To Canterbury...

...and to a meeting of the Cathsoc of UKC.

For the uninitiated that means the students' Catholic Society at the University of Kent at Canterbury.

This meets at St John Stone House (named after a courageous English Martyr - read up his story) under the genial guidance of the splendid Fr Peter Geldard. Mass first, a good-sized weekday congregation crammed into the tiny chapel. Then I was the speaker at the meeting ("Women and the Catholic Church") and we had supper and lots of talk. A great atmosphere, friendly, enthusiastic. They do all sorts of things - visits to shrines and places of interest, retreats, talks, but above all this is a group with a unity of prayer and purpose, where the Faith meets academic life and engages with it...I hugely enjoyed the evening.

Exhausting, though. These people are of an age to sit and talk till 1 am. I'm a middle-aged exhausted lady, and by midnight was ready to sleep. As I made my way up to my room, the talk was still continuing, exploring issues we had raised and sharing ideas, anecdotes, opinions, laughter...