"I had the privilege of being at a
wedding at St Uncumber's Church, Slappington, on June 22nd, and I know
that the way you conducted that service was appreciated by many of the
congregation. However, I was dismayed by the form of the final blessing, delivered
in the name of ‘the Father, the Mother, the Son and the Holy Spirit’. I must
say, this is not the Holy and Undivided Trinity with which I am familiar. One
of my friends attempted to interpret ‘Mother’ generously as a reference to the
Blessed Virgin Mary, but as far as I can see this doesn’t make it any better,
or any less at odds with ‘the Catholic faith as the Church of England has
received it’. I understand the service was technically a blessing rather than a
legal wedding, so at least you were spared the dilemma of which Church’s ‘rites
and ceremonies’ to record in the register … Had Bishop Martin been there, I
imagine his Paddingtonian ‘hard stare’ would have been enough to scorch the
very stonework. I remember the occasion he came to fill in one Sunday at the
church where I used to worship while he was still at Walsingham, and I don’t
think any liturgical experience I’ve ever had has matched the grim terror of serving
at Mass that morning. You may not be concerned by the effect
this reckless usage might have had on a moderately traditionally-minded
clergyperson like me, but, for the sake of the souls who pass through your
churches, especially on occasions when so many non-churchgoers are present, do
please reconsider it."
I'm not yet sure whether I'll send the letter ...
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