...ordained today in St John's Cathedral. Significant in all sorts of ways and for all sorts of reasons...just one of which was that this was the first time that the Internet has been used to enable every Catholic school and parish in a diocese to watch the ordination of its new Bishop, and thus to share in real-time in this great event. The diocese stretches across Oxfordshire and Hampshire, but also across the Solent and even further across the sea to the Channel Islands...and everywhere people gathered in schools and church halls to watch and listen.
It was thrilling to be part of this: once all the rather complicated technology was in place and I had mastered the bits that I needed, it was just a case of settling down to the task of providing a commentary that was as good as I could possibly make it. What an enormous privilege to be involved in this way: I will remember today as something special for always.
People started to arrive. Seats at the front were reserved for the Lord Mayor and Mayoress, the local Member of Parliament, etc. There was a massed choir with people from different parishes. Seminarians arrived, to act as altar servers.
The good Sisters from the New Forest were amused to see me disappear into my cupboard, with headphones and microphone, and took a pic (if they send me a copy, I'll post it here). Once the cathedral began to fill up, I closed the door to seal myself in, and we began.
The Liturgy speaks for itself and much requires no commentary: what was needed was an introduction, setting the scene ("In this cathedral, built in the reign of Queen Victoria, a new chapter opens in this 21st century: today the eighth Bishop of Portsmouth will be ordained here...") and listing, for example, some of the dignitaries present (to anyone with a sense of history, Portsmouth has delights: it was pleasing to be able to list "The Lord Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight" and "The Commodore of HMS Nelson"). Then, when the great procession (over 20 Bishops, 4 Archbishops, and goodness knows how many priests deacons) had made its way up into the sanctuary, and the sacred ceremonies began, the aim was to give just enough information to bring out nuances or relevant pieces of information...for example, in the choice of saints invoked in the Litany (St Faustina, Blessed Pier Georgio Frassati, Blessed John Henry Newman...new names from the JPII and Benedict beatification and canonisations) or in the visual drama (Mgr Egan lying prostrate as the chant wafted over him).
The anointing was impressive - Bishop Hollis pouring oil on his successor's head - as was the sight of deacons holding the Book of the Gospels over the new Bishop...I suddenly though of the funeral of Bl John Paul, and that Gospel Book on his coffin, the pages slowly turned by the wind until the book itself closed of its own accord. "Recieve the Gospel and preach the word of God with unfailing patience and sound teaching" said the prayer in today's liturgy, and that is what every good Bishop does and must do...
And this one made a promise to do just that, in his words to us all at the end of the Mass. He spoke of the failure of politicians, educationalists and others to oppose moral relativism and the "culture of death" and pledged that he would be an orthodox bishop, clearly affirming his loyalty to Christ and the Church. Powerful stuff. We have a good man here at the service of the Church. Deo gratias.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Pornographic...
...images on a giant TV screen above the shopping centre, rock music pounding out, vast arrays of luxury goods on sale, a lack of any sense of friendly bustle, instead a mood of purposeless loitering and scowling...I found Birmingham's Bullring Centre on a Friday evening rather horrible. There are few buses out to Old Oscott and it's easiest to get a taxi...often there is a religious discussion with the Islamic taxi-driver when one asks for the Maryvale Institute, and more than once I've been warmly urged to convert to Islam, but this time we stuck to generalised observations about the weather.
Arriving at Maryvale always brings a sense of peace. Evening prayer, a cheery supper, the pleasure of meeting fellow-students who are now old friends.
Lectures this weekend focused on the Sacraments and were fascinating. Unwell with a bad cold, I went to bed early on Fri and Sat nights with a selection of books from the excellent library. On Sunday morning I was woken by music from the chapel - but it wasn't the sisters singing their morning office, it was our Mass just starting with its preparatory hymn. Gulp. I washedanddressedandbrushedmyhair quicker than you might imagine a middle-aged Auntie could ever do. Got into the chapel just in time.
During meals at Maryvale we always have excellent conversations. But, as is often the case in Britain in 2012, this weekend's tended to be on the serious side...the restrictions on religious freedom looming with the Govt's loathsome plans to redefine marriage, the grim state of our social fabric with its splits and tears and the resulting misery imposed on children. The people studying at Maryvale come from a wide range of jobs and professions, and tend to be unusually active in community life: youth work, local projects - not necessarily church-based - care of the sick and vulnerable, and of course lots of active involvement in Catholic parishes and schools. They are in general large-minded and tend towards a sense of wanting to be useful, are well-read and enjoy thinking things through. So you don't get cliches and jargon in conversation, and instead you get the rather frightening recognition of the realities of modern Britain, from people who know what's going on.
The Church's tasks in the years ahead in Britain are huge. As Islam forges ahead, growing in numbers and influence, its adherents will be boosted in their sense of zeal and confidence by the drunkeness and lechery on display in most town centres on Friday and Saturday nights. Violent crime continues to be a major feature of life. Institutions once justly admired are now tarnished: our police (remember how we used to be so proud of the fact that they were unarmed? That was long ago...), Parliament, local Councils, hospitals. The number of intact families, where a strong network of people love and cherish one another and foster opportunities for goodwill and service, seems to be diminishing in the general population year on year, and schools struggle to cope with angry, disorientated and sometimes violent children.
Lots to pray about.
Arriving at Maryvale always brings a sense of peace. Evening prayer, a cheery supper, the pleasure of meeting fellow-students who are now old friends.
Lectures this weekend focused on the Sacraments and were fascinating. Unwell with a bad cold, I went to bed early on Fri and Sat nights with a selection of books from the excellent library. On Sunday morning I was woken by music from the chapel - but it wasn't the sisters singing their morning office, it was our Mass just starting with its preparatory hymn. Gulp. I washedanddressedandbrushedmyhair quicker than you might imagine a middle-aged Auntie could ever do. Got into the chapel just in time.
During meals at Maryvale we always have excellent conversations. But, as is often the case in Britain in 2012, this weekend's tended to be on the serious side...the restrictions on religious freedom looming with the Govt's loathsome plans to redefine marriage, the grim state of our social fabric with its splits and tears and the resulting misery imposed on children. The people studying at Maryvale come from a wide range of jobs and professions, and tend to be unusually active in community life: youth work, local projects - not necessarily church-based - care of the sick and vulnerable, and of course lots of active involvement in Catholic parishes and schools. They are in general large-minded and tend towards a sense of wanting to be useful, are well-read and enjoy thinking things through. So you don't get cliches and jargon in conversation, and instead you get the rather frightening recognition of the realities of modern Britain, from people who know what's going on.
The Church's tasks in the years ahead in Britain are huge. As Islam forges ahead, growing in numbers and influence, its adherents will be boosted in their sense of zeal and confidence by the drunkeness and lechery on display in most town centres on Friday and Saturday nights. Violent crime continues to be a major feature of life. Institutions once justly admired are now tarnished: our police (remember how we used to be so proud of the fact that they were unarmed? That was long ago...), Parliament, local Councils, hospitals. The number of intact families, where a strong network of people love and cherish one another and foster opportunities for goodwill and service, seems to be diminishing in the general population year on year, and schools struggle to cope with angry, disorientated and sometimes violent children.
Lots to pray about.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
"The truth...
....
cannot impose itself except by virtue of its own truth, as it makes its entrance
into the mind at once quietly and with power." Powerful words from the Vatican II document Dignitatis Humanae, on religious freedom.
This is the great ideological battleground of our era: those who believed that the battle was won when the Soviet Union, with its State-imposed atheisim, collapsed, failed to see that each new day brings new challenges. The Council Fathers knew this and, under God's guidance and inspiration, they took forward the Church's teaching on religious freedom and gave it a new dimension with a fresh understanding, fostered by the harsh realities of the Soviet tyranny which was raging as they gathered, but already looking ahead to whatever was to follow. Just over two decades after the ending of that great Council, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. But new threats to religious freedom were already arriving, and today the Council's words have a great significance than many who first read them could perhaps have known.
"It is in accordance with their dignity as persons - that is, beings endowed with reason and free will and therefore privileged to bear personal responsibility - that all men should be at once impelled by nature and also bound by a moral obligation to seek the truth, especially religious truth. They are also bound to adhere to the truth, once it is known, and to order their whole lives in accord with the demands of truth. However, men cannot discharge these obligations in a manner in keeping with their own nature unless they enjoy immunity from external coercion as well as psychological freedom. Therefore the right to religious freedom has its foundation not in the subjective disposition of the person, but in his very nature. In consequence, the right to this immunity continues to exist even in those who do not live up to their obligation of seeking the truth and adhering to it and the exercise of this right is not to be impeded, provided that just public order be observed."
No one, not the United Nations, not any great international consortium, not the Government of any state, has the right to prevent men and women from seeking what is true, and from following their consciences.
And: "There is a further consideration. The religious acts whereby men, in private and in public and out of a sense of personal conviction, direct their lives to God transcend by their very nature the order of terrestrial and temporal affairs. Government therefore ought indeed to take account of the religious life of the citizenry and show it favor, since the function of government is to make provision for the common welfare. However, it would clearly transgress the limits set to its power, were it to presume to command or inhibit acts that are religious."
The Church is firm about the message she gives to her own children: religious groups must not act in any way that seems to coerce people into religious practice. As Blessed John Paul once put it "The Church proposes, she does not impose."
This is the great ideological battleground of our era: those who believed that the battle was won when the Soviet Union, with its State-imposed atheisim, collapsed, failed to see that each new day brings new challenges. The Council Fathers knew this and, under God's guidance and inspiration, they took forward the Church's teaching on religious freedom and gave it a new dimension with a fresh understanding, fostered by the harsh realities of the Soviet tyranny which was raging as they gathered, but already looking ahead to whatever was to follow. Just over two decades after the ending of that great Council, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. But new threats to religious freedom were already arriving, and today the Council's words have a great significance than many who first read them could perhaps have known.
"It is in accordance with their dignity as persons - that is, beings endowed with reason and free will and therefore privileged to bear personal responsibility - that all men should be at once impelled by nature and also bound by a moral obligation to seek the truth, especially religious truth. They are also bound to adhere to the truth, once it is known, and to order their whole lives in accord with the demands of truth. However, men cannot discharge these obligations in a manner in keeping with their own nature unless they enjoy immunity from external coercion as well as psychological freedom. Therefore the right to religious freedom has its foundation not in the subjective disposition of the person, but in his very nature. In consequence, the right to this immunity continues to exist even in those who do not live up to their obligation of seeking the truth and adhering to it and the exercise of this right is not to be impeded, provided that just public order be observed."
No one, not the United Nations, not any great international consortium, not the Government of any state, has the right to prevent men and women from seeking what is true, and from following their consciences.
And: "There is a further consideration. The religious acts whereby men, in private and in public and out of a sense of personal conviction, direct their lives to God transcend by their very nature the order of terrestrial and temporal affairs. Government therefore ought indeed to take account of the religious life of the citizenry and show it favor, since the function of government is to make provision for the common welfare. However, it would clearly transgress the limits set to its power, were it to presume to command or inhibit acts that are religious."
The Church is firm about the message she gives to her own children: religious groups must not act in any way that seems to coerce people into religious practice. As Blessed John Paul once put it "The Church proposes, she does not impose."
To Portsmouth...
...to make arrangements for the broadcasting of the Consecration of the new Bishop in St John's Cathedral. Auntie has been asked to do the commentary for the broadcast which will go out to Catholic schools across the diocese, organised by Heart Gives Unto Heart Radio. We rehearsed the use of the technology, which involves me sitting in a small soundproof cupbard with microphone, headphones etc. Usual system of green and red lights, monitor screen, etc but it's unnerving to be doing all this in a cathedral where the priority is not to allow anything to disrupt the sacred action: I was comfortable once I had checked and re-checked and realised that my commentary will not be audible anywhere within the church, not even by some one who stands right next to my tiny enclave. And what an enclave! It's a tiny cupboard where I will sit surrounded by Jesus, Mary, and Joseph...and the Three Wise Men, shepherds, a lamb or two, some big wooden crosses used for Lenten events, a couple of spare thuribles, boxes of candles, and more...there will be just enough room for the radio equipment, the monitor screen which will show me what is going on in the sanctuary a few feet where I am sitting, a chair, and me.
Portsmouth's history is all bound up with the Royal Navy, and there's something very sad about the feel of the city today with the days of Britain's great fleet long gone. It has a sunset feel. Walking back to the station, I had sudden memories of a dinner on a warship back in the 1970s, of a wardroom mess and young midshipmen making grapes explode in cigar-tubes over after-dinner coffee, of the look of great grey silent ships and the city lights shining on the water, and talk of Nelson and Trafalgar and of Arctic convoys and the Battle of the Atlantic and of NATO exercises and peacrtime, of generations linked by a shared heritage... all really gone now.
In a world where so much changes, the Church doesn't and in this cathedral a successor to the Apostles will lie prostrate while the Litany of the Saints is invoked and rise to be anointed and to recieve the laying-on of hands. And sitting in a cupbard explaining something of that to today's teenagers will be my job next Monday.
Portsmouth's history is all bound up with the Royal Navy, and there's something very sad about the feel of the city today with the days of Britain's great fleet long gone. It has a sunset feel. Walking back to the station, I had sudden memories of a dinner on a warship back in the 1970s, of a wardroom mess and young midshipmen making grapes explode in cigar-tubes over after-dinner coffee, of the look of great grey silent ships and the city lights shining on the water, and talk of Nelson and Trafalgar and of Arctic convoys and the Battle of the Atlantic and of NATO exercises and peacrtime, of generations linked by a shared heritage... all really gone now.
In a world where so much changes, the Church doesn't and in this cathedral a successor to the Apostles will lie prostrate while the Litany of the Saints is invoked and rise to be anointed and to recieve the laying-on of hands. And sitting in a cupbard explaining something of that to today's teenagers will be my job next Monday.
THIS IS A THREAT...
...to freedom, to children's health and wellbeing, to medical ethics.
Read this:
"Laws and policies that impede access to sexual and reproductive health services must be changed, including laws criminalizing certain services only needed by women; laws and policies allowing conscientious objection of a provider to hinder women’s access to a full range of services; and laws imposing third-party authorization for access to services by women and girls."
It comes from a United Nations report, just published, and translated it means: "Every country must enforce abortion as a part of routine health care, with any objections banned by law and young girls given abortions without their parents' knowledge or consent."
The report is labelled "Human Rights Council - Twentieth session - Agenda items 2 and 3. Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights,including the right to development".
You can read the report here . Your Member of Parliament needs to know that the UN is trying to crush our freedom to have laws that offer even some tiny degree of ethical standards in health care. Taken at face value, the statement above effectively bans any restriction on even the most sordid and ruthless of backstreet abortionists, removes the rights of all doctor and health-care workers to refuse procedures that involve killing babies, and under the guise of "access to services by women and girls" makes it illegal for anyone to be informed when a teenager is given a medical procedure about which she does not have full knowledge and to which she is too young to give consent.
The jargon of a "rights-based approach" means that the supposed "right" to have an abortion trumps any other right. So abortion can be subject to no legal restrictions whatever. The Report's aim is tro impose the killing of babies worldwide, with all opposition crushed.
Don't just mumur how "Oh, how terrible..." Write today to your MP: you can get his or her name on this link. Might be useful to write to the Foreign Secretary too. In your letter, explain that you do not need a standard reply: you need a specific assurance that this United nations report will be opposed. The issues here are not only the horror of imposing abortion but also the question of our freedom: to debate and make laws according to our consciences, to care for the young, to uphold medical ethics. And we must insist on freedom of speech: if we disagree with a United Nations report on abortion, we must be free to say so whenever we want and to teach others why we disagree with it, and to organise opposition to it. We need our legislators to state clearly their support for this freedom.
Read this:
"Laws and policies that impede access to sexual and reproductive health services must be changed, including laws criminalizing certain services only needed by women; laws and policies allowing conscientious objection of a provider to hinder women’s access to a full range of services; and laws imposing third-party authorization for access to services by women and girls."
It comes from a United Nations report, just published, and translated it means: "Every country must enforce abortion as a part of routine health care, with any objections banned by law and young girls given abortions without their parents' knowledge or consent."
The report is labelled "Human Rights Council - Twentieth session - Agenda items 2 and 3. Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights,including the right to development".
You can read the report here . Your Member of Parliament needs to know that the UN is trying to crush our freedom to have laws that offer even some tiny degree of ethical standards in health care. Taken at face value, the statement above effectively bans any restriction on even the most sordid and ruthless of backstreet abortionists, removes the rights of all doctor and health-care workers to refuse procedures that involve killing babies, and under the guise of "access to services by women and girls" makes it illegal for anyone to be informed when a teenager is given a medical procedure about which she does not have full knowledge and to which she is too young to give consent.
The jargon of a "rights-based approach" means that the supposed "right" to have an abortion trumps any other right. So abortion can be subject to no legal restrictions whatever. The Report's aim is tro impose the killing of babies worldwide, with all opposition crushed.
Don't just mumur how "Oh, how terrible..." Write today to your MP: you can get his or her name on this link. Might be useful to write to the Foreign Secretary too. In your letter, explain that you do not need a standard reply: you need a specific assurance that this United nations report will be opposed. The issues here are not only the horror of imposing abortion but also the question of our freedom: to debate and make laws according to our consciences, to care for the young, to uphold medical ethics. And we must insist on freedom of speech: if we disagree with a United Nations report on abortion, we must be free to say so whenever we want and to teach others why we disagree with it, and to organise opposition to it. We need our legislators to state clearly their support for this freedom.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Traditional...
...liturgy, glorious music, a rousing roof-raising hymn "Hold High the Cross!", a grand crowd, a packed church, and the Norfolk countryside in September beauty - this was today's Pilgrimage of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Magnificent. The Ordinariate has grown and flourished, and today resounded with joy, reverence, goodwill, and unity - and a certain confidence.
We set off early - it meant a 5 am start for the Bogles - from Precious Blood Church at London Bridge, with a packed minibus and a very cheery atmosphere. At Walsingham, large numbers had gathered from across the country, and there was much agreeable greeting and exchanging of news and so on...and there was time to pray at the Slipper Chapel shrine (there is a box for petitions to Our Lady, and that gentle smell of soft wax candles, and fresh flowers), and to go to confession, and to visit the Shrine bookshop... and then we crowded into the big barn church for Mass.
I was pressed against the wall at the very back, and as the great procession of clergy made its way directly past us, along to the central aisle it was a rather impressive sight. But what lingers most in the memory - apart from the beauty of the Mass, with the Host and then Chalice raised against that great window with its engraved angels and glorious backdrop of trees and sky, and the great roar of voices making the responses- was the singing. What singing! The last hymn "Hold High the Cross!" was unforgettable.
In the afternoon, a Rosary Walk, led by the Cross, with the clergy in white surplices, along the Holy Mile. The rosehips were ripe on the bushes, and the sky wide and blue with those faint trails of late-summer cloud. At the Anglican shrine where there was a beautiful welcome, and prayer, and we were each blessed with water from the ancient well....the water having been drawn in great buckets which were placed around the wide lawns, and we lined up to recieve the blessing one by one.
Today we saw the Ordinariate as it was meant to be, as a bridge across the divide between Anglicans and Catholics, as a promise of an achieved and achievable unity. A beautiful day.
We set off early - it meant a 5 am start for the Bogles - from Precious Blood Church at London Bridge, with a packed minibus and a very cheery atmosphere. At Walsingham, large numbers had gathered from across the country, and there was much agreeable greeting and exchanging of news and so on...and there was time to pray at the Slipper Chapel shrine (there is a box for petitions to Our Lady, and that gentle smell of soft wax candles, and fresh flowers), and to go to confession, and to visit the Shrine bookshop... and then we crowded into the big barn church for Mass.
I was pressed against the wall at the very back, and as the great procession of clergy made its way directly past us, along to the central aisle it was a rather impressive sight. But what lingers most in the memory - apart from the beauty of the Mass, with the Host and then Chalice raised against that great window with its engraved angels and glorious backdrop of trees and sky, and the great roar of voices making the responses- was the singing. What singing! The last hymn "Hold High the Cross!" was unforgettable.
In the afternoon, a Rosary Walk, led by the Cross, with the clergy in white surplices, along the Holy Mile. The rosehips were ripe on the bushes, and the sky wide and blue with those faint trails of late-summer cloud. At the Anglican shrine where there was a beautiful welcome, and prayer, and we were each blessed with water from the ancient well....the water having been drawn in great buckets which were placed around the wide lawns, and we lined up to recieve the blessing one by one.
Today we saw the Ordinariate as it was meant to be, as a bridge across the divide between Anglicans and Catholics, as a promise of an achieved and achievable unity. A beautiful day.
Friday, September 14, 2012
That Fatima secret and all that...
....is the subject of a new feature, which you can read here.
It really is getting to be worrying that people will believe all sorts of daft- and often wicked - nonsense about secrets and freemasons and the Pope being a liar and so on, and not bother to find out the real Fatima facts.
It really is getting to be worrying that people will believe all sorts of daft- and often wicked - nonsense about secrets and freemasons and the Pope being a liar and so on, and not bother to find out the real Fatima facts.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
London...
...is faintly Autumnal, some leaves just beginning to turn golden. Sunshine sparkling on the Thames, and the clouds gather and splashy rain gives the whole scene that authentic look of, well, London. It all looks so very traditional. Small girls in school pinafore-dresses of grey or navy blue with slightly oversize blazers ("You'll grow into it") and brand-new schoolbags signal the start of a new term. At Westminster Cathedral the choir has reassembled after the summer break. I'm hurrying to a hall in Hammersmith to give a lecture to a branch of something called the University of the Third Age (topic is "Caroline Chisholm: forgotten heroine". You might enjoy the book...). I'm having coffee with a friend in Wimbledon as some riders clip-clop past on glossy horses, heading for the Common.
Everything feels normal and this-is-the-way-things-have-been-for-years. But the horrible proposed new law on marriage - and the restrictions that will be imposed on criticisms of the new laws - give a nasty haunting feeling to everyday things.
There is nothing more everyday than marriage: a man and a woman united for life and starting a new family. It's what has made London a city. It's what establishes a civilisation, a nation.
Under the proposed new law, not only will marriage be redefined so that it will state that two people of the same sex can "marry", but a teacher or a public official who openly states that this is absurd, or who wishes to teach the (sane, normal) view that marriage is between a man and a woman could face dismissal. This could mean that a clergyman who is employed by the health service or the Armed Forces or the prison service as a chaplain could be told that he may not preach the Christian doctrine of marriage openly in the course of his duties. It could mean that a teacher who teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman - for example in a Reeligious Education class - could face dismissal. It could mean that pupils, knowing this, could deliberately instigate a classroom discussion that results in a teacher saying something that some one could deem "homophobic" and get the teacher into trouble.
This Autumn, this London doesn't feel as it should.
Everything feels normal and this-is-the-way-things-have-been-for-years. But the horrible proposed new law on marriage - and the restrictions that will be imposed on criticisms of the new laws - give a nasty haunting feeling to everyday things.
There is nothing more everyday than marriage: a man and a woman united for life and starting a new family. It's what has made London a city. It's what establishes a civilisation, a nation.
Under the proposed new law, not only will marriage be redefined so that it will state that two people of the same sex can "marry", but a teacher or a public official who openly states that this is absurd, or who wishes to teach the (sane, normal) view that marriage is between a man and a woman could face dismissal. This could mean that a clergyman who is employed by the health service or the Armed Forces or the prison service as a chaplain could be told that he may not preach the Christian doctrine of marriage openly in the course of his duties. It could mean that a teacher who teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman - for example in a Reeligious Education class - could face dismissal. It could mean that pupils, knowing this, could deliberately instigate a classroom discussion that results in a teacher saying something that some one could deem "homophobic" and get the teacher into trouble.
This Autumn, this London doesn't feel as it should.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan...
...beams cheerily from a book cover as I unwrap the parcel that arrives by today's post.
I was just leaving the house when the postman arrived and in fact I had just been pondering what to take to read on the train. With excellent timing, HM's mails produced the answer.
A People of Hope is a good read: honest, uplifting, informative. In a sense, it was just what I needed as I embarked on a day of sundry errands but also much pondering...Cardinal Dolan is a wise and cheerful man, with something Chestertonian about him. A good read.
Today: grim news concerning the Govt's renewed efforts to force through a redefinition of marriage: Nick Clegg's branding of us as "bigots" and then hurriedly having to explain that...er...he didn't of course mean that...C'mon, Nick, who are you trying to fool? You honestly do seem to think that those who disagree with you are simply bigoted, and you cannot seem to grasp the real issues at stake.Oh, dear...
I was just leaving the house when the postman arrived and in fact I had just been pondering what to take to read on the train. With excellent timing, HM's mails produced the answer.
A People of Hope is a good read: honest, uplifting, informative. In a sense, it was just what I needed as I embarked on a day of sundry errands but also much pondering...Cardinal Dolan is a wise and cheerful man, with something Chestertonian about him. A good read.
Today: grim news concerning the Govt's renewed efforts to force through a redefinition of marriage: Nick Clegg's branding of us as "bigots" and then hurriedly having to explain that...er...he didn't of course mean that...C'mon, Nick, who are you trying to fool? You honestly do seem to think that those who disagree with you are simply bigoted, and you cannot seem to grasp the real issues at stake.Oh, dear...
I love my...
...new Missal. Its useful prayers in preparation for Mass, and before and after Communion, its beautifully laid-out Latin and English for all the feasts and Sundays of the year, its ribbon markers and gold-embossed front, its quotations from Pope Benedict and Blessed John Paul as inspirational teachings week by week. I love its solid feel and its beautiful binding, its pleasing use of enchanting illuminated Medieval images. I love its practicality - it's got the Stations of the Cross, and the Mysteries of the Rosary, and the rite of Benediction, and it's all in a solid, usable size.
I got it from our parish bookshop, which ordered a good number from here, and I think all parishes should do the same. Banish those ghastly messy "missalettes"...
I got it from our parish bookshop, which ordered a good number from here, and I think all parishes should do the same. Banish those ghastly messy "missalettes"...
Monday, September 10, 2012
Mother Teresa...
...a film about this much-loved and remarkable woman: COME AND ENJOY! It stars Olivia Hussey, and it's terrific.
Venue: Visitation House, Nightingale Square, Balham, London SW12. MONDAY Sept 17th, starts 7.30pm. Coffee, tea, snacks: donation £5, and funds raised will go to the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.
Nearest Tube station is Balham: Nightingale Walk is about 5 mins walk from the station.
Venue: Visitation House, Nightingale Square, Balham, London SW12. MONDAY Sept 17th, starts 7.30pm. Coffee, tea, snacks: donation £5, and funds raised will go to the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.
Nearest Tube station is Balham: Nightingale Walk is about 5 mins walk from the station.
An Olympic skater...
...will be our special guest speaker at this year's TOWARDS ADVENT FESTIVAL, on Saturday November 24th at Westminster Cathedral Hall. Read more about it here - and come and join in the Festival, in this Olympic Year in London!
Sunday, September 09, 2012
The Tower of London...
...is the venue for the next CATHOLIC HISTORY WALK, the first after the summer break. Come and join us! No need to book, just turn up. THURSDAY September 13th, 6.30pm, meet at the EXIT (note EXIT - there are various entrances,m but we meet at the EXIT) of Tower Hill tube station.
We'll be walking along by the Tower and learning its story, and then walk into the City and see some of the churches there.
We'll be walking along by the Tower and learning its story, and then walk into the City and see some of the churches there.
The message of Fatima...
...included that mysterious promise about Russia's conversion. Immensely puzzling to a trio of Portugese country children who knew nothing of Russia or the 1917 revolution, or the horrors that were to come in the USSR and in Europe with WWII and more... And then we got a Polish Pope, and the consecration of the world in 1984. And today a new Cathedral of Our Lady of Fatima is consecrated in the heart of what was once Russia's Gulag Archipelago. Watch this...
I came across this news item as I was looking for various other news items on the Internet. Watching it, I thought again about Solzenhitsyn's Gulag Archiplego back in the 1970s, and then being in Berlin one Spring Sunday in 1984 and talking about the significance of the Pope's world consecration in Rome. And now, with the collapse of the USSR and the fall of the Berlin Wall already history, this is happening, something unimaginable to those suffering in the Gulag decades ago...
Earlier this year I wrote a review of the new book on Fatima with a Foreword by the excellent Cardinal Raymond Burke in which some of these issues are explored.
I came across this news item as I was looking for various other news items on the Internet. Watching it, I thought again about Solzenhitsyn's Gulag Archiplego back in the 1970s, and then being in Berlin one Spring Sunday in 1984 and talking about the significance of the Pope's world consecration in Rome. And now, with the collapse of the USSR and the fall of the Berlin Wall already history, this is happening, something unimaginable to those suffering in the Gulag decades ago...
Earlier this year I wrote a review of the new book on Fatima with a Foreword by the excellent Cardinal Raymond Burke in which some of these issues are explored.
London's river and John Paul II....
...and a warm September Sunday. After the glorious John Paul II Walking Pilgrimage to Walsingham this summer, perhaps it's not surprising that there has been so much interest and enthusiasm for the River Pilgrimage planned for Oct 28th...and today one of the enthusiasts joined me on mapping out the route and getting things organised, and we had a wonderful day. We set out after the 10.30am Mass at Westminster Cathedral (beautiful: the Choir is back now after the summer break, wonderful music) and a good brunch. My original plan had been to walk down to Westminster Bridge and start from there, but Ellie suggested that a much better plan would be to avoid the tourist crowds and head down Vauxhall Bridge Road, and turning along through Pimlico. We did so, and it turned out to be excellent. Under the gaze of MI5 (vast HQ on the Vauxhall bank with weird green windows) we walked all along the river, noted a park which will be a perfect lunch-stop, and on, via Chelsea, Battersea and Wandsworth (where the Wandle,river of my suburban childhood, joins the Thames) and on to Putney...en route we worked on various arrangements for the Pilgrimage, which will be led by the excellent Dominican Sisters of St Joseph, with a Chaplain from the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. The Pilgrimage will end at Hampton Wick, at the shrine of Our Lady of Westminster, with Evensong, Benediction, and a hearty Tea.
This will be a good pilgrimage - walking along one of the most famous rivers in the world, praying for the New Evangelisation, in good company and with the heavenly aid of the recently-beatified John Paul the Great. Come and join us! Send a Comment to this Blog, with an email address at which I can reach you (I can't reply to any Comment unless there is an email address incorporated into the text of the message). You will need sensible walking shoes, a packed lunch, and suitable clothing (today was HOT and I had a big hat. October may be cold and wet...).
This will be a good pilgrimage - walking along one of the most famous rivers in the world, praying for the New Evangelisation, in good company and with the heavenly aid of the recently-beatified John Paul the Great. Come and join us! Send a Comment to this Blog, with an email address at which I can reach you (I can't reply to any Comment unless there is an email address incorporated into the text of the message). You will need sensible walking shoes, a packed lunch, and suitable clothing (today was HOT and I had a big hat. October may be cold and wet...).
Saturday, September 08, 2012
Wednesday, September 05, 2012
Readers may recall...
...that Auntie was in Poland earlier this year. Reflections on the visit are in the latest issues of VOICES. Read here
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Sons of...
Divine Providence. What a very suitable name. They run homes and accomodation for people with special needs, notably at Hampton Wick along by the Thames near Kingston. I went there today, because I had it in mind to ask if our John Paul II Walking Pilgrimage along the Thames could finish there.
As I arrived, a couple of Gentlemen of the Road were sitting outside the house, one of them tucking in to a nice plate of supper, the other sitting looking hopeful. They greeted me with a cheery "Good Evening" and I rang the doorbell. A priest came out, carefully carrying a plate all nicely set out with meat pie, potatoes and vegetables "Hallo - good to see you. Just got to give this gentleman his supper..." and then he welcomed me in for a cup of tea. I had earlier telephoned and talked about the Pilgrimage plan, and he just immediately said "Yes, of course!" and we'll have Evensong and Benediction in the chapel, and then a good Tea.
But there's more. The chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of Westminster: in the 1950s the Sons were was given a Medieval statue of Our Lady which had some link with London and so they gave it that dedication, and it was blessed by Cardinal Godfrey in Westminster Cathedral. So this is a real place of pilgrimage. I hadn't known that. Providence.
The John II Walking Pilgrimage sets off from Westminster Cathedral on Sunday October 28th and will walk some 20 mile down-river to Hampton Wick. From Westminster Cathedral to Our Lady of Westminster. What could be more appropriate...and we'll be praying for the New Evangelisation of our country.
"Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To his saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows ‘what is in man’. He alone knows it.” Blessed John Paul.
As I arrived, a couple of Gentlemen of the Road were sitting outside the house, one of them tucking in to a nice plate of supper, the other sitting looking hopeful. They greeted me with a cheery "Good Evening" and I rang the doorbell. A priest came out, carefully carrying a plate all nicely set out with meat pie, potatoes and vegetables "Hallo - good to see you. Just got to give this gentleman his supper..." and then he welcomed me in for a cup of tea. I had earlier telephoned and talked about the Pilgrimage plan, and he just immediately said "Yes, of course!" and we'll have Evensong and Benediction in the chapel, and then a good Tea.
But there's more. The chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of Westminster: in the 1950s the Sons were was given a Medieval statue of Our Lady which had some link with London and so they gave it that dedication, and it was blessed by Cardinal Godfrey in Westminster Cathedral. So this is a real place of pilgrimage. I hadn't known that. Providence.
The John II Walking Pilgrimage sets off from Westminster Cathedral on Sunday October 28th and will walk some 20 mile down-river to Hampton Wick. From Westminster Cathedral to Our Lady of Westminster. What could be more appropriate...and we'll be praying for the New Evangelisation of our country.
"Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To his saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows ‘what is in man’. He alone knows it.” Blessed John Paul.
Croydon Airport...
...was once the air port of London, and world-famous because it was from there that Amy Johnson flew solo to Australia, and Lindbergh arrived after his great solo flight across the Atlantic... During the Second World War it was the Headquarters of No. 11 Group in the Battle of Britain, crucial to our survival as a nation.
The airport closed in 1959 - the last commercial flight out was piloted by a Captain Last! - and when I was growing up in the 1960s in a house not far from what had once been the most famous aerodrome in the world, it was just a great glorious endless grassy territory that stretched gently uphil towards Purley. Then a big housing estate was built on it, and in 1974 I was elected as borough councillor for the district. I was, I think, an irritating young woman - the youngest councillor in Britain and enthusiastically aware of the fact. But among my few redeeming traits was a passion for local history, and over the next years, a team of us produced a series of books on the history of the airport. You can find out about them here and here and there's a pic of a Mayor holding one of the books here and...oh...trawl the Internet with "Croydon Airport" and "Joanna Nash" and see what you get...
And last night, at the John Fisher School in Purley, there was a showing of a film, made by pupils, about the history of Croydon Airport. And a very good film it is - a good piece of work from boys at a very good school. They had interviewed all sorts of people who remembered the airport, had worked there or lived nearby, or were caught up in the big air raid of Augut 1940s, and also some other people, including Auntie, and they also found some fascinating old archive footage of aircraft taking off in the 1920s and 30s (the HP42, a wonderful machine, on the 12.30 flight to Paris...).
The school hall was packed - actually almost to discomfort, as it was very warm - and there was enormous interest and enthusiasm. The Croydon Airport Society, and a local history group, the Bourne Society, had combined to support the venture, and the teacher who had initiated the project spoke, and there was a great feeling of local pride...
An evening of nostalgia for Auntie...made me feel a bit solemn and full of memories. I started to make my way to the station, but then on a whim suddenly turned back and knocked on the door of some local friends, the Phillips family and am so glad I did as they welcomed me in and we had a long happy time of chatting. They have a lot of children, now all in teens-and-twenties, and lots of other young people always visiting, so it's a place where there is always a welcome and a mug of tea...
The airport closed in 1959 - the last commercial flight out was piloted by a Captain Last! - and when I was growing up in the 1960s in a house not far from what had once been the most famous aerodrome in the world, it was just a great glorious endless grassy territory that stretched gently uphil towards Purley. Then a big housing estate was built on it, and in 1974 I was elected as borough councillor for the district. I was, I think, an irritating young woman - the youngest councillor in Britain and enthusiastically aware of the fact. But among my few redeeming traits was a passion for local history, and over the next years, a team of us produced a series of books on the history of the airport. You can find out about them here and here and there's a pic of a Mayor holding one of the books here and...oh...trawl the Internet with "Croydon Airport" and "Joanna Nash" and see what you get...
And last night, at the John Fisher School in Purley, there was a showing of a film, made by pupils, about the history of Croydon Airport. And a very good film it is - a good piece of work from boys at a very good school. They had interviewed all sorts of people who remembered the airport, had worked there or lived nearby, or were caught up in the big air raid of Augut 1940s, and also some other people, including Auntie, and they also found some fascinating old archive footage of aircraft taking off in the 1920s and 30s (the HP42, a wonderful machine, on the 12.30 flight to Paris...).
The school hall was packed - actually almost to discomfort, as it was very warm - and there was enormous interest and enthusiasm. The Croydon Airport Society, and a local history group, the Bourne Society, had combined to support the venture, and the teacher who had initiated the project spoke, and there was a great feeling of local pride...
An evening of nostalgia for Auntie...made me feel a bit solemn and full of memories. I started to make my way to the station, but then on a whim suddenly turned back and knocked on the door of some local friends, the Phillips family and am so glad I did as they welcomed me in and we had a long happy time of chatting. They have a lot of children, now all in teens-and-twenties, and lots of other young people always visiting, so it's a place where there is always a welcome and a mug of tea...
Monday, September 03, 2012
Spread the word...
London’s
PROCESSION
OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
Saturday
October 20th 2012
Starts: 2.45pm, WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL
Finishes: St George’s Cathedral, Southwark, with
Benediction.
COME AND WITNESS TO THE FAITH!
The Procession will go down Ambrosden Avenue, and
cross the river at Lambeth Bridge. Bring
a group from your parish, or just come on your own or with family and friends.
More info from: www.westminstercathedral.org.uk
Youth 2000...
...is a splendid group with which I have had contact over the years...there is an excellent description of their recent great summer gathering at Walsingham, here...
A depressing Monday...
...although September is my favourite month, and there are lots of good things happening in it this year. I dislike hot weather, and the Autumn invariably brings joy. I love the cool mornings and the feeling of things bustling again as long hot days end and schools return and social groups meet again. Even clothes are nicer as people stop trying to squeeze themselves into tiny tight ugly things, and start to cover up: skirts, jackets, dresses, reappear.
But as the summer ends, the politicking starts anew with vigour. It is so very depressing watching our country slither into social misery. The long drawn-out dreariness as the politicians wreck our laws, destroy the heritage of generations, and attempt to redefine marriage is horrid to watch. Of course we must fight on to protect human values, and we'll do so: Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien is magnificent in this weekend's Mail on Sunday.
But as the summer ends, the politicking starts anew with vigour. It is so very depressing watching our country slither into social misery. The long drawn-out dreariness as the politicians wreck our laws, destroy the heritage of generations, and attempt to redefine marriage is horrid to watch. Of course we must fight on to protect human values, and we'll do so: Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien is magnificent in this weekend's Mail on Sunday.
Sunday, September 02, 2012
...and read about us...
...here!
Today I went to Westminster Cathedral - glorious Mass, and then afterwards I talked to the Cathedral clergy to check about arrangements for the John Paul II Walking Pilgrimage on October 28th. All now organised: our chaplain for the day, Fr Simon Heans of the Ordinariate, will concelebrate the 10.30am Mass at the Cathedral and then we'll all set off from the Cathedral steps...unfurling our Walsingham banner as we go.
In addition to Fr Simon, we will have a deacon, Henry Whisenmant, with us, and the pilgrimage will end with Evensong and Benediction - and a hearty Tea, which we'll need as we will have walked some 20 miles.
Today I went to Westminster Cathedral - glorious Mass, and then afterwards I talked to the Cathedral clergy to check about arrangements for the John Paul II Walking Pilgrimage on October 28th. All now organised: our chaplain for the day, Fr Simon Heans of the Ordinariate, will concelebrate the 10.30am Mass at the Cathedral and then we'll all set off from the Cathedral steps...unfurling our Walsingham banner as we go.
In addition to Fr Simon, we will have a deacon, Henry Whisenmant, with us, and the pilgrimage will end with Evensong and Benediction - and a hearty Tea, which we'll need as we will have walked some 20 miles.
Saturday, September 01, 2012
Walsingham walkers reunite...
...ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 28th.
Join us for the Big Walk along the Thames. Starts with 10.30am Mass at Westminster Cathedral. This is a John Paul Pilgrimage Walk for the New Evangelisation, and we'll be walking along the Thames, praying the Rosary, singing, and talking and learning and being together...and praying for our country, and giving Him our hearts. We'll have our own chaplain with us, from the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. We'll walk approx 20 miles, following the river...and we'll hand out small cards and medals to anyone we meet...finish with Evensong and Benediction.
This is a big reunion for all of us who walked to Walsingham in August in the John Paul II Walking Pilgrimage - but anyone and everyone is also welcome to join us. Interested? Send a comment to this Blog marked NOT FOR PUBLICATION, including an email address to which I can reply to you.
Join us for the Big Walk along the Thames. Starts with 10.30am Mass at Westminster Cathedral. This is a John Paul Pilgrimage Walk for the New Evangelisation, and we'll be walking along the Thames, praying the Rosary, singing, and talking and learning and being together...and praying for our country, and giving Him our hearts. We'll have our own chaplain with us, from the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. We'll walk approx 20 miles, following the river...and we'll hand out small cards and medals to anyone we meet...finish with Evensong and Benediction.
This is a big reunion for all of us who walked to Walsingham in August in the John Paul II Walking Pilgrimage - but anyone and everyone is also welcome to join us. Interested? Send a comment to this Blog marked NOT FOR PUBLICATION, including an email address to which I can reply to you.
Walking to Walsingham: do read...
...THE PORTAL, the on-line magazine of the Ordinariate. September edition is just out. It has an account of the JPII Walsingham pilgrimage - Auntie splashing her way across a ford in Norfolk, young people saying the Rosary as they walk along by golden cornfields - and it updates you on the Ordinariate generally. They now have some 80 priests, and more to come...
Croydon is not a beautiful town...
...in fact parts of it are downright ugly. (Yes, I am allowed to say this: I grew up locally, and I know Croydon well and love it as one loves whatever has been close and and important in one's life). But the Catholic Church at West Croydon has never looked better, and was filled to capacity today for a new chapter of history as three priests were ordained for the local Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.Their ordination means that this church, always a busy place, will now have EIGHT Masses every Sunday, starting at 7am, to accomodate all the people that want to worship there.
My childhood and teenage memories of St Mary's are of a rather dark interior: not so now, all is light and fresh and beautiful, and at Mass the eye is drawn to the candlelit sanctuary with its great Cross. A great procession as Mgr Keith Newton of the Ordinariate, and the Archbishop of Southwark, and a large contingent of priests, came up the aisle. There was - as always at Ordinariate events - much glorious singing: a Missa de Angelis, a beautiful Ave Verum at Communion, and some fine hymns. Archbishop Peter Smith ordained the men - as always, it was very impressive to see them lying prostrate before the sanctuary as we prayed the Litany of the Saints, and then to watch as each one was ordained, knelt to promise obedience, exchanged the Peace with fellow-priests, recieved a chalice, and so on...the Mass was beautiful, the prayers inevitably punctuated by the shrill screams of children and babies, especially at the most sacred moments...but then, that seems to be a tradition of Catholic suburbia, and one parent did actually take a screaming child outside only to have its shrieks redouble in effort and anger, the sound piercing the hastily-closed doors...
Afterwards, a delicious and substantial buffet, great crowds of people settling at tables set with white cloths and golden paper napkins, wine, the cutting of a cake, much joy.
And so a new chapter opens for the Church in Croydon, where there has been Christian worship for over a thousand years of recorded history, and where perhaps the best is yet to be as a divided Church regathers itself and prepares for fresh evangelisation in this new century...
My childhood and teenage memories of St Mary's are of a rather dark interior: not so now, all is light and fresh and beautiful, and at Mass the eye is drawn to the candlelit sanctuary with its great Cross. A great procession as Mgr Keith Newton of the Ordinariate, and the Archbishop of Southwark, and a large contingent of priests, came up the aisle. There was - as always at Ordinariate events - much glorious singing: a Missa de Angelis, a beautiful Ave Verum at Communion, and some fine hymns. Archbishop Peter Smith ordained the men - as always, it was very impressive to see them lying prostrate before the sanctuary as we prayed the Litany of the Saints, and then to watch as each one was ordained, knelt to promise obedience, exchanged the Peace with fellow-priests, recieved a chalice, and so on...the Mass was beautiful, the prayers inevitably punctuated by the shrill screams of children and babies, especially at the most sacred moments...but then, that seems to be a tradition of Catholic suburbia, and one parent did actually take a screaming child outside only to have its shrieks redouble in effort and anger, the sound piercing the hastily-closed doors...
Afterwards, a delicious and substantial buffet, great crowds of people settling at tables set with white cloths and golden paper napkins, wine, the cutting of a cake, much joy.
And so a new chapter opens for the Church in Croydon, where there has been Christian worship for over a thousand years of recorded history, and where perhaps the best is yet to be as a divided Church regathers itself and prepares for fresh evangelisation in this new century...
Friday, August 31, 2012
A sense of dread...
...when one looks ahead at the Autumn and winter activities in Parliament. Are we going to get grim new laws which will redefine marriage and force sane men and women to pretend that two people of the same sex can marry one another? Will legislation - or a court's interpretation of it - threaten Catholic schools so that teachers will feel they may not teach that marriage can only be between a man and a woman? Will there be attempts to sue Christian people for upholding human and Christian truths?
I get irritated when Catholics say gleefully that "a time of persecution is coming, and it will probably do us a lot of good!" It may well be coming - although "persecution" will be too strong a word initially and it will all be fairly muddled and mild and may not seem very dramatic at first - but it will not be fun and it will not, in the lifetime of most of us, apparently do us much good. Under strong legal pressures, many succumb. In Eastern Europe, during the ghastly years of Comunism - when there was real persecution - many decent people fell silent, coped as best they could, kept their religious beliefs to themselves, tried not to endanger their children, and were not outstandingly brave. Things were different in Poland, with heroic and holy leadership from great men, one of whom became Pope, one of the greatest Popes in history. But elsewhere things were bleak, and when freedom finally came, the Church was weak and many people were confused and ignorant.
There are going to be tough times ahead. Don't gloat about it: we are going to need courage and faith, prayer, humility and good humour in adversity. Those who make the most noise ("We are prepared to write the Creed in our blood!" or whatever) are not usually those who are bravest when the time comes.
Years ago, when I read Solzenhitsyn's Gulag Archipelago I remember thinking that I would never take my freedom and my everyday London suburban life - family, friends, meals, a home, lovely Autumn walks, cups of tea - for granted. I would always be glad and grateful, and do whatever paltry things I could to alleviate suffering elsewhere.
I'm still not taking freedom for granted, and now when I look ahead I ponder things almost unimaginable 30 years ago.
I get irritated when Catholics say gleefully that "a time of persecution is coming, and it will probably do us a lot of good!" It may well be coming - although "persecution" will be too strong a word initially and it will all be fairly muddled and mild and may not seem very dramatic at first - but it will not be fun and it will not, in the lifetime of most of us, apparently do us much good. Under strong legal pressures, many succumb. In Eastern Europe, during the ghastly years of Comunism - when there was real persecution - many decent people fell silent, coped as best they could, kept their religious beliefs to themselves, tried not to endanger their children, and were not outstandingly brave. Things were different in Poland, with heroic and holy leadership from great men, one of whom became Pope, one of the greatest Popes in history. But elsewhere things were bleak, and when freedom finally came, the Church was weak and many people were confused and ignorant.
There are going to be tough times ahead. Don't gloat about it: we are going to need courage and faith, prayer, humility and good humour in adversity. Those who make the most noise ("We are prepared to write the Creed in our blood!" or whatever) are not usually those who are bravest when the time comes.
Years ago, when I read Solzenhitsyn's Gulag Archipelago I remember thinking that I would never take my freedom and my everyday London suburban life - family, friends, meals, a home, lovely Autumn walks, cups of tea - for granted. I would always be glad and grateful, and do whatever paltry things I could to alleviate suffering elsewhere.
I'm still not taking freedom for granted, and now when I look ahead I ponder things almost unimaginable 30 years ago.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
That walking pilgrimage to Walsingham ...
...described on this Blog a couple of weeks back, is reported on the website of the splendid Dominican Sisters of St Joseph. Read here (scroll down a bit, past other bits of news, to reach it). Aim of the Pilgrimage: to pray for the New Evangelisation. We now plan a reunion Walk, on Sunday October 28th, starting at Westminster and walking along by the Thames. Watch this Blog for more details. Fix the date in your diary now! Our country badly needs a new evangelisation, and it starts with prayer, and then more prayer...
Today - and yesterday, and the day before - Auntie was busy with some wonderful volunteer ladies packing up parcels of Bibles won by young people in the Schools Bible Project organised by an ecumenical group. Tomorrow will see us taking stacks and stacks of parcels to the Post Office in relays...
This evening, a meeting of the team involved with St Clare Media, which is the British arm of EWTN, making programmes, raising funds, promoting EWTN etc.
Marcus Grodi of EWTN's Coming Home series, will be a special guest at the Towards Advent Festival on Saturday November 24th. You will be there, too, I hope...
Today - and yesterday, and the day before - Auntie was busy with some wonderful volunteer ladies packing up parcels of Bibles won by young people in the Schools Bible Project organised by an ecumenical group. Tomorrow will see us taking stacks and stacks of parcels to the Post Office in relays...
This evening, a meeting of the team involved with St Clare Media, which is the British arm of EWTN, making programmes, raising funds, promoting EWTN etc.
Marcus Grodi of EWTN's Coming Home series, will be a special guest at the Towards Advent Festival on Saturday November 24th. You will be there, too, I hope...
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
A great traditonal...
...family gathering to mark a family birthday. Three generations. A family afternoon with children and noise and fun. A formal dinner with the children tucked up in bed. Next morning, piling into cars for church and then lunch at an Oxfordshire pub. Morris Men arrived - bells, jingles, white hankies, floral hats, pig's bladder, the lot - and there was lots of dancing. Next day on to visit friends in Sussex. Picking blackberries to make gigantic quantities of jam. Breezy splashy walks along the seashore. Large numbers of children - two crowded tables at meals. Ferocious games of croquet, children militant with mallets.
In lots of ways, summer brings links with past summers, with unchanging summer things. But Auntie, along with everyone else, lives with the great reality of modern Britain and so these forays into family joys are good.
In lots of ways, summer brings links with past summers, with unchanging summer things. But Auntie, along with everyone else, lives with the great reality of modern Britain and so these forays into family joys are good.
Friday, August 24, 2012
The Fatima-conspiracy-campaigners...
...the ones who seem to believe that the Holy Father is a liar and that theresagiganticplot run by, oh, the Freemasons and people who go to World Youth Day and so on, have a very emphatic presence on the Internet, disproportionate to the value and veracity of what they are actually saying. Attempting to get some information about aspects of the Fatima apparitions, I found a lot of ranting and a sort of desperation, as if by saying repeatedly that sisterluciareallymeanttosaywhatwewanthertohavesaid they can convince themselves and others. Oh, and they really, really didn't like Blessed John Paul being beatified.
However, there is some sanity and truth: this website is accurate and useful. It is worrying to realise that a lot of people are going to be confused by the conspiracy-committees.
However, there is some sanity and truth: this website is accurate and useful. It is worrying to realise that a lot of people are going to be confused by the conspiracy-committees.
John Paul the Great...
....I was writing something about him and trawled the Internet for some info. Came across this video which I found v. moving and inspiring...
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Evensong...
...with the South London Ordinariate at Precious Blood Church near London Bridge. An inspiration led us to the formation of an Ordinariate women's group, which will meet for the first time in September. We already have ideas for talks and action, including the making of craft goods for the Ordinariate stall at the Towards Advent Festival, and a project for children involving calligraphy, artwork, and the Psalms. We're interested in exploring the life and work of some of the Anglican women whose work shaped the Christianity of Britain in the 19th and early 20th centuries; people like Florence Nightingale, Octavia Hill, Mary Sumner. The group is very enthusiastic.
Extraordinarily, when I got home - late after a very cheery get-together following Evensong and Mass - I found, on checking my emails, an absolutely fascinating one about precisely this concept: starting small with an Ordinariate venture and allowing it to grow and flourish. The writer even mentioned that she had been praying a Rosary "every day until the 23rd" for her own small initiative and by implication others like it. And this is the 23rd.
Extraordinarily, when I got home - late after a very cheery get-together following Evensong and Mass - I found, on checking my emails, an absolutely fascinating one about precisely this concept: starting small with an Ordinariate venture and allowing it to grow and flourish. The writer even mentioned that she had been praying a Rosary "every day until the 23rd" for her own small initiative and by implication others like it. And this is the 23rd.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Catholic Truth...
...has been fostered, celebrated and taught by the Catholic Truth Society with great energy and dedication since the Catholic revival in the mid-19th century. The CTS has for the past decade or more been based at Vauxhall, part of a big Catholic presence there which also includes St Anne's church and primary school, and offices of various organisations. I went there today with a big box of handbills about the Towards Advent Festival, at which the CTS always has a stall and of which, like ACN( see post below) they were co- founders.
Among the latest CTS publications are some by Auntie but they also publish a number of important books including beautiful editions of the new Roman Missal (ribbons, white-and-gold binding, the works) and also YOUCAT, the excellent new Youth Catechism with its Introduction by the Holy Father. They have kindly donated a copy - beautifully inscribed by a calligrapher at the CTS - to the Catholic Women of the Year Luncheon where it joins various other books as prizes in the raffle. They are also donating copies for the young winners of this year's Catholic Young Writer Award, which is run jointly by the Catholic Union and the Catholic Writers' Guild (more details on the winners later: the announcement will be made when the new school term begins in Sept).
Among the latest CTS publications are some by Auntie but they also publish a number of important books including beautiful editions of the new Roman Missal (ribbons, white-and-gold binding, the works) and also YOUCAT, the excellent new Youth Catechism with its Introduction by the Holy Father. They have kindly donated a copy - beautifully inscribed by a calligrapher at the CTS - to the Catholic Women of the Year Luncheon where it joins various other books as prizes in the raffle. They are also donating copies for the young winners of this year's Catholic Young Writer Award, which is run jointly by the Catholic Union and the Catholic Writers' Guild (more details on the winners later: the announcement will be made when the new school term begins in Sept).
Dropped in to...
...the offices of Aid to the Church in Need to deliver some handbills about the Towards Advent Festival (SATURDAY NOVEMBER 24th), at which ACN has a stall. In fact, ACN was one of the founders of Towards Advent over a decade ago: a number of different Catholic groups got together to sponsor the event, hired Westminster Cathedral Hall, and it has taken place every November since, and has become a big part of the London Catholic calendar.
ACN has its annual Conference at Westminster on October 20th, which will finish with the Blessed Sacrament Procession which starts at Westminster Cathedral at 2.15pm and goes through London, crossing Lambeth Bridge and finishing at St George's Cathedral, Southwark. Info about the Conference from ACN on the link given. For the Blessed Sacrament Procession - just turn up! Get the date into your diary now, and tell your parish/friends/family about it...
During the summer, a couple of friends mentioned that they were having difficulty ordering my book on Blessed John Paul, as one supplier had apparently run out: well, you can order one from ACN: here.
Earlier, I went to the 10am Mass at this local church, which always has good numbers for daily Mass, even on a hot August weekday. On the Feast of the Assumption (Holyday of Obl) it was packed - and when I commented on this, some one noted that the numbers for the 7am Mass had been large, too.
ACN has its annual Conference at Westminster on October 20th, which will finish with the Blessed Sacrament Procession which starts at Westminster Cathedral at 2.15pm and goes through London, crossing Lambeth Bridge and finishing at St George's Cathedral, Southwark. Info about the Conference from ACN on the link given. For the Blessed Sacrament Procession - just turn up! Get the date into your diary now, and tell your parish/friends/family about it...
During the summer, a couple of friends mentioned that they were having difficulty ordering my book on Blessed John Paul, as one supplier had apparently run out: well, you can order one from ACN: here.
Earlier, I went to the 10am Mass at this local church, which always has good numbers for daily Mass, even on a hot August weekday. On the Feast of the Assumption (Holyday of Obl) it was packed - and when I commented on this, some one noted that the numbers for the 7am Mass had been large, too.
Monday, August 20, 2012
MOTHER TERESA...
FILM NIGHT: "MOTHER TERESA" in aid of the Friends of the Ordinariate
A traditional...
... gathering at the seaside. Staying with friends for a couple of days...swimming, sailing, cycling into the village to buy ice-creams. We ate at a long table set up in the garden, three generations and a mix of cousins and friends and godparents and uncles and aunts. Over the weekend, two young cousins were recieving their First Holy Communion in the local church, and there was much last-minute sewing of white dresses and discussion about lunch arrangements...it sent me back in memory to my own First Communion years and years ago. In a Britain where so much has changed, this hasn't changed. One 21st-century development: the traditional illuminated certificates had the children's names, dates etc added in beautiful lettering by computer...
Hauling in the boat after sailing, we were waist deep in the water. Some one shouted and then suddenly waters were whooshing and closing over my head - and as I came up for breath I suddenly realised what the shout had been : "Big wave!"
Home, and the London suburbs drowsy in the heat. Catching up with work on the computer, I come across this book and its successor. The idea that things will always go on just as they always have done is illusory. And changes don't always come as big waves.
Hauling in the boat after sailing, we were waist deep in the water. Some one shouted and then suddenly waters were whooshing and closing over my head - and as I came up for breath I suddenly realised what the shout had been : "Big wave!"
Home, and the London suburbs drowsy in the heat. Catching up with work on the computer, I come across this book and its successor. The idea that things will always go on just as they always have done is illusory. And changes don't always come as big waves.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
The Catholic Church and the Jews...
...a subject to ponder. In one of the most significant pronouncements of the Second Vatican Council, the Church declared that "in her rejection of every persecution against any man, the
Church, mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by
political reasons but by the Gospel's spiritual love, decries hatred,
persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and
by anyone". Nostra Aetate.
This October, with the Year of Faith, we mark the 50th anniversary of that Council and its authoritative pronouncements. It is worrying that the Lefebvrists have not, to date, categorically affirmed their support for Nostra Aetate.
The reason for my pondering the subject is that for the past couple of years I have been working on a book which explores - among other things - the story of some nuns who hid Jews in their convent during the Second World War. They risked death in doing so, and their Rev. Mother has been rightly honoured for her courage and is commemorated at Yad Vashem. But the story of the Jews and the Church is a complicated one, stretching back across two millenia, and on studying the subject, it is impossible not to be struck with a profound sense of the neccessity of the "day of pardon" in which Blessed John Paul led the Church as we entered the third millenium.
"God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your Name to the Nations: we are deeply saddened by the behaviour of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant. We ask this through Christ our Lord..."(St Peter's, First Sunday of Lent, 2000)
This was a deep and healing prayer. The subject was been muddled because of talk about "The Church and the Holocaust" and that is all wrong. Pius XII's reputation is now being more accurately assessed, and his action in saving so many Jewish lives is now being recognised. But it's stuff of the earlier centuries: the cramped ghetto in Rome in the days of the Papal States with its locked gates confining Jews within on all major Church feast days, the compulsory wearing of a yellow scarf or hat, their being banned from most professions, the compulsory attendance at church for sermons urging them into baptism...and more, and more...
The past is a foreign country - "they do things differently there". No point in smugly asserting our own moral superiority in this 21st century. But it was absolutely neccessary for the Church to reassess, to say "sorry", and to teach a firm commitment to a renewed solidarity and friendship with the Jewish people. The future, guided by this and by the heroism of those who shared danger with the Jewish people, promises better.
This October, with the Year of Faith, we mark the 50th anniversary of that Council and its authoritative pronouncements. It is worrying that the Lefebvrists have not, to date, categorically affirmed their support for Nostra Aetate.
The reason for my pondering the subject is that for the past couple of years I have been working on a book which explores - among other things - the story of some nuns who hid Jews in their convent during the Second World War. They risked death in doing so, and their Rev. Mother has been rightly honoured for her courage and is commemorated at Yad Vashem. But the story of the Jews and the Church is a complicated one, stretching back across two millenia, and on studying the subject, it is impossible not to be struck with a profound sense of the neccessity of the "day of pardon" in which Blessed John Paul led the Church as we entered the third millenium.
"God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your Name to the Nations: we are deeply saddened by the behaviour of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant. We ask this through Christ our Lord..."(St Peter's, First Sunday of Lent, 2000)
This was a deep and healing prayer. The subject was been muddled because of talk about "The Church and the Holocaust" and that is all wrong. Pius XII's reputation is now being more accurately assessed, and his action in saving so many Jewish lives is now being recognised. But it's stuff of the earlier centuries: the cramped ghetto in Rome in the days of the Papal States with its locked gates confining Jews within on all major Church feast days, the compulsory wearing of a yellow scarf or hat, their being banned from most professions, the compulsory attendance at church for sermons urging them into baptism...and more, and more...
The past is a foreign country - "they do things differently there". No point in smugly asserting our own moral superiority in this 21st century. But it was absolutely neccessary for the Church to reassess, to say "sorry", and to teach a firm commitment to a renewed solidarity and friendship with the Jewish people. The future, guided by this and by the heroism of those who shared danger with the Jewish people, promises better.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Loved this...
Been reading up more about Bl John Paul. The latest Catholic Herald has a fascinating piece from a book by Jerzy Kluger, BL JP's Jewish friend from his schooldays. They met each other again in Rome in the 1960s when JPII was there for the Vatican Council (and speaking prophetically and wisely about religious freedom, helping to draft Dignitatis Humanae).
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
You may think...
...that Singapore doesn't have a significant message for the world in general. But it does.
Read here for a look at what is actually the sole great reality facing every nation and its future.
Read here for a look at what is actually the sole great reality facing every nation and its future.
Well said, Cardinal Dolan!
...who has spoken out clearly, paternally, and wisely on the subject of the forthcoming American presidential election and the traditional dinner at which the two candidates meet.
There's a new fashion for indignant, muddled young(ish) fogeyish Catholics who are less well formed in the Faith than they think they are, to announce themselves as commentators on the Internet. There are a great many good and large and generous things that they could be doing, but becoming a (sort of) Catholic wanna-be celeb instead is too big a temptation, so they get excited with camera and computer and talk a lot and post it on the web. Verbal bashing of the Cardinal and other pro-life leaders and workers is their current excitement. Time to chuck it, boys. There are great and noble tasks awaiting you in your generation, and you need to get on and seek out what God is asking of you. Being an active Catholic consists of more than feeling good and being rude about the grown-ups.
There's a new fashion for indignant, muddled young(ish) fogeyish Catholics who are less well formed in the Faith than they think they are, to announce themselves as commentators on the Internet. There are a great many good and large and generous things that they could be doing, but becoming a (sort of) Catholic wanna-be celeb instead is too big a temptation, so they get excited with camera and computer and talk a lot and post it on the web. Verbal bashing of the Cardinal and other pro-life leaders and workers is their current excitement. Time to chuck it, boys. There are great and noble tasks awaiting you in your generation, and you need to get on and seek out what God is asking of you. Being an active Catholic consists of more than feeling good and being rude about the grown-ups.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
...and now some dates for your diary...
...next CATHOLIC HISTORY WALK is Thursday September 13th, 6.30pm at the Tower of London. We will pray at the site of St Thomas More's martyrdom, and learn about the hero-martyrs of the Tower such as St Edmund Campion and St Ralph Sherwin. Meet 6.30pm at the EXIT (note EXIT...there are several entrances) to Tower Hill tube station.
Saturday October 20th, at 2pm, the BLESSED SACRAMENT PROCESSION through London. DON'T MISS THIS!!! Starts 2pm at Westminster Cathedral, finishes at St George's Cathedral, Southwark. Tell your local parish, and start getting it into people's diaries now...
Saturday November 24th, all day, the TOWARDS ADVENT Festival of Catholic Culture at Westminster Cathedral Hall. Open all day, from 10 am.
Saturday October 20th, at 2pm, the BLESSED SACRAMENT PROCESSION through London. DON'T MISS THIS!!! Starts 2pm at Westminster Cathedral, finishes at St George's Cathedral, Southwark. Tell your local parish, and start getting it into people's diaries now...
Saturday November 24th, all day, the TOWARDS ADVENT Festival of Catholic Culture at Westminster Cathedral Hall. Open all day, from 10 am.
...and this is what our poor country is like...
...and why it needs prayer....
A friend who recently acquired British citizenship told me about the form that has to be completed as part of the procedure. Under the section "children" you are asked whether your children are currently still of the same "gender" that was assigned to them at birth. So the myth that sexual identity is merely a matter of labels, and that a girl can be turned into a boy by some surgery is perpetuated with your money and mine, and announced on official citizenship application forms. Loopy...and very, very sad.
A friend who recently acquired British citizenship told me about the form that has to be completed as part of the procedure. Under the section "children" you are asked whether your children are currently still of the same "gender" that was assigned to them at birth. So the myth that sexual identity is merely a matter of labels, and that a girl can be turned into a boy by some surgery is perpetuated with your money and mine, and announced on official citizenship application forms. Loopy...and very, very sad.
The pilgrimage...
...concluded at Walsingham, with a great reception at the 12 noon Mass, which was packed with pilgrims from various groups from across England....a section of the church had been set aside for us, and the rest of the gathering congregation gave us a great round of applause. Our two Ordinariate priests, who had accompanied us (and had the blisters to prove it!) concelebrated the Mass, and the opening hymn was "He who would valiant be" which seemed v. appropriate. After a picnic lunch - with some additional food given by a lovely Indian pilgrimage group which was cooking up all sorts of tasty dishes over a couple of stoves - we walked the Holy Mile in traditional style, ie barefoot. Then things finished with Benediction in the Church of the Annunciation, with full hearts and with memories that we will keep all our days...
Here are...
Monday, August 13, 2012
Golden fields...
...of wheat, and green fields of sugar-beet, and mellow sunshine pouring down on it all...Norfolk in August, with the harvest being brought in as our feet in boots and sneakers and sandals pounded the ancient route to Walsingham. And I do mean the ancient route - we were following old lanes and paths, going along one of the old, old Walsingham Ways, which can still be traced along the fields and meadows. We prayed the Rosary, all twenty mysteries, led by Sister with a microphone, recalling Christ's Incarnation and the great events of his life, death and resurrection...it is a memorable experience to be pondering the Eucharist (5th Luminous Mystery) as you walk together alongside a golden, almost glowing, field of wheat, young voices saying "give us this day our daily bread..."
Our overnight destination was Swaffham, and the first day's walk was just over 20 miles. As we walked, we also had some superb talks, on the Scriptures, following the drama of salvation history through Abraham and Moses and on to Christ, pondering the Covenant, seeing the Church foreshadowed in the Old Testament and shown in the New...
The Pilgrimage was well organised, our bedding-rolls and other luggage being ferried ahead to our overnight stop, a van bringing water and food - all done by volunteers. At lunchtime we tackled a generous supply of bread and cheese and salad and fruit, and on our arrival at the Sacred Heart school at Swaffham Sister Julie had cooked a wonderful pasta supper. The glorious , glorious sound of traditional bells pealing out wafted over us as we sat eating and talking, friendships now well forged. We sang Night Prayer in the Church of Our Lady of Pity - aptly named, as more than one pilgrim quietly noted, as blisters and tiredness were now rather evident. At the start of the Pilgrimage, all qualified First Aiders were asked to identify themselves - there was a very well-equipped First Aid box and I was able to treat blisters and other problems so that everyone could keep on walking. One of the best-ever inventions is spray-disinfectant which can be used directly on to skin, and can also disinfect needles, hands, etc.
Overnight accomodation was in the school's large halls - big sports-mats used for gym were stacked in the corner of one hall and proved blissful as sleeping-mats. Using the showers and washrooms we pattered down the school corridors, where the children's work was on display: "Use of Nouns" "Shakespeare and Drama: the story of the Globe Theatre" "Colour, Art, and Design". A statue of Our Lady gazed down benevolently. There was absolute silence within moments of the lights being turned out: sleep came instantly.
Our overnight destination was Swaffham, and the first day's walk was just over 20 miles. As we walked, we also had some superb talks, on the Scriptures, following the drama of salvation history through Abraham and Moses and on to Christ, pondering the Covenant, seeing the Church foreshadowed in the Old Testament and shown in the New...
The Pilgrimage was well organised, our bedding-rolls and other luggage being ferried ahead to our overnight stop, a van bringing water and food - all done by volunteers. At lunchtime we tackled a generous supply of bread and cheese and salad and fruit, and on our arrival at the Sacred Heart school at Swaffham Sister Julie had cooked a wonderful pasta supper. The glorious , glorious sound of traditional bells pealing out wafted over us as we sat eating and talking, friendships now well forged. We sang Night Prayer in the Church of Our Lady of Pity - aptly named, as more than one pilgrim quietly noted, as blisters and tiredness were now rather evident. At the start of the Pilgrimage, all qualified First Aiders were asked to identify themselves - there was a very well-equipped First Aid box and I was able to treat blisters and other problems so that everyone could keep on walking. One of the best-ever inventions is spray-disinfectant which can be used directly on to skin, and can also disinfect needles, hands, etc.
Overnight accomodation was in the school's large halls - big sports-mats used for gym were stacked in the corner of one hall and proved blissful as sleeping-mats. Using the showers and washrooms we pattered down the school corridors, where the children's work was on display: "Use of Nouns" "Shakespeare and Drama: the story of the Globe Theatre" "Colour, Art, and Design". A statue of Our Lady gazed down benevolently. There was absolute silence within moments of the lights being turned out: sleep came instantly.
A Glorious traditional walking pilgrimage...
...to Walsingham. The John Paul II Walking Pilgrimage for the New Evangelisation....a good crowd, mostly young but with some older people including Auntie, gathered at the ancient ruined abbey in Bury St Edmunds. Ruined by Henry VIII - but on this golden summer evening suddenly alive again as Mass was celebrated there, the sound of voices saying "I confess to Almighty God..." and singing Kyrie Eleison, and Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus... and the sight of people kneeling on the soft green grass and lining up to recieve Holy Communion. We sang "For all the saints..." and thought of St Edmund, boy-king and martyr...
The Mass was celebrated by a priest of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, and this seemed especially appropriate as the Ordinariate opens up a new chapter in the long history of Christianity in our land.... the Abbey ruins carry a plaque, placed there in the 19th century, noting that bishops gathered there to discuss and plan for Magna Carta, the first part of which insists that "the English Church shall be free..."
After Mass was over, we gathered in the church hall, and Sister Hyacinthe of the Dominican Sisters of St Joseph, organisers of the Pilgrimage, got us all introducing ourselves and sorting out arrangements for the days ahead.
The Sisters are splendid. There was a good supper waiting for us, and then we trooped into the church for Night Prayer. It's a lovely building - a real piece of Catholic history - Georgian, with box pews, and we sang the Dominican form of Night Prayer, going turn-and-turn-about with the psalms. Then we settled down for the night in the church hall, which is actually the crypt of the church. Separation sections for men and women were created by sheets hung on a long line down the centre. It was a warm night and I opened the door into the large walled garden and wandered there for a while before tiptoeing back in and snuggling down...we had all brought mats and sleeping-bags and so on.
The next morning saw us gathered again in the church for Monring Prayer, and then setting off for the village of Brandon. Here we had Mass in the Catholic church, concelebrated by our two Ordinariate priests, and with some splendid singing. Then a hearty breakfast provided by volunteers from the local parish, who also gave us a grand send-off, as we walked out out in a great column, with a banner of Our Lady of Walsingham...
The Mass was celebrated by a priest of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, and this seemed especially appropriate as the Ordinariate opens up a new chapter in the long history of Christianity in our land.... the Abbey ruins carry a plaque, placed there in the 19th century, noting that bishops gathered there to discuss and plan for Magna Carta, the first part of which insists that "the English Church shall be free..."
After Mass was over, we gathered in the church hall, and Sister Hyacinthe of the Dominican Sisters of St Joseph, organisers of the Pilgrimage, got us all introducing ourselves and sorting out arrangements for the days ahead.
The Sisters are splendid. There was a good supper waiting for us, and then we trooped into the church for Night Prayer. It's a lovely building - a real piece of Catholic history - Georgian, with box pews, and we sang the Dominican form of Night Prayer, going turn-and-turn-about with the psalms. Then we settled down for the night in the church hall, which is actually the crypt of the church. Separation sections for men and women were created by sheets hung on a long line down the centre. It was a warm night and I opened the door into the large walled garden and wandered there for a while before tiptoeing back in and snuggling down...we had all brought mats and sleeping-bags and so on.
The next morning saw us gathered again in the church for Monring Prayer, and then setting off for the village of Brandon. Here we had Mass in the Catholic church, concelebrated by our two Ordinariate priests, and with some splendid singing. Then a hearty breakfast provided by volunteers from the local parish, who also gave us a grand send-off, as we walked out out in a great column, with a banner of Our Lady of Walsingham...
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
Catholic Tradition...
...for over 40 years now, has established the Catholic Women of the Year Luncheon as a major event in the Catholic calendar in Britain. The noise of three or four hundred women all talking at once is quite shattering...but brave men do sometimes attend, and this year the speaker is again a man, Edmund Adamus from the Diocese of Westminster's Department of Pastoral Affairs, who will speak on "Blessed John Paul's legacy: love and life". Money raised from the Luncheon goes to a different venture each year: in 2012 it is going to the Maryvale Institute.
One of my jobs (I'm on the Committee - please be impressed! I'm trying hard to feel like a lady-who-lunches...) is to get prizes for the raffle, and this year I'm gathering new books signed by various authors...I've found a splendid book about Bl John Paul and have tracked down the author in Poland and been in email contact. The book is now on its way to him for signing...
The Catholic Women of the Year Luncheon seeks to honour the "unsung heroines" of the Church in Britain. You can find out about the 2012 women here...
One of my jobs (I'm on the Committee - please be impressed! I'm trying hard to feel like a lady-who-lunches...) is to get prizes for the raffle, and this year I'm gathering new books signed by various authors...I've found a splendid book about Bl John Paul and have tracked down the author in Poland and been in email contact. The book is now on its way to him for signing...
The Catholic Women of the Year Luncheon seeks to honour the "unsung heroines" of the Church in Britain. You can find out about the 2012 women here...
Why doesn't Auntie...
...have more pics on her blog? Chiefly because she is busy and lacks the time to tackle the techy side. However, she is capable of doing it when neccessary so...
HERE is a pic of Auntie with the Nuncio, Archbishop Mennini, at the recent FAITH Summer Session.
HERE is a pic of Auntie with the Nuncio, Archbishop Mennini, at the recent FAITH Summer Session.
Meanwhile, in Rome...here is a good man...
...and you can read more about him here. I am well aware that a little lobby group has been trying to start a campaign against him: this is silly and nasty and should stop.
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Dropped in to...
...the superb new exhibition about Mother Teresa of Calcutta at St Patrick's, Soho Square. It is rather awkward to find - you have to walk right round to the back of the church, and negotiate some massive roadworks and hoardings and wriggle your way in via a rear entrance - but it is WELL WELL WORTH IT! It includes Mother Teresa's sari - much-darned and worn - and other personal items including that thin grey cardigan that she wore in colder climes, plus lots of pix of her earlier life ( eg wearing Albanian national costume at a parish social in the early 1920s) and a fascinating film which features a lengthy interview with her, and footage of her funeral which was one of the biggest events in Indian history. Fr Alexander, parish priest at St Patrick's, knew M. Teresa and this excellent exhibition really captures her life and message...it brought back memories of meeting her in Bonn in 1989, when she talked to Jamie and me about our plans for a big Family Congress in Britain the following year. She gave me a Miraculous Medal...
The KEYS, the Catholic Writers' Guild...
...which meets at St Mary Moorfields, is very proud of its links that go back to the days of the team producing GK's Weekly in the days before WWII. But it has never been as lively and thriving as now: we have excellent meetings with top speakers, and this evening's Committee session planning for 2013 was great fun, lots of talk and great ideas for the months ahead...We run the Catholic Young Writer Award - jointly with the Catholic Union of Great Britain - and the entries for this year have been pouring in and look promising. Judging takes place in Sept. The winner will come to a Guild meeting in the Autumn, at which the speaker with be Lord (David) Alton. By tradition, the winner gets not only a shield - to be kept for a year and duly engraved with his/her name etc - but also a cash prize of £50 and books donated by Guild members.
Recent Guild meetings have been addressed by Jonathan Aitken - telling of his experiences in prison - Baroness Neuberger, Mgr Keith Newton of the Ordinariate of OL of Walsingham, and our Guild Master Mary Kenny, who in January ( on the Feast of St Francis de Sales, our patron) will hand over to a new Master and so the Guild story will continue...
Our speakers in the Autumn will include Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury. And the Guild was one of the founders of the TOWARDS ADVENT Festival of Catholic Culture, which takes place on Saturday NOVEMBER 24th at Westminster Cathedral Hall. This Festival is a MUST - open all day, admission free, includes glorious music, stalls and displays from a wide range of Catholic groups and organisations, a special guest appearance of Marcus Grodi of the Coming Home Network, and a celebration of Bl. John Henry Newman's "Second Spring"...
Recent Guild meetings have been addressed by Jonathan Aitken - telling of his experiences in prison - Baroness Neuberger, Mgr Keith Newton of the Ordinariate of OL of Walsingham, and our Guild Master Mary Kenny, who in January ( on the Feast of St Francis de Sales, our patron) will hand over to a new Master and so the Guild story will continue...
Our speakers in the Autumn will include Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury. And the Guild was one of the founders of the TOWARDS ADVENT Festival of Catholic Culture, which takes place on Saturday NOVEMBER 24th at Westminster Cathedral Hall. This Festival is a MUST - open all day, admission free, includes glorious music, stalls and displays from a wide range of Catholic groups and organisations, a special guest appearance of Marcus Grodi of the Coming Home Network, and a celebration of Bl. John Henry Newman's "Second Spring"...
The Olympics...
...dominating the headlines, keeping people glued to their TVs....but what is the Church doing? A lot. Especially by young people. There's a mini World Youth Day going on in London at the moment. Click here and find out about the Joshua Camp and the hundreds that have gathered for prayer, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and evangelisation with a message of Christ's deep love for each of us...
Monday, August 06, 2012
"Season...
...of mists and mellow fruitfulness" is how the poet described Autumn. And I love it. We are not there yet, but the August sun is bringing the fruitfulness. Auntie has been out this morning gathering blackberries. There will be some fabulous jam on sale at various events raising money for the Friends of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham over the next months.
Sunday, August 05, 2012
The feast of...
...St John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, was celebrated at the weekend - v. grand Mass at the Evangelium conference (see below). You might be interested in this book about him...
Evangelium...
....the summer conference mentioned below, is sponsored by the CTS, which also publishes an excellent teaching pack with the same name...
Founded by Blessed John Henry Newman...
...The Oratory School is in a most glorious setting at Woodcote, near Reading. For the past couple of summers it has welcomed the EVANGELIUM Conference of young Catholics adults...and this 2012 event was perhaps the biggest yet, with some 140 young people and a packed programme. There is a strong link with the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, several Ordinariate priests attending. Splendid music - Gregorian Chant, good hymns - at Mass in the school chapel. Talks and workshops on a variety of subjects, all linked to the challenge of evangelisation. Fr Andrew Pinsent on science and faith with a detailed look at the great scientists of the centuries, so many of whom were Catholics - including the man who discovered the Big Bang theory, and the founder of modern genetics...Hannah Vaughan Spruce on how to pass on the Faith as a catechist, Sister Hyacinthe of the Dominican Sisters of St Joserph on Prayer, Fr Marcus Holden on St Augustine and Pugin and England...and lots more...
There was a panel discussion on Apologetics, with people submitting any question they wanted: panel led by Fr Marcus Holden, Fr Andrew Pinsent, and a team of lay people (incl. Auntie). There was Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and Morning and Evening Prayer. There was a social evening in the beautiful setting of the old manor house which is at the heart of the school buildings, with wine and music and talk until a late late hour...
On the Sunday morning, Auntie spoke on "The Bride of Christ" looking at why God made us male and female, exploring the theme of Christ the Bridegroom and the Church the Bride...looking at Bl. John Paul's Letter to Women, the CDF document on the collaboration of men and women, etc etc....
There was a panel discussion on Apologetics, with people submitting any question they wanted: panel led by Fr Marcus Holden, Fr Andrew Pinsent, and a team of lay people (incl. Auntie). There was Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and Morning and Evening Prayer. There was a social evening in the beautiful setting of the old manor house which is at the heart of the school buildings, with wine and music and talk until a late late hour...
On the Sunday morning, Auntie spoke on "The Bride of Christ" looking at why God made us male and female, exploring the theme of Christ the Bridegroom and the Church the Bride...looking at Bl. John Paul's Letter to Women, the CDF document on the collaboration of men and women, etc etc....
Friday, August 03, 2012
At the heart...
of the FAITH Movement is a new synthesis of science and the Catholic Faith, a perspective on creation through evolution, very much in tune with the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. This vision is inspiring a new generation of priests and young lay people...find out more about it by clicking on to that link.
A magnificent...
...week at the FAITH Summer Sesssion. A superb talk from Father Luiz Ruscillo on the Old Testament, crackling with wit and then gripping everyone with the unfolding drama of the Covenant...this is the way to teach and inspire...a glorious Mass, the singing soaring up to the rafters of the packed chapel... an excellent presentation on Blessed John Henry Newman, bringing to a new generation the story of this great figure of the Church in England. The big auditorium was spellbound. A moving and unforgettable look-back at 40 years of the FAITH Movement, memories and laughter, and a new generation hearing some of the stories. For some of us this was an unforgettable moment of gratitude and emotion...Auntie gulped as memories came flooding back of so many happy, happy times...
Talkative convivial mealtimes. Adoration in the chapel, with people kneeling in prayer, quietly coming and going. Night prayer with "The day thou gavest..." and the Salve Regina... A fantastic, glorious firework display - now that's something we never had back in the early years.A ceildh with all the young people twirling and dancing to Scottish music until a late, late hour, while their oldies (yes, that includes Auntie) socialised and enjoyed themselves, the beautiful panelled rooms of the old house a magnificent backdrop, groups gathering on the great stone steps and balcony overlooking the wide front laws with its illuminated statue of Christ against the darkening trees...
Talkative convivial mealtimes. Adoration in the chapel, with people kneeling in prayer, quietly coming and going. Night prayer with "The day thou gavest..." and the Salve Regina... A fantastic, glorious firework display - now that's something we never had back in the early years.A ceildh with all the young people twirling and dancing to Scottish music until a late, late hour, while their oldies (yes, that includes Auntie) socialised and enjoyed themselves, the beautiful panelled rooms of the old house a magnificent backdrop, groups gathering on the great stone steps and balcony overlooking the wide front laws with its illuminated statue of Christ against the darkening trees...
Defending human life...
...a conference that will equip and inspire people.. organised by Care Not Killing, with speakers from around the world...it is crucial to get informed and learn how to fight euthanasia and the deliberate killing of sick people in hospitals.Click on to that link and get more info...
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
The FAITH Movement...
...Summer Session, held in the beautiful setting of Woldingham School at Marden Park in Surrey. This lovely valley has its own small railway station, and the school is approached via a long lane winding between meadows where cows munch lazily and great horse-chestnut trees cast glorious shade. An added bonus - most mobile 'phones don't work there. Bliss.
This year's conference pack has a list of all the FAITH Sessions going back to the very first one in 1973. Oh, we didn't have conference packs then, or badges on loops with information about fire drills, or anything like that. And there were 40 young people gathered at Roehampton that long-ago summer. Now, there are several times that number, some of them the now-grown-up offspring of the first attenders. Plus many, many priests who have become linked to the Movement over the years...and a great number of seminarians, some from Rome, some from the diocesan seminaries here in England...
Excellent talk by Sister Andrea Fraile of the Sisters of the Gospel of Life. Excellent discussions over meals or in groups gathering in the courtyards and garden. A packed chapel for Adoration, and a Penitential Service, during which confessions were heard. Suddenly, across the silence, the searing siren of a fire alarm. Silently, everyone dutifully plodded out of the chapel and out to the official Fire Assembly Point, where there was a roll-call. For some reason, standing there and hearing each person answer up to his/her name called out from a list, I had a sudden frightening premonition of what it might be like in prison, with a roll-call of Catholics summoned for disobeying the latest spiteful infringement of our religious rights and liberties...
Back to the chapel, Undeterred, confessions continued, and then Night Prayer and Benediction. It is singing the Salve Regina that always brings back the deepest memories...now, a new generation of young men's voices starts the prayer, and as we all join in, I'm thinking of others summers decades ago, and the unchanging truths that have been taught and shared...
This year's conference pack has a list of all the FAITH Sessions going back to the very first one in 1973. Oh, we didn't have conference packs then, or badges on loops with information about fire drills, or anything like that. And there were 40 young people gathered at Roehampton that long-ago summer. Now, there are several times that number, some of them the now-grown-up offspring of the first attenders. Plus many, many priests who have become linked to the Movement over the years...and a great number of seminarians, some from Rome, some from the diocesan seminaries here in England...
Excellent talk by Sister Andrea Fraile of the Sisters of the Gospel of Life. Excellent discussions over meals or in groups gathering in the courtyards and garden. A packed chapel for Adoration, and a Penitential Service, during which confessions were heard. Suddenly, across the silence, the searing siren of a fire alarm. Silently, everyone dutifully plodded out of the chapel and out to the official Fire Assembly Point, where there was a roll-call. For some reason, standing there and hearing each person answer up to his/her name called out from a list, I had a sudden frightening premonition of what it might be like in prison, with a roll-call of Catholics summoned for disobeying the latest spiteful infringement of our religious rights and liberties...
Back to the chapel, Undeterred, confessions continued, and then Night Prayer and Benediction. It is singing the Salve Regina that always brings back the deepest memories...now, a new generation of young men's voices starts the prayer, and as we all join in, I'm thinking of others summers decades ago, and the unchanging truths that have been taught and shared...
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