like Jules, via a custom video link. Hopefully, Owain can attend and represent us. I've been asked to read on video the eulogy which she and Jules will write between them.
Public health restrictions are to relax slightly, and will allow churches to re-open for private prayer. it sounds good, and is seen as an acknowledgement of the importance of public sacred spaces for the good of the people. The guidelines of managing the re-opening are strict in nature, and will take a good deal of planning and organising, regardless of how many people take advantage of it as intended. Many people, particularly older people who might value their church being open again, are still nervous about going out, and may be reluctant to make a visit.
Not that many Anglican churches have been opened regularly for personal prayer over the past 30-40 years for security reasons. Once they could no longer afford a virger or caretaker churches saw a rise in numbers of thefts and vandalism. I wonder if the PCC of Canton Benefice will be able to reach a conclusion about the practicalities of church opening like this? Is there a need? How can one know?
Back at the time of the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001, I was Chaplain in Monaco. The next morning, I kept St Paul's church open for prayer during daylight hours, until the following Sunday, and spent time there in case anyone came to pray who needed a priest to talk to. Just a small handful of people came, few of them church members. The doors of the church had been kept closed outside of service times for years. I was told that Casino gamblers used to drop by and make a note of the numbers displayed on the hymn board if they'd been left up, as this was considered lucky. Whether it was a joke or not, I don't know, but it said something significant about irreverence and sacred spaces.
I heard from my niece Nicky that my sister Pauline's funeral is to be on the afternoon of 3rd July. It'll be good for her son Jules, stuck in Dubai, after work on Friday, the Muslim day for weekly common prayer at the mosque. The service, at Worle crematorium in Weston will be relayed to those of us who cannot attend, like Jules, via a custom video link. Hopefully, Owain can attend and represent us. I've been asked to read on video the eulogy which she and Jules will write between them.
No comments:
Post a Comment