Post Pilgrimage Questions

We attended the Parish Eucharist at St Catherine's this morning. Rhys presided and preached, and Emma was present, having celebrated earlier at St John's. She had a Baptism afterwards, and by the time we were gathering in the church hall after the service, a crowd of smartly dressed people were gathering outside in the grounds, arriving early for a twelve thirty start. 

Rhys spoke about the clergy school experience in Santiago from which they returned on Friday, also about life as pilgrimage, and about next year's centenary of the disestablished Church in Wales diocese of Llandaff. Santiago is likely to have been a much more intense experience for participants than Oxford because it was away from Britain, in a place steeped with religious history and fervour. It may well take those who took part a while to digest what they received. How will this impact on the ministry they offer in future, I wonder?

When I was working, clergy school was a positive experience of worship and sharing together, albeit usually held in Oxford. It's good and necessary that professional clergy should have time to review their ministries and bond together in this way. Given there are so many volunteers, both layfolk and retired clerics, also exercising ministry in partnership with full timers, I wonder what could ever be done to embrace them all in a process which lasts several days, in order to achieve the same ends? 

Bishop June wants us all to explore Pilgrimage further under her Diocesan Vision headlines; 'Telling a Joyful Story', 'Growing the Kingdom of God' and 'Building a Greater Capacity for Good'. To me it seems a bit vague. I'm unsure how this will translate into practical reality. Where do key activities of Listening and Dialogue come into the picture of a church renewing itself for mission? Are we still too concerned about what's left of our former selves as a traditional mainstream church, and not looking outwards nearly enough? Are we really hearing what's being said to us by people searching for a living faith but so far disappointed by our concerns and teaching? How does our church earn again the right to be heard when it comes to speaking of the things of God? 

  

St James' Eve licensing

It was glad to attend the licensing of Emma Rees Kenny as Team Vicar in Canton Benefice tonight. At last a full time colleague for Fr Mark, and no more home locum duties for me, hopefully for a good while to come. There was a congregation at St John's of about a hundred from all three churches. Fr Mark invited me to robe and sit in choir, along with Fr Colin, another retired priest who helps in the Parish plus Rosie Dymond of St Padarn's institute, now assigned to the Parish as a NSM priest. Bishop June preached on the ambition of the mother of the sons Zebedee, arising from the Gospel for St James' Day which is tomorrow. She also took time to talk about her plan to hold the next Diocesan Clergy School as a pilgrimage event at Santiago de Compostela. Amazing!

Personally, I have misgivings about this particular Camino, whose popularity has revived in recent decades, resulting in a huge increase in the number of pilgrims walking at least the last 100km, but with many more completing the official 810km route from St Jean Pied de Port in France. While I understand and appreciate the desire to make such a journey at walking pace over several months as a long retreat and means of self exploration and spiritual development, and the fact that people have been doing this for the past twelve centuries, the connection of the place to James the Great, the first of the Apostles to be martyred, has no biblical basis.

Stories attached to the translation of relics which may or may not have been his, are all legendary if not magical. Yet this pilgrimage persisted, as a popular spiritual expedition for a host of complex social, cultural and economic reasons. It's a pilgrimage hallowed by a long tradition of prayer and hospitality, but is it pilgrimage for pilgrimage sake? I wonder, like being famous for being famous? I could understand better the reason if the place was actually linked with the life and witness of the saint, as is often the case. I've spent time in Jerusalem, Rome and Damascus in the footsteps of Christ and the Apostles, and believe I learned from this, even if I only walked at length in the heat around these ancient cities and not to them from a distance. It's also good to reflect on the differences between the world then and now. For me the story behind the pilgrimage, gives reason for the journey. It has to count.

As a retired priest, I no longer have an obligation to go the Diocesan clergy school. I'll be interested to learn, from those who attend, how this event is arranged and what learning plan will be followed. Bishop June is an original thinker and a good teacher, so I'm sure it won't be a dull or dutiful affair. 

Disorientation and that jury verdict

I made an early start for the ten thirty service at Vélez Málaga this morning, still uncertain about the quickest route up to the A7 autovia, which I haven't yet memorised. As I climbed uphill, having taken the wrong turning, the low fuel warning light came on, so I had to double back and find the nearest filling station I could remember seeing. That's the moment my mind went blank. This shows the tendency I have only to recall things on a need to know basis. I'm still building my mental map of this stretch of urban area and how it all hangs together with so many steep hills and ravines packed with houses and apartments. Signage isn't really as good as it could be, or well placed.

I refuelled in La Cala de Morales and then returned to Rincon to climb the hill to the exit by the correct road, and this time memorise! I had looked at the map of Vélez Málaga and checked my turnings to get into the part of town where the Antigua Capilla de San Jose is located. At the first roundabout I stupidly took the bypass road by mistake but found a road that would intersect with the avenue I wanted. With a little precise help from Blackberry mapping, I identified the street and parked, but at the wrong end to find the Capilla. I couldn't figure out which way the house numbers went, then, just as I was starting to feel lost I had a call from one of the church members wondering where I was. Still twenty minutes in hand however, but I was so grateful for that call.

The chapel was at the far end of the street, and is set into the corner of a building, conveniently opposite a small bar. it has no features to distinguish it from a distance. Within minutes I was reunited with the search and welcome party, wondering as much as I was what had gone wrong, and finally getting my bearings and relating what I could see to the directions given for finding it.

I've yet to learn the history of the building, but it has a formal church entrance door and noticeboard at a junction of the street and an alley, and it's long and narrow inside. Anglicans have used the building for fourteen years, and it seems not to be used for Catholic services. It's well cared for by its congregation, and a good space to accommodate fifty people. We were twenty one. Two members I first met in Nerja five years ago. I was asked to bless and dedicate some book holders for the backs of pews, two boxes, a cross and a hymn board, all nicely made and very useful. 

At the end of the service I also blessed two women, Rebecca and Jean, about to set out on pilgrimage to Compostela, the last 125km stage on the route from northern Portugal. They'll be back by the next time I take a service here, my last before going home for Clare's birthday.

Half the congregation went across the alley to the bar afterwards and occupied most of the interior space for half an hour or so. Then I headed back to Rincon, carefully noting the route and its landmarks, especially from the autovia to the car park outside SuperSol. I won't get caught again, like I was this morning.

The highlight of the evening was Helen's long awaited trial verdict on 'The Archers', an hour's edition taking us behind the scenes in the jury room debate about the evidence for three quarters of the episode, and with a star studded cast of actors debating passionately the issues in the case. It was reminiscent of the classic movie 'Twelve Angry Men', in which the opinion about guilt also turns around completely during the discourse. 

In this week's episodes we were not fed all the contributory evidence, nor did the jury discuss things which hand't been heard about during the week. In a sense this gives an impression rather than a partial picture of everything that informed the debate. It was a decent imaginative effort in portraying the complexity of jurors' opinions in relation to some but not all the evidence. Helen has now been acquitted, but there is still the divorce to come and the custody battle over the children. It's not over 'til it's over, as they say these days.