Monday, May 30, 2011
Confident 2B Catholic...
...a series of talks at St Joseph's, New Malden, and a really superb initiative...I went along to the first of these yesterday (Sunday May 29th) and the speaker Dr Pia Matthews, on the subject of Marriage and Family, was excellent.She got us thinking about the whole idea of a family as a "domestic church", and we got quite deeply into all sorts of issues (male/female roles, transmission of life, the nature of a sacrament) without realising it... the tone was exactly right, and there will be more of these meetings exploring various aspectys of the Chuirch's teaching. More info. on the whole venture here. St Joseph's is a wonderful parish serving a busy suburban area: there are over 1,000 people at Mass on Sundays, and that morning the latest group of young people had been Confirmed, over 40 of them. Read the parish bulletin here.
A barbeque...and a promise of HEAT...
...and it began with a cycle ride through the Sunday suburbs to Balham. First the busy Islamic areas, lots of shops advertising halal products,crowds of people, women in heavy veils and robes,trays and trays of rich sticky sweets on sale. Then on past the Polish church in Balham High Road where there were lots of people standing outside around the doors, all facing towards the church - puzzling for a moment, then the realisation that it's because the church is so packed and this is the overflow. Then on to Holy Ghost Church, and families hurrying in as the music began, trailing children and shuffling along the pews, the church rapidly filling...
This is a very young parish, lots of families w. small children - this corner of S. London is known as "nappy valley" - so there's always a certain amount of baby-noise during Mass. But the choir soars above all this and really is superb - glorious Latin chant and a beautiful setting of the Psalm...and the Deacon, who chanted the Gospel,turned out to be a visitor from the Ordinariate of O.L. of Walsingham, who will shortly be ordained as a priest, and it was good to chat afterwards and catch up on the latest Ordinariate news...
There was a gathering - with a barbeque lunch - for people attending World Youth Day. The presbytery garden was filled with more and more young people, at first standing around rather awkwardly like they always do, but soon talking and chattering and with chicken and sausages sizzling on a couple of big barbeques...and paperwork for WYD was handed out and announcements made, chief of which is that Spain in August will be VERY VERY HOT and the place where we will be based will have no air conditioning, so no one should assume that this will be like camping in Scotland. Auntie's heart sank slightly - I really dislike hot weather - but she remains undeterred about going to WYD, and a cheery African nun said "Oh, these are just the temperatures I know best. It'll be great!"
This is a very young parish, lots of families w. small children - this corner of S. London is known as "nappy valley" - so there's always a certain amount of baby-noise during Mass. But the choir soars above all this and really is superb - glorious Latin chant and a beautiful setting of the Psalm...and the Deacon, who chanted the Gospel,turned out to be a visitor from the Ordinariate of O.L. of Walsingham, who will shortly be ordained as a priest, and it was good to chat afterwards and catch up on the latest Ordinariate news...
There was a gathering - with a barbeque lunch - for people attending World Youth Day. The presbytery garden was filled with more and more young people, at first standing around rather awkwardly like they always do, but soon talking and chattering and with chicken and sausages sizzling on a couple of big barbeques...and paperwork for WYD was handed out and announcements made, chief of which is that Spain in August will be VERY VERY HOT and the place where we will be based will have no air conditioning, so no one should assume that this will be like camping in Scotland. Auntie's heart sank slightly - I really dislike hot weather - but she remains undeterred about going to WYD, and a cheery African nun said "Oh, these are just the temperatures I know best. It'll be great!"
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Minster-in-Thanet....
...in rural Kent on a breezy, sunny morning. A number of us staying at the Guest House of Minster Abbey, including members of a craft group specialising in spinning and weaving!
At Minster, Benedictine nuns revived in the 1930s a Saxon community that had been dissolved many centuries before. Today, it is thriving, and in the simple chapel built out of local stone, the sisters gathered for Mass. It was lovely to walk through the quiet sunny garden and enter the cool chapel with its tall windows through which light poured from the wide Kent sky. The sisters sang, and one of them did the readings. Celebrant at Mass was Father Peter Geldard, chaplain of the University of Kent at Canterbury, and he preached about St Philip Neri, whose feast-day it was.
A young lady was due to arrive today to join the community, and by tradition newcomers spend their first night in the guest-house, where as it happens she was to be given the room in which I had been sleeping. This thought gave me quiet pleasure: I hope that long happy years lie ahead of her in this lovely Abbey, where they were preparing a warm and affectionate welcome for her...
At Minster, Benedictine nuns revived in the 1930s a Saxon community that had been dissolved many centuries before. Today, it is thriving, and in the simple chapel built out of local stone, the sisters gathered for Mass. It was lovely to walk through the quiet sunny garden and enter the cool chapel with its tall windows through which light poured from the wide Kent sky. The sisters sang, and one of them did the readings. Celebrant at Mass was Father Peter Geldard, chaplain of the University of Kent at Canterbury, and he preached about St Philip Neri, whose feast-day it was.
A young lady was due to arrive today to join the community, and by tradition newcomers spend their first night in the guest-house, where as it happens she was to be given the room in which I had been sleeping. This thought gave me quiet pleasure: I hope that long happy years lie ahead of her in this lovely Abbey, where they were preparing a warm and affectionate welcome for her...
A busy morning...
...with a judging team reading entries for the 2011 Schools RE Project run by the Assn of Catholic Women. A good team of judges, careful, conscientious and dedicated. After the main work was done, we enjoyed a talkative lunch, and there were lots of ideas for future projects and other linked initiatives.
Rushed on by bicycle to Victoria station and caught the train to Ramsgate where the local parish was organising a St Augustine's Week. St Aug. landed on Thanet - then an island - in 597 and now a big granite cross marks the place. In Ramsgate, a superb Pugin church, formerly connected to the Abbey (which is relocating to Surrey) and now part of the local parish, together with St Ethelbert's Church. Young and energetic parish priest Fr Marcus Holden - I was at his ordination a few years' back - teeming with enthusiasm, showed me the Abbey Church, where everything is in beautiful order and people come for weekday Mass and Sunday Mass...then we went on to St Ethelbert's, where a good crowd had gathered in the hall for a talk on Christian Traditions. I very much enjoy giving these talks and it is fun to share information on history, show how the great events of our salvation are woven into our calendar, etc. It was a real privilege to be part of the St Augustine week...which looks set to be an annual event, with a great procession to the Cross, and a special Mass, and evening events, and more...
Fr M. drove me to Minster-in-Thanet where I was to stay, and we looked at at St Augustine's Cross on the way. Thanet is no longer a proper island, and the silting-up began, locals affirm, with Henry VIII's break with the Church and the events of the 16th century... but there is a still a faintly wild and remote feeling as you drive along the flat land with the sea not far away...although this stillness will change as a vast new motorway, up on great stilts, soared over our heads and will shortly have traffic roaring along it...
The sisters at Minster are friends, and there is always a sense of welcome...it was lovely to settle into the guest house, a Bible and a little book of inspirational thoughts from John Paul II in my room along with a friendly welcoming note on the door. Everything peaceful. The wind rustled in the trees and as I stood at the open window looking out on to the Saxon abbey buildings and the garden, the air was clean and fresh.
Rushed on by bicycle to Victoria station and caught the train to Ramsgate where the local parish was organising a St Augustine's Week. St Aug. landed on Thanet - then an island - in 597 and now a big granite cross marks the place. In Ramsgate, a superb Pugin church, formerly connected to the Abbey (which is relocating to Surrey) and now part of the local parish, together with St Ethelbert's Church. Young and energetic parish priest Fr Marcus Holden - I was at his ordination a few years' back - teeming with enthusiasm, showed me the Abbey Church, where everything is in beautiful order and people come for weekday Mass and Sunday Mass...then we went on to St Ethelbert's, where a good crowd had gathered in the hall for a talk on Christian Traditions. I very much enjoy giving these talks and it is fun to share information on history, show how the great events of our salvation are woven into our calendar, etc. It was a real privilege to be part of the St Augustine week...which looks set to be an annual event, with a great procession to the Cross, and a special Mass, and evening events, and more...
Fr M. drove me to Minster-in-Thanet where I was to stay, and we looked at at St Augustine's Cross on the way. Thanet is no longer a proper island, and the silting-up began, locals affirm, with Henry VIII's break with the Church and the events of the 16th century... but there is a still a faintly wild and remote feeling as you drive along the flat land with the sea not far away...although this stillness will change as a vast new motorway, up on great stilts, soared over our heads and will shortly have traffic roaring along it...
The sisters at Minster are friends, and there is always a sense of welcome...it was lovely to settle into the guest house, a Bible and a little book of inspirational thoughts from John Paul II in my room along with a friendly welcoming note on the door. Everything peaceful. The wind rustled in the trees and as I stood at the open window looking out on to the Saxon abbey buildings and the garden, the air was clean and fresh.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
"Reform of the reform"...
...has been a catch-phrase concerning the Church's liturgy for some years now. There are those who just can't bear it: I once saw some one covering her ears and shrieking, because she couldn't accept the idea. But things will continue to move in the r-of-the-r direction and this discussion is now under way...
I have long imagined that by the time I am old there will be a Mass that looks and sounds a bit like what Vatican II really wanted. Latin at Mass will be the norm, along with some vernacular, and among things retained from the 1969 changes will be: a general "dialogue" form with the congregation encouraged to sing or say various responses, the Scripture readings proclaimed towards the congregation and probably by a lay person, much more audibility of what is said by the priest than common in the standard 1962 Form, and everyone joining in the Pater Noster. Masses will have the Canon ad orientem, have the reading from St John ("The Last Gospel")at the end, and (probably)include the "Introibo ad altare..." at the beginning, probably in the vernacular. And there may be some (rather formal) Bidding Prayers, possibly tagged on to the sermon. And some form of the Sign of Peace although certainly not where it is now.
The Church's approach is to emphasise continuity , and one way of doing this is to sweep things along in a breezy sort of way by making a general statement that "this is the way it was always meant to be...", rather like the mother of a large and messy family who announces that "this is the way we've always done things" even if some members of the family know that there have been many messy times when they haven't.
I have long imagined that by the time I am old there will be a Mass that looks and sounds a bit like what Vatican II really wanted. Latin at Mass will be the norm, along with some vernacular, and among things retained from the 1969 changes will be: a general "dialogue" form with the congregation encouraged to sing or say various responses, the Scripture readings proclaimed towards the congregation and probably by a lay person, much more audibility of what is said by the priest than common in the standard 1962 Form, and everyone joining in the Pater Noster. Masses will have the Canon ad orientem, have the reading from St John ("The Last Gospel")at the end, and (probably)include the "Introibo ad altare..." at the beginning, probably in the vernacular. And there may be some (rather formal) Bidding Prayers, possibly tagged on to the sermon. And some form of the Sign of Peace although certainly not where it is now.
The Church's approach is to emphasise continuity , and one way of doing this is to sweep things along in a breezy sort of way by making a general statement that "this is the way it was always meant to be...", rather like the mother of a large and messy family who announces that "this is the way we've always done things" even if some members of the family know that there have been many messy times when they haven't.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
On Thursdays...
...there is all-day Adoratiion at a local Catholic Church. There are always good numbers here for weekday Mass, and then during the day people quietly come, and kneel, and linger, and light candles, and say the Rosary,or take out a prayer-book,or just pray quietly, and then potter off again...
With the Rosary, Thursday is the day for the Mysteries of Light, and this is especially appropriate for me at present as I'm reading through children's essays in the big project organised by the Association of Catholic Women, in which children wrote about the Rosary. We invited them to focus on specific mysteries, including two Joyful ones, and two Luminous ones. The main judging takes place next week, but the preliminary sifting has revealed a good many of very high quality, in addition to some very funny Howlers.
The essays come from Catholic primary schools across Britain. Next time you are told that Catholic schools are all hopeless and don't teach the Faith, be cynical. There are some fine schools out there doing good work. The children have been taught about the great events described in the New Testament, they have been taught about the Rosary and how to say it, and they have been taught in such a way that they appear to have enjoyed learning and have made the knowledge their own.
The project is sponsored by the Catholic Truth Society, which very generously provides some wonderful prizes - in addition to the main winners, we have lots and lots of winners of runners-up who get beautiful hard-bound illustrated Catechisms, and there are also holy pictures and certificates...
With the Rosary, Thursday is the day for the Mysteries of Light, and this is especially appropriate for me at present as I'm reading through children's essays in the big project organised by the Association of Catholic Women, in which children wrote about the Rosary. We invited them to focus on specific mysteries, including two Joyful ones, and two Luminous ones. The main judging takes place next week, but the preliminary sifting has revealed a good many of very high quality, in addition to some very funny Howlers.
The essays come from Catholic primary schools across Britain. Next time you are told that Catholic schools are all hopeless and don't teach the Faith, be cynical. There are some fine schools out there doing good work. The children have been taught about the great events described in the New Testament, they have been taught about the Rosary and how to say it, and they have been taught in such a way that they appear to have enjoyed learning and have made the knowledge their own.
The project is sponsored by the Catholic Truth Society, which very generously provides some wonderful prizes - in addition to the main winners, we have lots and lots of winners of runners-up who get beautiful hard-bound illustrated Catechisms, and there are also holy pictures and certificates...
Some dates...
...for your diary. Wed May 25th - a History Walk at Westminster Cathedral. Meet you on the steps at 6.30pm, after the 5.30pm Mass. We'll be walking around the local area, ending at Holy Apostles Church - stories of Cardinal Manning, the Passage, and the Blitz. Come and discover Pimlico!
Thursday, May 26th - join us at Balham for a viewing of a wonderful film of Blessed John Paul II.We'll be at Visitation House, next to Holy Ghost Church, at 7.30pm. You won't want to miss this film - come and celebrate the Church's newest Beatus, bring your own John Paul story, and relax in a convivial atmosphere with some agreeable refreshments. We're inviting donations, £3 per head, and funds raised will go to the Maryvale Institute.
And mark this date for June: InVocation at Birmingham. Auntie will be looking in, and it sounds wonderful - take a look at the website.
And/or: join us on Sunday June 19th in London for the Martyrs' Walk - 1.30pm for 2pm at St Sepulchre's churchyard, opposite the Old Bailey.
Thursday, May 26th - join us at Balham for a viewing of a wonderful film of Blessed John Paul II.We'll be at Visitation House, next to Holy Ghost Church, at 7.30pm. You won't want to miss this film - come and celebrate the Church's newest Beatus, bring your own John Paul story, and relax in a convivial atmosphere with some agreeable refreshments. We're inviting donations, £3 per head, and funds raised will go to the Maryvale Institute.
And mark this date for June: InVocation at Birmingham. Auntie will be looking in, and it sounds wonderful - take a look at the website.
And/or: join us on Sunday June 19th in London for the Martyrs' Walk - 1.30pm for 2pm at St Sepulchre's churchyard, opposite the Old Bailey.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
An extraordinary story....
...and it happened like this.
I went into the St Paul's Bookshop, next to Westminster Cathedral, to browse among the books. I was looking for a children's book about Pope John Paul II - I needed one for a schools' project with which I am involved. There were a lot of attractive books about him, but nothing specifically for younger children.
I stood, leafing through a couple of books and thinking "Oh, I'd love to do a book about JPII...a book with really delightful illustrations, something a child would enjoy looking through again and again..."
At that moment the manager, Stephen, came by, and stopped to say "Hi - how's things?" in the way that people do. "I'm just looking at these books" I said "and thinking that it would be lovely to have a really good book about Blessed John Paul II, for children..." And he said "Would you like to write one for us?"
We talked. We agreed. We looked at the current series of children's books on various saints (John Vianney, Therese of Lisieux) and agreed it should match these - the illustrations are delightful.
And so it's happening. When I got home, I started on it. He's organising an illustrator.
Golly.
I went into the St Paul's Bookshop, next to Westminster Cathedral, to browse among the books. I was looking for a children's book about Pope John Paul II - I needed one for a schools' project with which I am involved. There were a lot of attractive books about him, but nothing specifically for younger children.
I stood, leafing through a couple of books and thinking "Oh, I'd love to do a book about JPII...a book with really delightful illustrations, something a child would enjoy looking through again and again..."
At that moment the manager, Stephen, came by, and stopped to say "Hi - how's things?" in the way that people do. "I'm just looking at these books" I said "and thinking that it would be lovely to have a really good book about Blessed John Paul II, for children..." And he said "Would you like to write one for us?"
We talked. We agreed. We looked at the current series of children's books on various saints (John Vianney, Therese of Lisieux) and agreed it should match these - the illustrations are delightful.
And so it's happening. When I got home, I started on it. He's organising an illustrator.
Golly.
And because the TV and press...
...my present a confuised or distorted version of the new Church guidelines in the hideous problem os sexual abuse, you can get a good analysis here...
Papa Benedict...
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Martyrs' Walk...
...through London will be on Sunday June 19th, starts 1.30pm for 2pm at St Sepulchre's, Newgate (opp. the Old Bailey - nearest tube: St Paul's).
We walked the route today to plan (it's the route to Tyburn taken by the English martyrs). We'll be stopping off at SS Anselm and St Cecilia, St Giles-in-the-Fields (Anglican church, where we pray for all those who died in the conflicts of the Reformation, and where we are always made extremely welcome), St Patrick's, Soho Square (about to re-open after massive refurbishment and restoration - Fr Alexander Sherbrook on excellent form as always). We finish at Tyburn with Benediction and Tea. It's always a special day. We'll be praying the Rosary en route, and at Tyburn there'll be Adoration, opportunities for confession...
The last stretch of the route, along Oxford Street, is a massive problem as it is jam-packed with people. Roadworks make for extra difficulties, and it is not possible for the street to be cleared of traffic as it is a major thoroughfare for London and would gridlock the entire capital if any such attempt was made...
However, we worked things out and made good plans, and ended at Tyburn where the dear Sisters made us extremely welcome and we talked long over tea. A good day. Check out that link in my first para. Or just turn up on the day - no need to book. Wear suitable clothes and good shoes - we'll be walking whatever the weather.
We walked the route today to plan (it's the route to Tyburn taken by the English martyrs). We'll be stopping off at SS Anselm and St Cecilia, St Giles-in-the-Fields (Anglican church, where we pray for all those who died in the conflicts of the Reformation, and where we are always made extremely welcome), St Patrick's, Soho Square (about to re-open after massive refurbishment and restoration - Fr Alexander Sherbrook on excellent form as always). We finish at Tyburn with Benediction and Tea. It's always a special day. We'll be praying the Rosary en route, and at Tyburn there'll be Adoration, opportunities for confession...
The last stretch of the route, along Oxford Street, is a massive problem as it is jam-packed with people. Roadworks make for extra difficulties, and it is not possible for the street to be cleared of traffic as it is a major thoroughfare for London and would gridlock the entire capital if any such attempt was made...
However, we worked things out and made good plans, and ended at Tyburn where the dear Sisters made us extremely welcome and we talked long over tea. A good day. Check out that link in my first para. Or just turn up on the day - no need to book. Wear suitable clothes and good shoes - we'll be walking whatever the weather.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
I heard ...
...yesterday about the news on the return of no-meat-on-Fridays.
And it's confirmed today. This is VERY good news - a revival of an authentic Catholic practice which will resonate with everyone. Excellent.
And it's confirmed today. This is VERY good news - a revival of an authentic Catholic practice which will resonate with everyone. Excellent.
The dear face of Blessed John Paul...
...gazed serenely from a portrait placed by the sanctuary of Westminster Cathedral and was surrounded by candles and flowers as we gathered for Mass. I love the way that crowds seep into the cathedral, coming somehow as if from nowhere, on an occasion such as this: a Mass to give thanks for the Beatification of the great John Paul, on this Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. The dramatic link between the two - it being the 30th anniversary of that assasination attempt in St Peter's square in 1981 - was of course highlighted by Archbishop Vincent Nicholls in his address. Glorious singing from the Cathedral choir. As Mass ended, people went to light candles and invoke Blessed JP's prayers before the picture. Standing there I felt a sudden huge nostalgia for the days when he was Pope and addressing people in St Peter's and gathering young people together at great events around the world...
"But he's more close to us all now than ever!" was of course the response when I spoke of this as we gathered in the evening sunshine in the piazza, and of course that's true, and of course that's what the Communion of Saints is all about...
The scenes in the Cathedral piazza after a special Mass are always rather splendid - people were greeting the Archbishop and kissing his ring, and milling about chatting, the great doors of the Cathedral flung wide to reveal its darkened interior and then the glow of the great sanctuary, and a wafting breath of incense...
A time to linger.Greeted by friends I hadn't seen for a long while, joined by others, lots of talk. We chatted about many things, including the newly-published instructions from Rome encouraging and supporting the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, which were incidentally almost exactly what I had predicted they would be, when chatting about the subject with friends in Rome back in February. And we spoke of events shared, and things to come - the glorious Papal Visit last September, World Youth Day coming up in August...and we reminisced, and spoke of new things...and the man who was Pope when some of us were young, is now named mong the Blessed in Heaven...meanwhile in Rome, Pope Benedict used the anniversary to affirm Blessed John Paul's theology of the body...
"But he's more close to us all now than ever!" was of course the response when I spoke of this as we gathered in the evening sunshine in the piazza, and of course that's true, and of course that's what the Communion of Saints is all about...
The scenes in the Cathedral piazza after a special Mass are always rather splendid - people were greeting the Archbishop and kissing his ring, and milling about chatting, the great doors of the Cathedral flung wide to reveal its darkened interior and then the glow of the great sanctuary, and a wafting breath of incense...
A time to linger.Greeted by friends I hadn't seen for a long while, joined by others, lots of talk. We chatted about many things, including the newly-published instructions from Rome encouraging and supporting the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, which were incidentally almost exactly what I had predicted they would be, when chatting about the subject with friends in Rome back in February. And we spoke of events shared, and things to come - the glorious Papal Visit last September, World Youth Day coming up in August...and we reminisced, and spoke of new things...and the man who was Pope when some of us were young, is now named mong the Blessed in Heaven...meanwhile in Rome, Pope Benedict used the anniversary to affirm Blessed John Paul's theology of the body...
Ugh....
...a nasty new slogan being foisted on us this summer - girls being encoouraged to be proud of being called "sluts", and urged to take part in noisy boisterous "slut walks". The idea, apparently, is to dress as provocatively as possible and to boast of having had innumerable sexual partners, parading with much noise and shouting together through city centres, bearing placards announcing with pride the status of being a "slut".
An elderly female journalist writes gloatingly about this in a national newspaper, saying that the walks will be "fun" and that it's all about affirming women's equality and celebrating liberation from years of having to be obsessed with cleanliness and housework.
Doesn't she know that already there are so many broken, unhappy young women, whose miserable initiation into a ferocious round of sexual activity began in their early teens, and whose sense of self-loathing is at the heart of all this? Turning the old insult of "slut" into a ghastly jokey jeering term that girls use about themselves has been one of the nastiest trends of the past few years, and among young people it's all regarded as sick.
An elderly female journalist writes gloatingly about this in a national newspaper, saying that the walks will be "fun" and that it's all about affirming women's equality and celebrating liberation from years of having to be obsessed with cleanliness and housework.
Doesn't she know that already there are so many broken, unhappy young women, whose miserable initiation into a ferocious round of sexual activity began in their early teens, and whose sense of self-loathing is at the heart of all this? Turning the old insult of "slut" into a ghastly jokey jeering term that girls use about themselves has been one of the nastiest trends of the past few years, and among young people it's all regarded as sick.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
This Friday, May 13th...
...marks exactly 30 years since the attempt to kill Blessed John Paul II, and is also of course the day of the Fatima apparitions. Blessed John Paul said that one hand shot the bullet, another guided it. He owed his protection to Mary, and he later took the near-fatal bullet that had been extracted by the surgeons, and placed it in her crown at Fatima...
The full message of Fatima was later revealed to the world at John Paul II's instruction. And we all learned of the vision of a Pope, dressed in white,staggering and falling, under savage attack in the midst of a great crowd.
And now John Paul II has been beatified. Tomorrow, Friday May 13th, there will be a special Mass in Westminster Cathedral, at 5.30pm. I shall be there.
The full message of Fatima was later revealed to the world at John Paul II's instruction. And we all learned of the vision of a Pope, dressed in white,staggering and falling, under savage attack in the midst of a great crowd.
And now John Paul II has been beatified. Tomorrow, Friday May 13th, there will be a special Mass in Westminster Cathedral, at 5.30pm. I shall be there.
CATHOLIC HISTORY WALKS...
...there is one tonight (May 12th) starts St Paul's Cathedral, 6.30pm - meet you on the steps!
Next one is WEDNESDAY May 25th. 6.30pm on the steps of WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL (after the 5.30pm Mass). Note that it is WEDNESDAY MAy 25th, not Thursday.
Next one is WEDNESDAY May 25th. 6.30pm on the steps of WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL (after the 5.30pm Mass). Note that it is WEDNESDAY MAy 25th, not Thursday.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Book the date in your diary now...
Sunday June 19th, the Martyrs' Walk in London. Meet at St Sepulchre's Church, near the Old Bailey, 1.30 for 2pm. No need to book - just turn up. We will be walking the route taken by Catholic Martyrs to Tyburn, and will finish with Benediction at the convent there. Join us.
Chelsea on a summer evening...
...and a great gathering in the Monckton Room in the crypt of Holy Redeemer Church. These are the parents of First Communion children, and while the youngsters were in the church with their parish priest having instruction about the Sacraments, the mothers and fathers had a talk about the feasts and seasons of the Church's year and the traditions associated with them...a cheerful and very happy evening, with a most wonderful and friendly atmosphere. This is a really delightful parish.
The Monckton Room is a an attractive and welcoming parish centre, bright and pleasant, created in the crypt of the church. It is named in honour of Jonathan Monckton, a young husband and father who was murdered in front of his family by burglars who shot him as they tried to force their way into his home. He was a faithful member of the parish at Holy Redeemer Church and served as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist.
The Monckton Room is a an attractive and welcoming parish centre, bright and pleasant, created in the crypt of the church. It is named in honour of Jonathan Monckton, a young husband and father who was murdered in front of his family by burglars who shot him as they tried to force their way into his home. He was a faithful member of the parish at Holy Redeemer Church and served as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist.
Why not come to....
St Bede's Church at Clapham Park tomorrow evening (Thursday May 12th) and join us in watching a film about the great John Paul II? Mass 8pm, and then come to the parish club-room, where we'll watch the film over coffee and cake. It's all sponsored by the Union of Catholic Mothers, who meet regularly on Thursdays, and there'll be coffee and cake and donations (£3) which will go to the Maryvale Institute.
Incidentally, if you want a really vivid account of what it was like to be among that million-and-a-half strong crowd in Rome for the Beatification, read this blog. The pics of Mass celebrated on the train from Poland are really touching.
Incidentally, if you want a really vivid account of what it was like to be among that million-and-a-half strong crowd in Rome for the Beatification, read this blog. The pics of Mass celebrated on the train from Poland are really touching.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
AAAARGH!!!
Are you the teacher who sent in big batch of entries for the Association of Catholic Women's Schools RE Project - and forgot to put the name of the school? And gave no useful identification of any kind? All we have is "Primary 4". Who are you, and can you get in touch?
We can do nothing - none of the essays evenm have children's names on them!
Meanwhile we are busy reading all the essays sent in from schools across Britain.
Some gems so far:
"Christmas is an immaculate celebration"
"Hallow be thy name. I will be done on earth as it is in Heaven".
We can do nothing - none of the essays evenm have children's names on them!
Meanwhile we are busy reading all the essays sent in from schools across Britain.
Some gems so far:
"Christmas is an immaculate celebration"
"Hallow be thy name. I will be done on earth as it is in Heaven".
Family time...
...a visit to young relatives, a baby's First Birthday, singing, cake, fun. Young godmothers and aunties playing with small children, a noisy bathtime, children tucked up in bunks, a dolly cuddled safely in small arms. Prayers, and the sound of voices together "Our Father, who art in Heaven..."
Monday, May 09, 2011
Overwhelmed...
...with entries for the ACW 2011 Schools RE Project. It is now quite difficult to negotiate my way past the great stacks of them in my study awaiting delivery to the final judging-session in London in a couple of weeks' time. They have simply poured in from Catholic primary schools across Britain. Pupils were invited to study the Rosary, focussing in particular on the Joyful and the Luminous Mysteries. It will be hard to choose winners from among the great number of entries, but teams of judges have been reading and re-reading all the essays as they have arrived. A large number of runner-up awards are given, in addition to the main prizes. The Project is sponsored by the Catholic Truth Society, and prizes are books from their excellent current catalogue.
Underwhelmed...
...by a statement from some Lefevbrists about the new Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. It's a little pompous of them to be issuing pronouncements giving their opinions in this way and it shows a rather worrying tendency on their part to assume that they have an authority to do so.
Rome has been generous to the followers of Archp Lefebvre, and will continue to be. The right approach from the SSPX should be (1) apology for having gone into schism and (2) gratitude for any offer that is made for a way back.
Rome has been generous to the followers of Archp Lefebvre, and will continue to be. The right approach from the SSPX should be (1) apology for having gone into schism and (2) gratitude for any offer that is made for a way back.
Friday, May 06, 2011
I emailed a friend...
...Dr Tracey Rowland, of the John Paul II Institute in Melbourne, Australia, to send congratulations on the Beatification of John Paul II. She sent me a reply from Rome, where she has of course been at the celebrations. And she's written the most magnificent piece for a Melbourne paper - you absolutely must, MUST read it. Go on, enjoy it here....
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Lunch with...
...Father James Tolhurst,prolific author, and a family friend of longstanding: he married Jamie and me back in 1980 at St Elphege's, Wallington. We had a delicious lunch and talked and talked...we share a publisher, and swapped news and info on current projects: Fr Jim's latest book on prayer has become deservedly popular. He's also something of a Newman scholar...
Back at home, busy sorting through some of the huge stacks of entries from children at Catholic primary schools across Britain in the Association of Catholic Women's Schools' RE Project. Children were asked to study and write about the Rosary, focussing specifically on some of the Joyful and Luminous Mysteries. The standard of work is high: we are always being told that Catholic schools don't teach the Faith, none of the children know anything, etc etc but that is just not true - here are great stacks of essays from children who have been taught all about the Rosary and been set to study it in some depth.
Back at home, busy sorting through some of the huge stacks of entries from children at Catholic primary schools across Britain in the Association of Catholic Women's Schools' RE Project. Children were asked to study and write about the Rosary, focussing specifically on some of the Joyful and Luminous Mysteries. The standard of work is high: we are always being told that Catholic schools don't teach the Faith, none of the children know anything, etc etc but that is just not true - here are great stacks of essays from children who have been taught all about the Rosary and been set to study it in some depth.
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
The suburbs...
...in bright sunshine,and a morning Mass at Holy Ghost Church, Balham.A class of children from the parish primary school were there,filling the rows of pews at the front, beautifully attentive, looking smart in their school uniforms, reverent, delightful. This wasn't a special occasion - weekday Masses are evidently a fairly regular part of school life. Good numbers of people in the rest of the congregation too - it all made a very cheering start to the day. Feast of the English Martyrs and the priest spoke beautifully to the children, explaining about the importance of learning about the Faith and being able to talk about it with confidence and be a witness...
A cheering chat w. the parish priest, who is also diocesan Vocations Director. Check out this event which will bring together young people this summer.
A cheering chat w. the parish priest, who is also diocesan Vocations Director. Check out this event which will bring together young people this summer.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
And you might enjoy...
this feature with Auntie's thoughts on Blessed John Paul, and on celebrating the Divine Mercy...
Just to enjoy...
....I am posting the Holy Father's homily at that glorious beatification Mass...read it again here....
Oh, dear...
...after an extremely busy few days, I came home to tackle a massive amount of email. There is always a certain amount of ranting nonsense, but it seems more menacing when seen in bulk. I sat pressing "delete" as I scrolled over innumerable offerings scattered with underlinings and italics and exclamation marks, telling me that President Obama's birth certificate was written in Chinese, that John Paul II was secretly a freemason, that there was a Conspiracy to Block the Full Truth about all this... etc ...etc..etc...
And before you write in to tell me that you didn't know about these bits of information, and please would I reveal more - OK, I made up those two items. My inventions are on an exact level with the gobbledegook being sent around the Net. The invention of e-communication was a terrible gift to the conspiracy-theorists, and they will blight our lives for years to come.
And before you write in to tell me that you didn't know about these bits of information, and please would I reveal more - OK, I made up those two items. My inventions are on an exact level with the gobbledegook being sent around the Net. The invention of e-communication was a terrible gift to the conspiracy-theorists, and they will blight our lives for years to come.
Monday, May 02, 2011
Walsingham...
...was a wonderful place at which to celebrate the Beatification of John Paul II. A pilgrimage led by Aid to the Church in Need, and then I stayed on for the next day's beautiful Divine Mercy devotions.
Wasn't that great Beatification in Rome just magnificent? Over one and a half million people flocking there, filling the streets and squares, praying and singing and honouring the man whose legacy to us has been so rich: the man who took the Church across the threshold of the new Millenium, who opened up new frontiers in evangelisation, who founded World Youth Day and gave us the Mysteries of Light in the Rosary, and more, and more...I was touched to read the enthusiastic comments by the excellent Cardinal Raymond Burke, in Rome which I echo:"He gave the world hope".
Before heading for Walsingham, I was in Oxford to watch the play The Quality of Mercy presented by a young drama group at the University Chaplaincy. Magnificent. It brought out the glory of the message of mercy, weaving this into a gripping story following the adventures of a group of young pilgrims en route to "seek the face of Christ" at Manopello. beginning at Rome where they have just encountered John Paul...I plan to write a full review of this play - which I hope will be presented in a number of other places in due course.Meanwhile, you can find out more about it here and here.
Wasn't that great Beatification in Rome just magnificent? Over one and a half million people flocking there, filling the streets and squares, praying and singing and honouring the man whose legacy to us has been so rich: the man who took the Church across the threshold of the new Millenium, who opened up new frontiers in evangelisation, who founded World Youth Day and gave us the Mysteries of Light in the Rosary, and more, and more...I was touched to read the enthusiastic comments by the excellent Cardinal Raymond Burke, in Rome which I echo:"He gave the world hope".
Before heading for Walsingham, I was in Oxford to watch the play The Quality of Mercy presented by a young drama group at the University Chaplaincy. Magnificent. It brought out the glory of the message of mercy, weaving this into a gripping story following the adventures of a group of young pilgrims en route to "seek the face of Christ" at Manopello. beginning at Rome where they have just encountered John Paul...I plan to write a full review of this play - which I hope will be presented in a number of other places in due course.Meanwhile, you can find out more about it here and here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)