Fr Crispian Hollis, the Bishop of our diocese of Portsmouth, came to our Parish to offer Mass here last Sunday morning. He assured us that he had not come to inspect the Parish or to sort out problems, but to say goodbye to us as he is hoping that the Pope will allow him to retire this Autumn.
After Mass he joined us for a buffet lunch which would have fed hundreds, at which Cathy read for him a blessing from Benedictus by John O'Donohue. The final lines are:
May the slow light of the Eucharist
Be a sure shelter around your future.
Then Clare made him a presentation on behalf of the Parish. Bishop Crispian has had to tackle, during his time in office, one of the most critical periods in the history of our diocese. He had to propose and carry out drastic solutions to some of the problems he faced, but showed himself willing to modify his proposals where an individual situation merited it. We wish him well and pray that he will enjoy a happy retirement.
No comments:
Post a Comment