When one talks about serving in the parish, it is easy to mention how diverse it is as far as daily activities. This was very apparent to me yesterday as Father Bruce asked Owen and I to sit in on a meeting where a couple was planning to get married. There was great excitment and joy as this couple (who is planning to get married in St. Pancras Old Church next year) starteded talking about their upcoming wedding. It was very interesting to see the traditions of the Church of England regarding a wedding ceremony. Most of the traditions like "presenting the bands" (where the names of the two people getting married are presented to the congregation and community three months in advance to give the community a chance to say if they shouldn't get married) happen from a legal stand point just as much as they happen from a ceremony standpoint. Some lawyers even go through the process of making sure that the Church of England practices were done correctly, otherwise the marriage could be considered void in court. Although this is very unusual, it does happen.
After discussing the wonderful and exciting process of getting married in the UK, Owen and I visited a family with Father Nicholas who was mourning the recent death of their 46 year old sister. She died from cancer. The challenge with this case was that Nicholas had never met this woman or even seen the family before. It was thus the task of the three of us to sit down with the older sister and brother and draw a wholesome picture of who this woman was. The family was obviously working class and found it hard to come together with everyone working to make ends meet. They all looked very tired and worn. The family had even just recovered from the death of the grandmother 2 years ago and now were laid with this situation. I could see the anger and great sadness come from the sister and brother of this deceased woman. "Why did God take her at such a young age?!" she cried.
Today, Owen and I helped out at the funeral of the woman. Nicholas preached an incredible sermon- probably even more incredible to Owen and I because we knew he didn't know this woman from a hole in the wall. I recieved lots of comments from the family that his message was well appreciated. The other challenge of planning a funeral service for someone who you don't know is to incorporate different aspects of the person into the service. The sister was quite forward that this woman loved to dance and loved the "Chicken Dance" of all songs! Thus, Father Nicholas (rather reverently) allowed the "Chicken Dance" to be played after he preached! Thus, I can now tell you I have been to service where the special music has been the "Chicken Dance!" What a site!
All of this has definetley emphasized the fact of how much diversity there lies in the job of a priest. In one day, you can be celebrating life and joy with a young couple wanting to get married, and then mourn with a family who just lost a loved one. The priests here at St. Pancras take there job and challenges with a honor and joy that I have never really seen before. What a lesson they can teach all of us about flexibility and grace.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Psst.... Eric.... it's probably wedding BANNS, not bands. :) The Catholic church still does them, too. (if you didn't know, I was born and raised Catholic) Sounds like an amazing week, and kudos to your pastor who was able to put together a meaningful message about a woman he never had the privilege of meeting!
Post a Comment