Tuesday, January 29, 2019

The Anglo-Saxons...

... were a most remarkable people, and you can connect with them  now at the British Library.Thousands of people have been doing so..

Once baptised and made Christian,  the Anglo-Saxons - barbarians from outside the Roman Empire, who invaded Roman Britain as that Empire crumbled -  produced the most magnificent books and illuminated manuscripts,  and in an extraordinary once-in-a-generation event, the most important of their prayer-books, psalters, Bibles and missals have been gathered as part of this magnificent exhibition.

I visited this superb collection with Sarah de Nordwall right at the beginning - the exhibition runs until mid-Feb - and we were riveted by it all. We had already been planning to offer a day of discovery of Anglo-Saxon Christianity, and this exhibition strengthened our enthusiasm. You can enjoy discovering Anglo-Saxon Christianity with us on March 4th, with pancakes too as part of Shrovetide. You will need to book: details here.

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Scotland...

...and a meeting of the Editorial Board of FAITH magazine.

Back to Londn on the Caledonion Sleeper, a most agreeable way to travel.

This evening, to an excellent production of The Hiding Place, telling the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family who hid Jewish people in their house in Haarlem, Holland,  in WW2. Her father was a watchmender and with her sister Betsie, Corrie led a quiet busy life, taking a special interest in the needs of mentally-handicapped children for whom she ran projects at their church. Then the Nazi invasion came, and there were people in Holland who were sympathetic to Nazi ideas and were also openly anti-Jewish. The Ten Boom family risked their lives to help Jews...eventually they were arrested, and taken to prison and from there to concentration camp. Betsie died in Ravensbruck. Corrie survived to tell the story and, especially, the Gospel message of love, mercy and forgiveness...

A powerful story, and one that we need to hear today.

Friday, January 25, 2019

Finally...

...the reputation of Bishop George Bell has emerged untarnished following a report into the unfounded allegations made against him. A statue of this great man - a truly noble figure, who helped refugees fleeing Nazi oppression and spoke up for true justice and decency in war - is to be installed in Canterbury Cathedral.

It would be right for the Archbishop of Canterbury to offer a proper apology for the way in which the memory of Bishop Bell was smeared. An opportunity will present itself when the statue is installed, and we must hope that he takes it.

I was glad to chair a meeting at Church House, Westminster, defending the reputation of Bishop Bell last year. Worth doing, and I found it moving to hear people who knew him, and/or knew of his life and work in detail, speaking of him.

The name of George Bell House in Chichester should now be restored, and a school bearing his name should now use it once more with honour.

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Visited...

...this school to give a talk on the life and message of St John Paul II to the VI form.  A warm welcome, and a very enjoyable morning.  It was a particular pleasure to be greeted by a pupil who, when younger, had been a prizewinner in the Schools Bible Project. Info about this year's Project is here...open to pupils at all secondary schools in Britain.

The train journey back to London goes via Richmond, so I hopped off there to do some further research for the Catholic History Walks I am leading during the next weeks. Henry VII...a royal palace and the story of the Tudors...the Friars...Bl John Henry Newman...St Elizabeth of Portgual...and more...come and learn all about it! There are several Walks organised in this lovely riverside town...a place I know well as I began my journalism, long ago,  as a junior  reporter on the local newspaper, based in the main street...

Saturday, January 19, 2019

A museum in Israel...

...had a display on the theme of religion and commercialisation. One item displayed a Cross and a McDonads figure: Christians objected and it was immediately removed.

When offensive material has been on display in Britain, Christians have often protested in vain. It seems that our sacred images are better respected in Israel.

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Been visiting...

...the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham, at their new convent - in a converted barn! - at Dereham in Norfolk. A happy, peaceful time. They are very busy and hard-working,  running Dowry House in Walsingham, but have a structured life which includes a free day each week...and this week  they invited me to come and teach them how to make cross-stitch kneelers for their chapel!

It was fun tackling this together in their pleasant  and well organised craft-room. I think the resulting kneelers - each one dedicated to one of their varius Patron Saints - will look well in the community chapel up in the rafters of the former barn.

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

CALLING ALL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TEACHERS...

...do make sure you know about the 2019 SCHOOLS BIBLE PROJECT. Open to every secondary school in the United Kingdom.  There are prizes to be won for individual pupils and for schools.

Find out about it here...






A delight...

...to lead members of the Sion Community through London on a Catholic History Walk. They are a wonderful team of people...doing excellent work in schools, and to my pleasure I learned that they have recently carried out a mission to my old school, St Philomena's in Carshalton.

We began at a section of the London Wall, and went on to the Tower, All Hallows, and then other churches including St Margaret Pattens and St Mary-at-Hill, and then finally crossed the bridge and finished at this church for Mass...it looks a bit bleak at the moment, but will look superb when the restoration work is completed. At present the new marble floor is hidden beneath protective wooden boards, and scaffolding is around the sanctuary sides...

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

I AM FED UP.,.,.,

...with campaigns against men.  So it was a relief to read this excellent feature.

This morning I led another History Walk around London. We stopped to pray at the site of St Thomas More's martyrdom on Tower Hill. Its stands in a small secluded garden, with his name listed along with those of others who were executed there.  It adjoins the large garden area that is sacred to the memory of the hundreds of men who died at sea serving in the Merchant Navy in two world wars.  These were the men who died bringing food to our beleagured country. They included boys in their teens. People like me were born into a free country because of men like that.

I AM FED UP WITH CAMPAIGNS AGAINST MEN.

Monday, January 14, 2019

A weekend of History Walks...

...first with a delightful group of young people, members of the Order of Malta Volunteers, from various European countries. We met at Westminster Cathedral and walked down to Parliament. A most enjoyable and happy afternoon. After I left them, a quick Tube dash to London Bridge, where another group of young people, led by Fr Hugh Mackenzie, based at St James, Spanish Place,   gathered for an evening History Walk, taking in the southern bank of the Thames, with stories  of St Olaf and Saxon/Viking battles. This was preceded by a cheery pizza supper with quizzes and games...

On Sunday, another group met at The Monument, and we walked to the Tower, taking in St Magnus the Martyr, St Mary-at-Hill, stories of the Great Fire, and more...

Jan/Feb issue of FAITH magazine has arrived.Copy sent on request: send an email to this blog, whuch I will not publish, with your name and FULL POSTAL ADDRESS...

Monday, January 07, 2019

Read Auntie Joanna on...

...the anniversary of Catholic Emancipation.  190 years.    Read here...

Sunday, January 06, 2019

MASS for the Epiphany...

...and Father C. blessed pieces of chalk for us to take home for our house-blessings  with  the C+M+B inscription.  . I have duly replaced last year's date with 2019 over our front door, saying the traditional prayer...

J. unwell with a bad cold, so I took our Advent wreath and big Christmas candle into the bedroom for  him to enjoy a last lighting of the candles before it was all put away until next year...

Pleasant quiet Christmasssy days with books and visits now give way to the reality of neccessary work and worries...I have kept up with various writing and with other projects over the holiday, but things now continue in earnest.

Twelfth night...

...and a party at the home of an Anglo-Polish friend, Gosia Brezinska. Wine and bigos and delicious cakes...lots of friends...and we had the Polish tradition of the "Fourth king", and sang carols in English and in Polish. The chosen "king" also supervised the collection of funds, which will go to help London children needing special care...

Gosia is illustrating my latest book, due out in the spring (info on this Blog in due course...I'm not putting details yet - you will have to wait!!) and we have enjoyed working on this project together.  Her own book on Polish WWII nurse Bl. Hanna Chrzanowska has been highlighted this year with the latter's beatification by Pope Francis...

For the fun of it, I went to this Twelfth Night party carrying a small candle-lantern: it is lovely seeing this mellow light in suburban streets and is useful in checking names of roads, and house-nu,mbers etc. It also made for friendly contacts: pleasant conversations on the Tube and at bus-stops...



Thursday, January 03, 2019

...and you may be interested to read these predictions for 2019...

...read here...





Looking ahead to the summer...

...already the travel brochures and websites are urging holiday plans...

Give yourself a treat at Walsingham, and come and enjoy this weekend with Auntie!  Read here...

Tuesday, January 01, 2019

On New Year's Day...

...an evening Mass at this church, very crowded. Beautiful Christmas garlands highlighting the fine gothic interior.  For the sheer pleasure of it, I walked part of the way there carrying a lantern. Met some friends at Mass and exchanged New Year greetings...they offered me a lift back which I accepted...candle in lantern now nearly expiring.

Mulled wine at home, supper, and gratitude for a beautiful Christmastide with rest and relaxation, family and friends.

I'm busy with various writing projects...and have another History Walk tomorrow...

Looking at the reality of Britain as 2019 opens...the collapse of  important social and moral values in community life, the inanity and vulgarity of so much of our common culture, the problems facing the Church...and more...there are plenty of serious things about which to pray...and there will be a need for courage among Christians in the years ahead. This Christmas has been a time to be grateful for everyday mercies and to stock up, as it were, on Christian inspiration, with lots of faith hope and charity for whatever is coming.

An important read - with thanks to a reader who drew my attention to it...

... a forthright and neccessary comment on a disgraceful situation in Australia...