BOOK REVIEW : On Priesthood by Stephen Cottrell

On Priesthood is written by Stephen Cottrell who became Archbishop of York this week

Stephen Cottrell was confirmed as the 98th Archbishop of York this week. His latest book “On Priesthood” was published earlier this year; one of many he has written, of which (I am embarrassed to say!) I remember reading very few (except the vivid Lent Book “The Nail”) nor do I remember hearing Stephen Cottrell speak in public. While reading “On Priesthood” I became aware that I was not only interested in his take on the priestly life but also in glimpses in the book of the character of the man himself, who now occupies one of the most important leadership positions in the Church of England (although as the Archbishop states throughout this book - the word ‘leader’ in the context of the church does not have any scriptural foundation).

The text is based on homilies given at pre-ordination retreats. The Archbishop fesses  up at the start that he always intended to publish these as a book. The words of a strategic thinker - and a man confident in his own abilities. I am not sure if Stephen Cottrell was involved in the design of the book itself, which - pocket sized, hardback and bound in white paper with the texture of cloth - may have been specifically planned as being a suitable ordination gift?

As well as someone who is careful when planning for the future, this book was written by a man rooted in tradition. The first part of the text is devoted to a history of the ordinal - the liturgy for services of ordination - in the Church of England. Perhaps it is coincidence rather than by design, but the first section ends after thirty three pages, which reminded me of the age Christ is thought to have been at the time of the crucifixion, after which the great high priest commissioned the disciples to become priests to the world.

This leads to the central section of the text, which examines what it means to be ordained a priest in Christ’s church. In his carefully planned and orderly manner, the Archbishop examines the five words used in the ordinal which describe what a priest is called to be, taking each in turn; servant, shepherd, messenger, sentinel and steward; looking at their scriptural foundation in parallel with his own reflections on their meaning, based on his experience as a deacon, priest and bishop (I wonder if those hearing these reflections each year heard about more than one word at a time?)

The first two words appear in the ordinal of the Alternative Service Book published in the 1980’s but the latter three are Cranmer’s own - and in the absence of any evidence to the contrary we are to assume that they are his.

The ‘servant’ chapter is explored through the lens of ordination as a deacon. When we reach ‘shepherd’ we learn more about the life of a priest - and perhaps more about the author himself; “To be a shepherd is to be a leader who is constantly investing in others.... Jesus didn’t do everything himself...he turned his back on needs in one place to turn his attention to another (Mark 1.37-9).” Whether the word has biblical foundation or not, this sounds a skilled ‘leader’ - one who knows the importance of prioritization and delegation. But the Archbishop does not sound like a man who sees priests as professional managers; as the subsequent chapters reveal. Writing on the importance of the prophetic voice of the priesthood - fulfilling its calling as sentinels, who watch, listen and speak out, the Archbishop suggests: "Let our key performance indicator be this : time spent looking at God and looking at the world."

The importance of daily prayer and of spiritual refreshment is reiterated throughout, alongside vignettes from Stephen Cottrell’s ordained ministry, sharing the joys and privileges of granting absolutions and blessings and presiding at the Eucharist.

It was a particular joy to find out that the Archbishop is a fellow admirer of Bruckner, using his unfinished ninth symphony as a metaphor for the role of the priest as ‘steward’. He explains that priests are recruited as “conductors in Gods orchestra to love the music and to wield the baton, and to compose, with others, the life of the church today which is the fourth movement in the great symphony of which God himself is the gracious composer.”

In Part Three of the book, Stephen Cottrell shares a frank and personal account of his experience at a retreat before his own ordination as a priest. Explaining how inadequate he felt, how poorly prepared for pastoral ministry in the parish as a deacon, how he felt not spiritually prepared or developed; and how praying under the stations of the cross in an empty church proved to be a moment of great personal revelation.

Completing his commentary on the holy orders, the afterward is a copy of a sermon he gave at the consecration of two suffragan bishops; “Bishops are not local branch managers of Church of England PLC but the limbs and organs of Christs body.”

It will be interesting to see how the Archbishop puts this observation, and his other reflections on priesthood into action in his new role. The book suggests he is a man who will plan to do so and is humble enough to admit if and when he fails.

Links

‘On Priesthood’ by Stephen Cottrell was published by Hodder & Stoughton (2020)

I was grateful for the insights of this book when writing this Start:Stop reflection ‘The Perfect Messenger’
I was pleased to read that the Archbishop is a fan of Bruckner! Here is a post about Bruckner and Augustinian spirituality that I wrote after hearing a performance of the Ninth Symphony, conducted by Simon Rattle.