Two weeks ago I was contacted by The Living Church (TLC) magazine. A former Archbishop of Canterbury would be visiting Birmingham and had been scheduled to preach at the opening convocation of the Beeson Divinity School at Samford University. TLC asked me to cover the archbishop's visit and submit an article to be published. I accepted.
Since this assignment was a "last minute" activity I contacted the dean's office at Beeson. I asked for permission to interview the archbishop during his visit. Dr. Timothy George is the founding dean of Beeson and had made the decision to not encumber the archbishop's visit with interviews. I understood his rationale. If I were to interview, separately, the archbishop so would other reporters present.
I drove to the divinity school early on Tuesday morning, January 26, to make sure that I would have a good seat in the chapel. As I entered the chapel building Dean George entered. He asked if he could help me. I told him who I was and he remembered the call I made to his administrative assistant the previous Friday. I said, "Yes, you could help me." Dr. George a gracious gentlemen, said "Sure."
He then introduced me to his office staff and asked them to give me the "best seat in the house." And so they did. I took my notepad, digital recorder, and camera and placed them on the left side of the front left pew. Since the opening convocation service was more than two hours later, I stepped out of the chapel for a few minutes to talk with two seminarians that I knew.
After about fifteen minutes I returned to the chapel. Still mostly empty, four people stood in the chapel next to high pulpit - three women and one man. I could hear them talking but they were facing the chancel. Two of the women were Dr. George's administrative assistants, the third woman was Lady Carey and the gentleman was the 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey. One of the administrative assistants, whom I just met minutes earlier in Dr. George's office, saw me and walked Lord and Lady Carey to me and made introductions.
Both Lord and Lady (Ellen) Carey are wonderful conversationalists and I had an easy go of it talking with them. I told the archbishop who I was in terms of canonical status ( I am a deacon in the Anglican Diocese of the South of the Anglican Church in North America - I went even further and told him that I am one of several deacons whose bishop-ordinary is ACNA's Primate, ++Foley Beach) and in my role as a reporter for TLC. I decided to then take a bold step.
Hodges Chapel - Beeson Divinity School
Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama
Lady Ellen Carey, Deacon Woody Norman, Lord George Carey
"Archbishop," I said. "When these events at Beeson have concluded, would you be willing to talk with me in an interview?" He had no problem with my request. But then I said, "You probably know that TLC wants me to ask you one question in particular, don't you?" He smiled gently and responded, "Yes, I do."
TLC magazine and many others wanted to learn his perspective about the recent decision made by a gathering of the Primates (senior archbishops) of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Lord Carey told me that he would address that question after that afternoon's luncheon. And so he did.
The luncheon was held "uphill" from the Hodges Chapel. Luncheon guests probably planned to walk to the luncheon. But just prior to the convocation's end rain began falling heavily. A seminarian and I rode to the luncheon in my car but had to walk through the rain. Parking at Samford University is difficult if you have no special parking identification. I didn't. Approximately 80 guests attended the luncheon honoring Lord and Lady Carey. Salmon was served with sides and a dessert. It was an excellent meal.
After the luncheon with invited guests, which included the Dean of the Cathedral Church of the Advent of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama (TEC) and three bishops of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), Lord Carey spoke. He said that he has been asked to comment on the Primates' decision and will do so now.
Lord Carey told his audience that Justin Welby, the current Archbishop of Canterbury - the convener of the Primates' gathering - placed a telephone call to him about the upcoming gathering. "We had a personal conversation [in] which he set up [to me] what he was proposing to do - [and] what he was hoping to gain from our conversation. So, I was honored with that confidentiality and I am not going to say anything that's going to upset the process." That was that.
His only other comment was an observation that the Anglican Communion is presently acting like a federation similar to the worldwide Lutheran Federation. It will not be a communion in reality until its several provinces begin meeting and talking with each other again.
Lord and Lady Carey spent the remainder of the week as guests of the dean of the Cathedral Church of the Advent. The archbishop delivered several lectures during the week and presided over the services the following Sunday morning.
This Beeson event marked the third time that I had met and talked with Archbishop George Carey. My first meeting with him was in 1997 at The Club overlooking South Side Birmingham. He was honored with a dinner by the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama. My wife Patricia and I were able to get a picture of us with the archbishop.
Some years later, probably around 2005, the archbishop was a guest preacher the annual noontime Lenten Services at the Cathedral Church of the Advent. Again, my wife and I met him and Mrs. Carey for the second time. I showed him the picture from years earlier. He signed the picture. I digitized it.
THE CLUB - Birmingham, Alabama
Patricia Norman, Archbishop George Carey, Deacon Woody Norman
I just wanted to document this particular moment at Beeson in 2016 and a few other memories.
WENjr 2016
