“Annus Mirabilis” – The Sequel
a letter from the Pastor

I am shocked. I have just sat down to write this letter to be included in our 2017 Annual Report and so I opened last year’s report to remind me of what I had written. I am shocked. I had forgotten that my 2016 letter was entitled “Annus Mirabilis.”

In that letter I quoted Queen Elizabeth II’s speech on November 24, 1992, in which she referred to 1992 as an Annus Horribilis, a horrible year. I continued …

“How would you describe 2016 at St. Andrew’s & St. Stephen’s?

I hope and pray that none of us would use such a gloomy phrase as I have summarized above, but when darkness does its best to overcome light, it’s hard not to become a bit gloomy. … I would be overstating things to call 2016 an Annus Horribilis, but it was definitely not the best year I have ever had, as a minister. Darkness appeared to have its way far too often.”

I am shocked. When I wrote that reflecting on 2016 I had no idea that for me personally 2017 was going to be even worse. 2017 was indeed a terrible sequel to my 2016 Annus Horribilis. [READ MORE]