Castleford Team Parish Magazine July & August 2014 2014-07 | Page 3

July & August 2014

THE RECTOR’S LETTER
By the time you read this (God willing) we will be in possession of a
new priest.
Ordinations are wonderful occasions and First Masses are exciting
and terrifying in equal measure but after the razzmatazz of the
ordination weekend has died down that is when the priest’s work
starts.
I learned to drive quite late by a lot of peoples’ standards, I was forty.
Upon passing I was excited, I had bought my first car and was all set
to be out on the road when one of my friends said, “Now you’ve
passed you start to learn how to drive properly.” When someone has
been ordained priest they have gone through the training and the
ordination and there is then a crusty old sausage (a bit like me) who
will say “Now you start to learn how to be a priest”
Being a priest though is not about having a dog-collar but it is about
having a service and the most important one is the service of Holy
Baptism because that is when we all become priests (rather than
ordained priests) and begin our ministry of service to Jesus.
One of the oldest hymns we have is one from the fourth century
Strengthen for service Lord, the hands which holy things have taken.
No matter how good we may be or what skills we think we may have
they are as nothing if we don’t acknowledge our complete
dependence upon God.
(continued on page 4)

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