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As we all come to vote in the general election, we must make a big decision about issues which we care passionately about. Education, the NHS, Brexit, immigration; and no doubt, in the light of the terrible terrorist attack in London on Saturday night, our national security.
We all mourn with the families who have lost loved ones, and continue to pray for those who are in hospital and recovering. Amidst the pain, fear and anxiety it was deeply moving to see the “One Love Manchester” concert on Sunday night, put on by the young 23-year-old singer Ariana Grande.
Arguably the gravest issue facing the world today is climate change. And following Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 Paris Climate Accord this is more important than ever. But we have a chance to respond and take action like Ariana did after Manchester. To consider this, tomorrow night we are amazingly lucky to have Alastair Fothergill, the series producer of BBC’s Planet Earth, Frozen Planet and Blue Planet, who has worked alongside Sir David Attenborough for over 25 years, coming to church to give us a chance to work out what action we must take.
Alastair will present, on a huge screen, many powerful and moving scenes from his wildlife films – ranging from extraordinary footage of polar bears hunting to the first ever footage taken of blue whales feeding underwater. As Alastair says, “It’s no longer just about conversation, the preservation of the animals and plants with which we share the planet: today we are talking about the air we breathe, the water we drink and the very survival of mankind”.
Please come along from 6.30pm to our Festival of Food and Film, of which this event is part. An invitation is below (or click here). I rarely absolutely urge people to come to one of SMV’s open and free events but your participation in this one just might just help save the lives of millions. And if you feel overwhelmed by these issues, and making decisions related to voting today in the general election, then don’t forget the words St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology: all of us can “start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible”.
Revd Charlotte Bannister-Parker Associate Priest |
| | Services
—Monday - Friday at 9am Morning Prayer (Chancel)
Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12.15pm
Lunchtime Eucharist (Chancel) —
Sunday 11th June: Trinity Sunday
10.30am - Choral Eucharist
Preacher: The Revd Canon Dr Judith Maltby, Chaplain of Corpus Christi College Mass setting: Poulenc, Messe en sol majeur Anthem: Tchaikovsky, Holy, Holy, Holy |
| | | | Barbara Keen Funeral
Barbara Keen’s funeral will be on Thursday 15th June at 2.30pm in the Church. We continue to hold her family in our thoughts and prayers.
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| | A chance to think: an open study group for Pentecost
Following meetings in Lent, we will meet on Thursday 15th at 12.45-13.30 following on from the 12.15pm Eucharist. If you would like to receive the reading in advance, please email claire.browes@universitychurch.ox.ac.uk
Bring your own sandwiches. Tea and coffee provided.
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The Feast of Corpus Christi
On Thursday 15th June, we celebrate the institution of the Holy Communion. Members of the congregation attend are invited to attend the Sung Eucharist in the Chapel of Oriel College at 6pm. Oriel College is the patron of St Mary’s Church and we have a very warm relationship with the College. The Choir will sing Lotti, Missa Brevis, and Monteverdi, Cantate Domino. This service is held jointly with Keble College. The preacher will be the Revd Nevsky Everett, the Chaplain of Keble College.
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| | | Poetry Corner
from Thomas Cranmer of Canterbury (1936)
CRANMER
From riding to reading sweetly the days go. I praise God for this space of Cambridge air, where steeds and studies abound, that my thighs, body and mind, have exercise,
each o’erstriding his kind, in beast or word.
Steed and speech go reined and spurred. I learned
easier the riding than the reading; I took
tenderness rather than tyranny and made my gain:
but now in strengthened brain I master the twain.
Coming in from the gallop, I vault on language, halt
often but speed sometimes, and always heed
the blessed beauty of the shaped syllables. I would let go
a heresy or so for love of a lordly style
with charging challenge, or one that softens a mile
to a furlong with dulcet harmony enlarging
the heart with delicate diction. Come,
today’s journey waits: open gates! Blessed Lord,
thou hast given me horses, books, Cambridge, and peace:
foolish the man, having these, who seeks increase.
Charles Williams (1886-1945)
Charles Williams, a member of the Inklings (and buried at Holywell Cemetery), wrote his 1936 play following the publication of T S Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral. These ‘shaped syllables’ are redolent of medieval English drama: the alliteration is deftly played throughout, combined with the subtly managed assonance. It mimics the lightness with which Cranmer wears his learning and his physical abilities, merging the imagery of the two (‘Coming in from the gallop, I vault on language’). The portrait is of a vigorous, living man, as skilled in rhetoric as he is the physical.
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| | | Community Notices
Oxford 3rd Annual Homeless Conference: Homelessness - A response of faith On Saturday 1st July, 10am - 3.30pm, The Kings Centre, Osney Mead. Celebrate, discuss and learn how God's love is becoming present in our share response to our homeless brothers and sisters in our beautiful city. Join local church leaders and homeless services as we share current issues, success stories, and how you can become involved in helping to bring an end to homelessness. |
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