Congratulations to my friend and colleague Giles Fraser for welcoming the man who broke into his church, lit all the candles and stayed to pray (Loose canon, 6 January). It might have been better still had the church never been locked. When I was vicar of a Wren period church on the Greenwich-Lewisham border, the church council decided never to lock the glass-plated door fronting on to the street. We believed that a church may be needed just as much by night as by day. It was on the path of a good many tramps crossing Blackheath on the way to London. The sanctuary was lit. It cost us only the electricity.
Some came just to sit. Some to pray. A few to sleep. They caused no trouble. Albert stayed, on and off, for years and was a self-appointed guardian. A cup of tea was on offer from the vicarage opposite.
Theft? Only once. A processional cross disappeared. The traders would not touch it. It was found at low tide in the Thames. The police brought it back. The culprit was awe-struck when he saw it back in its place. A miracle? Early on, the police had stopped by: “Vicar, you’ve forgotten to lock up.” They quickly learned. No surprise, it didn’t catch on. It was not a universal solution but it worked well through the 1970s. Dartmouth Row was not the Elephant & Castle. However, on many a morning we could say “Jesus slept here last night”.
Canon Paul Oestreicher
Brighton
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
