In Appreciation of Archbishop Ramsey

In shock, I looked at my liturgical calendar next to my desk and realized that this coming Friday, the 24th of April, marks the one year anniversary of my ordination to the Priesthood. There is much to say about my year in the Priesthood, but I would instead like to recognize the Archbishop whose feast day is also the date of my ordination, Archbishop Arthur Michael Ramsey. Archbishop Ramsey was the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury and is remembered for his outstanding teaching of the Christian faith and his theological work toward unity within the Church. At the age of 32, Ramsey burst onto the theological scene with the powerful work, The Gospel and the Catholic Church. In the preface to this work, Ramsey basically lays out all that made his career as a teacher, Priest, and Bishop so powerful: “the meaning of the Christian Church becomes most clear when it is studied in terms of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Hopefully, that statement does not shock you. Ramsey’s consistent witness to the Death and Resurrection of Christ certainly marked him from his contemporaries in the 20th century, and from many today, but both have served as a foundation for my own understanding of the church and her ministry.

With all that being said, I cannot help but share a story about Archbishop Ramsey that is often brought up when Anglican Priests gather together for fermented beverages and storytime. Following Archbishop Ramsey’s retirement, he and his wife regularly made extended trips to Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Wisconsin, where their living quarters were eventually given the title “Lambeth West.” The seminary is set on many acres of dense woods in Northern Wisconsin and features a large lake with trails around it. Archbishop Ramsey would always walk around the grounds when the weather permitted, and would always do so wearing his purple Bishop’s robes.

On one of these walks, Archbishop Ramsey was on the outer edge of campus, in his robes with his hair somewhat disheveled, as it often was, when a local police officer noticed this tall, wild-looking man walking through the woods in purple robes. Not knowing who he was, the police officer confronted the Archbishop, demanding identification, which the Archbishop did not have. Consequently, he threw the Archbishop in the back of his car and headed towards the station, calling his chief saying something like, “I have a crazy with me who claims to be the Archbishop of Canterbury,” while Archbishop Ramsey vehemently insisted from the back of the car,  “I AM the Archbishop of Canterbury.” Upon his arrival at the station, the chief quickly realized who Archbishop Ramsey was and, very apologetically, returned him to Nashotah House and his wife unharmed.

Please, do not let that story be the only thing you remember about Archbishop Ramsey, and consider reading any of his works or, for something slightly more accessible, check Youtube for some of his interviews near the end of his life. We thank God for the life and witness of Archbishop Ramsey, Ecumenist, and Teacher of the Faith.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Matt