Some New and Ongoing Projects!

Thank you to all of you who followed my little serial, "The Archdeacon", over the last couple of weeks.  I first had the idea for this story about a year-and-a-half back when I sat down and wrote the first chapter.  I had a rough idea of where it would go but then I had my nervous breakdown and it got shelved for the time being. In this present time of isolation during COVID-19, I thought it would be an opportunity to revisit this unfinished project, do some writing, and throw it out there.  It's really little more than a first draft, so I appreciate all the kind comments that so many have you have sent regarding my "poor man's Trollope".  I certainly enjoyed writing and sharing it.  Maybe one day I will tidy it up and expand it a bit. Who knows? A few people have asked about its genesis. My former parishioners at St. Paul's, Newmarket will remember Mr. Perkins.  During my time there, I offered about a half dozen stories about his country ministry in Hampton's Corners from the pulpit.  I have continued to share his stories at Trinity, Aurora.  There are a couple recorded on the Trinity website ("The Advent Police" and "Ash Wednesday" - click on the links to listen).  I also recently posted a new Mr. Perkins story, "Birthdays", on this blog.  I have a couple of new stories in the works that I will likely share at some point.  With the introduction of the cast of characters in "The Archdeacon" I expect that Mr. Perkins will come into contact with some of them in the not-too-distant future. Stay tuned!

Today, I wanted to tell you about two new projects.  Well, one old with the dust blown off, and the other new.  I was going through some things last night and came across a manuscript I wrote several years ago, "The Ministry of Healing and the Gospel of Hope." These are reflections I originally wrote when I was quite involved in the healing ministry and doing quite a bit of training for this ministry in the Diocese of Toronto.  The manuscript came together when in 2013 the Bishop of Kingston, Jamaica, Bishop Robert Thompson, invited me to be the keynote speaker at a retreat for his clergy.  I have since presented them as talks in various venues, including the lay anointers' training conferences in Toronto, a parish healing weekend in West Palm Beach, Florida (2015), the parish of Tottenham, the parish of Mulmer,(both in the Diocese of Toronto) and to students at Trinity College and Wycliffe College in Toronto.  I have not looked at the manuscript for a few years now, but a quick glance through it today reveals that while it still has something to say my thoughts on the subject have evolved in many ways, especially since my own breakdown in 2018 and subsequent recovery during nine months of 2019. I am undertaking some re-writing, re-thinking, and doing some new writing on this topic. It is unlikely that I shall ever seek a publisher for it but I would like to offer it here on the blog as a new "occasional series". Please feel free to offer your comments and feedback as the posts go up.  It's always great to hear from you.

The second project that I will also be sharing (probably in tandem with the above series) is a series called "The Formularies of the Faith".  I was recently asked to write about the historic creeds of the Church.  I have just about completed a post on the Apostles' Creed, which I hope to post early next week, but I thought I would expand the series to discuss some of the other Anglican "formularies" such as the Book of Common Prayer, the Articles of Religion and the Edwardian/Elizabethan books of Homilies.  Again, this will be an "occasional series". The treatment of these formularies will be introductory with a bit of my own rambling and reflection about what makes them important. The posts will not be in-depth; rather, they will serve as an invitation for further reading, reflection and exploration by the reader.

Finally, a few people have asked what I am working on academically these days.  For the most part, I don't share much of my scholarly research on the blog, but try to reserve it for publication.  However, I may offer a few reflections from time-to-time on what I am pursuing. The first of two major ongoing projects that are underway right now is an academic biography on the sixteenth century Anglican divine, Richard Hooker. I have been working on this project for a couple of years, presenting chapters at academic conferences.  I was to have presented a paper, "Richard Hooker's Court Sermon of 1598", at the Renaissance Society of America meeting at the end of March/beginning of April. Unfortunately, that conference had to be cancelled.  I've submitted that paper to be read at the Sixteenth Century Society in Baltimore in November, assuming it goes ahead.  I continue to work away on chapters for this book. It is a long-term project that will likely take several years of research and writing to complete.  The second major academic project is a volume of collected essays given by Richard Hooker Society scholars at various conferences focusing on "Richard Hooker and the Christian Virtues."  My co-editor, Dr. Scott Kindred-Barnes, and I have prepared a proposal that we are now submitting to a publisher.  Scott and I co-edited a festschrift for David Neelands in 2014 entitled, "Richard Hooker: His Life, Work, and Legacy - Essays in Honour of W. David Neelands." It's a pleasure to be working with Scott again on another volume.  We have contributions from many of the "heavy hitters" in Richard Hooker studies. It is shaping up to be a great volume.  Hopefully, I will be able to provide some updates on these two projects as well as they continue to move forward.

Stay well, my friends, and please reach out to chat if you are feeling like you need someone to talk to.

Dan Graves+