‘Singing our Song’: three photographs from Spanish Point in a new book by a much-loved teacher

The Elliott Memorial Window Christ Church, Spanish Point Photograph by Patrick Comerford … a photograph on p 165 in Hellgard Leckebusch’s book ‘Singing our Song’

Patrick Comerford

The late Hellgard Leckebusch (1944-2023) is the author of a charming memoir with a strong Church of Ireland resonance. Hellgard was a teacher in Wesley College, Dublin, for five years, and she regarded Christ Church in Spanish Point, Co Clare, as her spiritual home. The people who strongly influenced her include a former Rector of Spanish Point, Canon David Elliott, and a former Rector of Taney in Dublin, Canon Walter Burrows.

Many people in Dublin remember Hellgard Leckebusch as a young teacher in Wesley College in Dublin at a time when the school moved from Saint Stephen’s Green to a ‘greenfield’ site in Ballinteer.

Three of my photographs – including a full-page photograph of the Elliott Memorial Window in Spanish Point – are included in this new book by Hellgard Leckebusch: Singing our Song, the Memoirs of Hellgard Leckebusch (1944-2023). The book is edited by Silke Püttmann and Kenneth Ferguson, and was published by Silke Püttmann in Mettmann, Germany, last month (May 2023) as an e-book.

Hellgard died on 18 February 2023, having never managed to finish her planned book. But her friends Kenneth Ferguson and Silke Püttmann completed that task. Silke was soon on hand, and in a position to assist the executors.

Ken, who was a pupil in Wesley College for all of Hellgard’s five years as a teacher there, and witnessed the opening of the new Wesley College in 1969. He provided the final structure and layout of the book, found Hellgard’s Preface, wrote the introduction and expanded it to cover Hellgard’s life to the end. Ken and shares many of her memories of people and places.

Ken also provided detailed information on a Wesley College staff picture from 1969-1970, new photographs of the places where Hellgard lived in Dublin, and information on and photographs of the Lutheran Church in Ireland in the 1960s. Ken’s wife Traudi proofread the book and provided valuable comments and suggestions.

The book cover is illustrated with a portrait by her son the Belfast artist, Sam Barry, and inside the book is Illustrated with materials of family provenance, and photographs supplied by her friends, including my three photographs, and there are references to my blog too.

Hellgard imbibed much from the spirit of the Church of Ireland of the 1950s and 1960s. One of the intriguing photographs in this book shows her among the white-gowned and veiled Rosleven girls who were confirmed by Bishop Pike in Athlone in 1959.

Her mentor in Miltown Malbay, Co Clare, Canon David Elliott (1885-1972), is perhaps the hero of the work, and she saw his church, Christ Church, Spanish Point, as her spiritual home. My blog posting on Spanish Point two years ago is used to confirm Canon Elliott’s biographical details.

Inside Christ Church, Spanish Point, facing east end Patrick Comerford, 2021) … a photograph on p 78 in Hellgard Leckebusch’s book ‘Singing our Song’

Another Church of Ireland priest who features strongly in the book is Canon Walter Burrows (1908-1990), Rector of Taney, the parish in which the new campus of Wesley College was built. She held Canon Burrows in high regard as ‘a very spiritual man, very academic, very humble.’

Canon Burrows had an only son, Michael, whom Hellgard knew as a boy, and they kept in touch ever after.

When he grew up he followed in his father’s footsteps and we have served together on many church committees, including the Archbishop’s Committee for the decade of Evangelism, various boards and councils of the Anglican mission agency USPG, and the Church of Ireland Council for Christian Unity and Dialogue and the Interfaith Working Group.

He was Bishop of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory when he was elected Bishop of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe, just as I was retiring from parish ministry in the Diocese of Limerick.

Christ Church, Spanish Point, is within his diocese, and Ken Ferguson recalls: ‘In the weeks before her death, Hellgard was eagerly anticipating a visit from the Bishop. This visit, alas, was not to be. Having fallen repeatedly in her flat, Hellgard was brought to hospital on 17 February, and died there early on 18 February 2023.

That same day the Bishop and his wife were at the airport when Ida telephoned the news. They went ahead with their journey, walked on the following day to the church in Wuppertal that Hellgard had recommended they should attend, and afterwards made their way to the entrance door of Nützenberger Str. 3, there to linger and reflect.’

Ken explains that the ‘story of Hellgard’s interaction with one elderly clergyman of the Church of Ireland is an important part of her tale. The poignant vignette of the Bishop’s visit, just after her death, is a fitting addendum to her life, reflective of the enduring bond between Hellgard and clergy of the Church of Ireland whom she held in esteem.’

In his kind message to me with details of this new book, Ken Ferguson says: ‘I was very sorry to hear about your stroke, and I hope that things are getting better. You are an ornament to the Church of Ireland, and God must arrange for you to recover your health.’

This book also records some of Hellgard Leckebusch’s affectionate memories of members of the Comerford family in Spanish Point.

The hairdresser in the village was a Mrs Comerford, remembered as ‘a lovely and talented, a very intelligent lady … such a wonderful woman with a sharp, clear mind.’

Her mother used Mrs Comerford’s original Christmas Cake recipe for years, ‘and later on, so did I.’

In her recollection of summer swimming and life-saving competitions in resorts in Co Clare, recalls Billy Comerford and the life-saving competition group who won first prize in life-saving for the province and second place in Ireland.

Christ Church, Spanish Point, Hellgard’s spiritual home (Patrick Comerford) … a photograph on p 355 in Hellgard Leckebusch’s book ‘Singing our Song’

Daily prayers in Ordinary Time with USPG: (25) 22 June 2023

Father Heikki Huttunen celebrates the Liturgy in Finnish and Church Slavonic in Holy Trinity Church in Helsinki (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)

Patrick Comerford

This week began with the Second Sunday after Trinity (18 June 2023) and Father’s Day. Today the calendar of the Church of England in Common Worship commemorates Saint Alban, first Martyr of Britain (ca 250).

Before the day begins, I am taking some time for prayer, reading and reflection.

Over these weeks after Trinity Sunday, I am reflecting each morning in these ways:

1, Looking at relevant images or stained glass window in a church, chapel or cathedral I know;

2, the Gospel reading of the day in the Church of England lectionary;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.

Holy Trinity Church is the oldest Orthodox church in central Helsinki (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)

Holy Trinity Church, Helsinki:

This week I am reflecting on Orthodox churches named after the Holy Trinity. These Trinity reflections continue this morning (22 June 2023) with photographs of Holy Trinity Church in Helsinki, which I visited earlier this year when I was visiting church-based projects in the Finnish capital supported by USPG and working with Ukrainian refugees.

There is a popular story about the origins of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. It is said that when Vladimir, Prince of Kyiv, was still a pagan at the end of the tenth century, he sent envoys out to discover what the true religion was and to advise him on which religion should become the state religion.

The envoys first visited the Muslim Bulgars of the Volga, but found no joy among them ‘but mournfulness and a great smell.’ In Germany and Rome, they found the worship and liturgy was without beauty. But when the envoys from Kyiv reached Byzantium, they were so dazzled by the splendour of the liturgy in the great church of Aghia Sophia they instantly decided that Orthodoxy should be the faith of their people.

‘We knew not whether we were on heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendour or beauty anywhere upon earth. We cannot describe it to you: only this we know, that God dwells there among humans, and that their service surpasses the worship of all other places. For we cannot forget that beauty.’

The story may be part of the myths of building national identity. But it shows too how Orthodox identity shares many common traditions among the people of Russia and Ukraine, and in neighbouring Finland.

Inside Holy Trinity Church in central Helsinki, Father Heikki Huttunen celebrates the Liturgy with the same splendour and beauty that the emissaries from Kyiv, but a relaxed and warm simplicity that make the church a place of welcome for refugees and asylum seekers.

The languages he uses in the liturgy include Finnish, Church Slavonic and Russian, which reflect the diversity of his people and the recent conflicts that are redefining their identities.

Holy Trinity Church is the oldest Orthodox church in central Helsinki. In size, it is almost dwarfed by the large Lutheran cathedral next-door, with its majestic domes and steps looking down onto the harbour. Helsinki Cathedral is the city’s major landmark and Finland’s most recognisable building. It is in the heart of the area that includes Senate Square, the Presidential Palace and a collection of major academic and historical buildings.

Both the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the Orthodox Church of Finland have a special position in Finnish law, and their historic churches standing side-by-side each – Helsinki Cathedral and Holy Trinity Church – were designed in the 1820s by the same architect, Carl Ludvig Engel.

Although the Orthodox Church of Finland is small in numbers – with about 58,000 members – the Orthodox presence in Finland dates back to the early 12th century, and shares its roots in those stories of the emissaries sent from Kyiv to Constantinople.

As Father Heikki Huttunen celebrated the Liturgy in Finnish and Church Slavonic in Holy Trinity Church this week, I noticed how he named the Patriarch of Constantinople in his prayers, but not for the Patriarch of Moscow.

After centuries of Swedish rule, Finland became the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire in 1808, and Helsinki was declared the capital in 1812. Russian civil servants, merchants and soldiers moved to Helsinki in large numbers and the czar supported their efforts to build their own church. Alexander I decreed in 1814 that 15 per cent of the salt import tax was to be used to build two churches in the city, one Lutheran and one Orthodox.

In the early period of Russian rule, the parish consisted mainly of Russians living in the Helsinki region. Over the years, however, the parish has changed and the majority of members today speak Finnish, although 15 per cent of members speak Russian as their mother tongue.

Many families at Holy Trinity Church have roots in Russia or have Russian-speaking ancestors. But many also remember how Finland was divided in the aftermath of World II, with many parts of Karelia, with their towns and people, churches and parishes, forced to become part of the Soviet Union.

Orthodox numbers in Finland were boosted in the 1990s with the migration of many people from the former Soviet Union, and now the children and grandchildren of that generation of migrants are in their 30s and make up about half the parish.

Finland shares a 1,300 km border with Russia. The crisis in Ukraine has put an effective end to Russian tourism in Finland, but has also brought a large number of Russian and Ukrainian refugees to Helsinki. Many of the people fleeing Russia have been forced to leave because of the changes in Russian society or for fear of being conscripted.

But, as Father Heikki reminded me when me met earlier this year, Finland has always been a country of refugees and of the children of immigrants.

He has worked with the World Council of Church in Geneva and the European Conference of Churches in Brussels, and is a former Secretary General of the Ecumenical Council of Finland. He speaks fluent Finnish, Swedish, English, Russian, French, Spanish and Estonian, reflecting the diversity of his parish and parishioners.

On a Sunday morning, more than half the congregation comes from a refugee background, and 25% or a quarter of them can be Ukrainians. ‘We are the closest church to these Ukrainians, and we should be the first to open our arms to welcome them.’

The Russians and Ukrainians in the church show compassion and understanding for each other, Father Heikki says. The Russians are shocked that they cannot return to visit their grandparents. They cannot pay their rents, and they cannot even communicate by main since all postal links were cut off. These Russian speakers include people from Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine that were occupied by Russian troops in the first weeks of the conflict.

He estimates that about 30% of the Russians in his church have relatives in Ukraine, while 40% of the Ukrainians have close family relatives in Russia. Many of the Ukrainians are hoping they can go back to western or central Ukrainians when Spring comes. But the future is uncertain for those who have fled east or south Ukraine, where whole towns and cities have been destroyed.

He thinks one-third of the refugees may remain in Finland. But he also expects more newcomers when the war enters new phases in the coming months.

Soon after the conflict broke out, Archbishop Leo Makkonen of Helsinki and All Finland accused the Russian Orthodox Church of standing by the state leadership to bless the war and to present it as a legitimate ‘holy war’.

‘Now is the high time for the Church in Russia to realise that it has gone astray,’ Archbishop Leo said. ‘I appeal directly to the Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill: Remember the promises you have made before God as a bishop and patriarch. They must be accounted for before the Almighty.’

‘For Christ’s sake, wake up and condemn this evil,’ he implored. ‘Use your influence to promote peace. Do your best to end this war. I pray that humility and wisdom from God will guide you.’

A short walk from Holy Trinity Church and Helsinki’s Lutheran Cathedral, Uspenski Cathedral is the main cathedral of the Orthodox Church of Finland. It is dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos or the Virgin Mary. Uspenski Cathedral was built above the harbour in 1862-1868 by the architects Aleksey Gornostayev and Ivan Varnek.

The consecration of Holy Trinity Church on 26 August 1827 marks the formal beginning of the Finnish Orthodox Church. But the Church became autonomous and self-governing in 1923 when it gained its independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Finnish Orthodox Church is preparing to celebrate the centenary of its separate identity next year. The majority of parishes are not big enough to meet some of the basic and simple needs of the new arrivals. But Father Heikki hopes the church can find a priest to work full-time with the refugees.

Father Heikki Huttunen in Holy Trinity Church … his church in Helsinki includes many Russian and Ukrainian refugee families (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)

John 12: 24-26 (NRSVA):

[Jesus said:] 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.’

‘For Christ’s sake, wake up and condemn this evil’ (Archbishop Leo Makkonen of Helsinki and All Finland) … inside Holy Trinity Church, Helsinki (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)

Today’s Prayer:

The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel) is ‘The snowdrop that never bloomed.’ This theme was introduced on Sunday.

The Prayer in the USPG Prayer Diary today (22 June 2023, Saint Alban, Windrush Day) invites us to pray:

Let us give thanks for the life of Saint Alban, and for the rich and varied contributions of immigrants to our society. May we recognise their works and offer hospitality to all who migrate to the UK today without prejudice and fear.

Collect:

Eternal Father,
when the gospel of Christ first came to our land
you gloriously confirmed the faith of Alban
by making him the first to win a martyr’s crown:
grant that, following his example,
in the fellowship of the saints
we may worship you, the living God,
and give true witness to Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Post Communion:

God our redeemer,
whose Church was strengthened by the blood of your martyr Alban:
so bind us, in life and death, to Christ’s sacrifice
that our lives, broken and offered with his,
may carry his death and proclaim his resurrection in the world;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yesterday’s reflection

Continued tomorrow

The Revd Tuomas Mäkipää (left), the Anglican Chaplain in Helsinki, with Father Heikki Huttunen in Holy Trinity Orthodox Church (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Uspenski Cathedral is the main cathedral of the Orthodox Church of Finland (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)