Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Boston Red Sox
A frequent reader of this blog asked me by e-mail if I had ever met Archbishop Desmond Tutu (see “Silence equals “Consent - below).
I heard him speak when I was a Deputy to the General Convention of 1985 in Anaheim, CA. (I roomed with my recently deceased friend Bruce Wirtz at that Convention).
Bishop Tutu was electrifying. There was a large crowd in a Hotel Ballroom, and he stood us on our heads.
About three years ago the Archbishop was in residence for a semester at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, just down the road from my parish, St. James’s.
I was at lunch at E.D.S. one day with one of the Professors, my friend the Revd. Dr. Andrew McGowan. Archbishop Tutu came into the refectory, and I said to Andrew “would it be gauche of me to ask you to introduce me to the Archbishop”.
“Of course not” replied Andrew, and he walked me over and introduced me to +Desmond.
After a bit of chit-chat I did the customary thing, and asked Archbishop Tutu to give me his blessing.
I knelt, and he blessed me. An holy moment.
As I rose to my feet, Archbishop Tutu immediately knelt and said “now please give me your blessing”. I could barely pray for the tears.
A bit later in the year I was at my Dentist’s office on Massachusetts Avenue, being worked on by a new Russian born hygienist.
She asked about my Church, and I told her that it was an Episcopal Church. That meant nothing to her!
So I asked, “have you heard of the Archbishop of Canterbury?” She thought that she had.
But I tried a different tack. “Have you heard of Archbishop Tutu?” “Yes” she cried out, “he was here!”.
It transpired that the Archbishop needed some dental care, and had been referred to my dentist Dr. Greene. I chatted with him about the Archbishop, and he told me of the great excitement in his office at +Desmond’s visit.
Dr. Greene said “I expected him to arrive in a limousine with a body guard. Instead, he ambled up Massachusetts Avenue wearing a Red Sox jacket” !!
Smart man that Archbishop!
I heard him speak when I was a Deputy to the General Convention of 1985 in Anaheim, CA. (I roomed with my recently deceased friend Bruce Wirtz at that Convention).
Bishop Tutu was electrifying. There was a large crowd in a Hotel Ballroom, and he stood us on our heads.
About three years ago the Archbishop was in residence for a semester at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, just down the road from my parish, St. James’s.
I was at lunch at E.D.S. one day with one of the Professors, my friend the Revd. Dr. Andrew McGowan. Archbishop Tutu came into the refectory, and I said to Andrew “would it be gauche of me to ask you to introduce me to the Archbishop”.
“Of course not” replied Andrew, and he walked me over and introduced me to +Desmond.
After a bit of chit-chat I did the customary thing, and asked Archbishop Tutu to give me his blessing.
I knelt, and he blessed me. An holy moment.
As I rose to my feet, Archbishop Tutu immediately knelt and said “now please give me your blessing”. I could barely pray for the tears.
A bit later in the year I was at my Dentist’s office on Massachusetts Avenue, being worked on by a new Russian born hygienist.
She asked about my Church, and I told her that it was an Episcopal Church. That meant nothing to her!
So I asked, “have you heard of the Archbishop of Canterbury?” She thought that she had.
But I tried a different tack. “Have you heard of Archbishop Tutu?” “Yes” she cried out, “he was here!”.
It transpired that the Archbishop needed some dental care, and had been referred to my dentist Dr. Greene. I chatted with him about the Archbishop, and he told me of the great excitement in his office at +Desmond’s visit.
Dr. Greene said “I expected him to arrive in a limousine with a body guard. Instead, he ambled up Massachusetts Avenue wearing a Red Sox jacket” !!
Smart man that Archbishop!
What a wonderful story! I'm so glad I asked. :)
ReplyDeleteMe, too, Suzer. Great story.
ReplyDelete