Letters
from 11 to 17 January 2010
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Conquering
kings their galettes take
Like
Fr. Kelley, who wrote last week, I was also a
bit intimidated by
the galette
des rois recipe, which is nowhere near as
simple as a mere four steps would imply. But
nonetheless I did decide to give it a whirl
. . . and while it took a little while to prepare,
it was indeed delicious, and the final result
seemed very much worth the effort.
Julia
Child has manageable recipes for puff pastry (pâte
demi-feuilletée) and the almond filling (frangipane).
You can then turn to YouTube for some good videos
(in English or French) showing how to assemble the
galette. This delightful pastry may well become a
tradition in my home in future years--thanks for
sharing about it.
To
those who give it a try, bon appétit! And
to all, bonne épiphanie!
Brian
E. Coggins
The Chapel of the Cross (Episcopal), Chapel Hill, NC
Durham, North Carolina, USA
13 January 2010
Fire
and ice
Purely
a reaction to your Epiphany letter last week: Far
from the ice and snow and freezing temperatures
you have been experiencing, here in South Australia
we have just endured our first heat wave of the
summer (and a heat wave is defined as five days
consecutively over 35 degrees Centigrade). Our
five days went 36 degrees; 39 degrees; 41 degrees;
41 degrees; 43 degrees, with attendant grass
fires and bush fires, some of them deliberately
lit.
So
to have read your letter about the ice and snow while
I was hiding away from our 43 degrees and fiery sunshine,
was an eerie experience. I'm
not at all sure which I prefer: our unbearable heat
or your unbearable cold!
As
I said, this is simply a reaction to having read
your letter about ice and snow. Nothing profound.
I enjoy your web site, especially the news from around
the Communion.
Rev'd
Stuart Langshaw
St. Peter's Cathedral
Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
LangshawSVN@aol.com
13 January 2010
Can
you help?
Could
I tap into the collective wisdom and experience
of this group by
requesting links to appropriate information about
the grieving process following the death of a
parent? I would appreciate any information about
this process or suggested readings.
If
readers have any appropriate information that they
would be happy to share then they could communicate
with me direct.
I
appreciate the thoughts which we are given each week
in thoughtful homilies by those who organize this
website.
A.
Bazyli
Kingsway International
London, UNITED KINGDOM
aleksybazyli@yahoo.com
14 January 2010
What
sort of Courage?
I
suggest that, before recommending the Roman Catholic
organization Courage, Mr.
Spencer do a little research. I was in that organization
for over a year. It required celibacy (except
in a heterosexual marriage), and a counseler
in the organization put pressure on me to leave
my partner of twenty years. Others I knew in
this organization had similar experiences and
were also told that same sex attraction is a
personality disorder and that a genuine homosexual
orientation does not exist and has no medical
validity. Check Courage's homepage. They say
that outright.
I
hesitate to start a back-and-forth process of posting
letters here, but I think it is important to correct
misinformation.
Catherine
Dillon
Formerly Episcopal Diocese of Long Island
Queens, New York, USA
11 January 2010
Fault
lines?
I
thank Anglicans Online for forwarding me
David's email so that I can reply this week.
David Brown's response is predictable of the
fault-lines and fortress mentality which appear
all too quickly in any discussion of SSA issues
and experiences (in and out of church congregations),
a confusion between pastoral and political solutions.
His final sentence is a reminder of the cultural
divide which is one of the less positive and
pleasant features of any exchange of views. He
writes 'I'm pretty sure that these are principles
that Jesus Christ was all about.'
Many
'Christian' groups make similar bold assertions to
know the mind of Christ so that they can bolster
their own deeply held opinions. For example, David
Corish and the disaster that was Waco, Texas and
the Jim Jones Christian Community are examples of
an arrogant interpretation of the same mindset which
led to murder and suicide. Words such as 'exclusion'
and 'dignity' need sharper definition (as do his
assertions regarding The Courage Apostolate) otherwise
they lend support to a futile 'beauty is in the eye
of the beholder' argument.
I
am grateful to David and Catherine for their emails
because they provide a platform where we can exchange
views and offer our heart-felt responses and support.
Even if we do hold different views! When we retreat
to our own personal eyries, often out of an awful
experience with the Church, we compound our pain
and helplessness.
Both
writers to and readers of AO might be surprised to
hear that I have received a couple of particularly
nasty, bitter, offensive and emotional responses
directed to my email address; probably, I suspect,
from the same person. Father Harry Williams, an Anglican
monk, described such communication as an example
of 'the consecrated claw'. (See 'Some Day I'll Find
You', by Father Harry Williams CR)
Although
a non-sequitur, I am reminded of two archbishops
in the same country commenting on a recent war. One
said, 'This is is a just and holy war' and the other,
'This is a sordid trade war.' Is there a place for
confrontation at the church door? I am not so sure. However,
there is a place where David, Catherine, and the
archbishops and I can meet and that is at the Throne
of Grace" when we consecrate ourselves to His service
saying 'Where He leads, I will follow'. While our
individual journeys might be very, very different
we can still offer our love and support to others
who are also on the Road to Emmaus.
Paul
Spencer
St Paul-of-the Cross, Dulwich Hill
Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA
paspenc25@yahoo.com.au
13 January 2010
Happy
to be of assistance!
It
was a year on 13 January this week since
I saw an ad in Anglicans Online for a vacancy
in the parish I now serve as Rector. It was 1100kms
from my home in Sydney and in a very different
diocese. But the Lord had his plans and as a
result of your carrying the vacancy, I sent off
a very tentative email to the regional bishop.
After months of discernment I received a letter
of offer in June and began here following a commissioning
on 27 November 2009.
Thank
you for your part in God's call to this place.
And
if you find yourself in this most beautiful part
of Australia, please visit one of our two churches!
In
fellowship,
The
Rev Mark Calder
Anglican
parish of Noosa, Brisbane Diocese
Noosa, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
mncalder@gmail.com
15 January 2010
Earlier
letters
We launched
our 'Letters to AO' section on 11 May 2003. All published our
archives.
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