ESBVM

A committed Ecumenist, Bishop Michael, was a member of the British Catholic/Methodist Committee from 1991, appointed as a member of the International Joint Commission for Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Methodist Council in 1996 and following his ordination as Bishop was appointed Chairman of the Bishops’ Conference Committee for Dialogue and Christian Unity. His knowledge, commitment and contribution to dialogue with the Methodist communion was immense and made a special contribution to the area of ecumenism which has been the brief of the ESBVM since its inception 45 years ago next year. As Chairman of the Committee responsible for dialogue with other faiths, Bishop Michael found himself serving alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams and other members of national Christian leadership by whom he was much respected. At a local level, his relationships with leaders of other Churches and faiths were always marked by warmth and genuine friendship which was reflected in beautiful tributes from The Bishop of Norwich, Rt Rev Graham James, The Bishop of Ely, Rt Rev Stephen Conway, Rt Rev Nigel Stock, Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Diocese joined others in expressing a view that all the Church of England Bishops in the eastern region valued hugely Bishop Michael’s companionship and willingness to walk with others in the Christian pilgrimage. Rev Simon Wilson, county ecumenical officer at Churches Together in Norfolk and Waveney, and Graham Thompson, chair of the East Anglia district of the Methodist Church, along with others of all Christian traditions and faith communities paid tribute to him.

The ESBVM Conference held at Aylesford Carmelite Priory in 2006 was the setting for an at-times heated discussion of the ARCIC Statement on Mary – Grace and Hope in Christ during which Bishop Michael Evans of East Anglia, who was generous with his time at ESBVM conference even though he had begun treatment for cancer, offered the first paper in which he admonished his fellows for seeing the document merely as a further indication that Anglicans were moving nearer to Rome; it was in fact he urged a call to Roman Catholics to review their own position in terms of mental and devotional attitudes, and to accept and seek insights from other Christians. He himself had taken part in discussions with Methodists on the same subject, producing a document which had been accepted as authoritative for all Methodists internationally, and he commended it as a valuable counterpart.

The focus of his last East Anglia Diocesan Pilgrimage in which he took part was the Solemnity of St. George, Patron Saint of England this year marked on 2nd May. In Bishop Michael Evans’ homily he suggested we all needed the gift of courage, in order to be faithful disciples and pilgrims of Jesus Christ. He said it did not require much courage to walk the ‘Holy Mile’ of Walsingham, which is the great national Marian shrine within the Diocese of East Anglia, unless, like him, you could not see where you were going! [Bishop Michael’s health had been in steady decline for some months]. Walsingham has a major significance for the ESBVM and perhaps for ecumenists and members of the ESBVM currently reflecting on the future of the society not seeing where we are going requiring courage could serve as a useful metaphor. Bishop Michael referred to the youthful Student Cross Holy Week Pilgrimage to the same shrine, but he said he remembered also, those who over 950 years had walked across England to get to the Holy Land of England’s Nazareth at Walsingham, sometimes attacked by bandits and others as they walked together. This often required real courage, as shown by St. George and martyrs across the ages. Bishop Michael showed an admirable courage to the end and we pray that he may come to that full share in the Resurrection in the hope of which we ourselves live. Our lady of Walsingham, pray for Bishop Michael and for us.

Father Bill, OSM Hon General Secretary

Saturday 26th March 2011 at 11.30am

at St Vincent’s Centre, Carlisle Place, Victoria, London, SW1P 1NL
(close to Westminster Cathedral)
[By kind permission of The Sisters of Charity]

At 11.00am The ESBVM AGM Business will be held
in anticipation of the ESBVM AGM Lecture.

Free admission / All welcome

Further information from Hon General Secretary

gensec@esbvm.org.uk

The AGM will precede the liturgical celebration at 14.00
of the 950^th Jubilee of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
to be held in Westminster Cathedral.

The South Yorkshire branch was very active throughout 2007. In May, it joined in an Orthodox celebration of the divine liturgy and a pilgrimage to Harpham in East Yorkshire, birthplace of St John of Beverley, who became Bishop of Hexham in 687, being later translated to York as Archbishop in 705, from which he retired in 714, dying in 721. He founded a minster at Beverly, the present building being constructed around his tomb. After the Orthodox eucharist at Harpham, the party travelled to Beverley where they heard the Minster choir rehearsing for evensong in this beautiful setting.

After this, five new members joined the Society.

In the Autumn, there were no less than four events.

In September we joined the Orthodox pilgrimage to Lastingham in North Yorkshire, to celebrate ‘The Nativity of Our Lady’. A monastery was founded there on the edge of the Moors, in 654, by St Cedd. A leaflet was kindly provided by our Chairman outlining the Divine Liturgy, which proved to be very useful to the members of our group of 16. In addition, the Vicar, Fr Ferguson, welcomed us and spoke briefly about the history of the Crypt and the Church of St Mary. We later travelled to nearby Pickering in superb weather, where members relaxed in various ways. Some visited an interesting ‘open day’ exhibition in the Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul, and to see the famous wall paintings of the 15th century, now fully restored. The return journey was enlivened by enthusiastic singing of hymns of Our Lady, and the reciting of the Rosary.

In October, a group of 14 made a pilgrimage to the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Egmanton near Tuxford, and just off the A1. This was led by Fr Kevin Smith, and attended by almost 100 pilgrims.

The Liturgy included The Angelus, Solemn Mass and Sermon. After lunch provided by the ladies of the village, we followed on with a solemn Magnificat, a procession into the village, and Benediction in the parish church and Shrine of our Lady, to conclude a most enjoyable ecumenical pilgrimage.

Also in October, we were invited to a talk in Sheffield entitled ‘Mary Grace and Hope in Christ’. This was given by Bishop Malcolm MacMahon of the RC Diocese of Nottingham, and he gave a stimulating insight into progress and the problems of ARCIC, of which he is a member. After the talk, group discussions followed by a Plenary Session, completed an excellent, informative and lively event. Bishop John Rawsthorne of the Diocese of Hallam, who chaired the meeting, had previously welcomed us and made mention of ESBVM before the talk. We made a number of ecumenical contacts, at this gathering.

Our AGM was held in November at the Orthodox Church of Saints Columba and Kentigern, in Edlington, Doncaster. Fr Dennis, our Chairman, led us as we prayed the Society’s Office. Our officers presented reviews on previous events, on our Finances (healthy), and on the input of a small ‘steering group’ which had been set up to recommend future Branch Strategy with particular regard for membership and activities. One early recommendation was to print a ‘Membership Leaflet’ more suited to Branch needs and local requirements. This has now been implemented, and has proved useful in publicising the Society, and in recruiting new members.

Our Officers were re-elected for another year, after which there was a short break for refreshments.

Our Chairman then gave an interesting talk on ‘The Mystical unity of the Church’, with emphasis on what we should be doing, and how we might work towards the unity for which Christ prayed. This was followed by a discussion on the current problems, with the view expressed that unity would only really move forward when it to become stronger at local church level. The meeting closed after over two hours of enthusiastic participation by those who attended what was in effect, a comprehensive and positive review of our Branch and its activities.

In the second week of Advent, we joined with the Mothers’ Union at St Oswald’s for an Advent devotion Beyond the Corridors of Grace, produced by our Treasurer, Merelina. This was a delightful service of readings, prayers and hymns, supported by organ, cello and piano music. Over fifty people attended, the Society being well represented. Over £100 was raised for a mother and baby home in Ghana.

Our plans for events in 2008 are as follows

Monday January 21st – Dunscroft St Edwin’s Church. Near Doncaster

To celebrate the ‘Week of Prayer for Christian Unity’. We have an invitation from Father Alan Watson and our members at St Edwin’s to join them for Mass at 7.00pm. Refreshments afterwards and an opportunity to meet members and other interested parishioners. Rev. Fr. Richard Power, Vicar of Moorends, will preach.

February – Sheffield. 26 years under Mary’s mantle. Talk by Sister Ruth Bleakley OCV. Details later.

Tuesday March 11th – Mass at 12.45 including the Liturgy of Anointing, at St Marie’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, Sheffield. This will be followed by refreshments, then a talk and short tour of the cathedral. This should be of historical interest, both marian and ecumenical.

Saturday May 10th – Pilgrimage to Mount Grace Priory and The Lady Chapel at Osmotherley in North Yorks. The Society Office in the restored Monks’ Cell at Mount Grace. At 12 Noon. Vigil Mass at the Lady Chapel 3.30pm. Refreshments afterwards. Tea in Thirsk on return. A special Invitation will be sent to individual members residing in North Yorkshire. We thank Fr Hilary Alflatt for setting up this event.

Saturday July 19th – Pilgrimage to Crowland Abbey near Peterborough.

August – Pilgrimage to Egmanton near Tuxford. Shrine of Our Lady.

September – Pilgrimage to Lastingham in North Yorks. Orthodox Eucharist. Visit to Pickering afterwards.

October – Sheffield. Talk, ‘The Methodist approach to Mary’. Provisional.
November – Branch AGM. To be arranged.

Tuesday December 16th – 2.00pm. Advent Service, St Oswald’s. Abbeydale Road, Sheffield. Invitation from the Mothers Union and our members at St. Oswald’s Anglican Church.

In mid-February, the Society jointly sponsored a marian evening with two Churches Together groups in central Berkshire. Rev. Norman Wallwork gave a two-part talk. The first part reviewed Mary in the Lutheran, Reformed and Methodist traditions while, in the second, Norman provided a commentary on major aspects of the ARCIC agreed statement Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ.

The modest attendance was made up for by extent and quality of the discussion after the presentation. Norman’s talk stimulated a number of those present to reflect on the position of Mary in the Christian faith, something to which many of them had given little previous consideration. There was some interest at the extent of marian references in the writings of the leading Reformers. The event helped to correct preconceived notions of the place of Mary in Christian teaching and practice by non-Roman Catholic and non-Orthodox Christians.

However, the modest attendance was indicative of a barrier that the subject of Mary still presents for many Christians. It might be an area where the Society could articulate more clearly exactly how Mary can be a uniting and faith strengthening influence.

Sat 30 Sept. Visit to St Hubert’s Church at Dunsop Bridge in the Trough of Bowland. 2-4 pm. Talk at the Church on the Rosary followed by the Ecumenical Office. The church is set in beautiful countryside and we are grateful to Fr. John Challenor for his hospitality.

Our branch has held three meetings this year. In April, we met at Lymm to explore the most recent ARCIC statement on Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ. We saw how important this document is in providing for future growth and in not perpetuating past controversy. We praise Mary because she brings Christians together to show them Jesus. In the following month we were at St Chrysostom’s Church in Manchester for an inspiring evening of readings and music in praise of Mary. The programme had four sections- the Middle Ages, the post-Reformation period, the nineteenth century and the present age. The readings varied from devotional poems to an extract from David Wilbourne’s vivid and earthy A Virgin’s Diary. A large screen showed paintings from the four periods as a background. In July, we made our annual pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady at Ladyewell, near Preston. The new director, Fr. Thomas Hoole, welcomed us as we visited the well, said the Rosary and ended the afternoon with the Office. The shrine is very much a place of prayer and peace, down a meandering lane just off the M6. We appreciated that time apart on a warm July day.

The ARCIC Documents are important as indicators of ecumenical relations that, according to Bishop John Flack of the Anglican Centre in Rome, though strained, have not, as reported elsewhere, been halted by controversy within the Anglican communion. Rather they are at a stage of completion with the ARCIC II’s mandate ending with the publication of the joint document on Mary in May
of 2005.

The Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary at its AGM Lecture in the Jerusalem Chamber of Westminster Abbey on March 4th 2006 given by Bishop Nazir-Ali of Rochester, who was one of the Anglican participants in the ARCIC II deliberations, in the Jerusalem Chamber of Westminster Abbey, continued the effort of reception that all such documents face.

Those attending the lecture, including one of the society’s patrons His Excellency Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira & Great Britain, were privileged to an insider’s view of the process of the ARCIC II deliberations and a flavour of how the committee arrived at the position that emerged in the ‘Mary, Grace and Hope in Christ’ document that was published.

The ESBVM is on the verge of celebrating its 40th anniversary of Foundation in 2007 when it is hoped to gather members with its patrons and friends in an occasion of marking the progress in this significant and important area of ecumenical exchange. The work of the society involves Christians of various traditions and those seeking further information may contact ESBVM using the links in the Contact list at left.

The UK launch in the Jerusalem Chamber of Westminster Abbey on 19th May 2005 of the 60 page ARCIC document entitled ‘Mary, Grace & Hope in Christ’ is seen by many as a a considerable achievement in advancing the understanding of the positions on the Blessed Virgin Mary by Anglicans and Catholics worldwide. It is not at this stage an authoritative statement but is meant for wider discussion by both communions. With nearly a third of the text devoted to Mary’s place in the Bible, the document concludes that “It is impossible to be faithful to Scripture without giving due attention to the person of Mary”. The document is a recognition of the importance of her place in life and Liturgy. It also addresses the issue of the Marian dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption in such a way that makes a clear distinction between the content of the dogmas versus the authority by which they were defined, thereby opening up the possibility between the communions of agreement on the issue.

Members of ARCIC, Bishop Malcolm McMahon OP, and The Rev’d Dr Nicholas Sagovsky both spoke at the launch, which was attended by invited guests including the Hon. General Secretary of the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Fr.Bill McLoughlin OSM, seen with them in the Jersualem Chamber in the photograph above.

Professor Sagovsky had given a paper at the Chester International ESBVM Congress in 2002 while working on ARCIC and acknowledged the contribution of the ESBVM to this important area of ecumenism in which it has been working over the past 37 years.