The Church and the Village: The Blessing of the Beer and Other Agricultural Festivals

Last updated on: May 6, 2017 at 12:17 pm by David Russell Mosley

The Church and the Village: The Blessing of the Beer and Other Agricultural Festivals 2017-05-06T12:17:07-04:00 David Russell Mosley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

David Russell Mosley

Ordinary Time
27 July 2016
The Edge of Elfland
Hudson, New Hampshire

Dear Readers,

Historical Profession Source: '''de:'''Eygentliche Beschreibung aller Stände auff Erden, hoher und nidriger, geistlicher und weltlicher, aller Künsten, Handwercken und Händeln ..." from Jost Amman and Hans Sachs /Frankfurt am Main / 1568 / Source: Wikimedia Commons (PD 70)

Historical Profession Source: ”’de:”’Eygentliche Beschreibung aller Stände auff Erden, hoher und nidriger, geistlicher und weltlicher, aller Künsten, Handwercken und Händeln …” from Jost Amman and Hans Sachs /Frankfurt am Main / 1568 / Source: Wikimedia Commons (PD 70)

This morning as I was scrolling through Facebook, I came across on article from the Croydon Guardian entitled, “Ale Mary: Croydon Minster to revive medieval tradition of blessing beer.” Friends of mine will know that I am fairly passionate about my beer and wine (and scotch and recently bourbon, ok, I like a good alcoholic beverage shared with friends, and good food). So, my interest was certainly piqued by this article. The priest behind the move is quoted as saying, “’It’s totally mad really, but it’s reviving an ancient tradition, and it’s a good way of connecting the church with the community. I had known about it, but I have just never put it into practise, and thought: why don’t we do something a bit fun and get Croydon out?’”

I was reminded by this article of Alison Milbank’s excellent little videos with Tom O’Loughlin dealing with the agricultural feasts and festivals that have existed and do still exist, especially in the Church of England. Specifically during Rogationtide at the church St. Mary’s in Cambridge, rather than going out and blessing the fields, which they didn’t have, the church would go around to the pubs and bless them. I highly recommend these interviews with Rev. Dr. Milbank and will link to them at the bottom. What these agricultural feasts and festivals do is twofold: First and foremost they reconnect us as individuals and communities to the source of our food. If we could reincorporate these celebrations into our worship we would be reminded that the Almighty Trinity is the supplier of all our needs, including the food we eat. We would also be reminded that this food, which is a gift from God, also comes to us by the work of human hands. Maybe, if we celebrated these festivals we would be think harder about what we buy in the supermarkets and where and from whom we buy our food in general. It might also insight us to grow our own food and so reconnect with the rhythms of the earth that are bound up in the rhythms of the church (recognizing that the dates for some of these would need to be translated for churches in the southern hemisphere).

Second, these celebrations remind us that the local, parish church is part of the local community. It is true that we live in an unfortunate age where the church has been fractured and so many towns and cities do not have a single, local church. Nevertheless, these festivals give us an opportunity to reconnect with the places in which we actually live. This is what I find so beautiful about the blessing of the beer in Croydon. Fr. Taylor understands that while in one sense the Church resides outside of the world it also very much resides in the world. The local church is, or ought to be, a physical instantiation of the reunification of heaven and earth. Therefore it makes complete sense that the local church (or churches for nothing stops these celebrations from being ecumenical affairs) should and must engage in blessing local activities and establishments. It is true that this wouldn’t be welcome everywhere and that some churches might have to find ways to bring the village into the church before the church could enter into the village in such a
prominent way. Nevertheless, it must be tried. People need to see that the Church is not so divorced from the culture that it cannot recognize the importance of things like food and beer.

So, I call for those who can make such calls, for I am in no position to make any
individual church do this, to look into these ancient agricultural festivals and find ways to incorporate them into your local church calendar. After all the Church is universal, but it is also local. And while you’re at it, have pint for me.

Sincerely,
David

Being a Catholic Evangelical

The Radical Catholic Reimagination of Everything

Previous Post

July 26, 2016

The Blood of Martyrs, the Blood of the Eucharist: Saint Stephen and Fr. Jacques Hamel

Next Post

July 30, 2016 My First Book is Available for Pre-Order: Being Deified: Poetry and Fantasy on the Path to God

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Secular Age Advent Apologetics Atheism Beauty Being a Catholic Evangelical Being Catholic Being Deified: Poetry and Fantasy on the Path to God Blogging Book Reviews C. S. Lewis Catholic Imagination Catholic Social Teaching Catholicism Christmas Church Calendar Church Fathers Church Life Community Conferences Cosmology Creation Curdled Words Deification Distributism Easter Economics Education Epiphany Essay Extracts Eucharist Faerie Faeriean Metaphysics Fatherhood Films Folk Liturgy Food and Drink G. K. Chesterton Harry Potter J. R. R. Tolkien Jove King Arthur Language Lent Life Literature and Poetry Liturgy Medieval Theology Music My Publications Mythology On the Edges of Elfland Ordinary Time Ordination Parenthood Parish Patristic Theology Pentecost Politics Prayer Racism Radical Orthodoxy Restoration Movement Sacramental Ontology Saints Science Sex and Sexuality Sophiology Stories The Inklings The Radical Catholic Reimagination of Everything Theologians in the Church Theopoetics Thesis Research Uncategorized University of Nottingham What I'm Reading Writing

Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 July 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz