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‘In
my beginning is my end’ - T.S.
Eliot ‘The four quartets’
I
quote from the very first article that I wrote for St Mary’s magazine
‘October 21st 1992 is going to be an important day in the life of
St Mary’s church and in my life. This is the occasion when I will be made
Vicar of St Mary’s Merton . The life pilgrimages which have shaped us so
far will converge at this point,…….Here we are together to go forward on the
next stage of our mutual pilgrimage towards heaven.’
Sadly
on June 17th there will be another important day in my life and
perhaps in the life of St Mary’s when Jan and I take our farewell of you all
and our journeys towards heaven will diverge at this point.
In
that original letter I quoted from an article from ‘The Independent on
Sunday’ from a journalist who tried going to church. He was anxious at the
beginning of the service ‘in case he got God’. He argued that in the event
this was not a real worry since God seemed to be absent on this occasion.
I
wrote then ‘that this was sad since we believe that Jesus is the way to God
and that God has chosen the church i.e. you and me to be the means of
proclaiming his essential nature and the true identity of Jesus. Here then
is the purpose of our journey together. To those people who are asking the
same question as to the one that is addressed to Philip in
St. John’s
gospel ‘Sir we would see Jesus’. Our task is to point to the answer both in
our lives and in our worship.’
So
our time together can be measured against this objective. Have we together,
in the time I have been your Vicar, brought more people to see Jesus,
deepened our own vision of God and not made it difficult for those who are
seekers after God?
From
the letters and feedback that I have had over the years most agree that the
quality of the music and worship has enhanced our lives and has to my
certain knowledge brought individuals to a deeper understanding of faith.
We only have to see the steady number of Confirmation candidates over the
years as evidence of this.
The
consistently high standard of choral music is a tribute to our choir and
also to the Directors of Music who have served with me. I am well known as
saying that ‘the music is the bicycle of the liturgy’.
During this time it would be nice to feel that If I have influenced anything
it is likely to be in the areas of making St Mary’s a warmer, more welcoming
community, inclusive in outlook, and less stiff in its approach to newcomers
and traditions. Making sure that information is widely distributed and that
the P.C.C. and committees are open in their discussions and that decisions
are made collectively after wide consultation.
I am
sure that we will stay in touch with many of you and there will be always a
welcome in the hillside if any of you want to come and visit the beautiful
countryside of South Shropshire, ‘the centre of the Slow Movement’. Jan & I
thank you for all your prayers, love and support over the years and as our
journeys diverge hopefully our paths will cross in the future. ‘In my
beginning is my end’.
Your
priest and friend
Tom Leary
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