...starting at the local War memorial, led for the first time by an Ordinariate priest. This was the Borough High Street, by London Bridge, and the Civic Remembrance Day Service, attended by the Mayor, the Lord Lieutenant, the local Members of Parliament, and representatives of the various community groups and organisations and of course a crowd of local people. It was the standard traditional service, with "O God our help in ages past", and the laying of wreaths, and prayers...and because there was a good crowd from the Precious Blood parish the singing was strong, as were the voices saying the Lord's Prayer. As we left, the Memorial - which features a fine statue of a soldier of the Great War, puttees and old-fashioned uniform, etc - was stacked with scarlet poppy wreaths in the bright Autumn sunshine...a November scene that will have a special poignancy next year when we mark the 100th anniversary of that war...
And the parish group from Precious Blood then made its way, behind the processional Cross, back to the church for the traditional Remembrance Sunday Mass, a solemn one (no Gloria, purple vestments) with Bidding Prayers for the war dead, and finishing with "God Save the Queen". As this was the final hymn, the Sunday school children, who occupy the first couple of pews, automatically turned towards the Lady Altar, as they do every Sunday in readiness for the Angelus, sung every Sunday at noon...I found myself wondering if some might be a bit confused as to which Queen was the one being mentioned in the hymn...and then we sang the Angelus as usual, and then there was coffee in the parish room, and all the usual buzz of chat and news and so on...
A wreath of poppies on the big War memorial in the church, which you pass as you make your way to the parish room for coffee...two great panels, with two long columns of names on each...
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Very good to read about Precious Blood congregation, because I was with them recently - and I expect that you were there too, for THE ordination.
(A reminder - I'm the one who sat in front of you in Colchester in around 1995 or 6, soon after I was received. Later, the parish priest, who knew I'd been reading you, and assumed that I knew who you were, thanked me for welcoming you. I was distinctly "miffed", as the young people say,about the missed opportunity to"fangirl" you, as they also say, but it makes up for that slightly that we have a new connection in Southwark
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