Saying goodbye to Wilma is very difficult for us at St. Mary's. Although she is not going too far away and we expect to see her again before long, she has been so graceful a presence among us that we cannot but feel our loss.

Her many skills are well known, from her expertise with pew-sheets and printers, the successful organisation of the Bishop Benzies appeal to her important work on the new Common Worship service books, all of these demanding and time- consuming tasks. However, Wilma will not be chiefly remembered for her practical skills, though they will certainly be missed, but for other more deeply influential qualities.

The already strong musical life of St. Mary's has benefited enormously from Wilma's knowledge and initiatives, both inside and outside church, from Evensong to Pantomime. For the congregation she presented a four week course last year, which was an illuminating experiment in engaging us more actively with the music and language of the liturgy and the examination of new hymns. And of course, Wilma singing the responses at Evensong in her clear, bright soprano was a great delight. We shall miss that too.

People of all ages have found in Wilma a lively, sympathetic and realistic friend. Her pedagogic skill and sense of fun have enlivened our Sunday Club, several local schools and services such as the Christingle, while the meetings of the post confirmation group in her house, with a video and some chat, seem to be the best possible model for young teenagers with a lot to say and ask.

Not all Wilma's time here has been happy, however. The operation on her eye and subsequent treatment was exhausting and difficult for her, but her stoic commonsense saw her through. Like all parishes, St. Mary's has its tensions and problems, which Wilma has treated with pragmatic optimism, never merely anodyne in her opinions but always firm and properly considered. To many she has been a staunch friend in sad and awkward times, often at some cost to herself.

Above all, it is as a priest we shall remember her, not only for her loving kindness to us all but for her joy in her priesthood, shared with the community of St. Mary's. In church, Wilma speaks with confidence and clarity, sometimes, though never pressingly, from a woman's point of view. Her sermon on Jairus' daughter and the other unnamed women in Jesus' life was both moving and thought-provoking as was her Good Friday meditation on the different faces of Christ. Coming into church, Wilma invariably looks full of the joy which informs her conduct of the services, whether it's a festival, a regular Sunday morning or a small weekday group. In the August holidays, the paradoxically named Said Evensongs can become in Wilma's hands times of intimate reverence we shall long cherish.

From our hearts we say and truly mean “fare well”

Sunday, May 26th will be Wilma's final day at St. Mary's. After a service at 10am. there will be a shared lunch in the Parish Hall, where a presentation to her will be made. Any contributions towards this should be given to the church wardens.

Thank you.