Mary

Nagel

Mary Nagel represents the diocese on General Synod and the children's panel of the national Board of Education. She serves on Bishop's Council and our diocesan YES advisory panel. Mary lives in Aldwick where she is married to the parish priest, Fr. Lawson. She is the mother of four children.

Chichester Magazine: Mary, you have lived most of your life in Vicarages haven't you? Yet I sense your faith has survived more than most!

Mary Nagel: I was brought up in vicarages, and although I spent 11 years away training and teaching I always thought of the vicarage as home. It had never occurred to me not to attend worship on Sundays and other days in the week! When I left home to go to London, friends told me: 'You won't go to church now - you only used to go because you had to'. Well yes, I had to - not because my parents made me go, but because of my own commitment to the Faith. Later on I married a priest, my sister married one, my older brother is one, and so are several other relatives. As a family our lives are bound up in all that Christ taught and we have tried to give service in His name. My four children have now finished school and live away, but I thank God that their Christian commitment is still strong, as is the commitment of all my nephews and nieces.

CM: Who are your Christian heroes?

MN: As a young child my Christian hero was the sacristan at our church, All Saints, Roffey. She had been the headteacher at the local infant school. She taught me much of the faith as we went about our duties such as trimming the oil lamps, laying out the vestments, even putting up the hymn numbers. From her I learnt to read my first words ( those on the Church safe!), to make my letters out of candle wax, and to be 'holy' - she was a holy woman herself, and by sitting next to her in Church I could feel her prayerful nature. My life was enriched by her very presence and her constant, gentle care. Later when I moved to London and spent some time teaching in Wapping in the East End (before it was gentrified!) I was inspired by the stories of those slum priests such as Fr Lowder, who had worked where no-one else would, who taught the Faith and lived out their lives by giving service to the poor and sick. Here was Christianity in action, loving the people but expecting commitment to Our Lord.

CM: You are someone very attuned in family and church to young people. What more do you think we can do to win and hold their allegiance to the church?

MN: Over the past twenty or so years children and young people have had much more choice in the activities they can undertake, and as a result many have drifted away from the Church. I have always believed that the Church should give a child something to do - singing in the choir, serving, collecting books, helping with flowers and so on. It is not enough to 'put on something for the young' unless the young are fully involved. Young people do not want to be patronised and that is a danger that many well-meaning people can fall into. Children are not 'the Church of the future' - they are members of the Church now, part of the whole body of Christ and therefore taking their own part in its worship. I have been privileged to work closely with the YES department over the past few years and have witnessed children growing in faith as they have joined in so many of our activities. I'm thinking particularly of the excitement of the children taking part in the annual Children's Pilgrimage to Walsingham, where the silence of 250 children aged 7-11 in front of the Blessed Sacrament is quite awesome.

CM: How did you end up on General Synod?

MN: In 1989 I was asked to stand for election to General Synod. At first I refused, as I was expecting my fourth child and the other three had not started school yet. But after prayer and the promise of domestic help from my parents I agreed to stand. I was surprised to be elected, but knew that I had a mandate to represent the views of the electors. I felt it was my duty to ensure the continuance of the faith as we have received it; to guard against the dilution of belief, to be vigorous in proclaiming the gospel and not to allow the Church to become a 'cosy club'. My concerns are also about the dangers of the Church giving in to the secular ways of the world. I believe that we must be prepared to be unpopular, to stand up for the truth of the gospel and to be rigorous in our personal lives.

CM: How do you keep up your Christian faith?

MN: The traditional disciplines of a Rule of Life are helpful; things like daily prayer, mass on Sundays and most weekdays, regular self examination; and then there are also support groups such as the Mothers' Union, CBS, and the Society of Our Lady of Walsingham. These things have always been part of my life. That's not to say that I haven't had my share of difficulties, but I have never thought of abandoning my faith or my commitment, and all through the years my faith has been strengthened daily.

CM: How would you sum up in a few sentences the goodness of the gospel?

MN: The Gospel speaks of God's love for us and his longing that we should be the people he wants us to be. We cannot do that without the grace which he gives us through his Son Jesus Christ. As Christians we have responded to that gift and we know the joy which it brings - a joy which we must share unashamedly with those around us.

CM: Mary, thank you for the work you do for the national and local church and for sharing with our readers something of your faith journey.