DIOCESE OF ARUNDEL AND BRIGHTON ECUMENICAL WALKING PILGRIMAGES
NUMBER 78 July 2004
Dear Pilgrims,
only six weeks to go and the inbox is lighting up with messages bouncing to and fro.
Most of the key arrangements have been made; helpers, halls, route notes, crosses and pubs. People have made selfless commitments to carry out almost all the roles needed. One of Frances helpers is flying over from Auckland.
Monica reports some 56 booked by the end of June with a number of new starters including three from Canada. I trust the rest of you have caught up with the admin by now and sent your forms & fees to Monica .
Stephen Smith's minister, Revd Robert Bull, will be joining us for the weekdays which is a long hoped for addition to our liturgy team.
The route looks like fulfilling the scenic promise of the Welsh Marches by including a number of hills (twice over the Malverns) and a section of Offas Dyke Path. It is now down to fine tuning the detail of the route timings and the church stops.
Aidan, John & Sue have written the Liturgy/theme guide for us to use in preparation for church stops and services. This is in the July mailing as well.
As well as the spiritual preparation provided by the guide remember to harden those feet off with as much walking practice as will fit into your busy lives.
Looking forward to seeing you all in Gloucester,
Best regards, Bruce
I
first met Richard at my parents’ URC church in Chichester in 1986. He became a
friend of the family and I can still remember him saying, “you must come on the
Pilgrimage”. His stories of application of surgical spirit to his feet prior to
the pilgrimage and the sight of his blistered feet after, let alone the 26 mile
days he described, left me thinking, “I won’t ever go on that”! How wrong we can
be and it is thanks to Richard that Sue and I were introduced to the Pilgrimage.
Richard walked many pilgrimages (despite his bad back). His last was
Chichester to Bath in 1999. He was also an usher at my wedding to Julian in
April that year and performed his duties cheerfully and well. The Pilgrimage had
a strong spiritual and social influence on his life and we will all remember his
contributions to the prayers. He also organised the Bosham reunion in 1997 and
had led day walks in the past.
Richard was an ecumenical Christian, who was involved in several churches. He was a pillar of the Chichester community and was a well-known character who always had time to stop and chat and listen to people in the town. Richard gave 18 years’ devoted service to the SCOPE charity shop. He had been involved with the conservation volunteers and worked as a steward at the film centre. Richard also played the piano at an old-peoples’ home and the residents loved him; he took time to talk to them.
Richard died on April 13th. He had been involved in a bus accident on March 26th. His funeral was held at Christ Church, Chichester (URC/Methodist) on April 23rd. The church was full and only Richard could have four clergy taking part in the service. Represented were Revd McManus and Revd McIntosh, URC ministers from Chichester and Bosham, Father Newsam from St Richard’s RC Church and Revd Hunt from St Paul’s Anglican Church, Chichester. Two of the hymns were “He who would valiant be” and “Jerusalem”. It was good to see many present and past pilgrims in support. Richard will be sadly missed on our pilgrimages. He was a good friend, a man who showed courage, faith and perseverance in the face of many personal struggles.
We send our prayers and sympathies to Richard’s family. May he rest in peace.
Betsy Farmer
The Pilgrims sent a card to Richard’s family and received the following reply:
Thank you so much for your kind letter and for the card with so many of the pilgrims signing it. Please pass on my thanks to them all. We shall miss Richard very much. It is a tragic loss but as he sustained so many injuries, it is a blessing that he did not survive. He had a wonderful send off and it is not many people who can claim to have four clerics of different denominations at his funeral service.
Yours sincerely
Denis House
Ex-sarnie queen Joan Gale celebrated her 60th birthday recently with a ‘Sixties Rave’ A number of pilgrims joined in the celebrations, suitably attired in ‘60s dress.
You'll recognise Joan by her laugh???
A&B
Pilgrim Lourdes Lluch is getting married to José Klecker, on October 3, in
Grañón (La Rioja), at the 13:00 h. mass. You are all welcome.
I’m sure that those unable to make the wedding will join me in wishing them both many happy years together
An extremely annoying computer glitch has lost my saved e-mail messages, so if you sent something & it hasn’t appeared or it has been garbled in this issue, please accept my apology, send it again I will endeavour to get it in the next issue.
One news item in the last issue was severely out of date. Alison Schwedowska’s ‘recent marriage’ was in-fact some (4??) years ago, and she is in-fact now divorced.
(The message with the full correction details was unfortunately amongst the many e-mails I’ve lost, but embarrassment for the error, was enough for me to remember at least some of it). Sorry Alison.
Arriving
just to late for the last newsletter was Dominic Kanssen, Born on 24th
February, weighing 9½lbs. Despite causing more sleepless nights in the last 4
months than his elder brother & sister have combined, Dom is in reasonable
health & growing fast.
Jess has found the strain of 3 children under 4 a bit of a strain so I think we’d better stop!
Leslie & John Brennan are expecting the arrival of their second child in September, to keep Joseph company. I suspect this will somewhat limit the walking Leslie gets done during this years pilgrimage.
Congratulations to you both.