THE annual publication in the Official Year-Book of the Church of England of statistics relating to the life and manifold activities of the Church of England is an occasion for inevitable comparisons and deductions. The fact that the number of ordinations last year showed a further and serious drop would be more disquieting than it is if there were not abundant evidence that there is a plentiful supply of fit men ready to serve God in the sacred ministry, and needing only the means that shall enable them to answer their vocation. The principal reason why the figures have grown smaller in the last two years is that the last of the candidates trained and ordained under the Archbishops’ scheme for ex-Service men has passed into the regular ranks of the parochial clergy. The fulfilment of the Archbishops’ pledge imposed a great financial strain upon the Church, but it was money well spent. More money must yet be found if the Church is to take the best of her young laymen, test and prove them, and, if found apt and meet, enable them to enter the priesthood. A state of things, the remedy for which is not so evident, is that disclosed by comparing the number of communicants with the number of persons annually confirmed. As will be seen from the figures published in another column, communicants are equal in number, roughly, to ten years’ confirmation candidates. That means that the number of lapsed communicants is extremely high, and must suggest to all having a cure of souls the need of much greater vigilance in shepherding the flock.
Nativities to applaud, or not
December 24th, 1925.
WE WARMLY applaud the increasing fashion of performing Nativity plays as a regular part of the celebration of Christmas. But when such performances pass from the direction of the Church and merely become one more excuse for amusing charity, the productions are apt to become offensive. Indeed, they are only tolerable when the actors and the audiences are both inspired with the spirit of devotion. Religious people will have been shocked by a photograph, published this week, of an “angel” in a Nativity play helping to “make-up” the Madonna with a cigarette in her hand. We are shocked and amazed by the vulgarity of well-to-do, educated persons in permitting such a photograph to be taken and reproduced.
The Church Times digital archive is available free to subscribers.
