Vicar's Message for October

Dear Friends,

Some of you may know that the very eccentric Vicar of Morwenstow, Revd Robert Hawker introduced Harvest Festival as we know it today to the Church in 1843. This month we will be celebrating harvest in St Mary’s, Biscovey and St Blaise Churches. We will be giving thanks for all that God has given us, as well as giving thought to those who are less fortunate and suffer as a result of lack of food or harvest. Sadly, more and more people suffer at home and abroad from the lack of the basic necessities of life. Locally, we owe a great deal of thanks to everyone who works so hard to support organisations like the Foodbank and give so generously to them. With increasing needs these groups need more and more help and donations and I know that people will rally to their support.

As well as his important part in bringing the Harvest Festival service to us, Hawker was known for his many eccentricities. He dressed up as a mermaid and excommunicated his cat for mousing on Sundays. He dressed in a claret-coloured coat, blue fisherman's jersey, long sea-boots, a pink brimless hat and a poncho made from a yellow horse blanket, which he claimed was the ancient habit of St Pardarn. He talked to birds, invited his nine cats into church and kept a huge pig as a pet. Hawker was also known for his care for sailors as he watched out for ships that may be wrecked and insured that those sailors who died at sea received a Christian burial. Eccentric though he was, clearly Hawker had a real respect for nature and I wonder if it was that that led him to think of introducing the service that gives thanks to God for all those things that we have from His natural world.

When I think of Hawker and the gift of harvest I also think of the gifts of the many and varied personalities that we all have and that, no matter how different we may be, we all have something to give and to be grateful for.

I suggest that, as we think of all the gifts and blessings of harvest we might also like to think of all of the particular gifts of personality that we see in ourselves and in others and thank God for them.

With grace, peace and every blessing

Paul

Revd Canon K Paul Arthur 

Priest in Charge of Par, Charlestown, Treverbyn and St Blaise