The next instalment in the life of the curate!
Written by Ruth for the November 2015 parish magazine
Today (October 9th, my deadline for this article) is exactly three months since Kevin and I moved into the parish. I can't believe it. I just don't know where the time has gone.
Alan was very kind and didn't put any pressure on for the first two weeks or so, which was good, because moving was not much fun. It took the removal company three days to pack and move us, and by the end of the third day we were in, but there was literally no box-free floor space. As Kevin kept reminding me, the basic problem was too many books! After a couple of days my brother and sister-in-law rescued us. David and Meike (unusual name, she's German) appeared like angels and started building Ikea wardrobes, which put the first piece of the jigsaw in place. After that, with some of the clothes boxes empty and carpet beginning to emerge, things improved rapidly. Our one-month deadline for having everything in its place came and went, but we have a new one now ... Christmas. We’ll see how that goes! Lots of people have asked how the dogs coped with the move. Better than we did I think! They are fine and they love the garden and the local parks.
Having started settling in I’m delighted to find that my fears about living in a suburban area, after living in the countryside for so long, have completely dissipated, and I really do love it here. This area has a buzz about it that I find very energising and I am thoroughly enjoying getting to know St. Mary's and the parish. I’ve had a few challenges since we moved in, particularly a large funeral for a friend, but in everything the support and encouragement has been wonderful and I am truly thankful for it.
Of course the ultimate joy was my ordination day on 26th September. It’s hard to put it into words, but it was one of the best days of my life. An ordination is like a wedding in many ways, and I certainly had the same aching face that I remember from my wedding day, from smiling too much! There were some truly sublime moments in the service. In the Rochester Diocese, we are so fortunate to have Bishop James, who manages to hold an enormous congregation with warmth, gentleness and humour. The moments etched in my memory are: arriving at the west door and looking across the sea of faces in the packed cathedral and spotting family and friends, hearing the congregational response to ‘Is it now your will that they should be ordained?’ and thinking ‘Oh my goodness it’s real!’, the ethereal sound of the beautiful Veni Creator sung by the choir from a distance, the moment of the Bishop’s laying on of hands, when the whole cathedral seemed to hold its breath, and my favourite – Communion given to just the twelve new deacons, up in the peace and quiet of the Presbytery by the High Altar, after everyone else had received. It was as if time stood still. And then, after the service, the get-together at the Gordon House Hotel was a lot of fun. The day was made complete by the presence of family and friends, and I am very grateful to everyone from St. Mary’s who came and helped to make it all so wonderful.
Thanks to the magazine editors’ kindness, following a busy week, I’m now finishing this a couple of days after the deadline! This morning was the Harvest Family Service in St. Mary’s, preceded by bacon rolls and followed by Harvest Lunch, and once again it was the same kind of busy but joyful occasion that I’m beginning to get used to. There are so many people helping with so many things, and there’s a warmth and a welcome that is quite special. Walking into St. Mary’s feels to me like walking into a gigantic homely front room with a huge family in it and this is something to be treasured and nurtured because all churches are not the same!
So thank you to you all for the welcome you have given to Kevin and me. I am so looking forward to continuing to work and learn alongside you, to sharing with each other the good news we have, and to taking it, as a deacon is charged with, into ‘the forgotten corners of the world’.
Every blessing,
Ruth