Children...

...have sent in some splendid work for the Assn of Catholic Women 2013 Schools RE Project. They had to study the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, and Holy Communion, as part of the celebration of the Year of Faith. A brochure showing a door of a church invited them to open the door and go in...this Project, sponsored by the Catholic Truth Society, has now been running for several years and we get literally hundreds of essays from Catholic primary schools across Britain. Every entry is carefully read, and we award a large number of prizes, all generously donated by the CTS. A team of judges then meets and some top winners are chosen - 1st,2nd and 3rd winners in two age groups. They win cash prizes for their schools, and the 1st winner in each age group gets a trophy to keep for one year...

Running this vast project involves teams of volunteers who mail out the brochures (a task done agreeably over mugs of tea and lots of chat, daily for several days at the CTS office in South London), reading all the essays, organising the final judging, and then packing and mailing out the prizes (a mammoth task).  It is all well worth while, and reading the children's essays reveals encouraging evidence of some good work being done in Catholic primary schools...

And we badly need good news, because so much of what is happening in Britain at the moment is horrid. Schools are being sent nasty material promoting same-sex "marriage", including material aimed at very young children. There is increasing evidence of unjust discrimination of employees in various services who dare to show - even privately - opposition to the imposition of acceptance of same-sex unions. The tradition of fair play and freedom under the law is now regarded as out of date and wrong, because an obligation to agree with the Government on this subject is deemed to take priority over every principle and every sense of conscience. And the Govt is trying to rush the legislation through Parliament despite strong and growing opposition...read more here...

To Northern Ireland...

...to speak at a conference organised by All Saints Church, Ballymeena, on 'Women and the Church'. Large attendance. An excellent introductory speech by Baroness O'Loane, who spoke of  great Christian women who had influenced and inspired her...and the parish priest spoke extremely well, giving the teaching of the Church with specific references to John Paul and Mulieris Dignitatem etc...

Earlier, a weekday Mass in the church with a substantial congregation - certainly over 150 -  and when I remarked on this I learned that was smaller than usual as a coachload of people had gone to Knock on pilgrimage...

Sunday - a journey to the coast, glorious countryside, a crowded Mass with lots of families...

Next time you hear that the Catholic Church in Ireland is dying...it isn't.

Extraordinary...

...sudden conversation this afternoon, in a busy café where I'd parked myself to tackle some work on my laptop for an hour or so. Pleasant girl sitting in vaguely yoga-position, cross-legged, at the table nearest to the only electric plug was friendly and helpful when I asked if I could share it...and after we had both spent a longish while beavering away on our respective computers, we got talking. She helped me tackle a bothersome layout problem on my Word document, and somehow we moved on from that to talk of theatre and writing and travel and  more...she announced with some vigour that she was an atheist and this resulted in a very lively conversation. Delightful girl: an actress and dancer, bright, articulate...conversation ranged over Dawkins, Hitchens, touched on evolution, Buddhism...it was blustery and rainy outside as we said goodbye, and I put my hands into my pockets to keep warm - and encountered a small Bl JPII medal given by a friend from Rome. I gave it to this new friend. JPII was an actor too....

On to Marble Arch, for the Tyburn Lecture. A disappointment. The Tyburn nuns are wonderful and always have a warm welcome, and the Lectures, celebrating free speech and debate about crucial current issues, are a magnificent tradition. But this one was unimpressive: given by a lawyer who lectures at the London School of Economics, it ended up as a rather tired-sounding rant against John Paul and Benedict. Somehow, after a lively conversation earlier, I felt let down. The speaker parroted the line that is apparently being pushed in The Tablet.  The silliest bit was his suggestion that John Paul didn't engage with the modern world. All those great gatherings in the cities of the world, the wall-shattering change that swept across Eastern Europe,  the breakthrough in relations with the Jewish people,  that extraordinary rapport with the young that created World Youth Day...apparently none of that really happened...oh, and he didn't seem to think that Benedict XVI would have much long-term impact either...

Listening to this rubbish was slightly embarrassing, like hearing someone who dabbles in poster-paints denouncing Michaelangelo.


 

I LIKE Papa Francis...

...have done from the start, but he keeps giving us all more and more reasons for doing so. Like today: read here...

The river Humber...

...goes out to meet the sea at Hull, and this became one of Britain's busiest ports. Some two million people arrived here from Northern Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries, travelling from here across the country to Liverpool to sail to America.

Hull: the sea, fishermen, a great maritime heritage...today the old docks have become a marina for  expensive pleasure-boats. There are wonderful old pubs and smart new cafes and restaurants...a fine statue showing a family group, commemorating those long-ago emigrants...an old lightship which you can board and explore, seeing the cabins and galley and shining brass equipment that was all in use just a few decades back...and the magnificent  buildings which once housed the shipping authorities and port officials are now  elegant empty offices advertising space to let...and there are a  number of museums, telling the local history and the maritime history...

What was once a busy noisy place is now clean and beautiful...but on a hot sunny day there were not many people in this waterside area, except at the cafes overlooking the marina. I walked along the quayside and old docks, gazed out towards the sea, pondering the history... and was  almost alone. Returned to a café to catch up on emails and do some work.

The crowds are elsewhere, in the big new inland shopping centre. The fine old City Hall now hosts a tourist bureau, and the Post Office has closed and is run from the back of a shop instead.

Lunchtime Mass at St Charles church - sudden Bavarian baroque in this Yorkshire seaside city! A good number of people for a weekday Mass. A rich history. A huge number of names, four long columns of them, on the  1914-18 War Memorial...

In the evening, a change of pace. I was speaker at the HULL FAITH FORUM .This has been running for several years, and is linked to the Faith Movement.  Young people from parish Confirmation groups, a great atmosphere, excellent local priests doing good work...

"I vow to thee my country..."

is the title of a lecture to be given by Charles Moore, at Brompton Oratory on June 13th. More info here...I will definitely be attending.  6pm, preceded by Evensong.  It is sponsored by the Friends of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, and the theme is the future of Christianity in Britain.

Charles Moore is a v. good writer, and of course his latest biography is provoking a good deal of interest...

at Maryvale...

...there is an annual Pilgrimage with open-air Mass and Procession, honouring the Sacred Heart. This year it will be Sunday June 9th. Starts 3pm. Phone 0121 360 8118 for info - or just turn up. 

The Sacred Heart shrine here in this glorious old house is the shrine that John Henry Newman knew and loved. The wide lawns and the cool shaded paths are beautiful in the early-summer sunshine. There is birdsong and the cooing of pigeons, and the rustle of trees the roar of Birmingham traffic is a distant but useful reminder of the busy-ness of modern life and the world to be evangelised...

Endings and beginnings...

...and things changing...

Final weekend of my 5-year Degree course at Maryvale. For the past several trips to Birmingham, I've travelled by the cheaper Chiltern Line, which also mean arriving at the v. agreeable Moor Street station, ("retro"). Then one hurries through the underpass, and can get a taxi from New St station...except that today it was all different. They're doing some major reconstruction, and youngsters carrying magnificent signs, depicting giant-sized hands pointing the way, directed us all to a new taxi rank, in a new and different street...and what with this, and a sensation of gosh-this-is-my-last-Maryvale-weekend, and so on, gave this Friday evening a different feel from others...

Maryvale with an unchanging welcome...the sudden gulpy feeling as I was given some lovely cards of congratulation and kind things were said re the DSG...then a talkative supper, followed by study time, and then the sound of singing from the chapel, and I hurried, a trifle late, into Night Prayer. I love the chapel here, the candles glowing, the voices saying the psalms turn-and-turn-about...

Exams tomorrow.

/

A long-time hero....

Steve Stevens, awarded the DFC for wartime heroism,  later a pioneer pilot in Africa with the Missionary Aviation Fellowship, later still a founder of the Nationwide Festival of Light in Britain and then in Australia...now in his 90s he is still writing and campaigning, and has just sent me a copy of his latest book "Fighting for love, purity, marriage and family life".  It tells the story of the Festival of Light, and how it rallied young people in the 1970s...I was one of the thousands who were taught and inspired  by the NFoL and I am so grateful for the work and witness of Steve and Kay Stevens.

To Cavendish Square...

...to eat sandwiches in the sunshine w. sister-in-law, prior to a little shopping expedition.

Expedition initiated by said sister-in-law: "Joanna, what are you going to wear for this being-made-a-Dame thing?"  Faint note of dread that Auntie will turn up in favourite comfy shoes and unmatching will-this-do skirt n top.

For all previous special occasions, Auntie has been dressed by sister, sister-in-law, or, on one occasion, a niece. Grateful thanks to all. It's now become a tradition...

Cavendish Square is a pleasant bit of greenery off Oxford St, marred only by an equestrian statue which looks quite agreeable until you discover that it is of Butcher Cumberland. Grrrrh. It was removed in the 19th century because he was so loathed, then finally put back. Ugh.

Shopping. Shoes: nice ones, not expensive,  and surprisingly comfortable. DRESS: and will match v. suitable hat. 

A Newman week...

...at this church, with a lecture on John Henry Newman on May 20th at 6.3pm by Dr Andrew Nash. Do come!

Parents of First Communion children...

gathered at Holy Redeemer church, Chelsea.  While the children were having instruction (and being shown Mass vestments and having them all explained etc)  we were in the Monckton Room in the crypt where Auntie gave a talk about the Church's calendar of feasts and seasons, and how this is all part of our rich heritage that goes back 2,000 years and more...

Knowledge is crucial. People have a right to know about the Church's calendar, and so much else: what the name "Bethlehem" means, why it is significant that Christ was laid in a manger,  why there is a pub sign called the "Pig and Whistle", why March 25th is significant, why the number 40 is significant, the origins of the "Jack-in-the-box" toy, and more...and more...

There is a great joy in realising that being a Catholic doesn't mean adhering to a tradition or belonging to a club...it's all about the Incarnation, about God becoming one of us and joining in with us, and dying and rising again: and this is the core of human history, and everything flows from this.

BTW, I am sometimes asked if I  am "willing to give a talk to a local goup". OF COURSE I AM.  Just contact me. Send a Comment to this blog with an email address to which I can reply. I cannot replay to a Comment in the ordinary way - ...I have to have an email address (or phone number), so include one in your Commengt. Obviously, I will not publish the Comment.

PS If you want to know about the things mentioned in the second para, invite me to talk in your parish/school/youth group ...or try my "Book of Seasons and Celebrations"...

COME AND WALK!!!

Join us on the JOHN PAUL WALK FOR THE NEW EVANGELISATION.

It's a challenge - but it's glorious, and you will love it.

Walking through some of the most beautiful countryside in England... praying at Mass in  abbeys destroyed by Henry VIII now echoing again to the ancient prayer of the Church...singing together...eating a hearty supper together at the end of a long happy day...arriving in Walsingham as generations of pilgrims have done down the centuries...

Until you have experienced a glorious outdoor Mass with a group of singing pilgrims...or shared Evening Prayer together after a 20-mile walk....you cannot imagine how beautiful these experiences are.

Come and be part of the adventure. August 6th-11th 2013.

Contact Sister Hyacinthe at the Dominican Sisters of St Joseph: www.dominicansistersofstjoseph.com

...and you might like to read...

Auntie's EWTN blog...here...

From time to time...

...as a statement about freedom of speech, and the importance of discussing moral and social issues, I reprint on this Blog a section from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.


2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,¹⁴¹ tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."¹⁴² They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition. 2359  Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

Sunday...

...and Mass at Precious Blood Church and a talkative time afterwards, lots of plans for parish activities. This church is a splendid example of how the Ordinariate can and should flourish...there is now a flourishing Sunday School, and the only problem is that it might be rather overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of children keen to attend...

Dr Margaret White...

...was a leading pro-life campaigner, one of the earliest members of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, a family doctor, magistrate, and a Christian woman of immense faith and courage. Today, her funeral at a country church gathered together family and friends together and we remembered her with much love...she leaves a wonderful heritage to her children and grandchildren, and to so many of us who learned from her wisdom, knowledge, and common sense. She was tireless in her defence of unborn children and in support of marriage and family life: she spoke at schools, colleges, women's groups, conferences, gatherings in Parliament, international events...many young people were helped by her wise counsel and genuine concern for their welfare, and many of us were inspired and encouraged by her Christian commitment.

I first met Margaret in the early 1970s, and I belong to a generation who looked up to her as a mentor, and will always be grateful to her. May she rest in peace, and may God reward her for a life of generous service...

Wrote to...

...the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Welby...I wrote with an Anglican friend: we both work together on CHRISTIAN PROJECTS, an ecumenical group bringing together Christians from different groups...

We wanted to send Dr Welby an assurance of our prayers on his new appointment - and to beg his support in defence of marriage in the light of the Govt's grim plans. We were - and are - particularly concerned about the freedom of Christians to talk about marriage as the lifelong union of a man and a woman. This greatly affects us as we are involved in talks to schools and youth groups...

I am underwhelmed by the response from Lambeth Palace. A lady cleric  has written with a formal acknowledgement of our letter, noting our concerns, and saying that the Lords Spiritual (formal expression for the Bishops in the Hse of Lords)  will be aware of these when the issue comes up in Parliament. The letter is not unfriendly....but it's not exactly warm.

Dr Welby - a good man, who has spoken warmly and from a sound Evangelical perspective about Christ and the glorious truths of the Christian faith - is ill-served by this bureaucracy.

A refreshing day...

...by the sea at Whitstable, visiting the Vocations Centre there, run by Father Stephen Langridge. All very encouraging: from the peaceful chapel with its "Benedict arrangement" of  candles and crucifix, to the bright pleasant rooms which welcome young people arriving for vocation gatherings, it is all very attractive...and out in the garden, a young volunteer was mowing the lawn in the sunshine, with that lovely scent of fresh green springtime grass...

A walk by the sea, and around the harbour, and a glimpse of the history of this boat-building town famed for its oysters and with a bustling High Street...

The Ladies Ordinariate Group and the Association of Catholic Women are combining to have a day at Whitstable in July, and Fr Stephen and I were planning this today, and it all looks set to be a happy time.

Dates for your diary: May 20th, 6.30pm, Precious Blood Church, London Bridge - lecture on Bl John Henry Newman. 

Sunday June 23rd, 1pm, St Sepulchre's churchyard, near Old Bailey (nearest tube: St Paul's). THE MARTYRS'  WALK.  We will be walking along the route to Tyburn, honouring the English Martyrs. Finishes with Benediction and Tea at Tyburn. Come and give witness to the Faith.

Overwhelmed...

Today a meeting of the British section of the international charity Aid to the Church in Need. A Luncheon marking Auntie's retirement from the Board...an involvement with ACN which began when she was a teenager.

An announcement from Archbishop's House, Southwark:  as one of his last acts as Pope, Benedict XVI appointed Joanna Bogle as a Dame of St Gregory.

I am overwhelmed and can't write any more at the moment...

John Paul the Great...

...some developments....read here

To Soho...

...which is a headline to get you interested.

I went to St Patrick's, Soho Square, to make arrangements for the DAY OF FAITH we are holding there on Tuesday June 18th.

Speakers include Bishop Philip Egan (afternoon) and George Weigel (evening). You can come for the whole of the conference (£20) or for just the daytime bit or just the evening bit (£10 each). Send a cheque for the relevant amount made out to FAITH/KEYWAY,  St Peter's, Bishops Rise, Hatfield Herts AL10 9HN.

There will be a buffet lunch and a supper. It looks set to be a really excellent day. Do please book your ticket NOW.  It is already filling up quite quickly...

Phone call from EWTN, as they are about to show my new TV series, featuring various saints days and feast-days.

In between everything else, rushed to get my latest essay to Maryvale. Exams in two weeks time. Then more exams in July.

Walking through the city of Westminster...

...on Friday evening, after a committee meeting in George Street....as we approached Grosvenor Square,  we decided to take a look at the statue of Ronald Reagan, unveiled there a couple of summers ago. It is an attractive statue, and the inscription gives details about his role in bringing to an end the Cold War, and includes some brief quotations from his speeches, eg  "Mr Gorbachev - tear down that wall!"

Stood pondering...Reagan, Thatcher, and the great John Paul II...each of them survived an assassination attempt, each has now, after a long old age, gone to God...

Evangelists...

...from a Catholic group gathered on the Green at Ealing, and began to sing. I was sitting munching a sandwich in the sunshine, preparatory to visiting a friend at St David's Hospice nearby.

The evangelists turned out to be from the Neo-Catechumenate group associated with Ealing Abbey, joined by others from around the country. Large numbers of children. General atmosphere of goodwill, everyone v. relaxed. Some singing, praying, recitation of psalms together,  then some talks - of varying quality, all obviously sincere.  The best was a speaker who spoke about three encounters - Lucifer in the garden with Eve, enticing humanity away from God, then the Angel with Mary, giving humanity the great news of the  opportunity of life in the Incarnation,  and finally the Gospel's encounter with us. Essentially, when we hear the Gospel message, we too are having a angelic encounter...

Useful meeting...

...of the committee of the Association of Catholic Women. The committee meets at St James, Spanish Place - beneath the church is a large bright room where a children's day-nursery sends out happy noises, plus  a kitchen, various offices, and a positive rabbit-warren of intriguing boiler-rooms and storage spaces...and various other rooms, one of which we used today for our meeting...

Lots to plan. Next year sees the ACW's 25th anniversary - we should do something splendid to mark it. Meanwhile, the 2013 nationwide Schools RE Project under way, discussion of plans for a Schools Music Festival, decisions about speakers for our AGM in the Autumn, a summertime pilgrimage trip (jointly with LOGS - see blog entries below), and more...

Much talk about the Govt's ghastly plans to redefine marriage. Among the many aspects not adequately discussed by those supporting these idiotic plans is the whole question of what people in Britain will in future be allowed to say about marriage, and what will be banned. As things stand at present, a ban on talking about marriage as the union of a man and a woman seems likely to be imposed on all sorts of people, randomly and weirdly. School governors, local borough councillors, teachers, clergy, speakers at school prizegivings or other public ceremonies...lecturers in public libraries or at seminars in hospitals or training colleges, policemen, magistrates and court officials...

It's all getting spooky.

Marriage is the union of a man and a woman, establishing a new family.  If you don't like my making this statement, get used to not liking it, because I am certainly going to continue making the statement from time to time in the course of my life, both in public as a writer and lecturer, and in private if the topic comes up in conversation.

Been sent...

...information about events run by this excellent group...it all looks very good indeed, and badly needed.

Also been sent a v. depressing and bitter rant in a mainstream newspaper supporting same-sex "marriage" and denouncing anyone who opposes it. There is something so surreal and horrid about seeing a society round on itself and pursue its own destruction in this way...

Signs of hope...only small ones...but on Monday we in the LOGS (Ladies group connected to Pr. Blood Church, London Bridge) read through all the entries for the children's project - absolutely beautiful artwork and writing all centred on studying the Psalms. From children at schools across London. Watch this space for more info - we are awarding prizes and certificates, planning a big display of the children's work, etc etc....

New Evangelisation...

After...

...a day in London (see below), I headed for the West Country, for a visit to a dear relative who lives by the sea in Somerset. 

A small seaside town on a wet April evening... few people around, most eating-places closed...but one pub offering food, and one Chinese restaurant. I am taking the relative to the Chinese place tomorrow so opted for fish and chips in the pub tonight. I have brought work to do, but to match my mood of history and traditions, I spent suppertime studying the history of the Borough, a corner of London I have vaguely known over the years but am now coming to love, and around which I am planning some history walks...so with Somerset accents around me, and a good supper in front of me, I pondered the stories of Chaucer and the George Inn, and St Mary Overie, Harvard, and  and Guys, and more...

up early...

...and to London, where I met Antony Tyler, former Master of the Catholic Writers' Guild...we had decided to go together to line the route for Lady Thatcher's funeral...

I had been in Fleet Street just a few hours earlier, leading a Catholic History Walk that finished up outside the Olde Cheshire Cheese, and thence to Waterloo station and coffee and much further talk....London had a great air of expectation...  crowd barriers were being erected and preparations made. The Walk had begun in Lincoln's Inn Fields and encompassed several hundred years of history, and it was somehow entirely natural to watch another event about to unfold in this city of the centuries...

So, this morning: we joined the crowds heading up from Blackfriars to Fleet Street, and were glad to be early as people were already lining the road and we were able to get a good place. A good spirit as the crowd swelled and swelled...people talked and swapped ideas, opinions, memories...a former soldier wearing medals, a former Wren, Londoners, people who'd travelled from much further afield...over towards Ludgate Circus a group of protesters waved placards that I couldn't read, and a shrill voice made a speech. General feeling of being British began to pervade the whole thing. A light fizzy rain drifted around a bit.

The drama began. Detachments of Royal Marines, Guards, Royal Naval ratings, marched by.  Then young guardsmen marched in to take up their positions at fixed places along the route. One could hear drumbeats etc in the distance. Guardsmen bowed their heads, then raised them and shouldered arms in unison. And then the procession came by - the coffin draped in the Union Flag, on a gun carriage, mounted officers with drawn swords, the full works....

Well, you can read about it in innumerable reports. When the service began in St Paul's, we all began to move off and into local pubs and places where we could watch on TV. We went to the Old Bell - a perfect place, everyone gathered around a well-placed  TV screen...the service all v. traditional, a touching moment when the young sweet-faced Thatcher granddaughter read very beautifully from the Scriptures with an American accent...but the best bit for us was the final hymn "I vow to thee my country" - the words were put up on the screen so a couple of us started singing and in a moment the whole pub was singing - a magnificent sound, and a truly glorious thing that I'll remember for years to come...

After the service was over people ordered drinks and food, and a young chap came over to our table to pay for our drinks ands people came up to say thank-you for getting us all singing.

And before you all write in and say this is all unimportant and why-put-it-on-a-Catholic blog, this was a bit of Britain happening.

Pollyanna Bogle...

...a nickname given to me a while back, and which I love.

I started to use it, because I loved the film "Pollyanna" as a child. Remember it? First film I remember watching, at a cinema in the London suburbs, one summer half-term.   Based on a children's story written in America in the 1900s...the film starred Hayley Mills as orphan Pollyanna from an impoverished family who goes to live with a grim great-aunt.  Pollyanna's late father, a missionary, had taught his little girl "the glad game". The Bible tells us to rejoice over 150 times. The key is to find something about which to be glad, even in a grim situation...

Easy to sneer, and lots of people did when the film came out, and do now.

When I was accused  of being a Pollyanna, I thought it was done with affection and fun, and was rather touched.  Only later discovered it was meant to be nasty: the idea was to attack Joanna and denounce her joy.  Ooops. Too late by then... I was using the name and enjoying it. My Iron Lady moment...

I don't always publish nasty Comments on this Blog - but I always read them, as I have always done with letters (death-threats, the lot!) that I've received over the years. Playing the Glad Game doesn't make you immune from insults, but you see them in perspective.

And, PS: Watch the film. Pollyanna wins. That's the whole point.

Tomorrow...

...Tuesday April 16th, I'll be leading a Catholic History Walk in London, starting at 6.30pm on the steps of SS Anselm and Cecilia Church, Kingsway (nearest tube: Holborn).  We'll be exploring Lincolns Inn Fields and the surrounding area, including the pub where Bishop Richard Challoner used to meet Catholics in secret for religious instruction in the 18th century...

An early morning Mass...

...at Precious Blood church, London Bridge. There are a lot of things happening at this church over the next months:  May Procession, May 5th,  Newman lecture May 20th,  a week-long Patronal Festival July 1st-8th....

Two young people from the Sion Community spoke briefly at the end of Mass about the Mission currently running at nearby St Michael's College. It sounds good.

The newsletter has a nice pic of Pope Francis and a quote from him as he took possession of St John Lateran last week, asking for our prayers...and also a pic of dear Papa Emeritus Benedict  with the suggestion that we pray for him on his birthday, which falls this Tuesday:"Alles gute zum Geburtstag heiligen Vater..."

Cardinal Schonborn...

...spoke in London the other evening, at a splendid event held in the National Galery. It was a great privilege to be invited, and he gave us an overview of the current position of Christianity and culture in Europe, tackling specifically the iussue of "Christophobia". It was a thoughtful and gentle approach, no polemics, but warmly assertive of confidence in the Church's message. The lecture was rich in the theology of Benedict XVI.  Schonborn is one of the "Ratzinger circle" - literally so, because they are not just friends but he is part of the Schulerkreise  established by Cardinal Ratzinger with his former pupils from the days when he was a professor...

You can read a rather charming and chatty report of the evening by a felow-guest here...

The evening not only provided a chance to listen to Cardinal Scvhonborn, but also to meet a number of friends...it was a joy to  chat to Ann Widdecombe, David Alton, Fr John Saward from Oxford, Neville Kyrke-Smith of ACN...

To Oxford...

...and lunch with Fr Andrew Pinsent. He is research director at the university's  Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion.   I have been enjoying his booklet Lumen. Fascinating discussion about, among other things, St Hilda of Whitby, St Hildegarde of Bingen, Aristotle,   the relationship between the Church and science, Thomas Aquinas, autism, and the roles of women in the Church in various centuries. Loved it.

In the evening, a long chatty time with a young relative...where we also ended up discussing, among much else, the relationship between faith the science, and the role of quantum physics. Golly.  

Also a brief meeting with the young team that produces the excellent Magnificat,  with which I bookend my days.

...and a bit more...

...on MT by Auntie is here...

A truly great figure...

...Prime Minister of Great Britain, a patriot, a Parliamentarian, one of the most remarkable women of our era: Margaret Thatcher. 

When she became Prime Minister, Europe was locked into the Cold War, Communism looked as though it would be a fixed and miserable part of the landscape for the foreseeable future for millions of people on half the continent, Britain was stuck in a mindset of economic and political stagnation.
She restored to Britain a robust belief in enterprise, gave Eastern Europe  a vision of freedom, won a war, and wrote history.

Unlike so many of today's politicians, she entered Parliament with real convictions and beliefs. She was not a professional politician  but had worked in industry (research chemistry) and was a qualified barrister. She honoured her parents and the Christian values they had taught her - and spoke about this with frankness and sincerity. She was very happily married. She loved Britain and had a deep sense of its heritage.

And she was a woman of kindness and courtesy. I was a very, very junior person working in the Conservative Research department in the exciting months of 1979. I remember the whirl of excitement as she came into the busy room where we were beavering away on items for the first day of the election campaign. She was efficient and breezy and exuded confidence, but there was also a sense of  quiet authority and of efficiency. We talked over the project on which I was preparing a brief - she was competent and knowledgeable. You felt you were part of a team that was going to do something useful and of value. And she was polite and disarmingly downbeat. I honestly do believe she saw politics as public service. And she served her country - and the cause of peace and the betterment of the human lot - well.

May she rest in peace.

Divine Mercy Sunday...

...and memories suddenly flood back of  dear Bl JPII, who went to the Father's House on the eve of this special feast which he himself had placed in the Church's universal calendar...if you haven't yet seen the superb film of his life, starring Jon Voight, EWTN is showing it next Saturday, April 13th...

You can now sense Spring in London - daffodils blooming on our small patch of lawn by the front gate, and my muffler suddenly felt too warm as I hurried to catch a bus...

We sang glorious Easter hymns at Mass, and afterwards sat planning various spring and summer activities.

Meanwhile in Rome, the H. Father has blessed a plaque naming the big square by St John Lateran in honour of  Bl JPII...

None of us who watched  the then Cardinal Ratzinger at the funeral of JPII will ever forget his sermon, one of the great and memorable events in the life of the Church...and then just a short while later he accepted the huge task of following him as the next Peter, and did it with grace and with the gifts of a brilliant mind combined with gentleness and sweetness.   And now Papa Francis has climbed into the papal jeep and opened his arms and somehow embraced us all in a hug: he has our hearts.

.

If you enjoy this blog....

...you might also enjoy the Blog I write for EWTN. try it here...

Just seen...

...on the website of the diocese of Southwark, a cheery pic of the Chrism Mass in Holy Week, which shows our team and the  "Thank you to our priests" placard.

It's especially pleasing, because moments before the priests' procession began, the swift wind whirled our placard away from its tall post, so we had to hold it up by hand. But in the end, this proved to be easier and more convenient than wielding it on a long wooden post...so future Chrism scenes will be more or less like the one you see here...

Been reading...

...and hugely enjoying, George's Weigel's Practicing Catholic,  a collection of essays. Recommended.

Felt a bit smug as I pottered about the kitchen this morning, brewing some coffee, dealing with the washing, tackling some emails. Glanced at the clock from time to time  and set off for a weekday Mass feeling vaguely that I was a well-organised-Catholic-lady. Soon got into reality. Arrived at church and wondered why no one was there - usual attendance for weekday Mass in this lovely local parish is high. Heard voices from the Lady Chapel - people saying the Rosary. That usually happens after Mass...???...simple, really. On arrival home yesterday evening, we forgot to put the clocks at Bogle Towers forward one hour. So this w-o-C-l  is not so well organised after all.

Re-planned the day, hopped on a bus and train and got to a lunchtime Mass at Pr. Blood Church at London Bridge - and am glad I did....the church has been recently cleaned and  looked glorious with the most beautiful flowers in the sanctuary, a lovely arrangement below the lectern with golden ribbons, a sense of Easter everywhere. Thought of Pope Benedict and his emphasis on "the Way of Beauty". 

Coming up soon - some dates for your diary: Tuesday April 16th: London Catholic History Walk, starts 6.30pm outside the Church of SS Anselm and Cecilia, Kingsway (nearest tube: Holborn). Come and join us in discovering the story of Bishop Richard Challoner, and the pub where his memory is still honoured...Tuesday May 7th: Auntie speaks at the Hull Faith Forum, 7.30pm, St Joseph's. Boothferry Road, Hull.    Monday May 13th: History Walk at Westminster, starts 6.30pm steps of Westminster Cathedral.    Monday May 20th: Talk on Blessed John Henry Newman  by Dr Andrew Nash, 6.30pm at Pr. Blood Church, London Bridge.    Tuesday June 18th: all-day conference at St Patrick's. Soho Square: afternoon speaker, Bishop Philip Egan, evening speaker George Weigel - info here and scroll down...

Home...

...driving through chilly but beautiful countryside.  A brief cheery stop-on-the-way visit to young relatives   -  hugs, news, chocolate eggs, cups of tea, a small great-nephew enchantingly playing, with deep breaths and dedicated care, some simple tunes on the piano, to Auntie's great delight.

Army reminiscences as we drove over Salisbury Plain.

Stonehenge in the dusk, isolated and tourist-free, stark and ancient and imponderable.  

Darkness and the steady hum of the car. Talking together, and remembering so many other trips, Easters, Christmasses.

Suburbia, and our own front door and organising the chilly house into a welcome. I'm tapping out this in the kitchen as the kettle boils.

Exmoor and Easter lambs...

...and only the limitations of a frustratingly intermittent Internet access prevent me from writing about it all at greater length and more lyrically. I am interspersing long walks and some gentle cookery - plus family activities -  with much reading and studying (Tractarians/Newman/CS Lewis/John Paul II/various Biblical commentaries...).

Newest edition of The Portal is just out, and there is a good News Section too at Pr. Blood church in London...reports of Holy Week etc...take a look...

EASTERTIDE....

...beginning with Tea with a beloved elderly relation on Holy Saturday, with giving of Easter eggs etc, followed by travel to Oxfordshire, and a glorious Easter Vigil (six people received into the Church with baptisms and confirmations etc, packed congregation with hundreds of glowing candles, Missa de Angelis, beautiful Easter hymns) , followed the next morning by a family breakfast with cheery decorated eggs, and a happy morning of talk and laughter and chocolate eggs and a great Easter lunch...

And in due course, an Easter Monday journey onwards to more family at the seaside, and a breezy walk along the coast, family meals, affection, swapping of news, more chocolate...

I am writing this with a most enchanting view of the coast before me...it is so lovely that with night falling it is quite impossible to close the curtains...

A laptop and the kindly provision of books from an Anglican clergyman friend enables me to catch up on some necessary academic work...and meanwhile every day the daffodils nod in the stiff sea breezes, the sky is a clear if chilly blue, local eggs and honey and clotted cream make mealtimes a delight.

Alleluia!

Good Friday...

...is not a day for computers, so this post is being written late at night as the day ends...

The Maundy Mass at Pr Blood church on Holy Thursday evening was very beautiful...and as always the Blessed Sacrament was taken to the candlelit Altar of Repose at the end, and we were invited to remain for a while with the Lord ("Will you not watch one hour with me?").  We kept vigil, the silence interspersed with Scriptural meditations led by the priest. The Ordinariate is bringing beauty, solemnity and dignity, and a pastoral style which is very attractive.

The Good Friday liturgy saw a good-sized congregation. It is always so poignant  during the reading of the Passion, when we say "Crucify him!" and take the part of the crowd...during the Veneration of the Cross the Reproaches were sung, and then all joined in "When I survey..."

And now comes Holy Saturday, and then...

Maundy Thursday...

...and the name comes from the same root as Command (Latin: Mandatum).  Which command?  The one we all break: that we should love one another...

Spent the afternoon at Premier Radio (offices and studio in Chapter Street, not far from Westmin. Cathedral), recording some talks (re the new Pope, etc). You can listen to them in the week beginning April 8th - check out the Premier website...

Still have a bad cough and cold, but it's getting a lot better, and in a moment I shall walk in the chilly but bright sunshine down Victoria Street and cross the Thames to Waterloo, catching a train to London Bridge and to the Ordinariate church there for the Holy Thursday Mass.  Somewhere along the way I'll buy some hot cross buns for tomorrow's breakfast...

Just written my feature for the MAY issue of OREMUS, the magazine of Westminster Cathedral. The magazine is read surprisingly widely: when in Somerset at Christmas a nice priest told me that he has a subscription and always enjoys the magazine...BTW the April issue is just out (feature by Auntie in it) and has a pic of Papa Francis on the front...

Scouring the Internet for various bits of information, I realised that the arrival of a new Pope, and the retirement of the previous one, had given massive scope for the doomwatchers and all those the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it-is-almost-here types. The other day, perhaps because of the cold weather, I was warned "Have you heard the Prophesy of the Three Days Darkness?"  Yes, I have heard it. Enjoyed a vogue in the 1970s. Popularised in the 18th century, then again in the 1950s because a bogus German group claiming visions from Heaven started to say that Padre Pio supported it ...this was eventually denounced in rather firm terms by Cardinal Ottaviani, then head of the Holy Office. Doesn't seem to have stopped people...I got the "Padre Pio believed in..." line again the other day. I am not quite sure why people focus on the three-day bit, because the main meat of the story is that two-thirds of all humanity will be wiped out in one fell swoop, which rather makes three days without proper lighting  seem rather trivial...

I wonder what happened to all those stores of food that people were keeping in the Autumn of 1999 because they were convinced that Everything Would Stop when the calendar moved to 2000, and no food would be available? I remember a publication in the USA carrying advertisments for sacks of dehydrated foods, guaranteed to last for five years...

And here we are in 2013 with plenty to worry about, and plenty to rejoice about, and plenty of work to be done, and an urgent mission of evangelisation to fulfil...

...Holy Week...

...and today is known as Spy Wednesday, commemorating the traitor Judas...

Tomorrow will see the traditional Washing of Feet at churches across Britain.  I remember first watching this back in the mid-1970s at our (then brand-new and v. modern)  local church, St Elphege's, in Wallington, and being very moved and impressed. I knew what the ceremony involved, but  had not seen it done before: watching our parish priest kneeling and pouring water over the men's feet was something very powerful. He was in my mind a busy, grown-up, getting-on-with-important-things person and this act spoke of humility and service in a real way, and I have never forgotten it.

Good Friday, back then, was a quiet day across Britain. Shops were closed. The TV and radio programmes reflected the nature of the day, and there was always a film about the Passion of Christ - either a classic Hollywood one or some new drama.

An innovation in the 70s which was of importance for our family was a united service organised by all the local churches, and held at a different church each year on Good Friday morning. We always went to this.  And of course the 3pm service in our church was the most important part of the day: again, my first experiences of this were powerful. Since then, I have spent Good Fridays in various places from an Army barrack church in Berlin to Brompton Oratory with full choir, and each Good Friday still always brings it own stark poignant message...

Today: one good thing in the suburb where the Bogles now live is a local Walk of Witness. This starts at the United Reformed Church which is conveniently placed at one end of the High street and finishes at the Methodist Church which is at the other end. It attracts reasonable numbers, including lots of Catholics. The "witness" bit is rather less effective, because there are few people around in the High Street - most shoppers go to the vast supermarket about a quarter of a mile away. So we aren't witnessing to many people... but I wonder if perhaps God actually rather wants us to think and pray, rather than (??a bit smugly??) consider ourselves to be "witnessing to all those shoppers".

There is a profound and tangible reality about the 3pm service on Good Friday.  In our excellent local parish it  is always packed to capacity - people sitting/kneeling on the floor, filling up all available space in the side aisles and crowding out the porch etc.

In between  the morning Walk and the afternoon Service - well, there's always a temptation to do a bit of shopping and one SHOULDN'T.

I have organised/posted suitable Easter goodies to godchildren etc, have quantities of  choc eggs, bunnies, and so on  for the various relatives with whom I will be celebrating Easter. We won't need any extra food for Good Friday's meals and everything else can wait until Saturday...

Icy winds, flecks of snow...

...all more like Christmas than Holy Week. But no one seemed to mind...people were arriving at Westminster Cathedral for the Chrism Mass just after 10 am, and the Mass wasn't due to start till noon.  The traditional group of us gathered in the piazza with our "Thank you to our priests" sign - members of the Assn of Catholic Women, together with young people from St Patrick's, Soho Square, and various other supporters. We handed out prayer-cards bearing a thank-you message to priests as they arrived. As always, there are far, far more priests than one imagines...we hear so much about a clergy shortage, but when they arrive for a big gathering like this, you realise that there are still huge numbers, and still they kept arriving...

The priests vest in the Cathedral Hall and then walk in procession up Ambrosden Avenue, filing into the cathedral...This year it seemed even more crowded than ever.  With a friend, I squeezed in at the very back, but I was desperate to sit down, and eventually found a place in St Patrick's chapel where my feet could rest, if not actually thaw out. All of us in these side-chapels could hear all of the Mass, the beautiful prayers for the blessing of the oils, and of course the superb music, led by the Cathedral's fine choir, and we knelt and stood etc along with the rest of the congregation.

Afterwards, we hurried to the Hall to give out the remaining cards, and then finally desposited our placard in the bookshop (St Paul's, in Morpeth Terrace - bless them!) from where I will collect it early tomorrow morning in order to take it to St George's Cathedral, Southwark, for their Chrism Mass - and then went for some hot soup. 

More on that meeting...

...between Papa Francis and dear Papa Benedict...I found that this report gave some extra details that are poignant...

It is very significant that Papa F. specifically spoke of BXVI's humility...

The voices in the media currently heaping praise on Papa F are precisely those that are likely to turn on him in due course, sneering when he supports - for example - marriage as the union of a man and a woman, or the right to life of the frail and sick. At the moment they are giving him the honeymoon treatment, and are emphasising, again and again, his simplicity and enthusiasm for poverty. This is intensely annoying, and in his own gentle way, he's taken a stance by emphasising in this gift to BXVI, the latter's own genuine humility.

BTW, the icon was itself a gift from the Russian Orthodox, who are thrilled  and touched that it has been given to BXVI.  Russia - where there is currently of course a notable revival of Christianity with churches drawing significant numbers, especially of the young - will  be of importance in the next years. Benedict XVI was popular with the Orthodox, and then they sent, for the first time since the Great Schism, an official representative to Pope Francis' inaugural Mass. Benedict XVI, in a little-noticed but significant gesture, quietly announced that he would no longer use the title "patriarch of the West". The scene is set for the possibility of talks-about-talks for the healing of the schism that has lasted for more than a thousand years...and if you fold into this the actions of Bl John Paul, and the consecration that he made in 1984 in response to the message of Fatima...and the subsequent collapse of Communism...

A small but pleasing...

item of news on the website of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.  The Ladies Ordinariate Group is an enthusiastic team and this project is its first major venture...

The Chrism Mass...

...at which all the priests of a diocese gather to receive the blessed oils that will be used  for sacramental anointing during the year, is always a big event. At Westminster Cathedral it has become quite a spectacle as the long procession of priests comes up Ambrosden Avenue and into the piazza.  Shoppers in Victoria Street pause to watch, people crane through bus windows, tourists take photos...but will it all happen this year, in this bitter cold? The Westminster Chrism Mass is tomorrow (Tuesday).

I'm writing this near the Cathedral (useful coffee-shop with Internet access has become a favourite haunt to this proud possessor of a new laptop)  and London is full of well-wrapped figures, hunched across the cold. Priests in albs and vestments will feel distinctly chilly - maybe the decision will be made to abandon the outdoor walk and simply have them arrive via the sacristy.  Which will be a pity in a way,  because we in the Assn of Catholic Women will be in the piazza with our "Thank you to our priests" sign, and small holy-cards with a message of prayer and gratitude. On the other hand, we always hand out the cards to priests as they arrive beforehand and are hurrying to the Cathedral Hall for vesting before the procession...and so it's still worthwhile.

On Wednesday the Southwark diocesan Chrism Mass takes place at St George's Cathedral, where the priests walk in procession from the adjoining Amigo Hall.  I'll be there with a  fresh team and with the placard and thank-you cards...and maybe the weather will be a bit warmer!

Other Holy Week duties include the purchasing of choc eggs, bunnies etc for family, godchildren, and friends...

Wonderful scenes...

...in St Peter's Square this Palm Sunday, with Pope Francis greeting young people who gathered there for the traditional start of World Youth Day. He will be in Brazil this summer for WYD itself, and his warm enthusiasm for the celebrations is evident. He sees himself as being in the footsteps of his two great predecessors in this:  " I too am setting out on a journey with you today, in the footsteps of Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI. We are already close to the next stage of this great pilgrimage of the Cross. I look forward joyfully to this coming July in Rio de Janeiro! I will see you in that great city in Brazil! Prepare well in your communities — prepare spiritually above all — so that our gathering in Rio may be a sign of faith for the whole world.”

The meeting between him and Papa BXVI yesterday was rather moving to watch - even just sitting at home, crouched over a laptop. (Auntie has been rather housebound, with a bad cough and cold).  Papa Francis gave BXVI a lovely icon of "Our Lady of Humility", and told him that this was a special gift because BXVI had taught us all so much by by example about this virtue...

Watching BXVI - who looks rather old and frail, and so kindly and dear - kneeling there next to the new Pope, was of course at one level an extraordinary thing, but at another level it all looked rather comradely and normal. Two men in the service of God, getting on with what needs to be done in the service of the Church.

Palm Sunday Mass this morning at Westminster Cathedral.  I had planned to go to the Ordinariate parish at London Bridge, for an outdoor procession etc, but the weather was so bitter that I just couldn't manage it and headed instead to the warmth of the Cathedral. The singing of the Passion narrative was immensely powerful, done from the great pulpit with three fine voices and of course the choir, up in the apse. Vast crowd attending, great stacks of palm being handed out, Archbishop coming down the aisle as Mass ended, showering blessings...

Over the next days and weeks, watch the mass media - all following, irritatingly, the same line - seeking to stir up stories about how there will be splits between followers of BXVI and followers of Pope Francis. Don't go along with it. The truth is more prosaic: recent pontificates have shown a notable unity of course and of purpose and this looks set to continue.

Looking ahead...

...this is good news...

...and by way of background to Papa Francis, this is a good read...

Dr Welby...

...installed today by the C of E at Canterbury...it was good that the H. Father sent a friendly and supportive greeting, a sign of friendship and hope and goodwill.

Now: Dr W. must remain true to his Evangelical principles and stick up for the truth that marriage is the lifelong union of one man an one woman. This is an evangelical moment for Christians in the West, and he is right to give an upbeat and positive message. Christ is the answer to the muddle and hurt and sorrow in people's lives...including the lives of those who think that by angry lobbying they can make themselves feel comfortable about trying to avoid the beauty of God's plan...

I was a bit underwhelmed by Dr W's signal failure to affirm male/female marriage in his sermon at Canterbury: it is the single most crucial issue facing our poor country - and, unlike the Pope, he really does  have a very specific duty to tackle specific issues in a specific place in addition to offering some message for the wider world. .

I have hopes (but not, alas, expectations) that Dr W. may prove a useful Christian voice in our poor nation. Let's keep him in our prayers at this time...

Pope Francis' inaugural Mass...

...magnificent. Read about it and see pix here.   V. significant that the Orthodox Christians were officially represented...for the first time in something like 1,000 years.  End of schism in sight? Huge surge of Christianity in Russia in recent decades... fruits of Bl John Paul's  Act of Consecration in 1984...

Bach's St John Passion...

...at Westminster Cathedral. Absolutely superb. In the hushed cathedral, as the lights dimmed, the great Crucifix cast its shadow  on the high ceiling  as the  the choir gathered  in front of the chancel. And then the chorale began...the words of Scriptures interspersed with meditative prayer, all in Bach's soaring music...unforgettable, awesome and inspiring.

Out into the  cold and raw evening...we finished with hot chocolate and sandwiches at Victoria station.

Home late, and a fat envelope awaited me. Turned out to be a package of thank-you letters from the dear, dear little girls at St Christina's School, where I gave a talk recently. I am very touched. The letters and cards are all hand-written and illustrated. One sample: "Thank you Mrs Bogle for the things we learned about Lent because of you. Your  jokes were a good idea for us to enjoy it." Several mentioned how much they enjoyed learning the origins of words (I'd explained to them about Beth-lehem, the place of bread, and so on...). There was a quiz and the winners got John Paul medals: one child has drawn a beautiful picture of her medal and written about JPII, explaining that he was the Pope before Benedict XVI, and "he made World Youth day"...

...and...

...further comments on the start of a new pontificate here...

...and this is a very good overview of the past days and weeks...

Spent the evening...

...with young relatives recently. They produced a hearty supper, tackled problems with Auntie's computer and mobile phone, and we  talked, swapped family news...

Their four delightful children were already tucked up in bed, looking utterly adorable. One had managed to break a leg earlier in the week and is in plaster...older sibling has been cheerfully helping to carry him about ("He's not heavy - he's my brother"). New baby woke for a late-night feed, all warm and sleepy and cuddlesome.

It's easy, I know, for Auntie to get sentimental about family life. Of course I am utterly aware of its realities. But they are realities which hold the future. Communities that do not honour marriage and family life will die. Many nations have a feel of doom about them. Did you know that, in 2011, Japan bought more adult nappies that baby nappies? In Britain, we have just begun to grasp the huge problems that we face with an ageing population - a problem we share with most of Europe.

Some while back a TV programme discussed the wave of infertility that seemed to be sweeping the developed world.  Something in the water, it was suggested? Among much else, it has been discovered that fish near sewage outlets have been developing hermaphrodite features. The TV programme decided that the problem was plastic bags.  Er...no, I don't think so.  Is there perhaps a pill that people are taking that might be responsible? Is that possible?

There is a curious insanity about some of the discussions on this topic. The TV team found an Italian village where just one baby had been born in the previous few years. Were any more likely to arrive?  "No, no, I don't want children" one young woman announced firmly "I want to spend my life having fun, travelling, seeing new places..."

I wonder who she thinks will be piloting the aeroplane?  Why should anyone spend their time flying ageing Italians round the world, and at whose expense?

The children tumbling about today, having fun, making a noise, breaking their legs, helping one another, drawing pictures for Auntie, messing up things in the kitchen,  making their parents happy and exhausted...these are the people who will be there when we are old. No one else. Your cat or your goldfish won't look after you when you are old, nor will they be paying taxes, producing food,  running hospitals.  As the old song puts it "People...need people..."

Among many...

...features and news items about Pope Francis, I think this one is relevant and useful to read... and this gives a good report of this morning's inaugural Mass...

Brrrrh!...c-c-cold....

...just got in from the History Walk around Chelsea.   It was raw, damp and cold, but a little group of us met and actually enjoyed our Chelsea walk! We stopped at St Thomas More's statue and the church where he went to Mass every morning, and ended up at Allen Hall, the diocesan seminary which stands on land that was once More's garden...one of the seminarians was just coming out, well wrapped up against the cold, and another, in long black robe, just going in...there will be eight men ordained for the diocese of Westminster this summer, and some deacons ordained too. The mood seems to be upbeat. Interestingly, World Youth Day seems to be a factor in helping several of the men to think about the priesthood. It was strange to stand there in the rain and remember the heat of Madrid in the summer of 2011 at the last World Youth Day...

History and Tradition...

...and you can relish both at this evening's Catholic History Walk MONDAY). Starts 6.30pm outside Holy Redeemer Church, Chelsea. Promises to be cold (I'm writing this an hour or two beforehand), so dress warmly and wear shoes that will stand up to wet pavements...if it's really simply pouring, we'll do a quick tour of the church instead: it has an interesting history and some things worth seeing...

Next events include the big Day Conference on June 18th sponsored by the FAITH MOVEMENT: book your place now - see info here...and the June 23rd MARTYRS' WALK: put it in your diary, starts 1pm at the Old Bailey and goes through London, following the route taken by the English Martyrs as they were dragged to die at Tyburn...

The Chrism Mass...

...at a diocesan cathedral unites the priests of the diocese who come together to receive the holy oils that will be used through the next year for  baptisms and anointing the sick...

In what has become an annual tradition, a group of us will be at Westminster Cathedral's Chrism Mass (Tuesday 26th March, 12 noon) and at the Chrism Mass at St George's Cathedral, Southwark  (Wed March 27th, 11.30am) to greet the priests as they arrive, with a big banner saying "THANK YOU TO OUR PRIESTS" and little holy cards. This year's cards are yellow (Southwark) and cream (Westminster) and mention the Year of Faith and carry a Scriptural quotation:"Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and for ever". 

This tradition began in Southwark as an initiative of  two Catholic ladies, and then the Association of Catholic Women took it up, and organised it for Westminster...and then the Westminster ACW team was joined by the young people from St Patrick's, Soho Square...

We always value more supporters - and the Chrism Mass is beautiful, with glorious prayers...Westminster Cathedral's choir will be in fine voice and it is an unforgettable experience to crowd into the packed Mass and hear the Archbishop blessing the oils with prayers that recall the olive branch brought back to Noah by a dove, and all echoing with centuries of unbroken tradition...

This morning I was busy getting the cards printed, and at the weekend the ACW was rallying people...do come along and join us and show our priests that we value the service they give to God and the Church...

Sunday Mass at London Bridge...

...at Precious Blood Church, and for the first time at a Sunday Mass, hearing the words "Francis, our Pope..." in the Canon. Afterwards, coffee and cake in the parish house, and then some of us watched the H. Father on EWTN...vast crowds, of course, in St Peter's Square for the Angelus, a sense of continuity with Papa JPII and Papa BXVI...

It was through EWTN that I first met Fr Christopher Pearson, now parish priest of Pr. Blood. He was still an Anglican, and was joining the Ordinariate, and EWTN's Joan Lewis came to London to interview him and others taking the same step. We met outside Westminster Cathedral and chatted...I got to know his Ordinariate group, he was duly ordained at St George's, Southwark...and now, some two years on, here we were watching Joan broadcasting to us from Rome with the latest news and discussions about the new Pope...

 TV showed Papa Francisco celebrating Mass and preaching at St Anne's Church, and greeting everyone as they left, just like a parish priest, the father-figure of a community. People crowding up to kiss his ring, to talk to him, to press his hands. He embraced small children like BXVI did, kissing the tops of their heads. It all looked rather delightful...the Romans seem to be taking him to their hearts...

A tiny bit of history...

...at Westminster Cathedral this weekend, as the Ladies Ordinariate Group from Precious Blood Church, for the first time, sent a delegation to the annual Mass organised by the Westminster diocesan Union of Catholic Mothers. The Mass, celebrated by Bishop John Sherrington, drew women from various UCM branches in the diocese, and also delegates from the UCM in neighbouring dioceses (Southwark, Arundel and Brighton) - and, greeted with enthusiasm, the Ordinariate! It was lovely to be there and to be part of all this, and we were warmly welcomed to a splendid Tea afterwards in Vaughan House, where we met and chatted to all sorts of people. Good contacts established, and another small chapter in the history of the Ordinariate was written.

Hurrying through a rainy suburb...

...en route to a Confirmation class where I was due to give a talk. Trying to cross a busy road, I stepped back, realising that I was being stupid and must wait for the traffic lights...a fellow pedestrian grinned and said something about not risking one's life. "It's daft, really" I admitted  "But I'm running a bit late - I'm meant to be at a Confirmation class!"  "At the church?" he asked, and offered me a lift as his car was parked not far away. Turned out to be a parishioner.  Actually, it would be just as quick to walk, so I thanked him and we parted cheerily and I hurried off...but somehow the encounter gave the evening a happy start.

Rows of  faces...prayers, with  everyone standing up and turning to a great crucifix hanging on the wall, young voices chorusing together. When you begin the talk, you watch as they slowly change and get involved: at first they don't know whether or not it's OK to smile, and no one likes to be the first to raise a hand in response to a question, and they take a while to lose that "oh-I'm-so-cool-I don't-need-to-look-interested" face - but then  things get going. It was a good session.  But later, in informal talk, it was clear that many were shocked that I had mentioned - in a passing remark - that it was dreadful that the Govt was imposing on us the idea that two people of the same sex could marry. Out came the parroted slogans "But if two people love each other - " "People are just born gay, aren't they?"  They find it hard to think in wider terms. They are very young.  It honestly all reminded me of seeing a Soviet film which showed children indoctrinated in ideology, brightly parroting slogans  "Socialism is the big answer!" "Socialism means justice!"   Fortunately, this particular crowd of young people is blessed with fine priests and good catechists, and will learn much and have doors opened to a wider spiritual and moral vision...but, oh, the sadness as one ponders the reality of the future for most young people in today's Britain...

The Mass of all time...

...and all places.  There is a great sense of unity with history when praying in an ancient church or cathedral.  I was at Mass in St Mary's church in Cracow when the news came that white smoke had appeared from the  chimney in Rome...the Mass was being celebrated in Polish, everyone around me was making the responses in Polish, and yet it didn't really feel that different from being at Mass in London (except that, in general, people in Poland are much more reverent).

Then the  priest made an announcement about the white smoke (the lady next to me whispering to me a rough translation as he was speaking), and then we all sang a Te Deum, and went out into the snow square of the Stare Miasta...and then, over supper, the full news came via mobile 'phones and texts and tweets...and so we sat talking about Pope Francisco and what he might be like and what it might all mean for the future...

...and now, here in London, reading the press and scanning the Web to get views and opinions...

And in the Catholic world all is prayerful goodwill, and thoughtful comment, and joy - except for the self-appointed "traditionalists" who have been sending out the most horrible material denouncing Papa Francisco, sneering at him, and passing on rumours and untruths. Ugh.

...and meanwhile...

...here is a good interview about Papa Francisco...

I'm beginning to tire...

...of the media trying to stir things up by seeking to stress differences in lifestyle between Popes Benedict and Francis.

Pope Francis has many admirable qualities. But to suggest that he is the first Pope in history to live a simple and austere life is a bit absurd. Pope Benedict lived in a modest flat near the bus depot before he was elected to the Papacy, and walked every day to work with his battered briefcase. People often assumed he was just an ordinary priest, and asked him the way to tourist sites, etc, only discovering afterwards that they had been talking to the famous Cardinal Ratzinger...

John Paul II lived in complete poverty, gave away everything, even a warm coat given to him in the bitter cold, and shoes...the sisters who looked after him as Pope  despaired because he wanted them to give away any new clothes and insisted on wearing old ones until they were beyond any further mending. When he died, he left almost no possessions except a photograph of his parents, and his worn old scapular...

Well, the angry tirades against the new Pope have started...

...and first off was a nasty "traditionalist Catholic" blog which published a furious rant asserting - among other things - that as a Bishop he "persecuted every single priest who made an effort to wear a cassock".

Which seems unlikely, since he wore one himself.  David Uebbing, Catholic News Service, March 13th, talked to people who knew him in Buenos Aires:

"In February 2001, Fr. Rosica was at a meeting in Buenos Aires of the bishops from throughout Latin America to promote World Youth Day in Canada. He was told that Archbishop Bergoglio was going to celebrate Mass for the people at the meeting.

“So I went in earlier, and sat and prayed in the back. And I saw this man come in with a simple black cassock and knelt in front of me and prayed for the longest time. And then when he came out in the procession, it was the archbishop.”

Watching our Holy Father...

...I am struck by his prayerfulness and humour and his ability to lead a great - vast, enormous - crowd of people in prayer with dignity and deep sincerity. This is a good man. This is a holy man.

And I love his choice of name. St Francis, pray for this good man who now takes on such a burden.

Papa, we love you and are with you.

The Our Father...

...the prayer said by millions around the world and down the centuries. The prayer said by children at night, by frightened soldiers on a battlefield, by lonely old people muddled and unhappy, by Christians of all denominations, by anyone and everyone who cherishes the spiritual realities that have shaped minds and hearts for two millenia...but apparently unknown to the young man chosen by the BBC to report the election of a new Pope. The young man stumbled and eventually gave up when trying to say this prayer. Do watch the ghastly, humiliating reality of the voice of modern Britain: the BBC can't even get some one who knows the Lord's Prayer.

We desperately - and I do mean desperately - need a New Evangelisation.

So...

...we have a new Holy Father. And he has all our prayers.  The moment when 50,000 people in St Peter's Square joined together with him in silent prayer was a beautiful one. What a challenge lies before this man, standing there in his white robe and taking on the charge first given to Peter long ago...

He has out love and our full loyalty. God bless our Holy Father Francis.

Watching it all on a computer, like millions around the world.

Prayer...

...in the church of St Florian in Krakow. There is a side altar which is a shrine to a young priest, who worked there in the 1950s. Candles, flowers, a fine portrait of him, in the background of which you can see  forested landscape and a canoe which has been turned upside down to form an altar, held up by crossed oars.

We walked through the snowy Planty - the gardens around the old city centre, ate spinach pancakes, came back to the flat to get emails and do some work...and will shortly be going out to an evening Mass. Polish TV, like TV everywhere, full of images of people standing in St Peter's Square with microphones and talking about names of cardinals and gesticulating towards the chimney.

While waiting for a new Pope...

...why not put these dates in your diary?

 LONDON  CATHOLIC HISTORY WALKS:  MONDAY March 18th, 6.30pm Meet outside Holy Redeemer Church, Cheyne Row, Chelsea. Nearest tube: Sloane Square (then bus along the Kings Road). Tuesday April 16th, 6.30pm, meet outside the Church of SS Anselm and Cecilia, Kingsway (nearest tube: Holborn). No need to book: just turn up. Wear sensible footwear: we'll be walking whatever the weather.

TUESDAY, June 18th - yes, it's a longish way ahead, but you need to get your tickets now. DAY OF FAITH, with Bishop Philip Egan and author George Weigel - not to be missed. A day conference at St Patrick's Soho Square. Come for the day, or just for the evening. Lunch and supper provided, and the Day includes Mass, opportunities for confession, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament... see that link or this one  for details. You need to get a ticket in advance: book your place now...

Saturday June 22nd: Ordinariate Pilgrimage to Walsingham: info to follow. Book the date...

July 7th-11th: John Paul II Walk for the New Evangelisation, organised by the Dominican Sisters of St Joseph...info here...

Apparently...

... the Cardinals in the Conclave have been told that if they use mobile phones or twitter or facebook or whatever, they'll be excommunicated. Sounds excellent.   Couldn't we extend this, eg to people who use mobile phones or text in church, or at mealtimes? And children in lessons?

Krakow white with snow...

...and the TV showing black smoke from the Vatican. I'm picking up some understanding of Polish  - total immersion in a language is the only answer, and I've been listening to Polish radio and buying Polish magazines and newspapers. Mass yesterday evening at the glorious St Mary church in Krakow's central square - the rhythm of the words is the same in Polish, Latin, or English. The Masses at this church are generally in Polish (for the Penitential rites, and the Liturgy of the Word) and Latin (Offertory and Canon), and often chanted. Offertory and Canon ad orientem. Strong voices singing hymns, no hymn-books apparently required. Great sense of devotion, a good mix of people of all ages...

Flying home tomorrow. On Monday: a CATHOLIC HISTORY WALK in Chelsea. Meet outside Holy Redeemer Church, Cheyne Row, Chelsea, at 6.30pm. All welcome - no need to book, just turn up!

As eyes are focused on Rome...

...and prayers and thoughts are with the Conclave...we will we praying in a place of peculiar significance...we are off to Wadowice, the small town not far from Krakow, where a Pope was born and baptised, where he grew up and went to school, and where today the parish church will be a place of intercession  for the next chapter of the Church's history as it unfolds...

It is so strange, this interregnum: the sense of unreality hasn't yet faded, even as Papa Benedict went by helicopter from Rome out to the hills and the lake, even as his name was omitted from the Canon of the Mass, even as we tried to get used to the words "Pope Emeritus". Here in Krakow the layers of history are the background to everyday life and you do get a sense of how things move on...the era of Communism is rarely mentioned except as history, the mobile-phone shops jostle with elegant cafes with a vaguely pre-1914 feel and with smart restaurants that definitely belong to the 21st century, Pope John Paul is honoured in statues and plaques, and the Church flourishes and goes on...

God's mercy...

...is poured out upon us in great generosity...all we need to do is seek it, claim it...

We went to the Divine Mercy shrine on the outskirts of Cracow today. Kneeling in the chapel where Sister Faustina prayed , and being led in prayer by a young nun, was all rather moving. This was my second pilgrimage here, and on a bitterly cold day the warm chapel and the glowing candles were comforting. The great - giant! - modern shrine alongside was rather too bleak and chilling on this grey day, although its tall tower like the mast of a great ship, with a statue of  dear Bl John Paul at the helm, is always impressive. From its viewing platform at the top, one can see the building works on a neighbouring hillside, where a vast conference centre dedicated to JPII is being built. It is all near the Solvay chemical plant where he worked as a labourer in WWII.  From the designs and plans and from what is now being constructed, it somehow seems very big and ambitious...one feels "nearer" to JPII in the streets of Krakow, its churches and cathedral where he served as Archbishop...

Long and fascinating discussions about philosophy with academics over coffee...thinking about Polish history as we hurry through icy but enchanting streets...TV screens with news reports where words like "Konclav" and "Kardinal" emerge from a puzzle of Polish...

Sunday, and the Church at prayer...

...and we were in the great Ark Church in Nowa Huta on the outskirts of Cracow. We arrived early, and people were pouring out of an earlier Mass, into the grey rainswept morning and the tower blocks of what was originally built as the ultimate Soviet-style city and turned into the home of Europe's most famous modern church. The flagstones and steps were slithery in the icy rain, and it was good to enter the church. Its vast sweep and sense of strong, purposeful presence is splendid. The Stations of the Cross show Christ in solidarity with all the suffering of Europe in the 20th century, in all the horror and sorrow..

We were glad to have come early, as the church filled up...and filled, and filled...soon it was standing-room only, and still they came in, and came, and came...

I had brought my Magnificat, so could follow the Epistle, Gospel  etc. At Holy Communion, lines flocked to the altar rails, but the numbers were such that priests also came down the aisles, with altar-server and plate, to distribute the Sacrament, people receiving by mouth and with great reverence.

Many in the congregation were older women, warmly and often stylishly clad, strong faces.  Children were well-behaved, no shouting or noisy toys.

Lunch in Cracow with a professor friend, who told us about student days of the 70s with the Archbishop leading talks in the student church...and then those unforgettable days in 1979 when he returned as Pope, and everything in Poland changed in a spiritual upsurge that broke through into history...

Later, in the dark and cold, hurrying back to our warm flat, we passed the crowds at St Anne's Church - surging young people, spilling out down the steps, gathering and talking...a new generation...

...and in Rome, the Cardinals gather...

The Conclave...

...starts in Rome on March 12th, and TV news today showed the cardinals arriving in Rome...seems unreal, somehow...

Watching it all over coffee after a meal of pierogi in a café in Krakow's magnificent main square.  Then, through icy rain, to the great church of St Mary: we had agreed to pray the Rosary for the Conclave, for the Church, for Britain, for the research work that has  brought us to Poland (a book project), for various private intentions...

Lots of people in church, voices raised in prayer... the Stations of the Cross - the familiar devotions in a strange language. Joined in for a bit, and then, as planned,  knelt in the chapel near the door and prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, the Hail Mary gently back and forth in a low murmured English.   Young people still coming in to the church as we left. Checked times of Mass for tomorrow and need not have bothered: Mass every hour from 6 am onwards...

The church is, of curse, stunning - a great  blue arched ceiling studded with stars, and so much rich decoration in gold, so many votive offerings, so much to see. At a side altar, a portrait of Bl John Paul, alongside a statue of Our Lady of Fatima...

A slightly adventurous journey here: thick mist over Krakow airport, and as we flew in and were about to land, a sudden surge and roar of engines and we took off upwards again! People shrieked, an announcement was made that the pilot was just going to do another turn in order to make a new entry because visibility was poor. "It's fine" I said to the girl next to me, who had been sleeping and woke with a cry at the terrific noise "Nothing to worry about..." We flew for a long time - a big circle around the airport presumably -  and then made a steady descent, landed safely...

Dropped in to....

....Mass at Westmin. Cathedral. In the Canon, the priest started to say "Papa nostro, Benedicto - " and then stopped short, and said "er...." and started again, moving on swiftly to "Episcopo nostro, Vincenzo..."

As I was leaving, a friend came up to whisper a greeting, and we ended up having coffee together. She's a talented young artist, and involved with a lovely project for St Patrick's Day. It's at St Patrick's, Wapping (nearest tube: Tower Hill or Wapping) and there's a St Patrick's Market, with traditional bread, Irish Strew, Irish coffee, and more, and upstairs an Open Studio with the community of artists there, opportunities to see their work, have a portrait sketched, or get involved in other activities such as face-painting, and learn about the art classes they run and the opportunity to see something of the Christian vision of art and creativity and beauty. So make a date: Sunday March 17th, in the heart of London, by the Thames...a place of leafy beauty by the river, 5 mins walk from Tower Bridge and drenched in tradition and history...

...and so to...

...Harrow in Middlesex, where a large and crowded Confirmation class was waiting. This is a very big parish - the crowded class was only half of the Confirmation group, and I return on Thursday to repeat my talk to the other half.

Talk on "Catholic heritage". They need to know - have a right to know, want to know, enjoy learning about - how the Faith came to Britain. They need to know  how it travelled through the routes of the Roman Empire, about the evidence of Romano-British Christianity here (St Patrick etc), about how the pagan Angles and Saxons arrived (our days of the week are named after Saxon gods) and how the Pope in Rome saw the Saxon slaves and wanted to send missionaries to their lands, and how Augustine and his monks set off but got scared when they heard about these ferocious pagans and turned back, only to be told by good Pope Gregory to set out again and not to return until they'd done the job...

We tackled the calendar: the crucial central reality of the Incarnation, centred on God's huge love for us. March 25th, and why this date is so important, and how our calendar has revolved around it for nearly two millennia...we tackled pub signs, nursery rhymes, old sayings, what Shrovetide is, and why saints' days occur when they do, and why we eat eggs at Easter...

This is a parish which is instructing its young, and they are open to it all. They all had copies of YouCat in their hands. They all joined in the prayers at the beginning and end of the session: it is so good to hear young voices praying together. They knew about World Youth Day and about the worldwide Church, about recent Popes... and now they know a bit more about the Church in their own land, and how, in these extraordinary days of 2013, they are living through an adventure in the Church's history too....

A happy day...

...at this school in London. A classroom full of cheerful little girls in bright blue uniforms, and Auntie giving a talk about Lent and Easter customs and traditions. The afternoon's began with prayers - the children in a circle, hands together, eyes closed, voices very sweetly chorusing a prayer together asking God's blessing on their lessons, their activities, their friendships. Then a cross was passed around from one child to another, and as each child held it, she made a request for prayer - for a granny who was unwell, for a Daddy travelling  home from abroad, for the cardinals in Rome meeting to choose the new Pope...

The children were a delight to teach. They already knew about Lent, and the Last Supper, and Good Friday, and Easter. They loved learning about the Royal Maundy, and the washing of feet, and about how Easter eggs have developed into the chocolate ones we know now, and more...they were reverent and thoughtful in discussing sacred things, eager and excited about answering questions in the little quiz that ended the day. I had some medals of Bl John Paul with me, and the winning team each got one.  A happy day.

Recent conversations...

...about the difficulties of boy-meets-girl today, took me to this blog post. tackling the subject.  Like other oldies, Auntie has done her share of matchmaking.  But it's getting much more complicated. Read that blog post and join the debate....

WISDOM...

...and common sense, and kindness, at an excellent conference sponsored by the Diocese of Shrewsbury, tackling the question of  sex education, and the respective roles of parents and teachers. Main message: parents often find it hard to talk to their children and help, support and encouragement is available. Very good news: an excellent new handbook, just out, on this topic: info here...

The conference drew large numbers of teachers and parents, along with school nurses, clergy, and school governors. For the first time, here was a major conference tackling this issue not with polemics or with ghastly schemes for showing children lurid materials or exhorting them to assume immoral behaviour to be the norm. There was immense interest and enthusiasm and the mood was upbeat and positive, the discussions thoughtful and informative.

We are going to hear a great deal more on all of this...a new mood and style on sex-ed is in the air, especially among Catholics who have long been wary of the standard got-funded propaganda line on this (ie the pretence that giving children contraceptives will lower the pregnancy rate: it doesn't, and of course is immoral  and cruel anyway).

Guest speaker at the conference was Fr Jaroslaw Szymczak from the Family Support Foundation in Poland. He has worked for some years helping troubled families, and also working with young people in reformatories....his talk, focusing the needs of the young, was inspiring and illuminating. It's not rocket science: the need for families to spend time together, for parents to listen to their children, for children to know that their parents love and value them, is all very straightforward...but there are so many pressures on families today, and so many young people whose experience of family break-up means that they feel unable to trust, and so many people looking for love that they have failed to find at home and then seek in all the wrong places...

It was a privilege to be part of this conference (Auntie was there in v. humble capacity, helping with some admin.) - and extremely interesting to realise that, among much else, the Church in Poland has been getting to grips with some social problems in ways that we in the rest of Europe would do well to study and emulate...

As we approached...

...7pm on Feb 28th, and thus 8pm in Rome, we paused and prayed for our beloved  Benedict XVI and for our future Holy Father...

I was with a Catholic student group, giving a lecture, and in the rather bleak modern lecture hall, suddenly we were at one with Rome.

Spent most of the day travelling, and using my new laptop to complete an essay. It felt good when I had completed it...just a few footnotes to double-check and the details of the Bibliography to complete. On the journey home, I opened up the laptop again, and with a couple of misplaced clicks on the mouse, had lost the entire week's work.

People are kind. Even the ticket-collector on the train tried to help, and summoned another passenger who also did his best. Later, on the local train trundling back through the suburbs from London, I was offered a seat and sank into it gratefully.  "Had a tough day?" asked the chap next to me sympathetically "A bit. Lost an essay on my computer" So he tried to help too, checked my laptop and looked up various possibilities for locating a lost file... 

Actually I am resigned to the loss, and the general consesus seems to be: you haven't lost it. The second attempt will be much better, as you have done all ther basic mental work. Which is true,. So here goes...