Saints in St. Michael's Croydon

Saints in St. Michael's Croydon

For a Catechesis class on the Saints at St. Michael's Croydon, 30^th May 2019.

Saints play a crucial role in the life of the Church. They are people who are recognised for their exceptional devotion to God, and for their service to other people. Saints are remembered and commemorated for their great Christian witness in life – either in recognition for the holiness they lived their lives by, or often for a particular thing they did – and their lives, words and deeds can inspire us today. Some saints are also martyrs – people who freely gave up their lives on earth because of the love they had for Christ and for others. St. Stephen, who was stoned to death soon after the resurrection of Christ in Acts 7 for refusing to renounce his belief in Christ, is the first martyr of Christianity. An example of a modern-day martyr is St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Roman Catholic priest who took the place of a stranger who had been condemned to death at Auschwitz; the stranger and his family lived to see the saint's canonization. Some saints are recognised as Doctors of the Church – people whose work is recognised theologically as being of particular authority in Christian doctrine, especially when orthodoxy is reiterated over heresy. 

St. Michael's Croydon is a very beautiful Church building. Designed by John Loughborough Pearson and built in about 1880, it has a Gothic Revival architecture. This lends itself perfectly to the Anglo-Catholic tradition practised here, and it also provides a fitting home for the many statues, shrines and other visual representations of some very important saints. 

The Blessed Virgin Mary is well-known here at St. Michael's; but perhaps less well-known is St. Anne, the mother of Mary – and thus the Grandmother of Jesus! She is venerated both in Christianity and Islam, and although neither the Bible nor the Qur'an mention her by name, we do read of her in the Gospel of James (from about 150 AD) in the Apocrypha. She lived from about 50 BC to 12 AD, and is the patron saint of several places and professions – Canada, Brittany, Detroit, children and their carers, those without children, grandparents, mothers, pregnancy, house moves, teachers and poverty. 

St. Thomas of Canterbury, or St. Thomas Becket, was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his martyrdom just eight years later, following conflict between himself and King Henry II over the Church's privileges and rights. We have recently celebrated the Feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury, who was the first Archbishop of Canterbury and this saint's predecessor; and St. Thomas is the patron saint of secular clergy, the city of Portsmouth, Arbroath Abbey, and Exeter College Oxford. 

St. James the Greater was one of the Twelve Apostles called by Jesus, and the son of Zebedee, and lived from about 3 AD to his execution by Herod in 44 AD (Acts 12:1-2). We read of his calling to follow Christ in Mark 1:19-20 and Matthew 4:21-22, and he is one of only three apostles to accompany Jesus at His Transfiguration. He is the patron saint of many places, including Spain (his shrine being in the Santiago de Compostela), Guatemala and parts of Mexico and the Philippines; and he is also the patron saint of woodcarvers, oyster fishers and pharmacists. 

St. Martin de Porres was a lay Dominican brother, who lived from 1579 to 1639. His life demonstrated a concern for the poor; he lived a simple lifestyle himself, often fasting from certain foods. Moreover, through his love of others he established a children's hospital and an orphanage. He is the patron saint of mixed-race people, innkeepers, barbers, and racial equality. His work for the poor inspires the work of many Christian organisations and charities today such as CAFOD (the Catholic Agency For Overseas Development). Furthermore, it also inspires us today – for instance here at St. Michael's Croydon, we collect food, clothes, toiletries and other things for the refugee day centre at West Croydon Baptist Church, where I volunteer. 

St. Joseph, sometimes known as St. Joseph the Worker, is the wife of the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to the Apocrypha, Joseph is the father of a number children including James, Simon and Jude – but most significantly, he is the foster-father of Jesus Christ. Jesus is fully human as well as fully divine, and needed to be fostered and nurtured after His birth and Incarnation – just like any newborn baby. He is the patron saint of the Catholic Church, unborn children, fathers, workers, carpenters, immigrants, and of course people who are or have been in foster care – like me, which is why St. Joseph is one of the saints who inspires me the most. 

St. Michael, Archangel, is our principal patron saint here at St. Michael's Croydon (along with St. James, and all the angels). He is also the patron saint of the Jewish people, the Guardian of the Catholic Church, Vatican City, police officers, Germany, France, Ukraine, Toronto, Brussels and parts of the Philippines. St. Michael is thought by Jehovah's Witnesses to be Jesus, in his pre-human and post-resurrection existence – and Michael is identified as Adam by Mormons; but that's not our understanding! Michael the Archangel appears in the Book of Daniel, and particularly in the Book of Revelation where he is the one who leads the armies of God to defeat Satan and all evil spirits. This is the source for the 'Holy Michael, Archangel' prayer which is often said towards the end of the Rosary. 

St. George, or St. George of Lydda, is of course patron saint here in England – but he is also the patron saint for many other places around the world, including Ethiopia, Georgia and Catalonia, as well as a number of universities. He often appears as an armoured soldier, and is depicted as slaying a dragon as per the legend; although we do not actually know many details about St. George or his life with any certainty. What is widely accepted, though, is that he is a martyr – he refused to give up his Christian faith. 

St. Ambrose was bishop of Milan. He lived from about 340-397 AD, and is a Doctor of the Church. He is one of the most fierce defenders of Christian orthodoxy, firmly reiterating how Christ has always existed – that is, His attribute of pre-existence, being fully divine as well as fully human. He spoke against the heresy of Arianism, the belief that Christ had been created by God at a point in time. St. Ambrose is the patron saint of bishops, bees and their keepers, livestock, and Milan; and he also wrote the well-known Christian hymn of praise, the Te Deum, which we say during prayer offices on particular feast days and has been set to many choral anthems and settings. 

St. Gregory the Great was a Pope, and another Doctor of the Church, who lived from about 540-604 AD. He is the patron saint of musicians and singers, as well as students and teachers; another saint who particularly inspires me, given my love of academic study and how I'm a musician (I sing and play the flute – and I've also started learning the ukulele, too!). He is particularly remembered by theologians and Christian scholars for his Commentary on Job. 

St. Augustine of Hippo is a philosopher, and a particularly well-known Doctor of the Church. He is the patron of the Augustinians, brewers, printers, and theologians. Living from 354-430 AD, he was a bishop and has written some of the most influential Christian works, including The City of God, De Doctrina Christiana, and of course his Confessions. St. Augustine's Confessions are almost unique in his field, because of their genre; the work is written as a prayer to God, as he journeys from his earlier affiliations with the Manichees towards Christ, and his coming to repentance from earlier sins. This is a helpful and reassuring reminder that even the saints are not perfect – noone is perfect, apart from God – and we can look to them for inspiration as we seek to live our lives as best as we can. 

St. Jerome, who lived from about 347-420 AD, is another Doctor of the Church. He is best known for the Vulgate – this is his extensive translation of the Bible into Latin, and also for his commentaries on the Gospels. He is the patron saint of archaeologists, Biblical scholars, libraries and their librarians, students and translators. 

These are just some of the many saints who are depicted in the Church building at St. Michael's Croydon. Which of these saints inspire you the most? And are you inspired by the lives and works of other saints? 

Loss and hope: Vocation and our journey as a pilgrimage with God

Loss and hope: Vocation and our journey as a pilgrimage with God 

^{Focus texts: Exodus; 1-2 Kings; Mark 1:40-42; Matthew 16; Luke 9:23, 15:11-32.} 

Today, I would like to reflect on finding hope in times of loss as we journey with God; in particular, how my experiences of this have helped to form my sense of vocation; and how we might help others who have experienced loss of any form to find hope. 

In our lives, we are all on a journey. Together as individuals in our daily lives; with our families and friends; with the wider Christian Church; and beyond. Life is like a pilgrimage; it has a beginning, a destination, and a journey along the way. God is both our companion and our destination on this journey; our Christian vocation takes us to our destination. 

This journey in life has many features and characteristics; like a long road trip, comprising of several different sections, and times of certainty and uncertainty. Sometimes it's easy and well signposted, and the road is free-flowing as we follow our planned routes. But at other times it is not; diversions and unforeseen circumstances cause uncertainty in our path. 

Perhaps one of the most profound times of uncertainty is when one experiences a loss of life. I have experienced this to a fair degree on my journey so far; this is perhaps why I'm particularly interested in the topic I've chosen to talk about today. I had been orphaned by the time I was thirteen years old, and my grandparents had all died by the time I was one year old. For some time, my journey's direction seemed to be uncertain. What was I to do when presented with so many difficult forks in the road? 

Was I without hope? No. For God - who is omnipresent - has always been there. God is always with us on our journeys; even when I didn't know where my journey was headed, God did. This is something I came to realise more in hindsight – and realising my absolute dependence on God through my circumstances has been instrumental in my discernment on my vocational journey so far, together with my sense of call to serve God to a greater degree than I currently am. One of my favourite poems is 'Footprints in the Sand'; to me, this beautifully demonstrates how God is always with us on our journey - giving us hope - even when this is less obvious to us. God Himself works in us, and through those around us; even at times of loss, God – our hope – is still with us. How beautiful. 

There are many other forms of loss; for instance, loss of health, status, stability, job, possessions or home. As part of my current placement at St Michael's Croydon, I volunteer at a refugee centre and a hospital once a week, where I meet with many people who have experienced loss in these ways. And yet I often find they still display hope and joy, even in their sometimes profound circumstances; just last week, I met a patient in the hospital who prayed for me just as much as I prayed for him, so happy he was when I told him I'm discerning a vocation to the priesthood. 

In the Bible, we can see many kinds of journey; both individual journeys like Jesus's parable of the lost son in Luke 15, and collective journeys such as the Moses story in Exodus, and of course the Exilic Age. The themes of loss and hope are both prominent in these accounts – and we ourselves might be able to relate to them. Jesus acts with great compassion when He heals those who have lost health or life; for instance, the leper in Mark 1; the resuscitation of Lazarus in John 11; and, even just before His earthly death, he makes sure that His mother and the beloved disciple will take care of each other, in John 19. 

If and when we suffer loss, we are not without hope, empathy or understanding – for Jesus Himself knows what it is like. In Matthew 16; Peter tried to talk Jesus around the Messiah's prediction about His death; but Christ knew that He had to suffer before His exaltation, and remained firmly committed to following through on His journey. It is Christ we follow on our journey, as Christians; and, while at times this is not necessarily always easy (as Jesus suggests by saying how we must take up our cross), we are made stronger as a result. 

We are all moving. We are all travelling. And we are all making progress; however much or not we feel it. This is perhaps especially important to remember at times when our journeys might lack certainty, or when we experience loss. Our lives happen in the providence of God, who gives us hope; His omniscience is both comforting and reassuring, especially when we don't know what might be in store for us on our journey. 

We all have vocations; all we need to do is to listen to God throughout our journey in life. How might God be calling us to help others? 

From Chevetogne Abbey to Aachen Cathedral: A Lenten retreat

From Chevetogne Abbey to Aachen Cathedral: A Lenten retreat 

Reflections on my retreat at Chevetogne Abbey & visit to Aachen Cathedral, April 2019. 

^{Focus texts: Matthew 6:6; Passion Narratives (Jesus & Pilate); The Rule of St. Benedict} 

As many of you will know, I am someone who likes being busy, doing things I enjoy, and living a generally active lifestyle. But I had also felt a desire to take a break, in order to reflect on my journey with God and my discernment process with the Church by means of a retreat – particularly a monastic one – whenever such an opportunity arose. Moreover, travelling is one of my favourite hobbies; whether returning somewhere familiar to me, or exploring a completely new place. For a week during Lent last month, I made my first visit to Belgium and Germany, to spend a few days on a monastic retreat at the beautiful and ecumenical Chevetogne Abbey, after which we also visited Aachen Cathedral just across the border. 

I particularly wanted to go on a monastic retreat because I had gone to school at Ampleforth College, a Benedictine Roman Catholic school attached to an Abbey in the countryside of North Yorkshire. It was my time at Ampleforth which introduced me to Roman Catholicism (and, perhaps, my particular appreciation of the Catholic tradition in the Church of England); I attended Mass and sung in the choir, and I often attended Compline since the monastic offices were also open to everyone. As a student, I had been on a number of retreats organised by the school, both with my house and my school's year-group. But what would a monastic retreat in a smaller group as a prospective ordinand in the Church of England be like? 

Chevetogne Abbey is beautifully set just outside a small village in the countryside not far from a city; rather like Ampleforth. The community, true to their Benedictine identity and the Rule, extended a warm welcome to us as soon as we arrived. They invited us to attend all of the services as we wished, and we ate together with them at mealtimes. Their hospitality extended further still; some of the monks showed us around the monastery and grounds, explaining the history of the community along the way. We even learned how to make incense in their workshop, and bought some back home to use at St. Michael's Croydon! Most importantly, we spent much time with the monks in conversation; we formed friendships, with our shared interest and desire for further ecumenism. 

Chevetogne is a monastery where both Eastern and Western traditions of Christianity meet; a crucial aspect of the monastery's ecumenical life. The community worships in two different places; those in the Western tradition worship in the Latin Church, while those of the Eastern tradition worship in the Byzantine Church. But they remain as one community; they all share mealtimes together, and – perhaps most significantly – they live under the direction of one Abbot. 

We attended Mass and Compline in the Latin Church, and while the services were in French, these were very easy to follow; it was immediately obvious as to what was happening. While Matins and Vespers in the Byzantine Crypt were less familiar to us, we realised the monks there prayed essentially the same things as we do at Morning and Evening Prayer back at St Michael's; and it was so interesting to get a taste of how Christians in the Eastern tradition pray these offices. The offices were very elaborate; much of the language went over my head (being in a mixture of French and Slavonic), but – thinking of us present in the congregation – some of the monks very kindly said a few prayers in English for us. Regardless of our familiarity with the languages, the monks were still praying for us – and with us. 

I think one of the biggest differences in Eastern services to Western services is how many people walk in and out as they wish during an Eastern service. Services in the Eastern tradition, on the whole, are significantly longer than Western services, sometimes being twice as long or more. Timekeeping was, thus, a key difference; while you would normally attend a whole service in the West, in the East you can attend it all or just come to as much of the service as you feel or require – like recharging your camera batteries, or refuelling your car. 

The monastic offices marked the beginning and end of each day, providing a routine of stability around our days otherwise filled with a rich variety of activities and times in silence. Praying and eating often happened in sequence; in the morning for instance, Matins and Mass would be followed breakfast; lunch would be eaten immediately after saying the Midday Office, and supper would punctuate Vespers and Compline. 

We lived a very monastic lifestyle during our time at Chevetogne. We stayed in simple yet perfectly comfortable rooms, we wore cassocks when in the monastery and around the grounds, and I also found I had more time to do things like reading, writing, occasionally visiting the two Churches for some more silent prayer – and of course a run in the valley. True to what I had desired in this retreat, we spent as much time in silence as we did in prayer and worship. Furthermore, while I had taken my mobile phone with me, I chose to keep it on 'Airplane Mode'. I was thus free from any distractions from the outside world, which – given the United Kingdom's political situation at the time – was quite refreshing! I think it's good that we experienced the monastic life as fully as possible during our retreat, in many ways – indeed, we spent a few days living pretty much as monks. 

En route home, we took the opportunity to visit Aachen Cathedral (with both Chevetogne and Aachen being close to the Belgian-German border). We were made most welcome by the Cathedral staff, who very kindly showed us around on a guided tour they ran specially for us. There are a number of very sacred relics kept in the Cathedral and in the museum nearby - probably the largest collection of relics I've seen in one place so far. During our tour, we saw the Throne of Charlemagne, a large stone structure composed of a large chair atop some steps. It came from the palace of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem; these may be the very same steps that Jesus Christ Himself walked on, when he was led up to be presented by Pilate to the crowd at His trial. How very moving and powerful indeed. 

After attending Mass and a visit to the Cathedral's museum and shop, we returned to England. I have found this retreat both restful and restorative, and I am already looking forward to visiting again in the future. Have you ever been on a retreat? If not, would you consider going on one? How might a retreat help you to become closer to God? 

The importance of academia in the Church

Reflections on the importance of academia in the Church 

By Will Lyon Tupman, Lay Pastoral Assistant at St. Michael's Croydon 

In addition to the many pastoral and sacramental aspects of being a Lay Pastoral Assistant, there has been a distinctly academic flavour to my placement at St. Michael's Croydon. Having studied theology at university, this has been particularly appealing to me – and St. Michael's has been one of the most academically-focused Churches I have served in to date. Our studies each term have been focused on three main themes; the Incarnation, the Paschal Mystery, and Saints and Sacraments. 

In examining these doctrines and beliefs central to the Christian faith, the priests at St. Michael's have run a course of guided reading, using a variety of academic texts by some of today's most renowned theologians. These include former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI with his trilogy on Jesus of Nazareth. Crucially, these academic texts clearly radiate the faith of the authors, which has been particularly pleasurable for me as a Christian and a theologian, especially as I explore ways in how I can use my theological learning and understanding to help myself and other Christians on our journey. 

Further to our guided reading programme with the priests at St. Michael's, we have attended seminars with the Venerable Dr. Edward Dowler, Archdeacon of Hastings. In these sessions, we have examined the texts On The Incarnation by St. Athanasius, On Pascha by Melito of Sardis, and The Rule of St. Benedict. I have both furthered and expanded my theological repertoire – and attending these seminars have been very much like attending Cambridge supervisions! 

In addition to our reading and seminars, we have visited the National Gallery in London each term. One of the Senior Research Curators, Dr. Susanna Avery-Quash, has kindly led us on a study of some of the most beautiful and theologically significant images (many of which were originally used in worship in Churches) relating to the Incarnation, the Paschal Mystery and the Sacraments. 

St. Anselm's motto of “faith seeking understanding” underpins our Adult Catechesis programme, a series of Christian learning sessions at St. Michael's open to all, which has corresponded with our Pastoral Assistants' study scheme. Offering presentations to parishioners in study groups gives us the perfect chance to apply our studies and learning to assisting the learning – and faith journeys – of others around us. 

My academic formation at St. Michael's has been both useful and helpful for me, especially in how we have comprehensively examined some of the most important Christian doctrines and beliefs from several denominations – and in both textual and visual mediums. I believe it is vitally important to attain a good balance of sacramental, pastoral and academic aspects of the Church's life – and my placement at St. Michael's excellently embodies this. Having a greater understanding of my faith, through academic study, is both helpful for me and for those around me, as I use my understanding and theology to guide others in their Christian journey.