Some months ago we were given permission by the Diocese of Peterborough to assemble a profile and seek a candidate to serve a curacy at All Saints'
Church. This marks a considerable event in the life of any parish, but as it has been some thirty years since we last had a curate here, it is of
particular moment.
I am delighted to announce that Mr Nicolas Boisson will join us from Petertide 2024 as our Assistant Curate. At the time of writing, he is coming to
the end of residential training at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield in West Yorkshire. He will move to Northampton following the conclusion
of his studies in the early summer, and be ordained deacon by Jonathan, Bishop of Fulham (who is kindly overseeing parishes in the Diocese of
Peterborough following Bishop Norman's retirement) sometime in mid-July, at a date and time to be confirmed.
I am very grateful to the diocese for entrusting me and our parish with this training role. It will be something of an adjustment for us all to
reorient our parish life toward equipping and preparing a new minister for ordained ministry in the Church of England. It will involve walking with
him through the intricate process of preparing for ordination to the priesthood in 2025, together with all of the joys and sorrows that will punctuate
that journey. In my (nearly) eight years as your Rector, you have all been part of holding me up, encouraging me on, and helping me to grow and mature.
I am very confident that we will be the same for a new colleague, and a new pastor among us.
I am also indebted to a small group of people, drawn from the membership of our Parochial Church Council, who kindly agreed to meet Nicolas with me and
to provide invaluable advice. While training posts are selected on the basis of the trainer, the role of supporting, equipping, encouraging, and upholding
a new gospel minister belongs to the whole Church. As Nicolas is ordained to the diaconate and to the priesthood among us we will all have our moment to
call out 'Axios!', or 'worthy', in hopeful, prayerful confidence that Jesus Christ has made him so.
I know that you will make Father Nicolas (as he will be known) very welcome. Please remember to keep him continually in your prayers, not merely as he
prepares to be ordained deacon, but as his share in the ministry of Jesus Christ the High Priest unfolds among us in the years to come.
Nicolas writes:
Greetings everyone,
|
I look forward to announcing further details of Nicolas' (nb -- the 's' is silent!) arrival and the arrangements for his ordination in due course.
With every good wish,
Oliver J Coss,
Rector
We are delighted to announce that on Sunday 19th May 2024, the BBC will broadcast our Pentecost morning service live on BBC One. This
special airing will seamlessly integrate with our standard worship practices, likely eliminating the need for our own livestream of the service.
The sermon will be delivered by the Bishop of Peterborough. We will share more details as they become available.
In the meantime, please extend an invitation to your family and friends. We aim to gather as large a congregation as possible for this significant occasion.
The media can often be a dark place, and social media doubly so. The past weeks have seen unhinged speculation, unfounded allegation, and heartless
gossip invade the lives of, presumably, otherwise rational people, as rumours mounted about the Princess of Wales.
The message she has shared this afternoon, and the steadfastness of the Prince is astonishingly moving to watch, not least as we think of their
young family - who are also coping with the illness of their grandfather - and how difficult news like this must be to assimilate.
We shall, in full knowledge of our tendency toward sinful gossip and idle speculation, embark on Holy Week praying that - piece by piece - we might
die to sin and be raised to life. May faith, hope, and light surround the Princess, her family, and all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit.
It has, I think, been no secret that our former Lord-Lieutenant David Laing has been ill recently, and we received the sad news of his death last week. We seem
to be entering another period where our public institutions are short of resource, and even shorter of good ideas. Under David's leadership Northamptonshire
Lieutenancy ably made up what was lacking in so much of our county, reasserting the centrality of Northampton as the County Town, and surrounding himself with
a team who could drive innovation and civic pride in a way that continues to speak powerfully.
In that role, and subsequent to his retirement in 2020, David has been a wise, generous, and faithful friend to All Saints' Church, and was instrumental in
helping us out of a financial crisis in 2017-18 and unto more sound foundations. As the news of his death has reached across the county, countless more
stories of his generosity and kindness have emerged from so many quarters. A private funeral will be celebrated in the coming days, but we have been asked
to hold a memorial service for him later this year, which we shall do with no small measure of pride and privilege. A motto he often used
'let your light shine' was excerpted from St Matthew's Gospel - we all know how that passage ends, and how the shining lights of human beings reflect
the "glory of our Father in heaven". In thanksgiving for David's part in this, we commend him to God in sure hope of the resurrection to eternal life.
It's estimated that 1,100 people receive a cancer diagnosis each day in the United Kingdom. Though medical advances, treatments, and therapies continue to work
wonders for so many people, we will all have the memory of someone close who has not been so fortunate. And one in every two people will have experienced the
terrifying moment when they received a diagnosis, and have had to adjust to life 'with cancer', and whatever that means for them individually.
Yesterday, breaking news bore the unwelcome tidings that King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer. We are told it has been 'caught early' and have heard from
the statement issued by Buckingham Palace (what will doubtless be comforting news for his family) that his condition it is treatable. For those able, from their
own experience, to empathise, even the terminology will stir strong emotions.
We shall continue our prayers for the King, as (in the spirit of 1 Peter 2) we regularly do, and while we shall ask for his healing and restoration we shall also
pray that whatever suffering he endures might strengthen him in his service of our nation. For "suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character,
and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us."
May almighty God, at the intercession of Blessed Mary and Saint Peregrine, the patron saint of cancer sufferers, grant to Charles our King, and to all God's
people, healing, life, and peace.
Our Bishop Norman is retiring on 31st March 2024. He had his last pastoral visit to All Saints' Church as we marked Candlemas on
Sunday 4th February.
We were able to share with him in the celebration of the eucharist, hear a mighty word from the pulpit, and pay tribute to his
generous ministry among us since his consecration in 2011. We shall be remembering him in our prayers as Easter Day approaches,
as well as asking God's blessing on those who will be seeking his successor.
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