An Anglican Gathering of the Chelmsford Kind. By Uncle Monty.

An Anglican Gathering of the Chelmsford Kind.

Story By Uncle Monty.
Chelmsford Photos By Alex Albion.
+

Just for one moment, I almost expected the Archbishop
of Canterbury himself to arrive at Chelmsford Cathedral
to officiate at the uncommon Farewell Service to retiring
Bishop John Gladwin that included perhaps 750 well-wishers
and official dignitaries all gathered together for the beloved
Anglican bishop and his equally beloved wife Lydia.

+
Over many years as an avid Anglican, I have attended many

and varied Anglican events all around the world, but never

before had I atttended such a rare "Farewell Service" of the

Chelsmford kind that I personally witnessed to her own

retiring bishop. It was a sheer joy to feel at home at the

cathedral and even more of a joy to witness The Introduction,

The Gathering, The Liturgy of the Word, The Address, The
Tributes, and The Prayers of Intercession, that saw for me

the best that is today’s Historic Anglicanism

at the Diocese of Chelmsford.

+

Lord John Petre of Ingatestone.

The Queen's Personal Representative.

+
And, never before had I seen dozens of so many mayors and

mayoress all gathered together all at one time inside and out-

side the old cathedral with a rounded retinue of dressed bishops

and clergy of every kind participating in the unusual Farewell

Service to Bishop John Gladwin and his wife Lydia. There was a

sense of gladness and joy for The Gladwins that overshadowed

any public expessions of sadness of their impending departure.

Indeed the service was a celebration of them, not a monotonous

ritual of retirement words and dullrums. No sir, it was not!

Before being translated to Chelmsford, Bishop John had also

been the popular presiding Anglican Bishop of Guildford.
+
At Least Five Bishops or Clergy.

+
Among those paying tribute to the retiring Anglican bishop

was the Catholic Bishop of Brentwood, His Excellency, Thomas

McMahon, along with the open heartedness of Lord John
Petre, The Queen's Personal Representative, at the Fare-
well Service. His Lordship was most affable and I was

pleased not only to chat with him about his role as one of

Queen Elizabeth's Lord Lieutenants, but also for me to

portray him thru my camera lens at where he gladly let

me position him to allow me to freely get the kind of photo-

graphs I want to take of him. See the above photo/graphic

of Lord John, who by profession is a landed farmer at the

Ingatestone family estate. Without any trace of pompous-

ness, he was a delight to me to personally meet. In his

tribute, he brought the house down with gleeful laughter

of the things he said of the beloved Bishop John and his

fond wife Lydia. It was all fun and harmless that only

Lord Petre could have presented so informally, yet

so skillfully and so honestly, like he did.

+

The Rt. Rev'd Christopher Heudebourck Morgan,

The 12th Anglican Bishop of Colchester.

Among the half dozen bishops present, I met the bishops of Colchester (seen above), of Kenya, of Dorking, and of Chelmsford, and photographed them all individually. And while talking
of bishops and the call for the reduction of Anglican Sees in the United Kingdom, I do think that there are too many bishops prancing around at great cost to the Church that needs to come to end by natural attrition of retirement or death of such bishops at those shallow dioceses that are costing more than they are worth to keep. Then we have bloody New Labour who seem to always want to create a mess of one kind or another like their latest assault against the tradition and history of the English Church. They want to yank out of The House of Lords the historic presence of the bishops of the Anglican Church of England. How any of the English clergy or laity could actively support New Labour is beyond me. They are a grave and vulpine threat to everything the Church represents is the British Labour Party, which for the most part is almost totally anti-Church, yet bends over backwards to accommodate such foreign beliefs like Islam. While in America, American Anglicans of The Episcopal Church seem intent on going their own way on gay clergy and same-sex "marriages" and to hell with the Anglican Communion that seems now to be in tatters and despair under the weakening leadership of the present Archbishop of Canterbury, His Grace, The Most Rev'd Rowan Douglas Williams. We need as worldwide Anglicans to get back to the basics of our faith and stop spending all our energies on the devisive issues of homosexuality, demands for female English bishops, expanding women clergy roles, and the further politicalization of the Church of England like banning clergy membership in the British National Party (BNP). The Church has no business dictating whatever political membership such clergy may privately hold. No wonder we see the rise of the Confessing Anglicans and GAFCON helping to provide "a home away from home" for the many disillusioned and/or traditional Anglicans both at home and abroad. I think eventually, the worldwide Anglican Communion will just disintegrate before our very eyes and then wonder why we could not save it from its final demise as liberal and conservative Anglicans pack their own bags and forever shun each other like Philistines and without any further Communion together or open communication. How truly sad!! Oh, I think the last time I saw Bishop John Gladwin was perhaps at last year’s Lambeth Conference that saw me disbarred by the hideous and mechanical press officer John Carter because he didn’t want an Anglican blogger like me to be freely admitted to report openly on the conference. It only takes one foul Anglican bureaucrat to spoil everything like Rev’d John Carter did. We’ve got nothing good to say about him! Last we heard, he was otherwise still working up at Harrogate at the Ripon and Leeds Diocese as its press communications officer. Well, I still say go to hell, Mr. Carter!!

+^ Not Quite The Queen! Gentleman Almost
Stooping to the Chairwoman of Harlow.
+
Now back to the Farewell Service to the good
bishop and his wife at Chelmsford Cathedral ...

Duke Ellington's "Reflection in D" and "O When The Saints Go Marching In ..." reverberated throughout the cathedral with dignity and harmony. The Rite of Penitence, The Bidding Prayer, The Readings, The Anthems, The Hymns, and Te Deum Laudamus, had all been duly heard by us all. Best of all was Charles Wesley's quintessentially-English hymn of "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling." Many of those present knew the words of the Wesley hymn off by heart much like I do. "An Anglican Gathering of the Chelmsford Kind," was like one of kind, just like the Farewell Service itself was to the much loved John and Lydia Gladwin.

After The Dismissal, The Cathedral Reception then followed that saw the gathering then gathered in their hundreds to share their presence among each others and whether they were Anglican or not. Light refreshments filled dozens of long tables for all the hungry guests. Then, bishops chatted bishops. Mayors chatted mayors. Dignitaries chatted dignitaries. And, lay folk chatted lay folk. Nobody seemed to want to go home as Saturday afternoon had now turned into a summer Saturday evening after more than three hours with each other. During that time, I had chatted to many different people that also included George Pullman, Q.C., Chancellor of the Chelmsford Diocese (shown below), and Dr. Daleep Mukarji, Secretary General of Christian Aid.

^ George Pullman, Q.C.
The Chancellor of the Diocese of Chelmsford.

+

^ The Rt. Rev'd Dr. Laurie Alexander Green, Anglican Bishop of Bradwell.
+

^ Some of the dozens of mayors at the Anglican Gathering.
+^ Labour Mayor of Dagenham.
+

Chelmsford Cathedral.

Here now at Colchester is where I and dear Elizabeth Middleton have ventured from Chelmsford to spend the whole weekend travelling here and there and attending, among other things, the above-mentioned Farewell Service. We've now also been to Colchester's lovely Upper Castle Park and to the historic 12th Century Anglo-Saxon ruins of St. Botolph's Priory. But that's another story, perhaps. Whatever, we leave you now after having been at an Anglican gathering of the Chelmsford kind and we're most happy we did. Our good wishes to Bishop John and Lydia Galdwin for you are both surely the most beloved true Anglicans we have ever encountered for quite sometime ... Kind regards and a blessed retirement for you after having served the Mother Church so well, indeed!!

With kind respect, Uncle Monty.
+Apostle to the Indies, Bartolomé de les Casas, 2oo9.

+

{Click on any image to Enlarge}

.