Remembrance

As I wrote (click here) last year (and again here) tomorrow is Armistice Day, the eleventh day of the eleventh month and Remembrance Sunday again arrives. One of the things one gets asked to do in the rural  ministry is do all sorts of outside events which is taking the Church to where people are. Last Saturday in anticipation of Remembrancetide I was asked to conduct a short Act of Remembrance for those fallen in war from the parishes within our local Hunt country here, and to bless the hounds. How could I refuse! The kennels are situated a few hundred yards from one of our parish churches in the group. The opening meet of the now joined Curre and Llangibby Hunts was hosted by a former Church Warden. St. Deiniol's, Itton was largely restored at the expense of the Curre family. Sir Edward Curre's white hounds of Itton being world famous for his introduction of the Welsh (long coated) cross hounds over an hundred years ago. These blood lines are found in kennels throughout the land and afar. And so it was that the rural tradition of the opening meet took place in the timeless surroundings of this most beautiful county of Monmouthshire. You can see the blowing of the horn by the Master following this Act of Remembrance and also the blessing of the hounds which took place beforehand in honour of St. Hubert's Day which was a few days earlier, who as all traditionalist churchmen will know, is the patron saint of La Chasse! Amazingly the hounds are so well trained nowadays that they instantly recognise the difference between the aniseed trail they are now commanded to follow by Tony Blair's most liberal of Governments and the fox which is their natural quarry. Amazing! Hunting folk are the most animal loving you could meet. I know numerous ones who even prefer dogs to the caring sharing liberal ecclesial and state legislators of their own race..bless them!