The 2021 Anglo-Catholic Hui began last evening with 147 people attending its opening high mass held at St Michael and All Angels’ Anglican Church in downtown Otautahi Christchurch.

More than 100 Anglicans from around Aotearoa New Zealand have registered to attend the Anglo-Catholic Hui in 2021, which is the third gathering since the Hui set out in 2018. As in the first two hui, this year’s programme aims to encourage and resource Anglicans drawing on Catholic traditions of Anglicanism to build up the church's mission.

2021 Anglo-Catholic Hui organiser Johnann Williams says the 'Food for the journey' theme emerged in response to the 2019 Wellington hui focus on evangelism.

“Turning to food for the journey was a natural progression from talking about mission." she said.

"When you bring people in, you need to give them the tools and sustenance to help them in the work the Lord has started in their hearts.”

Bishop Peter Carrell began his opening mass sermon with a Church Times review on the 1921 Oxford conference of Anglo-Catholic priests, and reminded the Hui that for “Catholic” to mean anything, those who profess it must be prepared to express it in the world outside church walls.

“The outworking of Catholic worship is always Catholic mission – the work in the world to which we are sent out at the end of the Mass. And that work is simple, to be God’s blessing in the world.”

Bishop Peter is pleased to host the Anglo-Catholic Hui in his diocese and support its 2021 theme,

“As we face the challenges of the 21st century, I’m finding that every part of our Church is working very hard in the mission of God. It is tiring work and as people become weary, we need invigoration. I’m delighted that through the successive Anglo-Catholic Hui, the Catholic wing of our Church is offering that reinvigoration from their tradition.”

Fr Peter Williams presided at the opening mass, supported by Rev Jenny Dawson, Rev Chris Orczy and Margaret Maclagan, while the strong musical culture of St Michael’s came through in hymns and choral works, such as ‘Mother of God, Here I stand’ by Sir John Tavener, supported by St Michael’s choir and Director of Music and organist Paul Ellis. 

A special feature of the opening liturgy at St Michael’s was when the Tāpenaka o Te Ariki, a large carved wooden wakahuia, descended from high in the rafters above the sanctuary where it holds the blessed sacrament aloft between services, in the tradition of a pyx. 

After the mass, the hui tuned in to a video presentation from Rev Canon Richard Peers, Sub-Dean of Christ Church Cathedral Oxford, who was to have been the in-person keynote speaker for this hui originally planned for August 2020.

Fr Richard advocated for the spiritual value of considering ourselves to be sinners, and he encouraged Anglicans to enter into the sacrament of confession and reconciliation as a normal part of spiritual life. While Fr Richard says sin should be understood as normal, and the ‘happy fault’ that is necessary for salvation, that doesn’t stop many people pushing back when he mentions sin.

“There is a lot of resistence to the idea of being a sinner these days.” he told the Hui.

“It is very unpopular to say ‘No, 'being yourself' is a bad idea.’ 

"It’s unpopular to say: Life is about more than being yourself, it's about more than fulfilling yourself.” 

Fr Richard believes sin itself is little understood, with many people wrongly equating sin with shame.

“Part of learning to take confession is to help people understand what is sin and what is not. Being comfortable in our bodies is so essential to determining what is shame about ourselves or our bodies, but not about sin.”

Yet, sin is still real, and gets in the way said Fr Richard, who spoke of living with sin as like trying to ride an out-of-kilter bicycle,

“It’s like riding your bike with a front wheel that’s skewed off centre, that’s out of alignment. When you try to get somewhere, you veer around in every direction and can’t go in a straight line – and you spend so much time getting back on track every time, that you head in the wrong direction.”

Alongside a full day of workshops today, Fr Richard Peers will speak on further nourishing disciplines, beginning with 'Praying the Psalms'.