We ask the Revd Canon Mary Gregory some questions on where she finds God in her everyday life and her hopes for her new role.
If you could invite one person from the Bible or Christian history to dinner, who would it be?
Zacchaeus. I’ve always really wanted to know about what happened when Jesus went to his house. What was said? What led to his change of heart? (Actually, the not-knowing is good too – an invitation to imagination and to wonder….)
Who has been influential to you in your faith journey?
It’s tempting to answer this question with a ‘headliner’; an obvious hero of faith; a woman or a man well-known for an extraordinary life lived in God’s presence. I think, though, that I want to describe people I’ve encountered in the parishes in which I’ve served who have shown me what faithfulness looks like – lives grounded in prayer, serving God with the gifts that they’ve been given, searching for God in every circumstance. They still have so much to teach me.
What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
Investing in relationships so that I can best understand how to lead and to love the people amongst whom I serve. I hope this doesn’t sound too vague! – it’s borne of a conviction that ministry is incarnational (after ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us’ – John 1.14) – that who we are, or rather how we are, depends on where we are. So – I’m looking forward to growing into being the bishop for Berkshire, specifically!
What do you enjoy doing away from the Church – where do you find God in any or all of these?
I love walking in wild countryside or at the sea – anywhere where there is space and beauty and a bit of drama (think Wuthering Heights)! I am a habitual maker of things – quilts, garments, abstract stitching…. – and read novels, poetry, biography and contemporary history. I find God in each of these interests – creation and creativity pointing to the Creator.
What brings you joy?
Words, greyhounds and colour! (Just recently I’ve been reminded of the joy of ceilidhs, too, where I am an enthusiastic but haphazard participant.) And knowing that I am loved by God with a love that will not – cannot – let me go.
What is your favourite liturgical season?
Advent. I love the boldness of the season – the symbolism of light in the darkness; the great promises of God’s decisive intervention to redeem and reshape the world; the twin calls to humility and hope. And Advent hymns, music and liturgy are so stirring!
How do you pray?
Praying with others, especially at the beginning of the day, is really important to me. In a community we hold a prayerful space for one another even when one of us is tired or distracted. In community, we pray for one another when praying ourselves eludes us. When I’m alone, prayer weaves throughout my day rather than simply being confined to set moments. There’s a close interaction for me between beauty and prayer and scripture and prayer. I’m interested in prayer that is conversation – where answers are awaited and questions lingered with. Prayer reminds me that I am, first, a child of God.
How do you rest?
By being reunited with my sofa! – with a box set or a book and ideally with a greyhound (although they are bony and command more than their fair share of sofa). Being with family and my best friends, whilst not always physically restful, leads to rest for my mind. I especially value relationships with people who help me to laugh at myself and to whom I am just ‘Mary’.
Which saint’s life inspires you?
Hilda of Whitby – a woman who was sought out for her leadership and wisdom at a time when women’s voices were not attended to, and who had a real impact on the church of her day.
What lesson have you learned by listening?
I think almost every lesson I’ve ever learned has come through listening: to God, to myself, to others. Reconciliation lies at the heart of my ministry, and I’ve come to understand that this is borne only of complex storytelling and courageous listening. To listen courageously is to listen openly with a preparedness to be changed.
What’s the most urgent or important message you bring to the communities and people of the See of Reading?
That there are grounds for hope! – HOPE in the uppercase - HOPE in the transformational work of God in our lives, our community and our world, and hope in the lowercase - the hope that we bring to birth by living with faithfulness, kindness and generosity following the example of Jesus.
When times are difficult, which Bible verse inspires you?
A verse I return to repeatedly – in good times as well as in difficult ones – is John 6.68: ‘Lord, to who can we go? You have the words of eternal life’. The context is that lots of Jesus’ followers are leaving him, because they’re challenged by the teaching that follows his declaration, ‘I am the bread of life.’ Jesus has asked his followers if they are going to leave him, too, and that is Peter’s reply. They’re important words to me because they pull me back to the heart of my life and ministry: that Jesus is at the centre of all things, that Jesus is essential to life, that there is nowhere to go and nowhere to be except in Jesus – and nowhere else I’d rather be.