A friend tells me that S Mary's Church Huttoft in Lincolnshire, the basis of the poem by Sir John Betjeman which I quoted yesterday, is, indeed, in his experience, very locked; and served by a woman minister. Fulsere vere ...
Father, whilst I'm sure it is not your intention, your association between the church having a female incumbent could be construed as sexist - there is probably no connection in that to it being locked.
I'd suggest that the cause is instead likely to be that the parish is in a team with three other villages and the incumbent has more pressing things to do with their time than go between villages locking and unlocking churches, and they haven't a volunteer to do so from the congregations. (Though I admit I comment without knowledge of this particular church, just the trends amongst rural parish churches).
was for nearly three decades at Lancing College; where he taught Latin and Greek language and literature, was Head of Theology, and Assistant Chaplain. He has served three curacies, been a Parish Priest, and Senior Research Fellow at Pusey House in Oxford. Since 2011, he has been in full communion with the See of S Peter. The opinions expressed on this Blog are not asserted as being those of the Magisterium of the Church, but as the writer's opinions as a private individual. Nevertheless, the writer strives, hopes, and prays that the views he expresses are conformable with and supportive of the Magisterium. In this blog, the letters PF stand for Pope Francis. On this blog, 'Argumentum ad hominem' refers solely to the Lockean definition, Pressing a man with the consequences of his own concessions'.
2 comments:
Father, whilst I'm sure it is not your intention, your association between the church having a female incumbent could be construed as sexist - there is probably no connection in that to it being locked.
I'd suggest that the cause is instead likely to be that the parish is in a team with three other villages and the incumbent has more pressing things to do with their time than go between villages locking and unlocking churches, and they haven't a volunteer to do so from the congregations. (Though I admit I comment without knowledge of this particular church, just the trends amongst rural parish churches).
It is St Margaret's Huttoft, now part of the Mablethorpe and Sutton Groups, consisting of five parishes served by two men and a woman.
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