WHIT MONDAY:WET MONDAY

On Saturday evening I cycled to Brompton Oratory for the evening Mass, at which I was due to hand out leaflets about the Martyrs' Walk planned for June 23rd, organised by Miles Jesu. I arrived early, so dried off a bit in the Hotel Rembrandt opposite. Then into that big solid reassuring church. I used to be a regular at this Mass, as a godson used to sing with the London Oratory Schola...years whizz by and he's now grown up (Hi! if you're reading this!)... the memories are very cheery ones. This Saturday evening, it being Half term, the Mass was without music, but the rhythmic back-and-forth responses, and mixed crowd, and the warm rumble of voices saying the Creed and the Our Father, gave a sense of welcome. The Canon of the Mass in the Oratory is always said "facing God", which feels just right. Being there, on a rainy evening, in the London I love, I had one of those moments of being so glad to have all this...

It was still raining as I cycled home, and still raining again on Sunday morning when I set out for the morning Masses. I didn't make the early ones, but got there for the 10 am - this has a lovely children's choir and is attended by lots of young families. They sang "Jesu, joy of man's desiring" at Communion and it was so beautiful...Then the famous main Mass at 11, followed by a quick one at 12.30. The high Mass is done in splendid style with glorious music - if they change it to a Tridentine one when permission for this comes from Rome, few people will actually notice. There's a sense of continuity here, a sort of Oratory hallmark. For London Catholics, this is a great meeting-point. Giving out leaflets was a chatty business. There were lots of people I hadn't seen for a while, and lots I'd seen just recently, and lots who just wanted to talk....it was all v. agreeable, but complicated because I was also trying to keep the door open as people poured out, and hand out leaflets without missing anyone.

It was still raining as I made my way home again....

AND STILL RAINING

....when I woke this morning, and still again when I met Mother by pre-arrangement in Carshalton Village for what we had planned as a leisurely walk in May sunshine. Instead, we fled to the very agreeable Greyhound hotel and enjoyed mugs of hot coffee, then went back to her flat for Scrabble (she won, with a clear lead of over 30 points)and in the early evening I cycled back, through rain of course, home. The suburban streets were absolutely deserted.