[Magdalen] Once again we begin again......

[Roger Stokes]

On 19/08/2019 05:18, Lynn Ronkainen wrote:
> Are they high church or Low? Also a possible crucial need to ask.

This side of the pond there are visible clues to that. What do they call 
their services - Communion, Eucharist or Mass? That can be seem from the 
parish website. A casual visit out of service time will give more clues. 
We don't have an official hymnal so what do they use - one with a lot of 
praise type songs, Hymns Ancient & Modern or English Hymnal (the last 
two in one of their various iterations)? Among those last two, how 
recent is their version as that gives an indication of trying to keep up 
to date? How much ornamentation is there? Flowers on the altar or 
Stations of the Cross?

In my experience priests can cope further down the candle than their 
preferred position but moving up can be trickier. During my ministry I 
have certainly gone up but it was over a period of time with 
congregations that would guide me in what to do. Having been brought up 
as a Methodist I wasn't exposed to many of these things before starting 
at seminary and having to be part of the altar party regularly. That got 
me in vestments but it wasn't until much later that I came across High 
Church ritual in a parish which needed a priest (my predecessor having 
crossed the Tiber 18 months earlier) and I needed a regular post.

Roger