My last Sunday at Saint Swithin's

Yesterday was my last regular Sunday at Saint Swithin's. I've played for the contemporary service for three or four years now, and it was through that experience, as much as anything else, that I again heard the stirrings of a call to priesthood. So it was very meaningful to me to be sent off with gifts and prayers and the laying on of hands. One thing you can definitely say for Saint Swithin's: we know how to welcome people, and we know how to send people off.

After the celebration that followed the service, I headed out to be Lay Eucharistic Visitor. That's another thing I'll miss, although perhaps I'll get to do it in conjunction with my field education.

On Thursday I'll move five hours away to the university where I'm doing my sabbatical research. Since my partner will still be here in College Town, I'll be back and forth a fair bit. So it's not as if I'll never be back at Saint Swithin's. And anyway, I'll keep my membership there until I'm ordained, so that I can keep my connection with this diocese and thus with my present Bishop. But of course I won't be around regularly any more.

I'm not quite sure what's in store for me in my new location. My Bishop will be talking with their Bishop and perhaps arranging for me to do field education at their Cathedral. He also wants to approach a retired seminary professor and priest about being my mentor. The professor lives in the city where I'll be doing my research and where the Cathedral is located, so if that works out, I'll be set up very well indeed. He is a liturgist, so we should have a lot in common.