The Rector has announced the appointment of a new Rector's Warden to the parish.  Veronica Manifold has accepted the position after many years as a parishioner, and after a lifetime of communion with the Anglican Church. 

Fr Laurie McIntyre said that hw was extremely pleased that Veronica had accepted his offer and welcomed the wealth of experience and knowledge of the church that she would bring to the role - 'Veronica is a churchwoman of considerable strength and commitment who will join a team of wardnes who are committed to change of the church, and particualrly within this parish - I know that Veronica will be warmly accepted by the parish who will give her every encouragement and support.'

Veronica repalces Ruth Murphy who resigned from the position earlier this year. 

All clergy spend a great deal of their time helping people cope with the death of someone close to them.  This is a distressing time especially when it is a young person or if it is a sudden death.

One common cause of death in Australia is from melanoma. Recent news is of "Rose Bengal" a dye, which, inserted into the affected spot will kill off the cancer.  There is now the possibility we are told, that it may also be effective in the treatment of internal cancers.  This is wonderful news, and we thank the medical profession for their constant research into the causes and treatment of all illness, especially cancer. Whenever there is a new "cure" announced however, there seems to be an underlying thought that eventually we will find cures for everything and we will then be able to continue living in this world forever.  Not so I am afraid!

As I get older I realise that I am coming closer to the end of my life and, perhaps because of my work, I am very conscious of this and my need of coming to terms with the fact.  It is not surprising then, that I spend a good deal of time wondering about this for myself and how well I will be prepared for the event when my time comes!

Some folks tell me not to be morbid, if the subject comes up.  Others change the subject very quickly and cannot even discuss the possibility that it will happen to them.  Yet others go on amassing possessions in a defiant act of denial, and some just ignore it altogether.

But, if Christianity has anything at all to say about anything, it certainly has some challenging things to say about death!  This is avoided these days by having funerals "celebrated" without any religious reference, on the assumption that it will then solve all the problems associated with death.  Something like believing that if we never fill in a Tax Return we won't have to pay taxes!

Most religions throughout history have something to say about a life after death, or something very close to it.  By denying this, we do not eradicate it.  The fact remains, that deep inside the psyche of most of us there is an underlying question, "What happens if life does exist after I die?"

In the office there is one person's specific instructions for the funeral when death comes.  In many parishes, there are special files for this purpose and members of the congregation are invited to file away these requests so that when the time comes the clergy will know what hymns and readings to use.  They also record the names of the family members who will be responsible for the arrangements for the service.  Those family members need a copy and they also need to know that the request is filed in the parish office.

So, what I suggest is this; no matter how much faith you have, it is worth while spending some time thinking about and preparing for this inevitable event. And, if you do have a strong Christian belief then why not investigate what our faith has to say about life after death.  It may surprise you! 

(Some suggested readings to start with are St John's Gospel Chapter 11, and Chapter 14, Verses 1 - 14:

The first letter of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 15.)