The Clarion: March 2011 - St Mary the Boltons, Chelsea

THE CLARION 

The Magazine of The Parish of St Mary The Boltons 

MARCH 2011 

I Count! 

This helpful strapline has been used recently by 

diverse groups – and it makes the fundamental 

point that each one of us counts, both in the 

sense that what happens to each person 

matters – and also, that each one of us makes a 

difference. 

few years and who feel that they do not count, 

but they do. 

The information from the census will be used 

to inform decisions about what services are 

made available locally, therefore everyone, from 

the smallest baby to the oldest of us, counts. 

Jesus memorably expressed the way in which 

each of us matters to God, in very familiar and 

comforting words: 

‘Are not two sparrows sold for a penny Yet 

not one of them will fall to the ground 

unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs 

of your head are all counted. So do not be 

afraid; you are of more value than many 

sparrows’. Mt 10:29-31. 

This month there are two simple and important 

ways in which we are all called to count as 

citizens: 

Counting as citizens: residents of the 

Royal Borough of Kensington and 

Chelsea 

Colin Tether from the Office of National 

Statistics came to a recent meeting of the Earl’s 

Court Forum. He told us that this Borough had 

one of the lowest participation rates in the 

country at the last census, (64% compared with 

the national average of 96%) and he is working 

hard to improve the response rate. Our parish 

is at the heart of ‘high risk, non-responding 

groups,’ which may surprise you. These groups 

include: affluent residents, established black, 

minority and ethnic communities, recently 

arrived migrants and young professionals. The 

census is for all residents, not just UK citizens, 

so please make sure that when the census 

drops through, you complete it, but also please 

talk to friends and neighbours, particularly if 

they or their friends are in the ‘high risk’ group, 

for example, we have many overseas business 

people and their families who reside here for a 

Counting as citizens of the Kingdom of 

God and members of the Church 

When we are baptized, we become members 

of the Church, which we confirm at our 

confirmation, which is a step some take as 

young people, some later. As adults we take 

next steps as we grow in faith, and of course 

one of those is to join a Church. The Church of 

England is very open to support people at 

whatever level of engagement we chose, but 

one of the difficulties of this very open 

approach is that we can tend to be unclear 

about what membership or belonging to a 

Church involves. For some, the step from 

attending occasionally as a visitor to becoming 

members or being fully part of the Church is a 

journey over time, and Ginny and I thought it 

would be helpful to outline four key elements 

that count of what membership/belonging to 

Church involves: 

• Worshipping regularly: this may be on a 

Sunday or during the week. I well remember 

starting to go to a new Church, and the Vicar 

simply asked me to ‘actively participate’ in 

worship, because that would really help him, 

and I took to heart that being really engaged 

with the service, as opposed to simply being 

there, made a difference. 

• Joining the Electoral Roll: this is not a civic 

voting list, but the names of Church members, 

that is, every person who can vote at the 

Annual Parochial Church Meeting. We review 

this every year, and now is the time to fill out a 

form if you are not already on the Electoral 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

CLARION MARCH 2011 

1

Roll. The list (names only) is at the back of 

Church; do check that your name is there, and 

if not, do fill out an Electoral Roll form. You 

should be baptized, at least 16 years old and 

either live in the parish or have worshipped at 

St Mary’s for at least six months. John McVeigh 

is also updating our wider Parish Index that 

contains details of people with whom we are in 

contact. Please let him know if you have 

recently changed address, email or phone 

numbers. 

• Stewardship: as Leo Fraser-Mackenzie’s 

article last month mentioned, giving financially 

to the Church is an essential part of our 

Christian faith, providing resources for God’s 

work. There will be a Stewardship Programme 

in the autumn. 

• Participation: the life of the Church is 

resourced by lots of people making small 

contributions of their time and skills, whether 

in the choir, being on the PCC or a PCC 

working group, cooking for a lunch, proof 

reading documents, leading or supporting 

Sunday School, or polishing the brass. Each of 

us is called to participate in some way we can, 

to the wider life of the Church outside Sunday 

worship, and there are many ways to make a 

difference. Many people are ‘time poor,’ but an 

hour a month can make a real difference, for 

example, to the children on the St Cuthbert 

and St Matthias’ Reading Scheme. 

Many people will have taken these four steps 

long ago, but for some this may crystallize a 

next step that you wish to take. For all these 

elements it is a matter of contributing, as you 

can, not as you can’t. Joining the Electoral Roll 

is a simple, important, and vital step. Do please 

talk to Ginny or me if you would like to 

explore membership further. 

Ruth Lampard 

The 2011 Census is coming 

On 27th March 2011, all residential households 

in the United Kingdom will be taking part in a 

census. Since 1801 a day has been chosen every 

ten years for this purpose (except in 1941 

during the war). The census provides an 

excellent source of information about the 

population. This enables central and local 

government, health authorities and many other 

organisations to identify needs for housing, 

education, health and transport services for 

years to come. 

The census statistics also feed into the 

allocation of funding for local authorities and 

play a major part in identifying need for local 

services in communities, so it is crucial that the 

population estimate is as accurate as possible. 

As well as schools, housing and hospitals, this 

has an impact on everyday life, such as ensuring 

that the streets are cleaned and in good repair; 

that parks are kept in good condition and open 

for all to enjoy; that the refuse is collected. 

These are all things that go towards making the 

borough a safe and pleasant place to live and 

work. 

Also, did you know that supermarkets use 

census statistics to work out the kind of foods 

they need to sell to keep local communities 

stocked up with their favourites Water 

companies use the census data to plan the pipes 

for clean and waste water, to make sure there 

is enough for everyone. Fire brigades and the 

police use census data to help communities, 

putting fire alarms and crime prevention 

measures in specific areas. The benefits are farreaching. 

Importantly, the census should be filled in by all 

residents, not just by citizens. In the last census 

in 2001, it was felt that many non-UK citizens 

mistakenly believed that it did not apply to 

them, and in not filling in the form, their 

community was under-represented. 

For those residents who own more than one 

home, the census questionnaire needs to be 

completed for all homes, regardless of whether 

they are staying at the home or not on census 

day. 

When the questionnaire envelope comes 

through the door it will be easily recognised by 

the purple 2011 Census logo. For the first time 

in 2011, the census questionnaire will be able to 

be completed online and an individual internet 

code is on the front of the questionnaire. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


2

Personal census information is never shared 

with any other government department, 

nationally, regionally, or locally. The 

information collected is kept confidential by 

ONS and protected by law. Your census 

questionnaire is kept secure and is protected by 

lots of layers of security. 

The 2011 Census does not want anyone to fall 

behind, so there is a wide range of help options 

available, such as language guidance booklets, 

large print format, Text Relay and census field 

staff are on hand, as well as online help and 

telephone call centres. 

More information about the 2011 Census can 

be found at: www.census.gov.uk 

Ruth Lampard 

Fairtrade 28 February - 13 March 

The Fairtrade fortnight will give us the 

opportunity to promote Fairtrade in the 

Church and community. On Sunday 6 March, 

after Church, there will be a Fairtrade Wine 

Tasting with Patrick Thomas. Fairtrade wine 

will be served afterwards at the Parish lunch. 

On Sunday 13 March there will be a Fairtrade 

Stall with Fairtrade cakes and olive oil for sale. 

Fairtrade is not just for Fairtrade Fortnight. 

We will need to keep telling the story. Please 

join us in supporting Fairtrade not only in the 

parish but as a world wide venture that 

supports Christian values. 

Ann Mulcare 

Women’s World Day of Prayer 

You are invited to the International Women's 

World Day of Prayer that takes place on Friday 

4 March 2011 at 11.00 at Chelsea Methodist 

Church 155a Kings Road, SW3 5TX (opposite 

Waitrose). 

This year's service has been prepared by 

women in Chile. They have chosen the theme: 

‘How many loves have you’ The service lasts 

approximately one hour and will be followed by 

refreshments. The mayor of Kensington and 

Chelsea is usually in attendance and we have 

also invited the ambassador of Chile. 

Pancake Day 

On Tuesday 8 March there will be the 

annual Pancake Party at the vicarage from 

7.30-9.0pm. If you would like to attend, 

please put your name on the sign-up sheet 

at the back of the church. 

Thursday Lunch 

Our regular Thursday lunch is after the 11.45 

Eucharist on Thursday 10 March at 12.30pm. 

Our speaker is Sir Jeremy Morse; the title of 

the talk is “Sundays and Weekdays”. If you 

would like to attend please put your name on 

the sign up sheet at the back of church. 

Lent Course: 13 March to 13 April 

For our Lent course this year we will be 

following a course from the well-known York 

Courses, this year entitled ‘Rich Inheritance: 

Jesus’ legacy of love.’ The course is about what 

Jesus bequeathed to the Church and the world 

in order that the good news he came to bring 

might be heard and experienced by all. There is 

a booklet to accompany the course and a 

transcript of the CD that forms the 

introduction to the theme for each week. 

The groups will meet as follows: 1) after the 

Sunday service from 1.0 to 2.0pm in the church; 

2) Mondays 7.0 to 8.30pm at 72 Chelsea Park 

Gardens, SW3 6AE; 3) Tuesdays 2.30 to 4.0pm 

at 14 Colehearne Court SW5 0ED; 4) 

Wednesdays 10.30 to 12.0 noon at 1a 

Chepstow Hall, 29-31 Earls Court Square SW5 

9DB; 5) Thursdays 7.30 to 9.0pm at Flat 3, 30 

Bramham Gardens, SW5 0HF. There will be a 

charge of £8.50 to cover the cost of course 

materials. Sign-up sheets are at the back of the 

church, or e-mail the parish office to confirm 

your place. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


3

The Crown, the Church and the 

State 

Some 30 years ago years ago, rather to my 

surprise, I found myself being inducted as the 

Warden of Saint George’s House, a Christian 

conference centre in Windsor Castle, founded 

and owned by the ‘College of St. George.’ This 

consists of the Dean and four Canons, running 

a mini-Cathedral in a Royal Castle, with a 

history of more than 650 years of 

independence from Crown, Church and State. 

It was a good vantage point from which to 

study the relations between these three. If that 

sounds deadly, bear with me. Like the old joke 

about Wagner’s music, it is better than it 

sounds; and it is highly germane to the 

celebration of ‘traditional English values.’ 

There is a political doctrine, dating to the 

Enlightenment, which says that the institutions 

of state should be kept separate from those of 

religious institutions; indeed that democracy 

requires such separation. Most of us, I guess, 

would instinctively agree. The Treaty of 

Westphalia (1648) that brought to an end the 

Thirty Years War was a turning point in the 

history of Europe. It ensured that subsequent 

wars would no longer be fought about religion, 

and introduced the notion of the secular state. 

In America the First Amendment to the 

Constitution provided that ‘Congress shall 

make no law respecting an establishment of 

religion, or prohibiting the free exercise 

thereof.’ Turkey and France both make a great 

point of being secular states and this is a great 

strength. Yet both are deeply conflicted 

internally. In Turkey, ironically enough, it is the 

army that regards itself as guardian of Kemalism, 

Atatürk’s concept of a secular state. To this 

end it has carried out four military coups since 

1960. In France the secularist system, known as 

Laïcité, designed to keep at bay the Roman 

Catholic Church, is having to cope with the 

demands of a large immigrant Muslim 

population for freer expression of its religion. 

The French system, which emphasizes 

integration rather than multi-culturalism, is 

running into serious problems, because the 

liberté espoused by the state is running aground 

on the rocks of manifest inégalité, both in 

economic terms and the quality of life in the 

urban banlieue where people of foreign origin 

tend to live. Both these countries are having to 

fight hard to preserve the separation of church 

and state. In Iran, by way of contrast, there is 

an elected parliament and President, but all 

power lies in the hands of the Supreme Leader 

and his close allies, a tiny clique of priests. 

On this spectrum, where do we stand 

According to John Bright (1865) ‘England is the 

mother of Parliaments’, and we like to regard 

ourselves as a shining example of democracy. 

Yet we certainly do have an ‘establishment of 

religion’ in a church that is not simply a 

voluntary society but one with a special legal 

position within the state. In the year 973 AD 

Dunstan, then Archbishop of Canterbury, 

anointed Edgar the first King of all England. It 

was our first State Coronation, which all 

subsequent Coronations have closely followed. 

Since then the Church and State have always 

been closely intertwined. The Sovereign has the 

title ‘Supreme Governor of the Church of 

England’ (chosen by Queen Elizabeth I), 

meaning that the monarch has jurisdiction over 

its running, though not the spiritual authority. 

Under the Act of Settlement 1701 the Monarch 

is required to belong to the Church of England 

or, more particularly, not to be or to marry a 

Roman Catholic. The Prince of Wales may 

remarry under civil law, but as future Supreme 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


4

Governor of the Church of England, Charles 

could not remarry in church. Hence the civil 

ceremony (which the current Supreme 

Governor, his mother the Queen, did not 

attend) was followed by a ‘blessing ceremony’ 

led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Sort that 

one out! 

Bishops are appointed by a process in which 

fossil traces of the whole history of the Church 

of England can be found: the Church tells the 

Prime Minister to tell the Queen to tell the 

Church who to appoint; and 28 bishops are 

included as of right in the upper house of 

Parliament. Some of them are quite influential. 

For example Richard Harries, previously Bishop 

of Oxford, led a House of Lords Select 

Committee on Stem Cell Research and was a 

member of the Royal Commission on reform of 

the House of Lords. The Church 

Commissioners include six holders of state 

office, including the Prime Minister, and are 

accountable to Parliament. They manage the 

church’s investments, though not always quite 

as successfully as their high status might lead 

one to hope. 

The laws of the Church are part of the laws of 

England and changes can require the 

amendment of Statute Law. Parliament can 

block a change agreed by the Church. This 

happened in 1929 when Parliament refused to 

agree to a new Prayer Book. In the early 1990s 

Parliamentary measures were needed to make 

it lawful for the Church of England to ordain 

women. In July 2006 the General Synod voted 

by 288 to 119 that the concept of women 

bishops is ‘consonant with the faith of the 

Church as the Church of England has received 

it and would be a proper development in 

proclaiming afresh in this generation the grace 

and truth of Christ.’ Bravo! However, a lengthy 

process of consultation has followed and some 

fear that General Synod may back-track on this 

issue. Traditionalists believe that a rise in the 

number of opponents of female priests to the 

Synod has improved their chances of blocking 

the law, which can only pass if it receives a twothirds 

majority in the houses of laity, clergy and 

bishops. Many of them feel that the current 

legislation does not provide sufficient 

concessions to those who cannot accept 

women as bishops. This is where parliament 

might step in. By an intriguing twist, Frank Field 

MP has just tabled an early day Parliamentary 

motion, proposing to abolish the Church's 

current exemption from equality laws relating 

to gender discrimination and thus force it to 

consecrate women bishops. More broadly, 

forty-three percent of the population consider 

themselves, in some sense, members of the 

Church of England, and local vicars or rectors 

have responsibilities towards all the dwellers in 

their parish. Even many non-believers look to 

the Church to provide rites of passage such as 

baptisms, weddings and funerals. One in four 

primary schools in England is a church school, 

and the Church has the care of by far the most 

important sector of the country’s architectural 

heritage. 

In all these ways the Church of England is 

clearly an ‘established church’. Does it tread on 

the toes of the secular state improperly I think 

not. Maybe the formal position of the church is 

slightly anachronistic, even a bit superficial, and 

disguises the true level of separation that the 

nation enjoys. The argument for 

disestablishment has had more to do with 

setting the Church free from the dead hand of 

the state than because the Church hierarchy 

has an improper influence on the secular 

policies of government. Ms. Nadia Eweida’s plea 

to wear a tiny cross when on duty in uniform 

was backed not only by the Archbishops but 

also by the TGWU, the civil rights group 

Liberty, 100 MPs and finally the Prime Minister. 

In other words, the existence of an ‘Established 

Church’ does not in itself seem to confer a 

degree of religious clout that would seriously 

conflict with democracy. C. S. Lewis once 

warned that any Christian who uses his or her 

faith as a means to a political end would 

corrupt both his or her faith and ‘the faith.’ 

While you ponder that, here is a conversation I 

once overheard in the Athenaeum, between 

two gaitered gentlemen, on the highly secular 

subject of sex before marriage. ‘Quite 

unnecessary’ one of them was saying ‘I never 

made love to my wife before we were married. 

Did you’ ‘I don’t think so, bishop,’ said the 

other, ‘what was her maiden name’ 

Hugh Beach 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


5

Upcoming Dates for your Diary 

March 

Sunday 6, 12md, PCC meeting to approve 

accounts 

12.30pm Parish Lunch 

Tuesday 8, Pancake Party, 7-9.0pm 

Wednesday 9, Ash Wednesday service 7.0pm 

Thursday 10, Thursday Lunch Club, 12.30pm 

Sunday 27, Clocks go forward 

April 

Sunday 3, Mothering Sunday, All Age Worship 

Sunday 10 Annual Parochial Church Meeting at 

12 noon 

Sunday 17, Palm Sunday 

Holy Week begins 

Monday 18 

Tuesday 19 

Wednesday 20 

Thursday 21, Maundy Thursday 

Blessing of oils at St Paul’s Cathedral,10.30am 

7.30pm Sung Eucharist followed by Vigil 

Friday 22, Good Friday 

10.30am Children’s Service 

12.0 to 3.0pm, Three Hours service 

Saturday 23, Easter Eve 

8.0pm Vigil Service 

Sunday 24, Easter Day 

8.0am Said Eucharist 

10.30am Sung Parish Eucharist 

Saturday 18 June, Summer Fair 

Taizé Prayer at St. Mary’s 

Do you ever feel ‘down,’ restless, consumed by 

worry and frustrations 

I do sometimes, when I cram too many 

activities into my days. My tension rises 

particularly when battling with developers who 

are a threat to the Portobello antiques section 

and RBK&C councillors and officers, and their 

lack of understanding about this problem. I also 

feel tetchy when the incessant noise of traffic in 

the Earls Court Road and planes above drown 

out every conversation or bird song. 

Thursday 3 February was such a day, when too 

much busyness and noise had made me anxious 

and irritable. A note on my calendar said: Taize 

Prayer 7:30pm St. Mary’s. This seemed to be a 

message from heaven and an opportunity to recharge 

my frazzled and worn out 

Portobello/Earls Court batteries. 

Two years ago I had read the biography of 

Roger Schutz, who founded the Taizé 

Community in Burgundy, France in 1960. I had 

also picked up an information leaflet at St. 

Mary’s about ‘Chant and Pray the Taizé way.’ 

All this inspired me to learn more about Taizé. 

The minute I stepped into our church that night 

I had touched the ‘pause’ button, as Ruth 

Lampard put it so well in the leaflet under the 

heading ‘Aim.’ I changed from a ‘human doing’ 

to a ‘human being.’ 

Chairs and pew benches had been arranged in a 

horse-shoe formation behind the altar. There 

were song sheets on every seat. My eyes were 

drawn to a red carpet, leading to numerous 

glowing candles, a cross, an icon and a single 

red rose. The atmosphere was calm and 

peaceful. 

Ruth explained that she had visited Taizé when 

she was 16 years old and it had made a huge 

impression on her. She then introduced 

Graham Sharp, who was going to lead us in 

meditative singing with his guitar. He instructed 

us that there would be short songs repeated 

again and again in Latin and English, 

interspersed by readings of a psalm, a passage 

each from the Old and New Testament, 

followed by a period of silence and more 

singing. 

During our quiet time I was very much aware 

that on the south side of St. Mary’s we have a 

beautiful stained glass window. Incidentally, this 

window can only be seen when you are inside 

the church, as the extension to the church 

house blocks it from the outside. 

The window depicts the storm that struck the 

disciples’ boat on the Sea of Galilee while Jesus 

was sleeping. The disciples felt helpless and 

anxious, but when they woke up, Christ 

rebuked the wind and the sea and ‘there was 

great calm.’ There are just three words on the 

window: ‘Peace. Be still.’ These words kept 

running through my head repeatedly. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


6

As the evening progressed I gradually let go of 

all my anxieties. I felt an inner calmness, deep 

joy and peace. In our silence I thanked God for 

having given me a loving, close-knit family, many 

good friends, interesting work and a church and 

its community that continually strengthen my 

faith. The drinks and refreshments at the end of 

the evening were an added bonus. 

I am glad that from now on every first Thursday 

of the month St. Mary’s will feature a Taizé 

Evening of prayer with music. Come and 

join us on the next ones, on Thursdays 3 

March and 7 April at 7:30pm. 

Let go of all your worries and accept the peace 

of God which passes all human understanding. 

Anne Swift 

Thursday Lunch Meeting Report: 

10 February: ‘An Anglican Abroad’ 

with Anita Dowbiggin 

While enjoying good food and company at this 

lunch, 30 people from the congregation and 

elsewhere heard Anita Dowbiggin give a stirring 

account of the spirit and resilience of Anglicans 

in parts of the world in which she had lived for 

about one third of her life, 30 being one third 

of 90! Anita spoke with great clarity about 

these overseas experiences. 

board any British warship that happened to be 

there at the time. Correspondence with 

Foreign Secretary George Canning had 

confirmed the validity of such marriages, but 

also led to the arrival of the Chaplain in 1825. 

In 1821 settlers bought a small piece of land for 

the first Anglican cemetery as they could not be 

buried in a Catholic cemetery. Larger 

cemeteries followed in 1833 and 1892, the 

latter still in active use with another cemetery 

recently opened. 

After a spell in the leafy suburb of Belgrano, 

where she attended St Saviour’s, still a 

flourishing church now, Anita moved in 1934 to 

school in England where during the war she 

was in the WAAF. In 1946 she and her 

husband, who worked for Shell, moved to 

Cairo in Egypt where she attended the fine, 

large Cathedral. This was built in 1878 at the 

start of the Cromer Administration, but sadly 

pulled down in 1978 to make way for a wide 

avenue along the banks of the Nile. However a 

new cathedral was built soon afterwards, All 

Saints, see photograph. Anita commented that 

there were also churches in Alexandria, Port 

Said and Suez. 

She went to the Argentine at a few months old 

where her father was involved with the 

construction of railways on which the British 

had been working for many years. Since the 

1820’s when the Argentines had gained 

independence from Spain, a large British 

community had been growing and establishing 

its infrastructure of schools, clubs, hospitals, 

supporting organisations, and churches. She 

remembers attending St John’s Cathedral in 

Buenos Aires at the age of four. This was no 

‘soft option with Sunday School, but the old 

Matins with canticles, psalms and all.’ 

The Cathedral had been built in 1831, with a 

Chaplain in place from 1825. He came early, 

partly due to Anglican anxiety about the validity 

of marriages that had taken place between 

couples who had not wanted a Catholic service, 

but did not have access to any ordained 

Anglican official. The approved solution had 

been for them to be married by the Captain on 

In 1947 Anita moved to Damascus where her 

son was born. The Chaplain from the church in 

Beirut came occasionally to give communion in 

a room at the British Legation. Due to the 

extensive trade between England and the 

Levant, the first Anglican Chaplain had come to 

serve in Aleppo in Syria in 1595 and more than 

thirty have served there since then. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


7

Transferred by her husband’s business to the 

Argentine in 1950, Anita settled in a suburb of 

Buenos Aires, where her daughter was born. 

This was a doubly happy move since her 

younger sister had married and lived there. 

There was no Anglican church, but the vicar of 

St Saviours in Belgrano came to give 

communion in a small hall. Then in 1953 Anita 

moved to Rio de Janeiro. 

In Rio there had been a very active Anglican 

community from early days. They had built the 

church of St George and John in 1819 in the old 

centre of the town. Surprisingly and 

wonderfully, the British community made a 

great effort during the War to build a new 

church. This was dedicated in 1944. It had a fine 

hall that was used for many charitable events. 

Anita remembers a kind of Sewing Bee every 

Thursday, making things to sell at the bazaar. 

That church is now a listed building. The British 

School there had very good facilities for 

children, which hers attended, including her 

younger daughter, who was born and 

christened in Rio. 

Her husband’s business travels enabled Anita to 

visit Anglican churches in other countries, 

including Windhoek in Namibia, and one to the 

north of Vancouver in Canada. 

start thinking and plan planting in window 

boxes, plant pots or small beds. Any leaves, 

salads, and herbs would be great; it might be a 

bit early this year for tomatoes! Do let me 

know if you can help. 

Ruth Lampard 

Hildegard of Bingen, 1098-1179 

Hildegard of Bingen was a remarkable woman 

of the twelfth century, celebrated for her 

visions, her writings, her preaching and her 

music. 

Born into a noble family in 1098, Hildegard was 

given to the church as an oblate at the age of 

eight, with her full consent. She was entrusted 

to the care of a noblewoman called Jutta who 

became a recluse at Disibodenberg, taking 

Hildegard with her. There Hildegard took the 

veil, and when Jutta died in 1112 she was 

chosen to succeed her as abbess. She had for 

long experienced visions, which she now began 

to put into writing. She had never been formally 

educated and picked up her Latin from singing 

the divine offices. She was fortunate in her 

friendship with the monk Volman, schoolmaster 

at the neighbouring monastery, who corrected 

her Latin as he transcribed it, and who was 

later to become her secretary. 

Concluding, Anita commented that although 

the Anglican communities in the Argentine and 

Brazil have declined in number, they still keep 

their churches going, some services now 

conducted in Spanish and some by an Argentine 

vicar. They follow with much good spirit the 

fine examples set so long ago. 

Arthur Tait 

Sustainability Group Top Tip: 

St Mary The Boltons Little Big 

Lunch: Sunday 5 June 

The parish lunch on Sunday 5 June coincides 

with the national Big Lunch, so we decided to 

host a ‘Little Big Lunch.’ In 2009 we held the 

memorable Boltons Big Lunch in Church, but 

we are not going to push the boat out quite so 

far this time. We would like to grow our own 

salads and herbs for the regular parish lunch (to 

which all are welcome), so if you would like to 

put your green fingers to the test again, do 

In 1146 Hildegard found the courage to write 

to Bernard of Clairvaux, the head of the 

Cistercian order, to ask with great humility if 

she should reveal her visions. ‘And so I entreat 

you… by the sacred sound through which all 

the world was created, by the height of the 

Father who through the sweet power of green 

vigour sent the Word to the Virgin’s womb 

where it took on flesh like the honey in a 

honeycomb.’ 

Here already Hildegard’s striking originality of 

thought emerges, in the concept of music as 

essential to the cosmos, and the revolutionary 

use of greenness, or viriditas, as a source of life. 

Bernard reacted favourably and encouraged 

Hildegard to write. Prompted by the abbot of 

Disibodenberg and backed by the archbishop of 

Mainz she presented her writings to Pope 

Eugenius III who gave his official approval for 

their publication at the Synod of Trier 1147-48. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


8

Shortly after, in 1150, Hildegard left 

Disibodenberg and established her own 

convent at Rupertsberg, which was consecrated 

in 1152 and housed 50 nuns. At the age of 60 

she made four long preaching tours through the 

Rhineland. This was a truly revolutionary move, 

as women were officially not allowed to preach, 

nor nuns to leave their convent, but Hildegard 

accomplished it successfully. She returned to 

Rupertsberg and founded a smaller community 

for thirty nuns at Eibingen in 1165. She died in 

1179 at the age of 81. 

Hildegard’s writings are prodigious. They 

include Scrivias (in which she first described her 

visions), The Book of Life’s Merits, The Book of 

Divine Works and The Book of Compound 

Medicine. She also wrote a commentary on the 

Gospels, an explanation of the Athanasian 

Creed, a commentary on the Benedictine Rule 

for monasteries, the lives of two seventh 

century saints, Rupert and Disibod, and much 

more, gathered into one vast volume known as 

the Riesenkodex. She also maintained a 

voluminous correspondence with many 

churchmen and women. 

Hildegard was a prolific composer, although she 

had never formally studied music. Her choral 

music for the liturgy was collected in 1158 as 

Symphony of the Harmony of Celestial Revelations. 

Her musical compositions have been valued 

properly only in the last forty years or so and 

are now widely available. She also wrote a 

number of beautiful poems for inclusion in the 

divine services. The Symphony is a collection of 

songs composed largely during the 1150s. Here 

is part of the Responsory for Saint Disibod: 

O green vigour of the hand of God, 

In which God has planted a vineyard, 

It shines in the heights 

Like a stately column, 

You are glorious in preparation for 

God. 

Hildegard’s writing is filled with vivid and 

concrete imagery. She writes to Provost 

Andrew (a high ranking church official), ‘You 

are frightened of the wind, you are falling asleep 

in the green tree of your mind. But the man 

who has the green force of vitality in his inner 

heart builds on the height of the wall of the 

house.’ The ‘green force of vitality’ is a 

recurrent image in Hildegard’s writing; clearly 

this was of the greatest significance to her. In 

creating an image of the Trinity she even applies 

it somewhat surprisingly to stone: 

In a stone there is moist greenness, 

palpable strength and red-burning fire… 

Its moist greenness signifies the Father, 

who will never dry out… its palpable 

strength signifies the Son, since he was 

born of the Virgin and could be touched 

and grasped; its red-burning fire signifies 

the Spirit who is the fire and 

illumination of the hearts of the faithful. 

She compares the sum of human knowledge to 

a mountain of which no one will ever see the 

summit, ‘which is the knowledge of God.’ Often 

a really homely image like baking bread is used 

to convey subtle psychological truth, like this 

description of the will: 

The will is like a fire baking every action 

in an oven… it grinds the action in a 

mill, it adds yeast and kneads it firmly 

and thus carefully prepares the action, 

like a loaf of bread, which the will bakes 

to perfection in the heat of its zeal. 

Hildegard is keenly aware of her own 

inadequacy, as she makes clear in the story of a 

powerful king who 

chose to lift a small feather from the 

ground and he commanded it to fly just 

as the king himself wished. But a feather 

does not fly of its own accord, it is 

borne up by the air. So too… I depend 

entirely on God’s help. 

She felt that she had a sacred duty to pass on 

the visions that came to her. She sees a lightfilled 

man who emerged from the dawn. 

And I heard a voice speaking to me 

from the living fire: insignificant earthly 

creature! Though as a woman you are 

uneducated… nevertheless you are 

touched by the light, which touches 

your being with fire like the burning sun, 

shout and tell! And write down these 

my mysteries, which you see and hear in 

the mystical vision! 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


9

Her visions must have been extraordinarily 

vivid. Sometimes she attempted to depict them, 

even in colour, like her picture of the cosmos 

as an egg. It is impossible to convey the power 

of her vision without giving a full example: 

And I saw within the mystery of God, in 

the midst of the southern breezes, a 

wondrously beautiful image. It had a 

human form, and its countenance was of 

such beauty and radiance that I could 

have more easily gazed at the sun than 

at that face. A broad golden ring circled 

its head. In this ring above the head 

there appeared a second countenance, 

like that of an elderly man, its chin and 

beard resting on the crown of the first 

head. On both sides of the figure a wing 

grew out of the shoulders. The wings 

rose above the above-mentioned ring 

and were joined there. At the topmost 

part of the right wing’s curve appeared 

an eagle’s head. Its eyes were like fire, 

and in them the brilliance of angels 

streamed forth as a in a mirror. On the 

topmost part of the left wing’s curve 

was a human head, which shone like the 

gleaming of the stars. Both faces were 

turned towards the East. From the 

shoulders of the figure a wing extended 

to its knees. The figure was wrapped in 

a garment that shone like a brilliant day. 

The figure’s feet trod upon a monster of 

dreadful appearance, poisonous and 

black, and a serpent which had fastened 

its teeth onto the monster’s right ear. 

Its body was wound obliquely across the 

monster’s head; its tail extended on the 

left side as far as the feet. 

Many websites are available for more 

information and for some illustrations of her 

paintings, in particular: 

http://home.infionline.net/~ddisse/hildegar.html#anc 

hor203100 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_of_Bingen 

Anne Garten 

‘Out of the Box’ 

I am a member of the Drama Group from the 

New Horizons Activity Centre. We have 

recently performed a piece on the topic of 

loneliness in older people to audiences of 

social/health care workers and to supporters of 

the ‘Campaign to End Loneliness’ funded by the 

Calouste Gulbenkrain Foundation in 

collaboration with the WRVS, Age UK, Counsel 

and Care, et al. 

As actors we had devised our own cameos 

related to the experience of loneliness and 

remarkably, each came up with a different facet 

of the problem. 

We came on stage to the Beatles number 

‘When I’m 64,’ but this quickly changed to the 

haunting and evocative strains of Holst’s 

‘Saturn, bringer of old age.’ Our tutor, Carol 

Allen, suggested we show our emotions by 

using the mime created by Marcel Marceau. In 

this we gradually realise we are shut into a type 

of glass box where we are ‘boxed-in’ and 

trapped. 

In turn we each related our circumstances, 

some of which included: a formerly active 

sportswoman now confined to a wheelchair; a 

widow who had enjoyed a full social life when 

her husband was in the army, now feeling the 

lack of any intelligent conversation; a nurse 

living in a hostel but whose room mates 

ignored her and went off with their own group 

of friends; a man who was terrified of 

developing Alzheimer’s disease as his father had 

suffered from that devastating affliction; an exprisoner 

who was alternating between sleeping 

rough in a graveyard and living in a cheerless 

rental room. Other aspects highlighted were 

those experienced by a lady gradually being 

addicted to ‘one more rum and coke’ each 

evening; a nervous little person too shy to go 

out after the sudden death of her elder and 

supportive sister; a lady who had been burgled 

and was then given more hassle by losing her 

bag and door key. 

By this time we were almost in tears, but the 

atmosphere was lightened by one or two 

others who protested vehemently that they 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


10

were absolutely fine and liked living on their 

own, with no desire to mix or meet anyone. 

The spell was broken by a Fairy Godmother 

with a large magic screw driver, who came to 

release us from our boxes. She gave us copies 

of the New Horizon programmes, suggesting 

activities to help/support each in turn. Even the 

most adamant in their protestations found their 

adverse reactions start to crumble. 

Having read of St Mary’s project on 

‘Befriending’ (February Clarion) I felt especially 

glad to have been involved in this way to help 

organisations with the aim of ending loneliness 

among older people and with a vision of 

communities where they choose to contribute 

and feel valued and connected. 

Greta Trevers 

‘New Horizons Multi Activity Centre’ for 

people over 50 

Guiness Trust Estate, Cadogan Street, London 

SW3 2PF, Tel: 020 7590 8970 

Manager: Roshan Raghavan-Day. www.newhorizons-chelsea.org.uk 

Years mind 

Ivy Cooling 

Olive Smith 

Rhoda Bolton-Dignum 

John Gardiner 

Christie Parkinson 

Maximilian Heyer 

Dorothy Buss 

Florence Lidderdale 

Ivor Howlett 

Elizabeth Ledochowska 

Michael Wilson 

Aida Gowan 

Simon Perks 

Vera Owen 

Hugh Pringle 

Dorothy Hale 

Nonsuch Singers concert 

St Giles, Cripplegate, Fore Street 

Saturday 9 April 2011 at 7.30pm 

Nick Scott tenor 

Richard Pearce organ 

Graham Caldbeck conductor 

An English Passiontide 

Thomas Tallis – Suscipe quaeso 

William Byrd – Emendemus in melius & 

Miserere mihi, Domine 

Samuel Sebastian Wesley – Cast me 

not away from thy presence 

& Wash me thoroughly 

Kenneth Leighton – Crucifixus pro nobis 

Herbert Howells – Requiem 

Gerald Finzi – Lo, the full, final sacrifice 

Tickets £15 (£12 concessions) available at 

www.nonsuchsingers.com/concerts.html or 

at the door. 

Nearest Underground stations: Moorgate & 

Barbican 

Contributions for the April Clarion 

should be sent in to the church office by 

21 March 2011 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


11

The Clarion: March 2011 - St Mary the Boltons, Chelsea

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?