ONE of the first priests to use the new blessings for same-sex couples after they were commended last week by the House of Bishops (News, 12 December) has described the moment as a “wonderful celebration”.
On Monday, the Vicar of St John the Baptist, Felixstowe, Canon Andrew Dotchin, said that the regular congregation had been somewhat nonplussed at the announcement that they would be praying for the Revd Catherine Bond and the Revd Jane Pearce, both of whom are associate priests in the parish.
“I thought we already did that when they were licensed?” some said, and Canon Dotchin suggested that a stand-alone service — not yet permitted, despite the General Synod’s narrowly voting in favour of a trial of such services — would have been more easily understood.
Instead, on Sunday — the first day when the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) were formally allowed to be used — Canon Dotchin and the rest of the ministry team in the parish said a “simple prayer” for Ms Bond and Ms Pearce, before sharing the Peace with the congregation.
After the service, instead of the customary cup of tea, those attending enjoyed prosecco.
The moment attracted significant media attention, with articles in The Guardian, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and on news websites as far afield as South Korea and Namibia.
Locally, the response was positive, Canon Dotchin said. “People have been commenting and congratulating us. It’s been the ordinary people of Felixstowe who have said: ‘Wow, maybe I’ll start going to church now.’”
Although LGBT people “are already members of our church, and have been worshipping alongside us for generations”, the PLF made a strong statement, Canon Dotchin said, and described Sunday as “the date the Church of England came out of the closet”.
The commendation of the prayers was agreed by a majority vote in the House of Bishops of 24 to 11. The day before the decision, a letter was sent to the Bishops by a group calling itself the Alliance. Signed in a personal capacity by leaders of ten organisations in the C of E, the letter urged the Bishops to delay the commendation of the prayers until “formal legal structural provision” was put in place for those who oppose their use (News, 14 December).
Pastoral guidance published with the prayers emphasises that no priest is compelled to use them, a point reinforced in letters written by diocesan bishops to their clergy after the House of Bishops’ decision was announced.
Canon Dotchin is a Synod member and supported the introduction of the PLF in debates in February and November. He also supports the eventual introduction of same-sex marriage in the C of E.
“We’ve still got a journey to travel, and I want to travel with the whole of the Church of England,” he said on Monday. “I love my sisters and brothers from all corners of the Church. Just as we disagree about other things, like women priests, I’m happy to agree to disagree here, and go forward and serve the community, and make sure God’s love is shared everywhere.”