Tuesday April 3rd


"THANK YOU" AT THE CATHEDRAL

We gathered in front of Westminster Cathedral with our big new placard saying "Thank you to our priests", so that we could greet them all as they arrived for the Chrism Mass....and found that a splendid group of young people from St Patrick's, Soho Square, had had the same idea and were there with their placard too! So we joined forces, and were able to give the priests a good and sustained round of applause as they walked, in white vestments, in procession up from Ambroseden Avenue and round through the great doors. They were, it has to be said, hugely appreciative and there was a wonderful atmosphere of friendship so it was really well worth doing. We gave each priest a card saying "Thank you for the service you give as a Catholic priest" and with a quotation about Melchisidech...

And the Chrism Mass was beautiful. I had not realised what glorious prayers there are for the blessing of the oils...I closed my eyes to listen better: all about the dove returning to Noah with an olive branch, and King David, and all sorts of other references to the fruits of the olive tree....and the choir sang some Monteverdi and the cathedral was packed - absolutely packed, so its whole vastness was filled, even to the side-chapels, and with people sitting on the floor and on any convenient set of marble steps. I ended up in St Patrick's chapel - though of course St P couldn't be seen, as all the statues were covered up with purple cloth for Holy Week.

Cardinal Cormac preached about the Holy Father's new Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis! And at the end of the Mass he announced that there was a copy for each priest to take home...

I should perhaps add that the priestess-lobbyists were outside the cathedral too, poor dears, with their banner. They didn't come in to the Chrism Mass.