Whither, the Anglican Church …. ?

The Old Bear

“Perhaps Bishop Harrower’s seven years in Hobart have not been long enough for him to truly appreciate just how much Tasmanians value the ties to their heritage. Tasmanians who died in World War One are honoured in one of Holy Trinity’s windows. Who is he to disregard this? The bells have pealed since the 1840s, the first ever to do so in Australia. They matter on a spiritual level that he seems not to understand.”

So where exactly is the Anglican Church in Tasmania headed as it gets shot of beautiful historic churches and looks to some new “direction”? It is, of course, preserving some of the old, shown by its restoration campaign for St David’s Cathedral. Good, then, for some long-established places, but not for others . . .

As someone who has come to fully realise the importance of the Holy Trinity Church building being rescued, I can understand the viewpoint of Faye Favelle from Coningham in a letter to the Mercury last month (relating to Anglican Bishop John Harrower’s decision to close and deconsecrate Holy Trinity) when she wrote:

“Perhaps Bishop Harrower’s seven years in Hobart have not been long enough for him to truly appreciate just how much Tasmanians value the ties to their heritage. Tasmanians who died in World War One are honoured in one of Holy Trinity’s windows. Who is he to disregard this? The bells have pealed since the 1840s, the first ever to do so in Australia. They matter on a spiritual level that he seems not to understand.”

For those who don’t know, Bishop John is from Melbourne.

The Anglican Church of Tasmania’s website tells us that he was vicar of St Paul’s Glen Waverley 1989-95 before appointment as vicar there to a new parish of St Barnabas – the latter appointment involving restructuring three parishes into one parish over 1995-2000.

So to Hobart – and an article in the Mercury of July, 2005, which revealed a leaked report saying that four historic churches could be sold and clergy axed in a “radical makeover” of the Anglican Church.

It said Bishop John proposed merging up to five parishes to “unlock our resources to have the reserves to seize opportunities” – meaning some of Hobart’s most beloved historic buildings could get the chop.

But St David’s Cathedral would be retained, the bishop decreeing it “must be part of the new structure”.

He was also pushing the need for a modern facility: “The preferred model that emerged seemed to be one where there would be a modern centre where the main focus of ministry and mission would take place and the cathedral where ‘something’ would happen . . .the remainder of the parishes would close and all resources would be pooled to facilitate this.”

So it has come to pass, and not too far down the track, that it is now goodbye to lovely old Holy Trinity as a place of Anglican worship. It’s not in keeping with his views on what he sees as a modern concept. A place for quiet spiritual contemplation in a traditional church setting, no doubt, but not quite “with it” in today’s terms.

I’m not sure, though, what’s meant by the comment of the cathedral becoming the place where “something” will happen.