News
the pew bulletin for sunday 25 october 2020
from the vicar
Below my reflection on this page, you can read a little about Rev Clem Taplin who is preaching and presiding for me this Sunday because Esther and I are in house isolation prior to her surgery this Tuesday morning. (She is having her adenoids done again as well as her turbinates to enable her to breath more easily). I am so glad of Clem’s assistance and am delighted you will have the opportunity to benefit from her ministry. I will join you all for morning tea via Zoom as usual.
At Sunday Suppers last week our security guard was asking about the structure of the Anglican church and how it differed from the Roman Catholic Church. He wanted to know if we have someone like the pope who has authority over us and if not, if we have a most senior leader of some kind. This led to a discussion about bishops, archbishops and finally to the primate. I had to explain to him that this last word didn’t describe our evolutionary ancestors!
Following this discussion, I was reminded of a letter I had found recently whilst organising my home office. It had been given to my father nearly 30 years ago and at the time it had tickled us. I share it with you now that it may give you some joy.
Love and blessings
Sophie
At Sunday Suppers last week our security guard was asking about the structure of the Anglican church and how it differed from the Roman Catholic Church. He wanted to know if we have someone like the pope who has authority over us and if not, if we have a most senior leader of some kind. This led to a discussion about bishops, archbishops and finally to the primate. I had to explain to him that this last word didn’t describe our evolutionary ancestors!
Following this discussion, I was reminded of a letter I had found recently whilst organising my home office. It had been given to my father nearly 30 years ago and at the time it had tickled us. I share it with you now that it may give you some joy.
Love and blessings
Sophie
The Anglican Church of Canada to John Hearn
Director: Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Centre
December 11, 1991
Dear Dr. Hearn
Thank you for your letter of December 4 addressed to Dr. George Cram of the Primate's World Relief and Development Fund in which you seek information for your International Directory of Primatology.
I should perhaps inform you that the term 'primate' in our context refers to the senior archbishop and the chief pastor of the Anglican Church of Canada. The Relief and Development Fund over which he presides is an agency for the alleviation of global poverty and hunger on behalf of Anglican Christians in this country.
I think the primates in your study are perhaps of a different species. While it is true that our primate occasionally enjoys bananas, I have never see him walk with his knuckles on the ground or scratch himself publicly under the armpits. He does have three children, but his is a far cry from 'breeding colonies of primates' as your research project mentions. Like you we do not import our primates from the wild, however. They are elected from among the bishops of our church. This is occasionally a cause of similar, though arcane, comment.
The subject of primate biology might be of great importance in your field but, alas, not so in ours. There are a mere 28 Anglican primates in the whole world. They are all males, of course, but so far we have had no problems of reproduction. They include such distinguished persons as the Most Reverend and Right Honourable George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Capetown, South Africa. Have you sent letters to them? More importantly, have they responded? They can, I believe, all read and write by themselves so perhaps this might distort your data.
Thank you for writing. I wonder if your extremely efficient database might need just a little refining?
Kindest Regards,
[signed]
The Reverend Michael Ingham
Principal Secretary to the Primate
c:\LETTERS\JUNGLEBOOK
Director: Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Centre
December 11, 1991
Dear Dr. Hearn
Thank you for your letter of December 4 addressed to Dr. George Cram of the Primate's World Relief and Development Fund in which you seek information for your International Directory of Primatology.
I should perhaps inform you that the term 'primate' in our context refers to the senior archbishop and the chief pastor of the Anglican Church of Canada. The Relief and Development Fund over which he presides is an agency for the alleviation of global poverty and hunger on behalf of Anglican Christians in this country.
I think the primates in your study are perhaps of a different species. While it is true that our primate occasionally enjoys bananas, I have never see him walk with his knuckles on the ground or scratch himself publicly under the armpits. He does have three children, but his is a far cry from 'breeding colonies of primates' as your research project mentions. Like you we do not import our primates from the wild, however. They are elected from among the bishops of our church. This is occasionally a cause of similar, though arcane, comment.
The subject of primate biology might be of great importance in your field but, alas, not so in ours. There are a mere 28 Anglican primates in the whole world. They are all males, of course, but so far we have had no problems of reproduction. They include such distinguished persons as the Most Reverend and Right Honourable George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Capetown, South Africa. Have you sent letters to them? More importantly, have they responded? They can, I believe, all read and write by themselves so perhaps this might distort your data.
Thank you for writing. I wonder if your extremely efficient database might need just a little refining?
Kindest Regards,
[signed]
The Reverend Michael Ingham
Principal Secretary to the Primate
c:\LETTERS\JUNGLEBOOK
about clem
Dear Parishoners,
I am glad to be able to support Sophie over this weekend in what has been such a huge time for you all. She has trusted me to celebrate the Eucharist with you today and invited me to introduce myself.
A Yorkshire lass by birth, I came to Australia by ship with my family in 1957. The youngest of four children, all teachers, this is also my background, which eventually led to children’s work with the diocese. Christian faith was integral with home daily life, creation, pets, humour and hospitality, though it came to life through diocesan adventure camping. I married Stewart, a school chaplain and outdoor education teacher and was ordained deacon in 1989. I was later ordained priest amongst the 33 women of December 1992. My first five years were in Mornington and Mt Martha by the sea, then as vicar of Holy Name of Jesus Vermont South. Sophie became our wonderful answer to prayer for ministry with children, which then included our very small daughters, Elizabeth and Christina. Sophie and I also shared time at St Stephen’s, Mt Waverley.
I have continued in parish ministry in Eltham/Montmorency and East Malvern with some hospital chaplaincy and now as Chaplain to The Anglican Centre. This is pastoral care p/t, of the remarkable staff who serve the parishes and other diocesan life. My parallel work is in spiritual direction through The Living Well Centre for Christian Spirituality.
Our daughters are a delight in their mid- twenties, in teaching and medicine. Christina’s cat Tinka remains with us as a very talkative companion. Through this covid time I have especially enjoyed the garden and my sometimes thriving vege patch, photography, cooking for neighbours, bike-riding and walking (legally!) with my sister and huge labradoodle.
I am glad to be able to support Sophie over this weekend in what has been such a huge time for you all. She has trusted me to celebrate the Eucharist with you today and invited me to introduce myself.
A Yorkshire lass by birth, I came to Australia by ship with my family in 1957. The youngest of four children, all teachers, this is also my background, which eventually led to children’s work with the diocese. Christian faith was integral with home daily life, creation, pets, humour and hospitality, though it came to life through diocesan adventure camping. I married Stewart, a school chaplain and outdoor education teacher and was ordained deacon in 1989. I was later ordained priest amongst the 33 women of December 1992. My first five years were in Mornington and Mt Martha by the sea, then as vicar of Holy Name of Jesus Vermont South. Sophie became our wonderful answer to prayer for ministry with children, which then included our very small daughters, Elizabeth and Christina. Sophie and I also shared time at St Stephen’s, Mt Waverley.
I have continued in parish ministry in Eltham/Montmorency and East Malvern with some hospital chaplaincy and now as Chaplain to The Anglican Centre. This is pastoral care p/t, of the remarkable staff who serve the parishes and other diocesan life. My parallel work is in spiritual direction through The Living Well Centre for Christian Spirituality.
Our daughters are a delight in their mid- twenties, in teaching and medicine. Christina’s cat Tinka remains with us as a very talkative companion. Through this covid time I have especially enjoyed the garden and my sometimes thriving vege patch, photography, cooking for neighbours, bike-riding and walking (legally!) with my sister and huge labradoodle.
