New Padre for Linton Engineer Regiment

Linton’s 2nd Engineer Regiment will welcome Padre Sande Ramage to its ranks with a powhiri followed by a service in Linton Camp’s St Martins chapel beginning at 2:00pm on Wednesday 26 March.

The powhiri and service will include 45 students from her previous post at Masterton’s Rathkeale College. The service, which will include the new Anzac hymn, “Honour the Dead”, will be led by the Bishop of Wellington Tom Brown.

Padre Ramage says she has a particular interest in exploring the development of spirituality in 21st century Aotearoa, where many people are disconnected from organised religion yet still express an interest in spirituality.

“Next year I hope to begin my Masters in Theology focussing on the spirituality of Anzac Day and how that relates to the ancient mythology of the fallen man who gives up his life so others may live”.

In addition to the academic interest in theology Padre Ramage is passionate about the development of creative rites and rituals that combine the ancient god stories with our contemporary experience of life.

“Entering the army environment gives me the opportunity to develop rituals that express the deep values in army life and to bring them to life in a different way,” says Padre Ramage.

ENDS

Background
The Service

The Anglican installation service gives a formal liturgical opportunity for the new priest to be brought to the new posting by their previous community, make commitments in front the of Bishop (to whom the priest is responsible in the church environment) and the whole community and to then be 'installed' in the vicar's chair at the new church.

In an Anglican tradition, a number of roles are given special stalls or chairs in the church building. These roles carry particular responsibilities and once installed the person is given the authority to carry out their role. The Bishop issues a license which outlines this authority.

For this service the hymns chosen have been written by New Zealanders which reflect our time and place, in particular is the Anzac hymn, Honour the Dead. Although written especially for ANZAC Day, it suits this occasion perfectly given Sande's special interest in the developing spirituality of ANZAC.

During the singing of this hymn candles will be lit in the sanctuary to remember:
the war dead of Makotuku (the original home of St Martins),
the war dead of St Martin's on the Close (the Rathkeale chapel which comes from the Mangaweka)
And those Kiwi soldiers now on active service.


Honour The Dead

First written 2005 by Shirley Murray and Colin Gibson, pre-eminent New Zealand hymn writers, it was sung at Rathkeale for a Radio NZ recording a couple of years ago to get initial publicity. Until now it has not had wide exposure, however it has also recently been translated into Maori and ready for wide publication.

The hymn is being published by the New Zealand Hymnbook Trust.

Honour the dead, our country’s fighting brave.
honour our children left in foreign grave,
where poppies grow and sorrow seeds her flowers,
honour the crosses marked forever ours.

Weep for the places ravaged with our blood,
weep for the young bones buried in the mud,
weep for the powers of violence and greed,
weep for the deals done in the name of need.

Honour the brave whose conscience was their call,
answered no bugle, went against the wall,
suffered in prisons of contempt and shame,
branded as cowards, in our country’s name.

Weep for the waste of all that might have been,
weep for the cost that war has made obscene,
weep for the homes that ache with human pain,
weep that we ever sanction war again.

Honour the dream for which our nation bled,
held now in trust to justify the dead,
honour their vision on this solemn day:
peace known in freedom, peace the only way…