St. Dunstan
What could have been.
St. Dunstan was a renowned and well loved Archbishop of Canterbury (which is why we remember his feast day here at St. Anselm).
He was so loved that for the better part of two centuries he was easily England’s favourite Saint. It was a close run thing between him and St. Edmund as to who would be the patron saint of England.
In the end of course, England chose St. George, which makes St. David the only native of the country for which he is the Patron Saint in the British Isles. Patrick was Welsh, Andrew was from Judea and George was Greek/Palestinian.
Dunstan was a monk (in Glastonbury), a writer and artist (he was particularly known for this), he was behind major reforms at Glastonbury and is often credited with the restoration of monastic life towards the end of the 10th Century when it had started to wane.
From Glastonbury he went on to be Bishop of Worcester and then London before being made Archbishop of Canterbury in 960AD.
As we prepare to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee it’s worth remembering that it was the coronation service that he wrote for King Edgar in 973 that formed the basis of the coronation of Her Majesty in 1953.
He was also known for his amazing generosity. At one point on a journey to Rome his generosity was so great that nothing was left for him or his followers and retainers. There were many complaints among his retinue!
He has many examples for us to follow. Patience, love, a dedication to learning and to sharing that knowledge – but perhaps most importantly his excessive generosity.
St. Dunstan pray for us…
Fr. Matthew
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Our APCM will be on Sunday 22nd May immediately after Mass. If you would like to stand for the PCC please speak to Fr. Matthew or one of the Church Wardens.
We are lucky enough that five people have volunteered to be leaders for our summer holiday club. We’re now looking for people who can commit to a few hours to help with things like making tea & coffee, tidying up at the end of each day and other assisting tasks. Please speak to Fr. Matthew or Julie Estep (Sunday School Leader).
Quite a lot of changes to the weekly schedule coming up. As meetings return to in-person there is an inevitable degree of catch-up and I find myself in London everyday next week. There’s a mass everyday except Thursday.
I’m still looking for volunteers for the 12th July to meet with Priests applying for our new Mission Priest job (interviews with +Jonathan on the 13th July). If you’d like to meet the applicants or help with showing them around the parish please be in touch.