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Letters from 14 to 20 April 2008

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Don't forget Ardfert, Aghadoe, Killaloe, Kilfenora, Clonfert, Kilmacduagh and Emly

In the matter of the Vicar of Trumpington, Diocese of Ely, (Cambridgeshire) who was recently removed from his parish, this little limerick came to mind...

There was an old vicar from Ely,
to his calling not suited ideally,
When his temper was frayed,
His people he sprayed
With spittle, and cursed them quite freely.

Garth Millar
Retired from Anglican Church of Canada
Victoria, British Columbia, CANADA
15 April 2008

(Ed: Old? If Tom is old, then we're positively ancient. We remain certain that there's more to this case than meets the eye, but whatever it is, it's over, isn't it? Everybody involved needs to go do something else now.)

Versicle AND response

In the matter of reciting the whole liturgy — that is what our 9 year old grandson does too — not disruptive, just saying all the words along with priest and congregation.

Ann Fontaine
Lander, Wyoming, USA
17 April 2008

Accomplished entirely without the use of Dentyl

I was especially touched this night about the woman who followed our liturgy by sound and not by sight--reciting and being a part of every spoken word (and at the same time knowing and feeling the word within herself). As you said, it is God's close friends such as Hannah/Anna (who truly are us all if we'll admit it) who are the life — the reason — the body of this church today, not the commissions, the committees, the covenants, the communions, and not even the priests and the bishops, thank God.

We as clerics can be so pompous, so self-centered, so egotistical that we overlook the true meaning of what all these fancy vestments and lttile hats really mean and symbolize.

You are a fresh breath in an often stale church.

David A. Elliott III
St James' / St Andrew's
Jackson, Mississippi, USA
gelliott1@comcast.net
19 April 2008

Earlier letters

We launched our 'Letters to AO' section on 11 May 2003. All published letters are in our archives.