Today at work, I ducked into the vesting room and got out my black cassock, white surplice, and red stole – to hang up in my car in anticipation of driving to the cathedral on Saturday for an ordination service. These are the folks who are being ordained to the priesthood, moving through but still retaining their diaconal ordinations. It’s on Jan 11th, a day devoid of feastiness – Major or lesser.
My diocese has shifted from individual priestly ordinations at the parish where the person is serving as curate, to group ordinations on the second Saturday of January. When I, ordained individually, was asked to select an ordination day, I first opened up the liturgical calendar. I waffled between Candlemas (Feb 2) or the lesser feast of Florence Li Tim-Oi (Jan 24) – she was the first woman to be ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Communion. I wanted the anniversary of my ordination to be linked to a larger story, to proclaim something about how I understand this faith I was committing my life to.
Not everyone in my cohort followed suit – many of them picked convenient days for their parishes or traveling families – but our individual-ness did create a wintery “ordinationtide” season. I attended 5 ordinations, not including my own, between January and February. It felt so rich.
Can you tell I’m a little bummed at the calendar shift? I get that the Bishops, heck all the diocese, are busy. A one-and-done, with the grandness of the cathedral, is very appealing. I’m sure the ordination anniversaries of this crew will be cyclically special to them forever and ever. I know “ordinationtide” was kinda exhausting.
I am looking forward to this celebratory service.
And.
I’m really grateful that my ordination anniversary (I went with Feb 2) has a food tradition associated with it (crepes!) and is on the day when Jesus was presented at the Temple. I’m glad every time I hear a Nunc Dimitis, I am reminded of the day. Simeon and Anna are my friends, now. I tied myself and my ministry to being a light in the darkness, a candle in the night, and I need the rhythmic reminder of those vows, that focus.
The spirituality of our calendar is such a big part of who we Anglicans are, in this specific way of following Jesus. I play around with eating and meal planning over here because of it.