Sunday 1 July 2012

Men who hate.

Following a chance remark in a previous blog about men who disrupted the ordination services  which included women I have been asked a few times about what the present situation is here.
The good news is that yesterday the priesting was done in the Cathedral with no problems I believe...mostly now the anti woman priest movement is local and often very vocal and worse. At one parish a few years ago the female priest was subjected to some hate letters wrapped in  excrement pushed through her door!
Now it has apparently gone quiet . One friend on visiting a different diocese was stunned to find the church warden scrubbing the seat she'd sat  on after the service.
I have no idea now if it happened in other parishes but here on the Roseland there were several men who made their disapproval felt in all sorts of ways when I first started.  We are now down to one...Just one man who will not take communion from me despite being kicked and harangued by his family!
This of course is easily coped with....its his loss.
There are lots of small things now that take the place of open hostility.....too many to list and too insignificant to worry about.  
These used to make me nervous but now I just carry on and it has subsided to some extent.
The worst thing is trying to explain to male colleagues that there is still a war of attrition going on  in the back pews.
They plainly don't believe me or think it to be much exaggerated...
We have a new female curate starting today....I am not sure wether to warn her  or just let her find out for herself!   Maybe its just me and not my gender......I do hope so for her sake!
In any case I will pray today both for her and for the hater.....love to both!




2 comments:

UKViewer said...

Thank you Jean for pointing out that there remain elements of intolerance within individual members of churches, which appear accepting of women's ministry. Although, I'm aware of whole parishes that won't accept the ministry of women.

I'm afraid that I'm unable to understand or accept such behaviour as being either acceptable or normal. This is un-christian and un-anglican. The Anglican church works on the basis of mutual acceptance and respect for others, whatever their tradition or theological position. That acceptance is based on Christian love, given as a free gift to us all - it's sad that some people reject such love, and perhaps as you say, it's their loss, not yours.

Anonymous said...

Warn her. I was totally unprepared for the vitriol when I started.