Silly me

I was at St. Boniface Church this morning for only the second time since August 2012.

I was there for two reasons:

1. To fill in some time on a day when I had no appointments on my calendar.  “Better to go to Church”, I thought, “than to spend a whole day alone”. (Not everyone attends Church for reasons of faith or religion!)

2. Because my friend Jack Chrisman was the preacher. You will remember that Jack was my guest on New Year’s Day, together with Donna Chrisman, and our mutual friend Muriel Quinn.  Indeed I sat in a pew with Donna and Muriel at today’s 11:15 a.m. service.

St. Boniface Church is more or less “in the round”.  Thus it is possible to look at the altar, the pulpit, the choir – and at other attendees.

Across the way from me sat a man in a clerical collar, with a woman who I guessed was his wife, and a young man who I figured was their son (he looked like the woman).

I thought “I know this man, his face looks so familiar”.

I pondered: “had  I known him in Massachusetts? “, “had I met him at a conference?”, and  if not: “why am I  recognizing  him?”

It was half way through the service before the light dawned.  The man was our new Rector, the Revd John C. Hall who begins his formal ministry next Sunday.  He and his wife and their youngest son were in Church to “scope  us out”.

Of course I had not recognised him since we've never met!

But I had seen his photo’ in the St. Boniface newsletter when his appointment had been announced.That's why his face looked so familiar.


Silly me!

The Revd John C Hall (who looks much older in the flesh than in this photo')