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Contents Page KOALAS LANDCARE R I C A SHIRE
Return to the Abbey of St Barnabas home page 15 February 2010 |
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Dear Islanders
LAURIE MCINTYRE I write following the resignation of Laurie McIntyre as Abbot of the Abbey of St. Barnabas at A’Beckett Park on Raymond Island to offer some explanation of the events that led to his resignation and some assurances about the future of A’Beckett Park. Laurie was initially appointed to his position on the island on an honorary basis for a period of up to two years on the understanding that he was not bound to remain in the position for the full two years and could withdraw at any time. Laurie raised the possibility of his leaving with me before Christmas and in a letter of resignation sent to me in January he says: “I feel that I have been on a different direction from that which was planned by the Development Group (the church group appointed to develop the new vision for A’Beckett Park) and this has led to considerable unhappiness on my part”. I must confess that this unhappy outcome is in large part due to my appointment of Laurie as Abbot before we reached a point of greater clarity about roles, relationships and expectations. For this I bear full responsibility. It would be less than honest of me if I did not acknowledge that it was this lack of clarity that contributed to the tensions and conflict that arose in the day to day management of the Abbey. My attempts to resolve the conflict were not successful and the unfortunate consequence of that was Laurie’s resignation. I am, of course, aware of the incredible contribution Laurie made to the Raymond Island community in the short time he was living at the Abbey, and of the willing embrace of Laurie by so many of the Island residents. In my letter of response to Laurie, I assured him “that you have taken the project forward on the island in a way that few others could have achieved in such a short time … and you will be missed by the many people on whose lives you have had a profound impact in the time you have been with us”. I believe Laurie has laid a foundation on which we can build for the future, if a little more slowly than at first anticipated. In looking to the future, there are a number of assurances I give to those of you living on the island, who have participated so generously and willingly in the development of the Abbey so far. The first assurance is that you will continue to be welcome at the Abbey. While there were the differences about direction which Laurie mentioned in his letter of resignation, one of the matters on which we all agree from the church’s point of view is that anyone who wishes to take part in the life of the Abbey would be made welcome and shown hospitality whether they be church-goers or not. This inclusive agenda is central to the vision for the Abbey and is, of course at the heart of what we believe the church should demonstrate to the community generally. Secondly, I want to assure you there is no group in the church whose agenda was to have Laurie leave. Certainly there were differences of opinion about the management of A’Beckett Park and the development of the vision, and there was tension and conflict about that, but we are all saddened that we were not able to resolve them effectively enough to keep Laurie with us. I also want to assure you there is no group within the church who wants to prevent Islanders from being involved in the life of the Abbey. On the contrary, we have all been overwhelmed by your generosity and willingness to engage in the redevelopment of A’Beckett Park. We are delighted with the goodwill it has generated among so many of you, a number of whom were clearly concerned about the church’s intentions in relation to the property. We shall remain ever-grateful to Laurie for the inimical way in which he drew offers of help from so many of you. We do not want to lose that goodwill or that generosity on your part towards us at A’Beckett Park as we continue to develop the Abbey. Furthermore, I want to assure you that there is no way in which Laurie leaves so to speak “under a cloud” as far as the church is concerned. In my letter to him I assured him of our ongoing goodwill towards him and our gratefulness for what he has given us, and in his letter to me he looks to the time when our dreams for A’Beckett Park will come to fruition. We part with sadness, but as friends. The last thing I want to do in this letter is to offer an apology to those of you who have been caused any pain or distress by this matter. If you are feeling this way I sincerely regret this outcome and hope you will understand that it was entirely unintentional from my point of view. We are now working to find another person to come and live at A’Beckett Park to further the vision for the Abbey. Our hope is to do this as soon as possible so as not to lose the momentum already established. While it may take some time to find the right person, we will ensure there are others living in the house to do all that is possible to keep the dream alive and maintain relationships and goodwill in the wider island community.
Yours sincerely,.
The Right Reverend John McIntyre Bishop of Gippsland
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John McIntyre
Bishop Gippsland
DIOCESAN REGISTRY
(PO BOX 928)
(03) 5144 2044 (O)
FACSIMILE
Email:
Bishopscourt Sale, Victoria 3850 |
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