...is a corner of a London with a villagey feel to it. I arrived by bike at the Church of Our Most Holy Rdeemer and St Thomas More (above) to a cheery gathering in the crypt, fresh coffee brewing, and a warm welcome. This is a parish with a packed congregation each Sunday, traditional-style liturgy with beautiful music, standing room only, and with lots of lots of young families...some of the ladies at this coffee-gathering are among those who help with instructing the children and other parish activities. It was fun to be part of this very friendly group - very open to everyone, as I quickly discovered: one of the people at the table where I happened to sit was a newcomer and soon we were all talking away like old friends...I had been invited to give my talk on Celebrating Traditional Feasts and Seasons, and this went well and led to a good and interesting discussion afterwards, as we explored all sorts of things...St Lucy's day...some London history...origins of various symbols and traditions...local Chelsea history...and more...
Patti Fordyce, a mainstay of the parish, made a delicious lunch over which a group of us lingered with pleasure, the newcomer and I now thoroughly feeling at home...
1 comment:
It was a pleasure to have you, Joanna. Your talk was a tour de force : over half an hour without a note, without hesitation, deviation or repetition, and with real enthusiasm for the subject. I particularly appreciated your image of the liturgical calendar having the same shape as the hot cross bun and the Sovereign's Orb (if that sounds weird, buy the book).
The ladies can't wait for you to come back to give us the Spring talk.
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