September 15, 2005

  • Yesterday evening Don, Dmitry and I were in Waxahachie for the
    ordination into the Anglican priesthood of Bill Mouser, a friend of
    mine for several years now (started online but went Real Life).

    I forgot my camera.

    I FORGOT MY CAMERA!

    Could have just lain down and died, that's all.  Can't believe I
    did that.  Kept intending to put it in my purse, but
    procrastinated and finally dashed out of the house, leaving it on the
    desk. What a photo op I missed!  Bill laying face down, arms
    spread out, as he was prayed over, etc.  Pastors from Waxahachie's
    Presbyterian, Reformed Episcopalian, and Bible churches gathering
    around Bill, laying hands on him as he knelt and praying over him.

    Marvelous!

    The digital camera could take photos surreptitiously, without sound or flash, but the camera in my phone wasn't up to the task.

    Barbara, Bill's wife, has promised to email me pictures once they get them.

    Dmitry wasn't keen on going, as may be imagined ("CHAPEL?  On
    WEDNESDAY?"), but he behaved very well, carefully following along with
    the liturgy and even responding with the congregation a couple of
    times.  Once we were home I thanked him for attending, as I
    believe it meant a lot to Bill and Barbara that we made the trek down
    there, and he gravely agreed, then surprised me by adding it "wasn't a complete waste of time."

    When it comes to matters ecclesiastical, this is praise of a high order from Dmitry. 

Comments (4)

  • Hi, Anne,

    Yes, it was important for me that you were there.  I was hoping to convene representatives of all my varied ecclesiastical-, cyber-, social-, and ministerial-connections over the past 20 years or so.  So, you and Don bestowed on me a great boon with your presence.  And, I'll happily take Dmitri's praise.  I suppose he's still in signifiant cultural transition, so the whole affair could have been quite a challenge!

    As to photos ... I've got them (about 100 of them; many sorta-duplicates, of course), and intend (Lord willing) to post them to some web pages at Saint Athanasius' website.  In the meantime, if uploading one or two of them to a comment is possible (I can't tell from rummaging around this page), let me know how it's done (or point me to the link), and I'll send along a preview.  Or, perhaps, I should just mail you a couple of preliminary photos, and then send you a link later to the finished web pages.

    At any rate, thanks again that you, Don, and Dmitri were there.  Dmitri, indeed, was a nice touch, for otherwise I would not have had a native Russian at my ordination.  How many other Anglican priests can make that sort of boast?

    Fr. Bill

  • No, uploading pix to a comment isn't possible (I've tried and tried and TRIED.....gotten right sneaksome about it, to no avail), but if you'll email me a few I'd love to post them here.

    And I hope it didn't sound as if we thought we did you some condescending favor by attending your ordination, for we didn't feel that way at all....we were delighted to be invited, and anxious to come. It's just while Dmitry is a reasonably nice person, he can be a bit horsey about some things, and being driven an hour away to attend a church service in the middle of the week required our appealing to his better side, if you see what I mean. "It'll mean SO MUCH to [whoever] to have you at [whatever]" is an effective carrot, we've noticed.

    I'm just sorry we had to duck out so quickly afterward (plus that it didn't occur to me to ask Kathy if I could take a piece of the bodacious German chocolate cake home with me, to be eaten the next day (can't have chocolate much after 7 p.m., else I won't sleep). Bet she would have said "yes." )

  • Oh, goodness yes -- about the German chocolate cake.  Because you didn't ask, now I'll have to be the one to eat what you would have taken with you.  Difficult duty, but we clerics are supposed to be servants, no?  So, I'll grit my teeth, feel extra-righeous, and dig in with a fork.

    As soon as I post this, I'll send along some photos, and you can pick and choose what you want to display. 

    And, no -- I didn't take your comments as condescending at all.  I was, and remain, grateful for your gracious presence.  For what it's worth, it also impressed the Bishop, who had never seen so many people at an orthodox Anglican ordination, nor so many non-Anglican clergy participating and all of them taking communion.  You overlooked to mention the new pastor of First Baptist, whose presence was another answer to fervent prayers -- not so much that he would attend and participate, but that his attendance and participation would be the occasion for Christ-honoring cross-denominational cooperation in the work of the gospel. 

    Pix on the way soon ...

    Fr. B

  • My apologies to the Baptist pastor! I was working from memory, and it regularly fails me. :^( No slight to him was intended.

    Re: the German chocolate cake: I knew I could count on you, Bill.

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