Retreat - Monday - Thursday (delayed because of lack of internet access)

Tuesday night:

We are 30 hours in and all is going well. All 14 ordinands turned up, and all 14 are still here! The theme of the retreat is ‘The Eucharistic People of God’ – people who are taken, blessed, broken and given (in service). On the whole I think they are understanding what I am saying. However, having just been talking about priesthood as not being primarily about status, I asked one ordinand what he was looking forward to most about being a priest. “Having people say ‘Hello Father’ as I walk down the street” was the reply. I guess you can’t win them all! Of those I have spoken to so far, I am impressed with their desire to pray and to serve God wherever he wants them to be.

At the lunchtime Eucharist today we were joined by an RC priest from a Religious Order. He is part of the governing body in Rome and is visiting members of the Order in South Africa and Madagascar. He not only participated fully in an Anglican Eucharist, but one presided over by a woman!! He howled with laughter when I pointed it out to him. He is keen to come to the Ordination on Saturday to see how we do it.

Rabbuni is the coolest (in temperature) place I have been in since I arrived in South Africa and sleeping here is much easier. You can hear the night sounds of Africa tonight, and the sound of the trains on their way to Cape Town, or Jo’burg. Wonderful.

I have just been out to see what the noises at the end of the corridor were – it was three of the men making sure that I was locked in and safe for the night! Actually, this morning I was so well locked in I couldn’t get out and had to be rescued. When the Director did her final rounds last night she automatically let the Yale go, and turned the other key, forgetting I was inside. So this morning I had to rattle the glass doors as someone passed in order to get them to get the key. It gave added meaning to Ps.81:7, from this morning’s psalm, and gave me a homily for the Eucharist!

(Thursday morning:)

 I’ve been trying to get an internet signal with no success. I’ll try walking around the garden later to see if I can find one. All is still going well. Since we were here two years ago for the Sunday School Training, a barn in the garden has been turned in to a lovely chapel, but there is nothing to absorb sound so everything bounces back off stone walls and the tin roof. Our first service there became a bit of a shouting match – but it gave me an opportunity to talk about what it means to Preside in an act of worship, and the need to be aware of other people if we are truly to worship together.

 

The food here has been excellent – if a little eccentric to British taste. Breakfast today for instance was cereals (OK), and minced beef, scramble egg and fresh tomato!

Yesterday we had a cracker of a thunderstorm – not much rain, but lots of noise. They obviously found it unsettling, so we marched around the chapel singing, ‘We are marching in the love of God’ and dancing. I made up verses relevant to the talk I was about to give and there were smiles on their faces. I am playing CDs during our silent meals and for supper chose the Missa Luba– if you don’t know it, try to get a copy: I got mine in ‘Wax Lyrical(?) in one of those racks with relaxing music. By the next session they had all settled down again and were ready to face the final 24hours.

Talking of which, I must go and get the next talk ready …….