The Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Newport Beach, NSW, Australia.Fall 1992

For the second half of my 1990 sabbatical I resolved to go to Australia. I wrote a number of bishops there about the possiblity of an exchange. I heard from two. The Archbishop of Sydney said: "NO!"

The Rt. Rev. Own Dowling of the diocese of Canberra and Gouldburn referred my letter to Father Jack Leonard at St. John's, Reid, Canberra. Father Jack didn't want to come to "Amehreeka" as he called it, but knew of a priest in the diocese of Sydney who would. The priest in Sydney died suddenly and his widow proposed that her rector, the Rev. John Drayton come to America. John and I worked out the arrangements and presented them to the Archbishop as a done deal. He acquiesed although reluctantly. In the meantime Father Jack invited me to come to Canberra as the featured preacher for Holy Week and Easter that year. More later on CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA page.

We enjoyed an overnight with John and Gwen Drayton before they took off for the States. English is the offical language in Australia, but Aussies speak what they call 'Strine. The Senior Warden came by one day to look for the 'mile'. This is what the postman brings every day.

St. Michael's is a Sydney parish. This means bi-weekly Holy Communion celebrated from the North end of the altar and Wonder Bread cut into strips as eucharistic bread. I had to sign a release saying I would not wear eucharistic vestments! Interims must be flexible!

It was a holy time. We had funnel web spiders in the back yard. These are twice as deadly as a black widow. When I asked what to do about them people said: "Don't go barefoot in the dark!"

The interim task was to maintain worship, perform baptsims and weddings, meet with the Vestry as a consultant, lead the parish annual retreat and offer a view of the church outside of the lace curtain barrier which surrounds the Diocese of Sydney.

Five weeks later we boarded a train in Sydney bound for Canberra and a good deal wider around the waist from the prodigal hospitality of our Australian hosts.