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Guest Post: Alan McManus on The Feast of St Francis
The Feast of St Francis is increasingly being marked in the church these days, most obviously by services for the blessing of animals. St Mary’s will be having just such a service on Sunday afternoon at 2.30 pm. However, Francis is about a good deal more than animal blessings. In this guest post, Dr Alan…
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Overheard in the Bookshop
The scene is a very busy bookshop. A bepigtailed elderwoman protagonist approaches the information desk. She pauses for a moment and then asks… “Excuse me, Religion is…?” Her bearded interlocutor pauses for a moment and then replies…. “Religion is in the gold room, just up the stairs.” He pauses once again, and then asks, “Or…
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Guest Post: At Home Among the Dissenters – John McLuckie
The Rev John McLuckie is about to return to Scotland following several years working in England. In this guest post he reflects on his experience of the Church of England. Do feel free to respond to what John has written below in the comments and check out his blog at http://justluckie.typepad.com On the weekend of…
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Blessings abounding
I’ve been at a couple of blessings of same-sex couples recently – as a guest rather than as someone celebrating the liturgy. Neither of the recent ceremonies that I’ve been at have been in Scotland. It is more clear to me than ever that this is  global movement and the push towards allowing gay couples…
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Missional – Your Time Has Come
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! I hereby announce an international competition to rid the ears of the godly of a peculiar modern ugliness. Everywhere I go (and I’ve recently been engaged on a quest to go just about everywhere) I’m hearing the word MISSIONAL used in church circles. It seems to me that this is a…
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Chant Matters – Compline at St Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle
I’ve been to some interesting services in the last few weeks. None more so than going to Compline at St Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle recently. Now, Compline at St Mark’s is pretty famous. For over fifty years, a men’s choir have been singing Compline (which is a service of late night prayer) on a Sunday…
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The Apology Nick Clegg should have made
I’d like to take a few moments of your time to clear the air. It is obvious to me that significant numbers of people who voted for the Liberal Democrats at the last election have felt let down by how the Liberal Democrats have behaved in government. The reality is that we have let down…
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Guest Post: Why I am an Episcopalian – Christine McIntosh
In this Guest Post, Christine McIntosh reflects on why she is an Episcopalian. Chris lives in Dunoon, doon the watter from Glasgow and blogs at www.blethers.blogspot.com “Oh, so you’ve said goodbye to reason, then?†Maybe I had. At the age of 27 I had just informed my father that I was going to be confirmed…
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Overseas Links – some questions
Lots of churches have overseas links. Individual churches, dioceses, even whole provinces of the Anglican Communion often have links to places far afield. They are sometimes successful, sometimes not. But they are often built on the curious last century notions that relationship depends upon physical contact and that travel is easier than communication. Of course,…
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Another day, another new ministry now begins
I was at the installation of a new rector at St John’s, Shaughnessy the other night. It was an extraordinary event – the arrival of a new priest to minister in a place which has been greatly fought over. It is one of the congregations where significant numbers of people left the Anglican Communion rather…