hedrick" 17-AUG-1990 04:55:01.53 (08/21/90)
>I generally do not allow quotations of this length of copyrighted >material without permission. Hi Chuck! I called the editor of AVE and obtained permission to reprint the article. In deference to the magazine, I have reproduced the article in full. Permission obtained from the editor for both sets of quotations. For those who don't know what the society is, "The Society of Mary," as defined in our Manual, "was founded as an Anglican Society with these objects: 1. To love and honour Mary. 2. To spread devotion to her in reparation for past neglect and misunderstanding, and in the cause of Christian Unity. 3. To take Mary as a model in purity, personal relationships and family life." Furthermore, "The Society of Mary is dedicated to the Glory of God, and in honour of the Holy Incarnatin, under the invocation of Our Lady, Help of Christians....Members of the Society shall be persons of the Holy Catholic Church who conform to her Discipline and Precepts, and who undertake to keep the Society's Rule of Life." This is the Rule of Life: "Members of the Society of Mary shall keep a Rule of Life which will include such special devotions as the Angelus, the Rosary, the Litany and Anthems of Our Lady. "They will pray for Departed Members of the Society and offer the Holy Eucharist for them. "They will share in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist on the principal Feasts of Our Lady. (Described in an earlier posting.) "They will engage in apostolic and pastoral work, according to opportunity, under the guidance of the local Ward Officers and the Regional Council." I should also note that, while the Society of Mary is an Episcopalian society, it is an ecumenical society. While most Society Wards are Anglican, there are also Wards in the Lutheran Church, the Baptist Church, and the Roman Catholic Church, according to Walter Frieman, editor of the Society Magazine, with whom I spoke on the telephone. The following is an excerpt from "AVE: The Magazine of the Society of Mary (American Region Edition), Christmastide 1989" reproduced with permission. BEGIN QUOTE. Decade of Evangelism Part of a Sermon preached by Father Len Mepsted, Rector of Eastchurch, at The Society of Mary Mass for the Eve of Our Lady's Birthday, St John's, Higham, 7 September 1989. I am sure that in your different parishes you will already be very busy getting ready for the Decade of Evangelism that is to take place, especially in Europe, between 1990 and the year 2,000. The aim is that by January 1st, A.D. 2,000, we can come before our Lord jesus as the new millennium is (generally thought) to begin. We, his Church, want to be able to say to him: "Here you are, Lord, with your help, we've won back half of your people." That is our aim, that half of mankind shall be Christian, all of 2,000 years after he came to be our Good News. Shame on us for our slowness, but's a start. The "flagged up" parishes have doubtless already started to pick their committees -- and sub-committees -- and "working" parties. They will be electing people to jobs with long titles, as is the way to-day. Some will produce reports, statistics, and pie-charts, spreadsheets, and Lord knows what! I expect Amstrad will bring out some special software! The more liberal among them will find that the whole exercise will end up in the parish Archives, together with the Nationwide Initiative, the People Next Door, No Small Change.....(I've done well to remember them!) This is because they have nothing to offer people beyond to-day's way of life with a blessing tucked on. What they purvey is almost as wordly as what to-day's crazy society already offers us; so why should anyone bother to become a Christian. We can hear people say: "Is that _it_?!" We orthodox Christians (and I would include many evangelicals in this, too), we have Mary to keep together the jigsaw. Praise God! We know already, and some of us have known for years, what the Good News is! We shall not have to spend the first fifteen years of the decade of evangelism finding out what the Gospel is, or keep changing the message each week. We shan't have to waste valuable time arguing, or having open-ended discussion. Incredibly, we are in a position (perhaps after a little training?) to get out immediately and share the Good News. We are quite sure who Jesus is, why he came, and what he offers -- so let's get on with it! The Society of Mary -- as much as *any* committed Christian -- will all be aware that Mary seeks no glory for herself. She does not swell with pride, as members of a congregation have been known to, when buttered-up by the Vicar. Any lovely comments she gets, she accepts gracefully, and then passes it all on to God. He it was who made her so lovely in the first place, so she sees that he gets the credit for it. (A good way for us to react, when someone compliments us for a talent that we know we have, and can't deny!) You will have seen countless statues and icons of Mary and her Child. Have you noticed how, though she is the larger figure, she seems to be displaying Jesus to his world? In the icon, her finger usually points beyond herself, to the baby she is holding. Never be afraid of making too much of Mary. Even if we did go "too far," she'd still point us beyond herself to Jesus. (But, alas! not many seem to be in danger of "going too far" in the things of God nowadays. This might redress the balance?) So Mary is the greatest _missionary_ -- she lives for her Son, she lives to bring people to Christ, pointing them to Jesus. And that is how all the baptized are -- or supposed to be. As we set out on our great Decade of Evangelism -- Mary is the Chief Missionary. She inspires us, gives us the practical help of her prayers at all times -- and she ensures that we get the Gospel right and we get it clear. Who better than a mother, anyway, to explain things in ordinary language to ordinary people? (The theologians haven't been doing so well!) END QUOTE. -- Sincerely, Cindy Smith _///_ // SPAWN OF A JEWISH _///_ // _///_ // <`)= _<< CARPENTER _///_ //<`)= _<< <`)= _<< _///_ // \\\ \\ \\ _\\\_ <`)= _<< \\\ \\ \\\ \\ <`)= _<< >IXOYE=('> \\\ \\ \\\ \\_///_ // // /// _///_ // _///_ // emory!dragon!cms <`)= _<< _///_ // <`)= _<< <`)= _<< \\\ \\<`)= _<< \\\ \\ \\\ \\ GO AGAINST THE FLOW! \\\ \\ A Real Live Catholic in Georgia