- Rempstone Chapel
The Lincoln Forward in Faith blog has three registered contributors. Along with me, Gilbert, there is my saintly friend Guthlac and from the far north of the Diocese there is St Hybald as well. I am very sorry that neither has so far has given you the advantage of his wisdom, for I consider that both have more than me. I will do my best to encourage them to share their thoughts and reflections!
Travelling from Sempringham this last week I did however join my good friend St Hybald, for a Quiet Day with the wonderful Sisters of the Holy Cross at Rempstone. While planning for a move to more suitable premises nearby they maintain in serenity and recollection their offering of worship to God and prayer for His church. Talking with Rev’d Mother, St Hybald and I were struck by the fervour and strength of her commitment to the Catholic Faith as received by our Church. What a blessing she is to her community as well as to our constituency. The Sisters at Rempstone are among the very few of the Anglican Religious orders, once so great a part of the catholic movement in Anglicanism, to be united in their witness to catholic and apostolic faith and order.
We were also reminded of the difficulty faced by individual monks and nuns in Communities where there are women priests. The lack of charity towards those individuals is a microcosm of the situation faced by some of our folk, priests and laity, in the wider Church. Rev’d Mother was clear that a divided religious community is far from the ideal of a christian community, which should be united at the altar as it should be united in every other way.
Please let us all remember the Sisters at Rempstone. Give thanks for their constancy and pray for them and their future. They have two novices just now: pray for them and that more women may be moved to join them.
St Hybald and I returned to Hibaldstow and Sempringham spiritually nourished and strengthened by what we shared together there in Passion Week in company with the sisters. A preparation for Holy Week and Easter, in our own parishes in Lincolnshire.
For our constituency at the moment there seem to be two ways forward. (That is if you discount a third option of just giving up Church altogether) One is deciding that a “Code of Practice will have to do” even though we always said it wouldn’t do- the other is looking to the Apostolic Constitution. That anyway is the essence of what Bishop Keith had to say to our Lincoln Council and to Lincoln Priests last week.