Dear Harcourt Parish,

Greetings from cloudy Cambridge, England! I am two months into my semester abroad at Westcott House theological college, one of the Anglican theological schools here in Cambridge. I have had an exciting several months. My coursework has led me in many different directions, and I have been able to experience Anglican worship in a variety of church and chapel contexts. 

One course has been particularly thought provoking, a paper on Anglican history. I have done the majority of my research on an English monk who was active in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa as early as the 1940s and 1950s, Rev. Trevor Huddleston, CR. His most famous work, "Naught For Your Comfort," details life under apartheid from 1948-1956, and it depicts the trials of ministering to those who are constantly dehumanized. His essays on mission and the church, "The True and Living God," presented in Oxford in 1964, challenged me to think about discipline and service. He writes movingly about the dynamic of prayer, contemplation, service, and activism in his life. As a parish priest in Rottesville and Sophiatown, two black townships outside of Johannesburg, South Africa, he regularly witnessed the struggles of living under an oppressive, racialized regime. What is the role of the church in reaffirming the humanity of those who have been silenced or oppressed? We are called to continue in the breaking of the bread, the faith of the Apostles, and to seek justice and healing for a world in need. Huddleston writes a bit about "things" and the proper ordering of things. "Bread. Wine. Water. The things of human existence: the things, moreover, which symbolize the whole of human wealth. It is these things which in our way of life have been covered over with layer upon layer of unreality, so that we cannot know them in themselves. If we are to meet the crisis which divides the world...then we have to discover an attitude to things, an attitude to the creation, which will give them a meaning beyond themselves. It is precisely this that the Christian faith claims to do" (in "True and Living God", p. 37). I would recommend both of these (relatively short) books.

It has been a joy to share in the common life of the theology college here in Cambridge. Every Sunday I have tried to go to a different parish, exploring the varieties of worship in the Church of England, everything from praise and worship evangelical to incense and Marian devotion Anglo-Catholic. In the evenings on Sundays I go to different college chapel evensong services. There are so many talented choirs, and such incredible spaces in which to worship together. 

It has been refreshing as well as challenging to be away from Yale, from my friends and fellow classmates, but it has helped me to value those things in my life and in my church that are already shaping my ministry. I have been fortunate to visit many friends and family in the past eight months, mentors and spiritual guides. My time in Taizé revealed the importance of giving thanks, paying attention to where God is at work, and being patient with one's self. So thank you. I continue to feel so blessed by the church communities that have raised me, especially you all. I look forward to sharing all of the blessings in whatever comes next! 

Know that you are always in my prayers.

Peace,

Gregory

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