The Way of the Cross

We have a tradition in St Faith’s.  Every Tuesday evening during Lent we observe the old rite of the ‘Way of the Cross’.  Not many people come to it – about a dozen most weeks – but we still do it every week.

Some of you may not realise what the fourteen little pictures around the nave of church above head height are for.  They are the ‘stations’ on the way of the cross.  I understand that our family service at the beginning of March is going to use them, so by the time you read this they may have become familiar to more of you. 

These fourteen little pictures or tableaux represent scenes in the passion of Christ, each showing a different incident.  The objective of them is to help us make a pilgrimage, as it were, to the chief scenes of Christ’s suffering and death.  We process around the church, pausing at each station to read, meditate and pray on that scene from the passion.

This method of devotion seems to have originated in Jerusalem during the fourteenth or fifteenth century, during the short period when the crusades had conquered the Holy Land and the Franciscans were given control of the holy places of Jerusalem.  Before then it was not unusual for pilgrims to follow the route of Jesus from Pilate’s house to Golgotha, but the modern form with specific stations was first reported in 1458.

Our present fourteen stations show a mixture of scriptural and traditional events.  The number seems to have varied at different times and places between twelve and thirty six!  The present set was defined by the Pope in 1731. 

To observe the Millennium in 2000, Pope John Paul II wrote a new, wholly scriptural, version starting with the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.  This can be found in the Common Worship Times and Seasons book.  It is, of course, not appropriate for us to use it in St Faith’s as we already have the pictures.  So, we continue to use the old set.  If you would like to join in, come along at 7pm on Tuesdays in Lent. 

David Williams

The Mother Church of Southsea

For the citizens of Portsmouth in the Second World War, the 10 January 1941 was the night of the worst blitz the city was to endure.  Prior to the war, Kings Road, at the top of Elm Grove, was a most exclusive shopping centre.  This was completely destroyed that night, never to be rebuilt.  Just off Kings Road is St Paul’s Square where once stood the Mother Church of Southsea.  This then is the story of St Paul’s Church, Southsea.

The church was designed by Francis Goodwin and cost £16,000, of which £14,000 came from the Parliamentary Commission.  Work started in 1820 and the construction took two years.  St Paul’s had one of the largest single-span roofs in England.  The Architect decided that the exterior would be of Bath stone but this proved to be a poor choice.  In no time, the exterior became stained and grubby.  At the East end of the church, there was a fine Rose Window.  There were three magnificent galleries, with pine panelling, but no sanctuary or chancel.  Instead, the High Altar was set at the east wall below the Rose Window.  A painted wooded rood was suspended before the Altar and a carved reredos, coloured and gilded, was positioned behind it.  One of the vicars, Father Allison, took it upon himself to personally paint the galleries in medieval colours, but this caused much controversy!  (Careful, Rector!)  What was described as a vast and very fine painting of “St Paul’s Shipwreck in Malta” by Charles Skattowe was given to the church soon after its opening.

The services at St Paul’s were described as “mildly Catholic, with a sung Mass on Sundays, complete with vestments, lights and acolytes, but no Holy Smoke!”  The Vicar was Chaplain to the Portsmouth Theatres and the cast of the annual pantomime at the King’s Theatre sang each year at the Carol Service on the Sunday after Christmas!  The parish had a Holy Spirit Mission Chapel in Copper Street and it is amusing to record that, because the names of the other streets in its vicinity were also minerals like Gold, Silver, etc., it was called the ”Minerals Mission”!  When I was a boy, people often called public houses by the name of the Brewers, thus Fort Cumberland Arms, at the junction of Eastney Road and Devonshire Avenue, was always called “Longs” by the locals.  So what has this to do with the Mother Church of Southsea?   These Brewers gave St Paul’s a fine building in the square which became the Parish Hall and it was named the Long Memorial Hall.  

During the air raid on 10 January 1941, the Memorial Hall was destroyed and St Paul’s Church hit by incendiary bombs, with very little surviving the inferno.  It is thought that the brass lectern survived and was moved to St Luke’s School.  The bell was also recovered and hung in another church, thought to have been St Matthew’s, now the Church of the Holy Spirit in Fawcett Road.  I wonder if Father Charles, Annie or Val Rose know anything about it?  If, in fact, the bell finished at St Matthew’s, it would have been after the War when it was rebuilt because it was gutted in a raid on 10 March 1941.  Apparently, the ruins of St Paul’s Square were used by the Royal Marines for the rest of the war to practice house-to-house and street fighting.  The congregation moved to St Alban’s Chapel in Somers Road and tried after the war to get St Paul’s restored.  Sadly, they were unsuccessful and the shell of the church was finally demolished.  So that then is the story of the Mother Church of Southsea but for the story of that terrible January night, you must read “Faith Matters” next month.

Roger Bryant    

From the Registers - February

17^th February Marriage of Patrick Tyler and Marie Dunford

 

Blessing of the Boats

Langstone Cutters Rowing Club (LCRC) is holding their traditional ceremony of Blessing the Boats on Sunday, March 11 at 2.30 pm on the foreshore by The Mill and Royal Oak Pub at Langstone.  All are very welcome to come and participate in this popular annual event.

The LCRC was established in 1998.  The club has four boats including two 22ft Felixstowe Clayton Skiffs: Gladys & Mabel and two 18ft Teifi Skiffs: Millie & Lottie.  It is a friendly rowing club and over 80% of our members had never rowed before joining.  The club has also won 10 trophies in the 9 years of competing at the annual London Thames Great River Race.  We are seeking members for the 2007 season and meet every Sunday one hour before High water beside the Royal Oak Pub, Langstone.  Come and join in or contact Catharine Russell for more information 023 9248 1220.

 

For Whom the Bell Tolls

You may have read in ‘The News’ or a national newspaper or heard on Radio Solent about a worshipper who fell asleep in the church in January and woke up to find he was locked in.  Not wishing to stay the night he was sober enough to ring the bell and Vicki was summoned – it was her day off – to open up and let him out.

The steward of the church, Who usually goes that extra mile, Walks across the transept, But forgets to check the aisle.   Content that all is peaceful, He locks up the Church, But poor Rip Van Winkle Is left in the lurch.

Vicki our Verger, Runs through the Town, Up and Down South Street, In her black gown.   Becoming more frustrated, As people laugh and scoff, “How many times must I say it? It was my day off!”

Mothering Sunday

If you missed the marvellous Mothering Sunday Cream Tea held by the Young Believers Youth Club last year, here is your chance to attend.  We will be holding this years cream tea on Mothering Sunday 18 March in the church hall.  We will be open between 3pm - 4.30pm for you to enjoy full table service by the members of Young Believers Youth Club.  Tickets are £2.50 each for a full cream tea with a concession for children of £1 for squash and biscuits.  Everyone is welcome to enjoy the cream tea on Mothering Sunday -and of course don’t forget the prize draw.  All proceeds from the cream tea will be split between a charity of the children’s choice and the church Restoration Fund.  See you there.

Tickets will be available from Sunday 4 March after church.  Please contact Victoria Smith on 9247 6325 for telephone sales!

Try praising your wife – even if it does frighten her at first.

 

Royal Marines School of Music Concert

Tickets are now available for the concert to be held on Friday 5 October 2007 in St Faith's Church at 7.30 pm.  We anticipate a sell out for this concert, so please buy your tickets now from Sandra.  Prices £8 adults, £2 children.

John Wesley and the Holy Club

I have long admired John Wesley and have always associated him with Bristol.  However, he was born in a Rectory in Epworth, Lincolnshire, on 17 June 1703, the 15^th child of the Reverend Samuel Wesley.  He was educated at Charterhouse School and Christ Church College, Oxford University.  He was ordained a Deacon in 1725 and admitted to the Priesthood in the Church of England three years later when he became a Curate to his father.  He next moved to Lincoln College where he joined the Holy Club.  Its members were very methodical in their practices and this caused the other students to jokingly call them “Methodists”!  And so the name came to represent a Church.  The Holy Club did much good work, visiting the poor, sick and the inmates of the local prison.  Wesley left to become a missionary in the United States, Georgia to be precise, but his stay was not a success.  However, while in America he did meet up with a German religious sect called Moravians and this had a marked effect on him.  He returned to England and at a meeting in London on the 24 May 1738, he underwent a religious awakening.  He became convinced that salvation was only possible through Jesus Christ.

About this time, the Anglican Church was going through a period of change.  Following his London meeting, Wesley went to Bristol and started to hold open-air services which became very popular.  On 1 May 1739, he formed the first Methodist Society in London and another one in Bristol in 1742.  He organized classes and made the leaders of them lay preachers.  In 1744, he held the first conference of Methodist leaders which then became an annual event.  In 1751 at the age of 48, Wesley married for the first (and only) time.  His bride, Mary Vazeilla, was a widow with four children.  The marriage was not a success and Mary left him.  He did not have any children of his own.

Wesley became more and more opposed to many of the tenets of the Church of England.  He was particularly against the Apostolic Succession, i.e., that Bishops were in a line of succession back to St Peter.  In 1784, he issued a Deed of Declaration which empowered him to ordain ministers to administer the Sacraments.  Although he was separating from the Church of England, the complete break with the Anglican Church did not occur until after Wesley’s death.  This was due to the respect and admiration that churchmen in the Anglican Church had for him in his lifetime.  To most of us, our admiration for John Wesley goes further than his work for the Methodist Church.  He was a prolific writer with many publications to his name including 23 collections of hymns.  He was a champion of social reform and was prominent in the movement to abolish slavery; a fact which we should not forget as we celebrate the 200^th anniversary of its abolition.  John Wesley died on 2 March 1791 at the age of 87 and was buried in the graveyard of the City Road Chapel, London.  His remarkable life is commemorated by a Memorial Plaque in Westminster Abbey.  As we read last month in “Faith Matters”, there is a window in the Abbey commemorating the life of John Bunyan.  I would like to think that it is in close proximity to Wesley’s Memorial. 

Roger Bryant

Walk of Witness with the Archbishop

The Church of England is inviting thousands of people from across the country to join the Archbishops of Canterbury and York for this historic event in London to mark the Bicentenary of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade on Saturday 24^th March 2007.

The Archbishops will lead the Walk of Witness through parts of the capital to culminate in a large-scale act of worship.  The event, organised by the Church of England’s, Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns (CMEAC), forms the main part of the wider awareness campaign, ‘Making our Mark’, set up to follow a debate at General Synod in February this year.  A dedicated website, www.makingourmark.org.uk, gives further information on the Walk of Witness including a map of the route.  We plan to walk from Whitehall to Kennington Park.

The Mission and Society Team of the Diocesan Office is organising a coach for supporters who want to join the event in London.  The coach will depart from The Hard in Portsmouth at approx 8.30am and return at approx 6.00pm.  If there is a great deal of interest, we could book extra coaches to leave from more convenient places around the diocese.

We would like to gather responses as soon as possible, but in any event, by Friday 9^th March.  A place on the coach can be booked for a payment of £10 and is non-refundable.

Further details about the event and the arguments for it can be found at the associated website: www.makingourmark.org.uk. This has downloadable posters and other material that you might find useful to use in your parishes, as we approach the anniversary.  Supplementary material can also be found at: www.antislavery.org

In considering the social progress that has been made since those events of 200 years ago, and the place that the church had in assisting that, it is also important to recognise that as well as an historical fact, slavery continues to be a modern problem.  People continue to be exploited and enslaved in a variety of ways, such as through child labour, or sexual trafficking.  It happens here today and there is evidence of women being trafficked through Portsmouth ferry port.

Anti-slavery, the world’s oldest human rights charity, has this to say about modern slavery:

‘Millions of men, women and children around the world are forced to lead lives as slaves.  Although this exploitation is often not called slavery, the conditions are the same.  People are sold like objects, forced to work for little or no pay and are at the mercy of their ‘employers'.

Slavery exists today despite the fact that it is banned in most of the countries where it is practiced.  It is also prohibited by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1956 UN Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery.  Women from Eastern Europe are bonded into prostitution, children are trafficked between West African countries and men are forced to work as slaves on Brazilian agricultural estates.  Contemporary slavery takes various forms and affects people of all ages, sex and race.’

I would encourage you to encourage others to act against injustices such as these and to join the Walk of Witness, part of which will be conducted in silence for reflection and preparation.

Nick Ralph

Correspondence Column

Dear Editor,

What has happened to the Evangelists?  They used to be known as Saint Matthew, Saint Mark and so on.  Now, although the Gospel is introduced into the service with a solemn procession, the reader then says, "Hear the gospel according to Mark."  Why have these blameless men been deprived of their sainthood, while Saint Faith is allowed to keep hers?  For that matter, who now is the patron saint of such churches as St Luke's – let alone St John the Evangelist's?

Alan Hakim

 Quiz Night – Change of Date

The Quiz Night has been changed from 10^th Match to Saturday 17^th March in the Church Hall commencing 7.30pm.  Teams of 8 Cost £6 per person and includes a ploughman’s supper.  A good fun evening, so come along either with your own team or help to make up a team and help us to raise funds for the organ fund.  For more information telephone Sandra Haggan 023 9245 5161.

 Kairos Report

It has been very quiet on the Kairos front of late but it is alive and kicking.  Here is the latest report from our cluster (Havant, Hayling Island, and Emsworth & Warblington)

Our cluster has not progressed as well as we would have hoped after completing our plans in June 2005.  This was partly because our focus was redirected to the deanery’s need to have a definitive approach to clergy reduction numbers, and partly because we put effort into the federation (joint cluster). 

We recognised that we have made progress on three of the four areas with some degree of collusion: pastoral visiting teams in Hayling and Havant will share training together, and Godly Play is up and running in Havant and sharing resources with others.  In addition Emsworth has put very effective Messy Church into operation (as well as other good outreach and support programmes).

It is recognised the need to include laity more in the leadership of Kairos.

There are numerous pots of funding available for strong community projects, so we need not be inhibited in furthering plans, which may include an employee/worker.  The Community Boards are a useful way of both keeping in touch as well as defining funding opportunities.

It has been agreed to draft a specification for a Youth Worker, to be possibly funded through Government opportunities for community based youth work.

Schools.  We are working with the Hayling College to find a space that can be used by students as a Quiet Room.

Extended Schools.  This is a Government initiative being trialled in Hayling, Leigh Park and elsewhere.  The idea envisages:

-          clubs for the elderly as well as nurseries

-          placing schools at the centre of the community

-          all schools to be extended by 2007/8

How does the church position itself to respond to this opportunity?  A group, to be known as the Extended Schools Focus Group (ESFG) is researching the Government’s Extended Schools provision in the trial area of Hayling Island.  Michael Laird is our representative. 

The Cluster stated that we need to see that our thoughts are evolving but that we need to focus our ideas upon exactly what we want to do.  We need to communicate our aspirations and invite ideas, and we need good channels of communications.