The blog posts are going to be less frequent than they were from Oklahoma. The purpose of it there was so that loved ones could see I was about and functioning, the point of it here is so that I can keep in touch with the good friends I made in the US.
In the final paragraph of my last post I got carried away with the notion of having an Irish great grandfather, which would entitle me to an Irish passport (half the EU are rushing to get one, and I've always been one for a bandwagon) but as my sister pointed out, although from Belfast our great grandfather wasn't Irish.
In fact he was as British and as Protestant as they get; he belonged to an Orange Lodge, no less, and marched in all them parades and things they have there in Belfast, where they are still remembering the Battle of the Boyne.
This battle was fought between the Protestant, William III (hereinafter called 'Good King Billy') and the wicked, rascally James II (boo, hiss) the evil Catholic who wanted to return Britain to Catholocism.
And herein lies all my biases. Although I am - or was - a lay minister of communion I never offered my services at the Anglo-Catholic Emmanuel Episcopal because I couldn't be doing with all the bowing and genuflecting they go in for there (when I let drop this fact, just before leaving, Fr Bill stared at me and said "I wouldn't have minded if you hadn't" - bowed and genuflected, that is- Thinks "Now you tell me".
Tuesday, I broke out of the cocoon I have been in since I arrived. Although I have been walking to the local shops I needed a new pair of shoes so caught a bus to the city centre. It wasn't quite as daunting as I feared, I was mostly afraid of getting very lost and not finding a bus stop back to Summertown. but it wasn't a problem.
And this morning I broke some more new ground. I did some washing, but drying is a problem (at least for me, accustomed as I am to a much hotter climate) because the weather here never gets above damp. I asked Tim if there was a laundromat in Summertown with a tumble dryer in it. And, oh joy oh rapture, there is, so he dropped me off there and I walked back home with my washing all warm, dry and fluffy.
While typing this I realised it is the monthly lunch at the church today, and has just started. I debated jumping up and rushing off but it would have taken 10 - 15 minutes to get there, and they would practically be finishing.
On the subject of food and catering - because of our very stringent Health and Safety Rules anyone preparing food for public consumption here has to be duly qualified and approved. Not for us the happy-go-lucky American pot lucks, and 'bring-a-side-dish'. Sigh. Add that to the weather with things I miss.
And this morning I broke some more new ground. I did some washing, but drying is a problem (at least for me, accustomed as I am to a much hotter climate) because the weather here never gets above damp. I asked Tim if there was a laundromat in Summertown with a tumble dryer in it. And, oh joy oh rapture, there is, so he dropped me off there and I walked back home with my washing all warm, dry and fluffy.
While typing this I realised it is the monthly lunch at the church today, and has just started. I debated jumping up and rushing off but it would have taken 10 - 15 minutes to get there, and they would practically be finishing.
On the subject of food and catering - because of our very stringent Health and Safety Rules anyone preparing food for public consumption here has to be duly qualified and approved. Not for us the happy-go-lucky American pot lucks, and 'bring-a-side-dish'. Sigh. Add that to the weather with things I miss.
Last evening there was a Solemn Mass of Remembrance to commemorate the victims and survivors of the Orlando Massacre. The Mass was concelebrated by myself, the Episcopal vicar of an adjoining town, and the pastor of St. Jerome Ecumenical Catholic Church, where the service took place. It was a truly moving commemoration.
ReplyDeleteI, your dear friend, Donna, am a Catholic of the Roman persuasion and even though I am now an atheist, truly love all the ancient and beautiful ritual of the Church. Having had two Jewish husbands and attended synagogue because of my sons' Bar Mitzvahs, I can testify to the fact that the music, the attire, the ritual of a Jewish service is very much like a Catholic mass. Love, Donna
ReplyDeleteI, your dear friend, Donna, am a Catholic of the Roman persuasion and even though I am now an atheist, truly love all the ancient and beautiful ritual of the Church. Having had two Jewish husbands and attended synagogue because of my sons' Bar Mitzvahs, I can testify to the fact that the music, the attire, the ritual of a Jewish service is very much like a Catholic mass. Love, Donna
ReplyDeleteHi, Fr. Clark,
ReplyDeleteYou and I share the same theological (mostly) and political thought. Howzit? (as they say in Hawaii?)
Hi, Fr. Clark,
ReplyDeleteYou and I share the same theological (mostly) and political thought. Howzit? (as they say in Hawaii?)