St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham...

...is a rather magnificent setting for a graduation ceremony. Maryvale holds its graduations there each year, with the Archbishop attending.  This was the first time I had taken part in such a ceremony as a member of the academic staff, and it was rather exciting to see it all from that perspective. A splendid array of academic gowns and hoods as we walked in - a great contrast to the grey concrete and car parks and traffic jams of Birmingham as the rain drizzled down on the city.

Bishop John Keenan of Paisley presented the Awards - a  large number of deacons in Scotland do their training at Maryvale - and spoke very well, linking us to the centuries of Christian history: Celtic saints and Bl John Henry Newman and more...

All the academic staff stood to make the full Profession of Faith. Rather powerful stuff: "Moreover, I adhere with religious submission of will and intellect...." Things finished with Vespers: the psalms rolling back and forth, across the Cathedral...the Archbishop gave his blessing....we had a final hymn written specially for Maryvale and echoing the words of Bl John Henry Newman, sung to a grand old tune...and the Cathedral glowed with the candelight...

And then back to Maryvale for tea, the two main lecture halls opened up to create a large space with a generous buffet. It was a great delight to meet many old friends, including Fr Guy Nichols, who lectures at Oscott seminary as well as at Maryvale. We had enjoyed greeting one another in our academic robes, and it was fun later to be catching up on family news...