Tony recalls his first pastoral encounter in 1980 when he had been called to carry out a funeral for a twin that had lived less than two hours. \u201cI remember accompanying her mum to the chapel of rest to look at her baby, and the raw grief of that situation was palpable.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople might not be overtly Christian but they have suffered a massive trauma, and they just want you there to sit beside them, to listen, and to pray sometimes. Pastoral ministry is a great privilege. Whether it\u2019s the closure of the pits or the day- to-day pastoral situations of visiting the sick or being alongside people who have had a tragedy. It\u2019s all the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople can come into the Cathedral with a great amount of brokenness, anxiety, pain. A lot of what I do is sit, listen and pray. Some will come back and some won\u2019t ever come back. But so be it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Church of England has come a long way in the last four decades \u2013 there have been undoubted improvements in people\u2019s understanding of diversity and inclusivity.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n Great piece in \u2066@yorkshirepost<\/a>\u2069 Canon Tony Macpherson talks about the changing face of the church as he leaves Wakefield after four decades – Yorkshire Post. Last service this Sunday 10.00 \u2066@WakeExpress<\/a>\u2069 \u2066@LeedsCofE<\/a>\u2069 \u2066@nickbaines<\/a>\u2069 https:\/\/t.co\/6V2vVdUtKj<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Wakefield Cathedral (@WakeCathedral) July 23, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n