PREMIER RADIO...

...ran an interview about the Catholic History Walks:  the presenter was particularly glad to do so, as her parents had originally met at a Catholic ramble years ago! Premier website is here...

The Premier studios are in Chapter Street, just off the Vauxhall Bridge Road...I went from there across the river and on to London Bridge, for a meeting of a local branch of the Walsingham Association...lots of news about developments at the shrine, extension of the "Barn Church"  as it is not large enough and anyway needs renovation and improvement...and Community of Our Lady of Walsingham is now running the Dowry House in the village High Street as a centre for retreats and a place where pilgrims can stay...

In the afternoon, on to a useful meeting to plan the next round of  Evenings of Faith, organised by the FAITH Movement...and then a talk to a lively youth group, with pizza and games and a very happy atmosphere....they went on to join in prayer at  Nightfever at St Patrick's, Soho.  Auntie travelled back (exhausted!) to the suburbs for mugs of tea...and reading  this book on John Henry Newman, some fascinating insights...

A "Venerable" in Rome...and a message from a Papal tutor...

...a good read here...

Read Auntie Joanna...

...in The Portal here...

London...

...and leading History walks. Some thoughts for some visitors here...

Trundling a suitcase...

...across London, en route to family in Oxfordshire, I stopped for Mass at St Patrick's, Soho, beckoned  by the bell ringing out across traffic and litter and roadworks in Oxford Street.  Church very full: a  young volunteer stands at the back to help steer people to spaces available. I found a place at a pew-end where I was able to put my case by an adjoining side-altar.

Glorious music, beautiful church, candles glowing, dignified and uplifting liturgy,  voices raised in responses and hymns. Afterwards, freshly brewed coffee in the crypt...friendly chat, delightful young people  being nice to Auntie...

Oxford Street is  crowded but messy and somehow a bit seedy - American visitors who come expecting smart shops and a feeling of elegance must be very disappointed...tube to Paddington, and thence by train through lashing rain to a warm family welcome...

At Exeter University...

...a warm welcome from the Cathsoc. A beautiful and reverent Mass at the Catholic Chaplaincy, strong young voices making the responses, lots of young people receiving Communion with great reverence.  A lively buzz of talk in the bar, and then a full hall for the talk. Topic was the Church's understanding of the importance of why we are male and female, with specific input from the teaching of St John Paul.

St JP's Theology of the Body  was prophetic in its importance ...there is now such cruel and nasty nonsense being promoted on this subject and Christians need to be equipped to challenge the lies,and inspire people with the truth and beauty of the fullness of what it means to be human, and how marvellously we are made...

A happy  evening A particular pleasure to meet the delightful daughter of friends...I was a babysitter for the family when she and her siblings were small!  And here she is as a delightful young lady - beautiful and charming, and it was a delight to chat and catch up with news...

Today's young Catholics in Britain face  a militant atheism which forges strong alliances with forms of political-correctness where the Christian viewpoint is routinely marginalised or insulted. In a modern university, most of the students will have little or no working knowledge of the Christian faith - for this reason much of the West's art and literature baffles them - and young Catholics who do have this knowledge and perspective are often treated as weird. Lecturers,  and the general voice of officialdom, tend to  assume opposition to Catholic teaching - especially on sex and relationships - to be the norm and too often fail to acknowledge any alternative view. The work of a Catholic chaplaincy - and a lively Catholic Society with good speakers and access to plenty of opportunities to meet, talk, read,study, debate, take part in events and conferences etc - is crucial. Input from groups such as the Faith Movement  are important, and the solidarity fostered by events such as World Youth Day and Youth 2000 is of great value.

THE KEYS, The Catholic Writers' Guild of England and Wales...

...was begun in the 1930s by staff on GK's Weekly  and is proud of its links with the Chesterton/Belloc era. It has met at various places in London over the years. For a long while its  Guild Church was St Etheldreda's, Ely Place, where a plaque in the crypt now commemorates our many meetings there. Way back in the 1970s it met at what was then a conference centre (now St Paul's Bookshop) adjoining Westminster Cathedral. Until recently we were based at St Mary Moorfields in the City, which became a very popular home base for us.  Latest move is to Farm Street, with Fr Dominic as our chaplain.  And this new chapter looks set to be as successful as all the others: good numbers for Mass, a noisily talkative dinner with much conviviality, and then a gathering in the hall for freshly-brewed coffee, and a guest speaker.

Wednesday's meeting welcomed Dr Sara Jane Boss from the Centre for Marian Studies at Roehampton, who gave a fascinating talk on the history and theology of devotion to Mary, analysing the differences between the Catholic/Orthodox and the Protestant understanding...

Guild meetings - I've been attending for something approaching 40 years - are a wonderful time to meet old friends and make new contacts. On this occasion, it was also an opportunity to present the winner of the Christmas crossword in FAITH magazine with her prize: Amanda Hill (a former Mastermind quarter-finalist - no surprise that she is a crossword whizz too) was given her bottle of wine amid applause.

Pius XII...

... has been slandered so much in recent years, but Holocaust historian Martin Gilbert and others have upheld the truth and honoured his memory. The BBC has now admitted that it got something seriously wrong in a recent broadcast.   In an important feature, David Alton calls for Pius' beatification, perhaps on Holocaust Memorial Day next year...

More thoughts from Auntie...

read here,,,

Across a misty Thames...

... on Westminster Bridge, on a day of bright winter sunlight, slanting low, uncomfortable to the eyes...but London looked glorious.

Coffee with David Alton in the House of Lords. Lots to discuss...among much else, an invitation to the Westminster Award to Magnus Macfarlane-Barrow in February. It will be a privilege to be present...

On to Trafalgar Square, to meet a group of History Walkers on the steps of St Martin-in-the-Fields...we went along the Strand, down to the river, along the Embankment and on to the Inns of Court and the Temple Church...

On Thursday I will be at Exeter, giving a talk to the Exeter University Catholic Society, on St John Paul the Great and his teaching on the theology of male and female.

Restrictions on what Catholic schools are allowed to teach...

...are being urged by Britain's "integration tsar". She is called Dame Louise Casey, and she seems to think that it is up to her to announce what the Catholic Church is to teach in its schools.

Read here.,..  and write to your Member of Parliament explaining that it is unacceptable for Dame Louise - or any other public official - to try to drag us back to the 18th century in this way.   Our freedoim was hard-won, and when justice was finally achieved with the Catholic Emancipation Act shortly before Queen Victoria came to the throne, it was long overdue.

...and in America...

...somehow reassuring to see a President take his oath on a family Bible, and the Cardinal Archbishop of New York leading everyone in prayer... see report here.  Cardinal Dolan chose the Book of Wisdom - a very Catholic choice...

Francis...

...of Assisi...the real man behind the statue-looking-cute-by-the-bird-table, was the subject of our  first parish study evening of 2017 here.   Evensong, Mass, and then a light supper, and a DVD: Bishop Robert Barron, talking about the Pivotal Players in Church history. Among the things to think about: St Francis' life didn't involve a single bolt-from-the-blue conversion moment. Rather, it was a series of calls from God, each one deepening the relationship and taking the adventure further. The call to radical poverty, the call to rebuild the Church, the gathering of a band of brothers...and all along, it is a challenge and with plenty of human difficulties, even while the essential message is joyful.  After learning the story - it's all filmed in the lavish countryside and sunshine in the places where St Francis prayed and  lived and laboured, and its pace and beat are just right, for thinking and pondering it all - there are study-guides for some further pondering, to be used with the Scriptures and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, copies of which were handed round by Fr C...

Among the things to study were the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.  Plenty to challenge us all there... not just the feel-good stuff about feeding the hungry and visiting the imprisoned, but  "to bear wrong patiently..."

We finished by praying the popular "Instrument of they peace" prayer, and took copies home to pray again silently at the end of the day...

On Amoris Laetitiae...

...here's a Bishop talking sense.

While the Maltese Bishops are allinamuddleandgoingnowhere, here's a voice of wisdom with a practical way ahead: Read here

And while you're about it, here's some more common sense on a related topic:

Auntie Joanna and EWTN...

...read here...

The Maltese Bishops...

...now need to be corrected. Their statement on marriage doesn't conform to the Church's unchanged and unchangeable teaching. The Pope can't change this teaching. Amoris Laetitiae doesn't and can't change this teaching. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will now need to take action...and in the heightened atmosphere this isn't going to be easy. The message of Amoris Laetitiae has to be read through  the hermeneutic of continuity - St John Paul the Great gave magnificent teaching in Familiaris Consortio and in Veritatis Splendor, and  all the tools are provided for a clear response to the muddled thinking of the poor Maltese bishops, who are betraying their flocks by the confused and impoverished statement which denies the fundamental truth at the heart of the sacrament of marriage.

Pray for Pope Francis: he will need real humility in dealing with this. He often - and rightly - speaks of the need to be humble, to be open to the voice of the Spirit and not to get trapped in self-esteem and so on. The office of Peter is an unenviable one. People will love to gloat on the difficulties of his position - and he has made a number of people angry with his criticisms of the Roman Curia and so on, enabling not a few to enjoy the prospect of the challenges now facing him. He now needs prayer - a lot of loving prayer - to enable him to tackle the responsibility of teaching the truth about marriage.

Propaganda...

...at a mainline railway station. A massive, lavish  wide-screen video sponsored by a bank, promoting same-sex marriage. It  stretches across the entrance to the platforms, and imposes itself on every passenger arriving at the station, intruding into every part of the concourse.

In the 1950s in Eastern Europe, railway stations broadcast political slogans all the time along with the train announcements: "The next train to Wadowice departs from Platform Eight Socialism is the Way of the Future with our brothers in the Soviet Union".   And people did not - could not - complain because it would mean serious trouble for themselves and for their families, with action from the police and the public authorities. There was no one to whom it was possible to complain, and no possibility of a fair hearing if one did.

Tolkien and Catholicism....Evolution...problems in the Church...

...all this and lots more in the latest FAITH magazine, now on-line....

read here...

Major renovations...

...at Bogle Towers. Complete rebuilding of bathroom, heating system etc, requiring massive works... We are sort of camping there...it has been uncomfortable but the work is progressing.

I spent part of last week in Scotland, editorial board for FAITH magazine. Stayed with the wonderful Sisters of the Gospel of Life in Glasgow.  Their work has hugely expanded over the years since their foundation, and they now have a great team of helpers, providing all sorts of things for needy families...they are involved with the Rachel's Vineyard retreats...and their convent life has its own pace and rhythm, starting very early...Holy Hour...then off to the Cathedral for Mass, collecting a couple of people along the way...

The Cathedral stands along the waterfront, a little gem among city slabs and concrete...glowing and warm inside, and very beautiful since its renovations, the Gothic pillars with delicate ribbons of blue and gold. In the sanctuary are statues of St Andrew and St Mungo.

The train ride to Edinburgh swept us through snowy countryside...a warm welcome on arrival, a good meeting.

Evenings of FAITH...

organised by the FAITH Movement, at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory, Warwick Street, London W1. Nearest tube: Piccadilly  Circus.

All welcome. Talks start 7.30pm.  The entrance to the hall is in Golden Square, clearly marked at number 24...

Date	Title	Speaker
Tuesday 7th February	Can we be sure God exists?	Fr Matthew O'Gorman
Tuesday 21st February	The disaster of sin	Gregory Farrelly
Tuesday 7th March	Jesus Christ: Saviour and redeemer	Fr. Philip Miller
Tuesday 21st March	The Church: Christ’s voice to the world	Fr. Michael Dolman

The real Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict...

...emerges from this interview w. Peter Seewald.  It's a must-read.

I came to know Peter Seewald through working on the EWTN feature on Pope Emeritus Benedict...he (Seewald) is a superb writer, a serious thinker, and a very well-read man who is good company. At our first meeting, over coffee in Munich, I remember him mentioning the biography of BXVI  on which he had at that stage fairly recently embarked...I realised just how much work and worry and care he was putting into it, reading and pondering on so many things.  The book will be the culmination of all his interviews and discussions and the long years of friendship which began when Seewald was a journalist on a major German newspaper, with a young family and many questions about life, God, the Church, and the true meaning of things...and it will also be the result of his own study and reflection and the spiritual journey that he has made under Benedict's gentle example.

Clare Anderson and I interviewed Peter Seewald for the first part our TV feature on Pope Benedict, which was broadcast by EWTN a couple of years ago. (The second half, filmed in Rome last May, will be broadcast this year...)

Ratzinger/Benedict is one of the great minds of our era. He will one day be hailed as a Doctor of the Church.   His role at the Second Vatican Council, his years at the CDF and his superb book(s) on the life of Christ, plus his rich theological insights - presented so readably and with such grace - have been huge gifts to the Church  and will resonate for all the years to come...and all this has come with considerable suffering, as he has been endlessly misrepresented and villified over the years, his character attacked, his motives questioned, his actions challenged in malicious and cruel ways. He's one of the Church's heroes:  all of us are in his debt.

...and the Ordinariate?

How's it going?

An insight here...

More plans for...

....London's Catholic History Walks.   We are launching a new series of SUNDAY afternoon walks along the banks of the Thames in March.

All the info is here...get the dates in your diary now, and spread the word!

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith...

... is led by the excellent Cardinal Mueller, who speaks with firm, undramatic clarity.   Worth reading him here...

The Church's teaching on marriage cannot and will not change. And so Amoris Laetitiae has to be read with that truth clearly in mind as an ever-present reality. Of course it's always worth saying more: the truth has to be taught again and again and again.  Marriage is the lifelong union of a man and a woman, open to new life, establishing a family. It is a sacrament. It is all about Christ and his Bride, the Church. It is  not man's invention: it goes back to God's original plan. It is sacred.

I think that the good Cardinals who have raised "dubia" about this want to have it all set out in greater details and repeatedly, and that may well be useful. But it can't change what already is the case, taught consistently - sometimes well and sometimes less well, sometimes with immense depth, and sometimes in a chattier way, sometimes to people eager to listen and accept the teaching, sometimes to a world where many try to deny it and pretend that the Church could change. It is the task of every Bishop and every Cardinal to affirm the teaching clearly. Sometimes they may want to debate it, or criticise the way in which it has been put, or denounce some one for not putting it - but the most important, the most essential  thing is simply and courageously to teach it, and help all to live it.

When Amoris Laetitiae was first published, my own spouse telephoned me with some enthusiasm: we liked its clear affirmation of the Church's teaching on marriage, especially after what had seemed to be some contentious wrangling at the preceding Synod. I think we were not alone in sensing some  relief at a document which  announced the truth about marriage amid the noisy clamour of propaganda and laws promoting same-sex unions and cohabitation and so on.

Of course more can be said and will be, but the Church's teaching and discipline on marriage cannot change.

The traditional Mass...

...for Epiphany, and the Wise men had reached the crib after travelling via various places in the church. A rousing carol at the entrance procession.  Everyone seemed to sing the Gloria with greater gusto than usual. The Gospel with its haunting description of the Wise men :"and opening their treasures, they presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh..." There were some wonderful hymns (Anglican patrimony: it's an Ordinariate parish). Illustrating the way in which the Church has now spread across the globe, Fr C  noted in his sermon the countries from which members of the congregation came: it's a very, very mixed parish with people from the Caribbean, the Indian sub-continent, the Philippines, various parts of Africa and Europe and the Americas... and we pondered the Old Testament reading about all the peoples, and the fulfilment in the New Testament and the Church...

And afterwards, chocolates and delicious special bread with the coffee... and then the men hauling down the great Christmas trees on either side of the sanctuary, and children scurrying about helping to put away the glittering baubles until next year...

But what a pity that we couldn't have it on the actual DAY of the Epiphany, Jan 6th.  Moving it to the nearest Sunday means it loses none of its glory, but something of its specialness as a bright light in a January week, and the sense of the rightness of things,as the Christmas days reach twelve... Sundays are always special: no travelling to work but instead Mass, time for a proper lunch  a whole different dynamic from the moment the day dawns. But to have a specialness on a weekday is a triumph of light... DEAR BISHOPS: PLEASE CAN WE HAVE OUR FEAST-DAYS BACK???  Evening Mass on Epiphany was a joy - and afterwards the celebrations would continue at home or in a pub with friends, or in the parish. Doing it on Sunday means we miss out on that midweek party and the fullness of appreciating the sense of things having a time and a season...

...and so to projects for this New Year...

...Auntie has a good many lectures to give, and some new academic work...plus a lot of history projects, and some journalism. In August, Auntie will be walking to Walsingham on the John Paul walk for the New Evangeslisation  - more on that in due course.

At Bogle Towers, some substantial house repairs, begun in 2016, will continue with a new and rather urgent project....this in fact starts immediately.

And then there are the groups and committees organising things...including some projects that cannot be abandoned and on which some people rely...

But meanwhile, Auntie has spent today, after doing the ritual taking-down-of-the-Christmas-cards-and-wreaths, on a fresh embroidery project. It's another kneeler for the John Fisher School chapel. (We have a family connection with this school).  The school colours are blue and gold and the work is satisfying. I visited the school the other day. Some years ago my mother created a pleasing pen and ink sketch of the school, of which a limited edition was made, and copies distributed. The original, coloured in watercolours by my mother. hang in her room, and has now been donated to the school, to hang in the vicinity of the chapel.

An Epiphany carol service...

...Organised by fund-raisers for the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham  at this church in Warwick Street near Piccadilly. 

Tomorrow at the Ordinariate parish here, Fr Christopher will bless and distribute chalk, which we will take home, and after asking God to bless our homes for the coming year,we will chalk up the date, with the traditional initials of the Three Wise men, over the front door, thus:

C+M+B 2017

This is a tradition I first discovered in Austria, where children dressed as the three Wise Men go from house to house, being welcomed at each one, singing carols and reciting a little prayer...

Our house was blessed when we first moved in, some thirty years ago, by Father - now Bishop - Peter Elliott of Melbourne, who went into every room, blessing each with holy water...

Starting this coming week,...

...the parish of the Most Precious Blood at London Bridge will be enjoying Bishop Robert Barron's latest presentations, each Thursday evening after Evensong and Mass. Anticipating this, I decided to listen in to Bishop Robert's Epiphany sermon...listen here, it's fascinatimg.

Evolution...

.
...is an issue that gets some people v. excited. So you might be interested in the Jan/Feb FAITH magazine, which refers to  the FAITH Movement's line on this...send a Comment to this Blog (it won't be published) with your FULL POSTAL ADDRESS and - numbers permitting -  a copy will be sent to you.

A thoughtful - and useful - comment

...for the New Year is here...

a winter evening Mass...

...at Westminster Cathedral is a most reassuring experience. At first I thought it would be a bit bleak - no music as the choirboys are all at home with their parents for a well-earned break, and arrive back in a couple of days.

But there is something glorious about the simple solemnity of it all - the golden vestments glittering  against the twilight, the big comforting roar of voices making the responses. You never notice the  large numbers of people quietly, steadily, solidly, taking up their places in that vast space until  that great warm sound is sudden evidence of their presence all around and behind you. Lines of communicants. Quiet steady movement along the confessional queue. Candles glowing. And out into the London night with a sense of belonging.

It'll be lovely when the choir returns. But always, every day, as Canon Tuckwell reminded us, the Lord is there...

Extremely moving...

...story in the latest issue of OREMUS, the Westminster Cathedral magazine. Fr Nicholas Schofield discovered two memorial plaques for brothers killed within six months of each other in WWI. He discovered the story...you can read it here,   or simply drop into the Cathedral and get a copy of the magazine...

No, he didn't say that...

...and the internet can be a menace at spreading misreporting. Read here...

NEXT CATHOLIC HISTORY WALK...

...the first for this new season in 2017, is

TUESDAY JANUARY 17th, starts 2pm on the steps of Westminster Cathedral. All welcome, no need to book - just turn up! We'll be taking a look at the Cathedral itself, then on to St James and Whitehall.

Then the next walks are:

Tuesday Jan 24th, meet 2pm on the steps of St Martin-in-the-Fields, for a walk along the Strand and along to the Temple

Tuesday Jan  31st, meet 2pm on the steps of the Church of Our Most Holy redeemer and St Thomas More, Cheyne Walk, Chlsea - we'll be walking in the footsteps of St Thomas More.

Tuesday Feb 7th meet 2pm on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral, for a City walk discovering some of the famous City churches.

What were the best books...

...that you read in 2016?

Read about auntie's choices here

Read...

Auntie in The Portal, on-line magazine of the Ordinariate...

...and a New Year begins...

... 2016 ended, for me, with good friends and a log fire, a book-lined room, and glasses of liqueur and good conversation...J. was called  after Christmas on a legal case, so we arranged that I would spend the New Year weekend with friends in the Cotswolds.  We saw in the New Year after a delicious  and talkative dinner: we have all been friends for over 30 years. This morning I went with them  through the rain to a rather hearty church service in a stunning Cotswold church, and then we enjoyed a pub lunch. Then  I took the train to Oxford. Arriving with time to spare before Mass, I walked down St Giles, past the "Bird and Baby" to Browns where I settled with some coffee and my emails. Then Mass at Blackfriars and the pleasure of running into friends  at the Crib and exchanging whispered greetings.  The Crib is a particularly nice one - the shepherds have a sheepdog - and the Three Kings were making their way slowly from a neighbouring side-chapel.

Cardinal Paul Cordes...

...has an interesting feature article in the latest issue of FAITH magazine.

Send a Comment to this blog WHICH I WILL NOT PUBLISH, giving your full name, and postal address, and I will arrange for a copy of the magazine to be sent to you.

Travelling home...

...I took the delightful West Somerset Railway as far as Bishop Lydeard, Most enjoyable.

A traditional Christmas Midnight Mass...

... preceded with carols, all by candlelight, in a country church. Young people doing the readings with clear strong voices. The Creed always seems to mean so much more at Christmas. And at the Acclamation we sang "Venite adoremus..."

Then a traditional Christmas Day with family: affection and fun and gifts and a delicious dinner and a lovely walk down across the weir and along the river...and then we listened to the Queen's traditional Christmas speech, which was exceptionally good this year. How lovely that she mentioned Mother Teresa - and noted that it is now SAINT Teresa. And how lovely that, talking about Christians she stated clearly "I am one of them".

FREEDOM AT CHRISTMAS...

is an issue....read here...

...and God is very near to us...

...as noted by Cardinal Jospeph Ratzinger at the beginning of this new millenium...a new analysis of this is here

and the Bishop of Shrewsbury...

...has a ringing Christmas  message for us...

Tradition...

...established over several years, has seen Auntie with various friends from Wallington, singing carols at the beautiful Home where my mother lived. Today we kept up the tradition, to a loving welcome. I am glad we did it, and the true message of Christmas has a greater meaning than ever this year.

Distributing prizes...

...is always a most agreeable way of spending a winter afternoon. It was a delight to go to the St John Bosco College in Battersea to present prizes to three students whose work was of special merit in the St Nicholas essay project organised as party of the TOWARDS ADVENT Festival.  We had two joint First Prize winners this year, one from St Edmund's College, Ware, and one from St John Bosco College - and two runner-up prizes from the latter. I was warmly welcomed to a special Assembly in order to present these to the students...they each received a book prize, and the winner a modest cash prize, and all were wrapped up with Christmas ribbons and some chocolate coins...

St John Bosco College is a vast brand-new building, and the school cherishes its Salesian roots and style alongside a sense of starting afresh on new premises. I liked the bass-reliefs on the walls featuring St John Bosco and other saints - and was also impressed with the smart new technology,  which meant that minutes after the presentation of prizes, pictures of the event were up on the website, visible on the screen in the main entrance. All this plus a very friendly atmosphere, students in smart blue uniforms, a sense of order and courtesy...I enormously enjoyed my visit.

with the four candles glowing on the wreath...

... and after enjoying some mince pies and ginger wine, we sang together "O come O come Emmanuel..." as we do every Sunday evening in Advent...

...and for a solemn, but beautiful and somehow encouraging read...

...try this   (I have had the book for some while and have already blogged about it. An excellent read, and a book to keep and re-read)...

And this seems rather touching...

Children tugging...

...a great Christmas Tree up the aisle, while others in the choir practise  glorious chant for the Christmas Masses. Cassocked parish priest organising the creation of a massive Nativity scene at a side altar with a team of parishioners. Relays of people bringing assorted shepherds and angels out from the big cupboard  behind the sacristy...

I absolutely love the preparation of the church for Christmas...

And here at home, the writing of many, many Christmas cards, the pleasure of connecting with old friends.  Ann is a penfriend from Girl Guiding days  almost half a century ago - we have been faithful correspondents over the years and this year we finally met, and had a lovely, lovely day together...our exchange of cards and emails this Christmas gave a special joy and satisfaction and, yes, we'll be meeting again 2017!

Traditional carols...

...rang out across London's Victoria station for two hours this evening, and it was glorious. Circumstances didn't seem ideal - a noisy rally connected with the ghastly rail strike was happening across the other side of the concourse, and it was a relief when they finally marched away, shouting slogans and blowing whistles. As they marched off, we were just finishing a carol, so we paused to let them pass before starting the next one. (Having looked up the pay and conditions connected w. this dispute, I am underwhelmed by the claims of the strikers and their bullying tone).

The carolling team, led by the excellent Yvonne Windsor, were under the banner of  St Joseph's, Roehampton, but  included volunteers from different parishes. We all sang with relish and a number of people came to join us, some just staying for a carol or two, some for half an hour or more of singing. We got lots and lots of donations - all funds raised will go to charities helping children  - and lots of people took selfies with us, , or brought their children to watch us, or stopped to applaud. It was lovely.

Singing carols at railway stations is for me one of the best bits of Christmas. Next week it'll be London Bridge, organised by the Ladies Ordinariate Group.

Let's stop being intimidated...

...by people who think Nativity plays are no longer allowed...read here

Read THE PORTAL...

...the on-line magazine of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham here

London Catholic History Walks...

...for January and February 2017:

TUESDAY January 17^th, For King and Country, a look at Westminster and St James. Meet 2pm, steps of Westminster Cathedral. Nearest tube: VICTORIA

TUESDAY Jan 24^th Smells and Bells, exploring London’s Catholic culture over centuries. Meet 2pm steps of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square. Nearest tube: CHARING CROSS

TUESDAY Jan 31^st The King’s Good Servant, walking in the footsteps of St Thomas More. Meet 2pm, steps of the Church of Opur Most Holy Redeemer and St Thomas More, Cheyne Row, Chelsea. Nearest tube: SLOANE SQUARE, then walk/bus along the Kings Road.

TUESDAY February 7^th Lift up your heads, O gates! A City walk. Meet 2pm on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral. Nearest tube: ST PAUL'S

More information here

We invite a donation of £5 per person, £3 for the shorter St Thomas More walk.

Students, Unemployed, Senior Citizens: contribution according to your means. Children (under 16) accompanied by a full-paying adult: free. (Max 3 children per adult). Priests, Religious, Seminarians: free. (However, to keep numbers manageable please do not turn up in groups of more than three).

Grateful thanks...

...to all who have sent such kind and prayerful messages following my mother's death. These are all most warmly appreciated.

Normal service at this Blog will follow in due course.

Announcement

My dear mother, Ursula Mary Nash, went to God on November 30th, fortified by the sacraments of the Church and surrounded by the love and care of her family.

Wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was greatly loved.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon her...
May she rest in peace.

There will be no entries on this Blog for the next two weeks.

Mario czy ty wiesz...

..."Mary, did you know?"  A choir of enchanting Polish children, the Schola Swiatio from St Andrew Bobola Church, Hammersmith,  sang at the opening of the TOWARDS ADVENT Festival at Westminster Cathedral Hall. They sang new and old Polish carols, with a lovely violin accompaniment, and then led us all in "O come O come Emmanuel..."   Bishop Nicholas Hudson spoke beautifully as he welcomed everyone and declared the Festival open. The day's events included the De Satge Music Workshop, honouring Jeremy de Satge who did so much for Church music in Britain and played a major role in getting the whole Festival flourishing - and we invited Catherine de Satge to come and it was lovely to give her a bouquet and commemorative gift.  We also had a special guest, Mgr John Armitage from Walsingham, who  attracted a good-sized audience to hear the news of the great developments at the Shrine. We announced the winners of the St Nicholas essay competition - from St John Bosco College Battersea, and St Edmund's College, Ware. And the Cathedral Hall was thronged with people visiting the stalls and displays from a vast range of Catholic groups and organisations while the Association of Catholic Women  did a roaring trade in freshly-brewed tea and coffee and excellent sandwiches and cakes...

The Festival began at the Millenium and is now an established part of Catholic London life...

The Catholic Union of Great Britain...

...founded in the 19th century and with plenty to do in the 21st, held its annual meeting at Westminster on Thursday. The sung evening Mass  was dedicated to the work of the Union, and afterwards members gathered in Vaughan House nearby to hear reports and tackle plans for the year ahead. Sir Edward Leigh, President, spoke about religious freedom, alluding to the Red Wednesday witness of the previous day, and a major gathering in Parliament that had followed that very morning. Christians are being persecuted on a significant scale in various parts of the world, and the importance of true religious freedom needs to be promoted with vigour...

Sir Edward also spoke of the popularity and value of Church schools - noted recently by the Government which is giving encouragement to their development and removing restrictions on their growth.  It seems likely that we will see more new Catholic schools opening as demand for places is so high...

Among other reports and discussions, I was invited to report on the Catholic Young Writer Award and the "Our Father" project  in schools - both have been very popular this year and are planned again for 2017.

The Young Writer Award was initially run by The Keys, the Catholic Writers' Guild, but it grew  and flourished and the Catholic Union stepped in to help and now runs it every year, with Catholic schools across Britain taking part...

The Catholic Union's AGM is always an enjoyable gathering - J. and I have been members for years and been involved with  so many of its campaigns and projects  and we enjoyed the evening and its sense of solidarity, being among  so many friends  and with much lively discussion...

FLOODLIT for Red Wednesday...

... and I have just come from Westminster Cathedral, where it's all happening...

Major Cathedrals, plus other places of worship, will be floodlit in red at dusk today, as people are asked to think of all who are persecuted for their faith across the world. It's Red Wednesday, and in London, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and Westminster Cathedral, will all be floodlit in blood-red. Organisers are the great international charity Aid to the Church in Need   and the message is MAKE A STAND FOR FAITH AND FREEDOM.

I spoke to John Pontifex, ACN's spokesman, on Westminster Cathedral piazza.  He has spent the past several years travelling to various places where ACN's help is needed...countries where Christians have been attacked, their churches torched, their homes destroyed...Floodlighting our major buildings and places of worship in red is a rallying-call to prayer and solidarity...

In Rome, the Tevi fountain will flow red today..  Catholic groups including Communion and Liberation, Focolare, and the Christian Workers Movement are all taking part in special services, vigils, and acts of public witness.

You can be part of it too: let's all join in with prayer...

...and it's just as well I was enjoying Devon, because...

...when I got to the railway station at Newton Abbot, I found I couldn't leave.

The line to London has been flooded in several places...all trains to Paddington cancelled. A phone call home, the glad discovery of a pub with bed-and-breakfast, and I'm sitting here with a glass of sherry, a comfortable room, a book of CS Lewis' essays bought at the excellent Abbey bookshop, and a pleasant evening ahead. A cheery chat in the bar downstairs - not many people around on this rainy night, and everyone was friendly - and a feeling of a bonus holiday evening.

...and then a glorious Abbey, and a splendid ceremony...

... in the Medieval hall at Buckfast ,  where amid formal academic robes and speeches,  the Bishop of Plymouth presented certificates gained at the School of the Annunciation. . Guest lecture by Francis Campbell, vice-chancellor of St Mary's University, Twickenham. A magnificent academic Mass in the great Abbey Church - wonderful music - and then a grand Lunch in the Grange...

The Abbey  will be a thousand years old in 2018. Destroyed under Henry VIII, rebuilt and flourishing...as the ceremonies were taking place in the Medieval Hall, the magnificent bells were ringing out glorious peals.  It was a wonderful day, and it was hard to leave...

A traditional...

...church on a green, along by the Devon coast, and hymns on a Sunday morning.  But this church has a special story. It was built in the 19th century as a Wesleyan Methodist chapel, and is today a Catholic Church dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham and St Cuthbert Mayne, in the care of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. It's at Chelston in Torquay.   After Mass, a delicious, talkative  and enjoyable lunch with the rector and parishioners in the well-equipped  parish centre. Fr David and his family have now moved into part of converted living quarters in  old church offices and cloakrooms behind the church:  stairs lead up to what is a slightly gothic but cosy sitting-room, and what was once a gents' loo now houses the family washing machine...

The church is charming and is being turned into a very lovely place of worship - all the work being done by the parish. There is much local goodwill, with the Methodists glad that the building has gone into good hands: at a farewell service the minister formally lit a ceremonial candle and passed it to Fr David with a prayer that "The light of Christ  may keep burning in this place". It is indeed burning, bright. with daily Mass and  a busy parish life. The weekend had seen a cheery bazaar (I  bought up the last two jars of marmalade for  J. as he is partial to it) and there are plans for an outdoor Nativity scene on the green, and all the usual Christmas events...

On Amoris Laetitia...

...the most practical response is given here...

When the document was published, there was a flurry of comment and disappointment because it failed to announce a change in the teaching of Christ and the Church on divorce, remarriage, and Holy Communion.

People had sort of wanted a row about this. Some believed that Pope Francis would "liberalise" Christ's laws...he can't and won't.

But people tried to find ways to pretend that he could. So there have been attempts to read something into  a footnote here or there -"ooh look, surely here we can, um, interpret something that sort of might say that, um, somehow you can sort of have more than one spouse and still announce that you are in good faith, and receive Holy Communion,..er...um..."

The document doesn't allow for that interpretation, and attempts to get the Pope to "clarify" it won't change Church teaching either. The Church's teaching is not changeable: it is rooted in the clear teaching of Christ.Stirring things up will make no difference.

Marriage binds a man and a woman for life: it establishes a new family, it is as binding as the union of Christ and his Church, it is a sacrament, it was planned by God from "the beginning". Going through a civil divorce procedure does not release anyone from the lifelong bond of  marriage: it does not that mean that either spouse can take a new partner, and none of this is ever going to change because it is not a random rule but the very core of God's plan for men and women.

Orthodox Catholics should teach about marriage, and Amoris Laetitia  will often be useful in doing so.Other documents to which it refers, including Familiaris Consortio and Deus Caritas est, will also be extremely useful.

Amoris Laetitia hasn't, can't, and won't change the Church's teaching or discipline on marriage, divorce, and Holy Communion and nor does it suggest that any individual bishop, priest or canon lawyer can do so either.

in bright sunshine...

...an afternoon History Walk.  A good number of people were waiting on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral, and we set off for a glorious ramble through the streets:  golden  and russet leaves cascading into the churchyard, history around our footsteps as we ventured into St Vedast-alias-Foster and then down to Guildhall and on to Lothbury...we always finish these City walks  by the site of Bl John Henry Newman's birth, around the back of the Bank - a modest plaque marks where once the house stood...

Time for a quick cup of tea back across the river at Precious Blood church. Bright illuminated children's calligraphy is on display in the Lord's Prayer project  at the back of the church. On to Westminster for a useful chat at the Cathedral Hall, plans for the TOWARDS ADVENT Festival well in hand. A prayer group was gathering - they get some 150 each Friday evening for prayer and a guest speaker. A bonus to meet them  - I was able to pass on a couple of prayer requests...

Late train to the West Country for a family visit.Somerset  enchanting in glowing Autumn colours. Everywhere, posters announcing various Christmas events, carol services, concerts.  "Come and join the Minehead lifeboat crew and Minehead Street choir for some festive community singing...mulled cider, apple juice and mince pies provided...."    "Christmas Fayre, St John's Church"  "Santa charity fun run..."

...and London in rain...

...and St Paul's Cathedral on a November evening. It was absurd really: I had to be there on the steps at 6.30pm, even tho'  I knew that no one was likely to turn up for the History Walk...and, sure enough, no one did. But it was actually rather enjoyable standing there, with Ludgate Hill and cheery red buses and people hurrying about, all in splashy rain and lamplight, pondering all the history of this enormous building and this great city...

I was warm and dry because that vast  pillared portico provides excellent shelter, and there were various stray people there, a canoodling couple, a tourist or two...and I had a sudden memory from over  thirty years ago, and that Royal bride and groom emerging to cheers from these great doors and coming down these steps...and the vast crowds...and among the latter a group of  young Army cadets from Sandhurst including a young J. Bogle and his young wife...

And the rain turned to a drizzle and I ventured out into it, and caught a cheery red bus via Aldwych to Piccadilly,  and thence to Farm Street for a meeting of the Catholic Writers' Guild, and then to our cosy home.

parish life...

...on a winter evening. Rain splashing down outside...the parish room warm and welcoming... over freshly-brewed tea and some good cakes, a talkative gathering of ladies, organising carol singing, projects for children, stall at TOWARDS ADVENT Festival, plans for 2017 with a pilgrimage to Walsingham...and the Rector hurries in to get tea and some food for some one at the door who needs help...and then there is chatter and laughter as we work to put up a display of some of the (really excellent) work produced by children in the 2016 "Our Father" project to make a display...

And  the evening drew to a close, and we went through to the church, carrying the display-boards down to the back and arranging everything quietly.  In the sanctuary there was a candle by the box carrying the names of those who will be remembered in All Souls prayers throughout November, and of course the sanctuary lamp glowed above the altar, and the ordinary London brick church has its own beauty and atmosphere...and  we had had a busy and pleasant evening and some one said "I love it when it's like this..."

Commentators...

...in the USA and here in Britain  are still trying to analyse the American election.   Obviously there's a lot to discuss and a lot to ponder and digest.

But the one thing that shouldn't really puzzle anyone is the fact that a lot of women voted against Mrs Clinton.  Why is anyone surprised?  Poor Mrs C. had become a dedicated - almost fanatical - supporter of abortion.  And the reality is that, for most people, aborting a baby is a tragic thing, not to be seen as something healthy or good, much less as something that is a "right".  Even among those who would hesitate to link themselves with the ProLife lobby, there is a sense of sadness and better-not-to-do-this over the whole idea of aborting a child.   At one stage the USA's Democratic Party used a slogan about making abortion "safe, legal, and rare"...then it morphed into somehow celebrating abortion as something that every American woman deserved. And then they wonder why women said "Ugh"  and voted against it.

Every day...

...I pick up at least one piece of litter, and place it in a litter-bin. That's the commitment.  At least one. Every day.

I know...I know...one piece of litter is nothing, it's unimportant, it's trivial. But this is an action that at least minimally fulfils the "one good deed every day" commitment into which I entered as a Girl Guide many decades ago: I have several years of non-compliance so catching up will take a long while.

Picking up one piece obviously sometimes leads to gathering up a good deal more and leaving a railway station/bus-stop/walkway/corner of a park  at least temporarily improved. It not infrequently involves a conversation with others who offer encouragement and/or join in to help. It is sometimes horrid (I carry tissue-wipes, and also a plastic bag into which to put the litter until it can be placed in a bin). It probably makes me look daft, but that's too bad.

One piece of  litter. Every day.

Join in?

On the American election...

...we can be glad that the country's Supreme Court now seems less likely to be handed over to the adherents of a dedicated secularist ideology. And we can certainly rejoice that the ghastly "I'm a celebrity - you must think and vote as I do" parade has been snubbed.

Beyond that...it is difficult to see where things are going. The President-elect has held no public office of service to the community, and his general track record is, well, mixed: some bankruptcies,  two failed marriages, a certain inability to steer a steady course...

Thoughtful commentary here...

Am reading...

...and loving, Last Testament,  the  just-published book by beloved Papa Emeritus  Benedict XVI with Peter Seewald. It's a frank, fresh,wide-ranging and penetrating interview in which BXVI discusses some of the major events of his pontificate - many of which were misrepresented by the mass media at the time, and much more...

As always, BXVI is concise, reflective and expresses himself with accuracy and precision. It is immensely readable.  This is one of the greatest thinkers of the modern era at his very best - and,as always, he is humourous, and self-deprecating.

Want to know more about his working relationship with St JPII?  His resignation?  Views on World Youth Day?  The how and why of  so many events of the past three or four decades?  Get this book and devour...it's a really good read. It also leaves you pondering on the nature of the priesthood, the Church and the office of St Peter as never before.   BXVI sees things in the rich theological perspective which is the only true perspective - and  in  this book, as throughout his life as a priest, he is a magnificent teacher.

History Walks during this coming week....

...come and join us!

#WED Nov 16th, meet 6.30pm on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral. We'll be looking around the City, glimpses of Roman London, also various churches, the story of the 1666  Great Fire etc. Shortish walk - the City looks rather good on an Autumn evening, but it will be chilly and damp...the walk will last less than an hour.

#FRIDAY 18th, meet 2pm on the steps of St Paul's.  Same route but slightly extended because in daylight.

More info on these and other Walks  here ...

...and while pondering the valour of soldiers, giving their lives in service...

... we could also note  today's news reports describing how students in America are asking for special time in which to cry and ask for cuddles because the candidate they favoured in the election didn't win, and the rival candidate is President.

Can this really be true?  Can the spoilt  and priviledged youth of America really be that ghastly? Apparently so... they were offered dolls, play-dough and colouring books (I am not making this up), along with counselling, and "therapy dogs".

Armistice Day...

...and shops, and the London buses carried notices inviting people to join in the Two Minutes' silence at 11 o'clock...and crosses were planted in the Field of Remembrance at Westminster, and crowds gathered in Trafalgar Square to honour those who have died in the service of our country.

History...

...and I have spent the past few days taking an American group around London, a mix of ages and professions, and with children too....we've been looking at Westminster, Churchill War Rooms, the Tower...

On Tuesday there was a moment when we were all together waiting for a boat along by London Bridge, and to keep us entertained some one asked one of the smallest children to sing us a couple of songs, which she did  shyly but very delightfully. Then, standing looking serious for a moment, she announced, very solemnly, something else that she had learned by heart. "I pledge allegiance" she said "to the flag of the United States of America and to the union for which it stands..."  and so on, carefully, through to the end with "liberty and justice for all". It was quite unexpected and  rather touching, the small voice falling into the room with a startling clarity. She goes to a small church-based school, and had been taught the Pledge there...

Looking back, it is a moment to capture, just as, across the Atlantic, the USA was going through one of its most momentous experiences.

The Election had not been much discussed among us, and although  there was unanimity in the group in disliking the Clinton ideological agenda there was no passionate affirmation of the alternative candidate.  They had all cast their votes by postal ballot before flying to Britain for this gathering, and I didn't interrogate them about their choices.

There is a lot of genuine patriotism in America and I do hope that poor Mr Trump turns out to be worthy of the office to which he has now been called.

Some wisdom...

...from a Dutch Cardinal. Read here...

Discussion and planning...

...with the young director of the Polish children's choir that will be coming to sing at this year's TOWARDS ADVENT Festival...come and hear them!  ALL WELCOME. Admission FREE. Westminster Cathedral Hall, Saturday Novembver 26th, doors open 10 am, official Opening ceremony with Bishop Nicholas Hudson, 10.30am...

Tradition...

... fireworks and a bonfire for November 5th at Bogle Towers. We cooked steak on the fire, and baked potatoes in the ashes, and then set off fireworks at the front of the house, inviting Joe, who lives opposite, and various people stopped by to enjoy it all...

We had wine, and Jamie and Joe enjoyed cigars as things drew to an end...all around us were the pops and bangs as rockets from various bonfire-parties whooshed up into the night sky scattering glittering red and green and golden stars...

Bonfire Night is much older than the Gunpowder Plot -  people had them for All Saints Day, and probably for pagan festivals back before that  .I have long been unconvinced about poor old Guy Fawkes as there was so much intrigue around the whole story caught up in the cruelties of the 17th century.  But bonfires in November have a long long history and here we are in the 21st century still doing it all...

All Souls...

...and the All Souls Chapel at Westminster Cathedral, writing names of  beloved family members and friends, to be commemorated...

...and to the anonymous correspondent...

...who called me a "silly billy" (rude, but rather tame compared to most of the insults I've received over the years...) please read here...

Pope Francis has...

...a "dangerous, untheological blind spot"...read here...

The internet...

...so useful in so many ways...("whatdidweeverdowithoutit"etc etc etc...)...

...has a very dark side. Lots of ghastly things, from vile pornography to the ability to hack into people's privacy/bank accounts/medical records/travel plans.  From the horrific opportunities it offers daily to terrorists and criminals, to the addiction it brings to children and others with hours of lonely time-wasting...

...and rumours. Catholics seem to be among the worst at spreading these. ..."Have you heard...?"  "Did you know...?  And prophecies: "Our Lady said in a vision..."  And conspiracies: "They've been trying to hush it up since 1743..." "Then years later, the Freemasons..."  And fantasies announced as research: "If you add up the numbers, they come to ..." "The initials, if you think about it, actually spell out..."  And nasty stuff, calumny and detraction:  "The Pope..."  "That Bishop..."  and more...and more...

Last week it was "The Pope is going to receive Communion from a Lutheran". OOOooo...er.... Except that he wasn't and didn't.  Then: "He's  opening the way for women priests"  No again. "He's already committed to women deacons." No.  

I'm tempted to start my own rumour :"Joanna has been personally informed by Pope Francis that she will be made a Bishop on her next birthday."  Let's see if it spreads.

Women priests...Pope Francis...

...read here...and here...

All Saints...

...and I went to a mid-morning Mass at Westminster Cathedral. I somehow wasn't expecting to see many people there at that time of day, but it was well-attended. At the front were serried ranks of children from the adjoining primary school.  They behaved beautifully, hands together, heads bowed reverently at the Consecration...it was so impressive that I spoke to a teacher afterwards and asked that a nice message be passed on to the head teacher - and later got chatting to another member of the congregation, who said she had done the same...

I was back at the Cathedral later on for a midday engagament, and even larger crowds were pouring in...people from nearby offices, mostly male (though I know it is old-fashioned to point this out. But there are still, DG, a lot of men in office jobs in London).  The Cathedral was absolutely full, and more Masses to follow...

Next year's gathering of our Bishops would be a very good time for a simple, tactful move towards HAVING OUR FEAST-DAYS BACK.  Today's crowds celebrating All Saints indicate that it would be a popular move...

Right on cue...

...just as I'd been writing about Hallowe'en, there was a knock n the door, and I was greeted by a group of children from further up the road...

They had buckets (!) for sweets, and were all in quite cheery costumes. I asked them if they knew what "All Hallows" meant. Mild puzzlement, shared by Mum who was with them, but hovering in the background (an understandable  precaution, alas,  these days, for mum to be around if children are chatting away to strangers...) .  I beamed and explained: All Hallows -  All Saints, and that we hoped, didn't we, that one day we'd all be saint in Heaven!   And did they know the lovely prayer "Our Father, who art in Heaven..."  Did they know the bit about "Hallowed be thy name"?   And here were sweets...(I was given an enormous bag of delucious chocs with peanut-butter centres, in the USA, so had them to hand)  - and they enjoyed catching them in their buckets...and shouted "Saints!".  I don't know if they knew the point at all, but Mum beamed and said "God bless you!"

Not all is gloomy on Hallowe'en...

Bid...

...from Maryvale.  Many thanks for your Comment to my Blog.  But I can't reply to you unless I have an actual email address...please do write again, this time with an email address embedded in the text of your Comment...which I will not of course publish...

The Eve of All Saints...

...All Hallows Eve...

I spent it collecting crab-apples from the pavement outside a (rather odd!) empty house, its blank windows and peeling paint looking weird alongside all the cheerful homes in the busy suburban street...and then washing them carefully, and chopping them up, cutting away any mushy or bad bits, and turning them into crab-apple jam.  While chopping and stirring, I watched, on my computer, Hercule Poirot in a deep Hallowe'en murder mystery. Excellent stuff...it ends w. Poirot noting that the real way to mark Hallowe'en is to look ahead to All Souls and to pray for the dead in a Christian way...all that spooky stuff has no control over us.

Tomorrow I shall be at Westminster Cathedral for Mass for All Saints' Day...and there  too and elsewhere on the next day, All Souls, I shall remember too all those I have loved and who have died, and will light candles and commit them to God.

Children who enjoy sweets and dressing-up and pumpkin lanterns on All Hallows Eve should be taught what All Hallows really means... and the lovely prayer in which we honour our loving God, with loving hearts:"Hallowed be thy name..."

Catholic women celebrated...

...at the 2016 Catholic Women of the Year Luncheon, a tradition established in 1968 and thriving joyously....and guest speaker Clare Asquith gave us a magnificent description of  brave Catholic women of the 16th century who upheld the Faith and inspired William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale  with its theme of honour finally vindicated and truth rediscovered...a  reminder to us all of the heritage that has come down to us, the valour needed to uphold it, the moral and spiritual needs of our country today...

Every year, nonminations for Britain's "unsung Catholic heroines"  are invited, and they flow in from across the country: a committee drawn from representatives of Catholic lay organisations votes for four of them, and they attend  a Luncheon where they recieve flowers and where large numbers of Catholic ladies meet to celebrate, network, and honour the Faith.

This year's four women include a Sister in the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, a doctor specialising in natural fertility awareness and marriage preparation, an academic pioneering training for catechists, and a young musician campaigning on behalf of unborn and disabled children.  You can read about them all here...

The atmosphere at this annual gathering is one of shared faith and values. Among much else, it's a joyful, talkative place with lots of useful networking and swapping of ideas and news on plans and projects. It's also an astonishingly moving event: it's amazing to discover how much good work, neighbourly help, and useful enterprising activities are initiated by Britain's Catholic women...

It's a very traditional event: Grace, a letter from the Holy Father (this year's referred, of course to the Jubilee of Mercy and its importance), the Loyal Toast to HM the Queen...my happy task was to give the vote of thanks to our speakers, which I did with a glad heart...

So, what did Auntie Joanna do in America?

In New York, I stayed with the excellent Sisters of Life, and I am very impressed with their work and mission.  They offer accomodation, practical help, and care to pregnant women who might otherwise be tempted to abort their babies. The whole approach is one of friendship, love and neighbourly service.. I stayed in one of their convents in the city, which can house up to a dozen young women and their babies...each woman lovingly welcomed and made to feel warmly at home..  When I arrived the whole community had just been celebrating a "baby shower" for the latest new baby, with decorations and cards and gifts in the large pleasant room where the women spend their evenings...

I had first encountered the Sisters of Life at World Youth in Madrid in 2011, where they were running the great "Love and Life Centre" with talks and meetings....it was teeming with young people and the sisters were (and are) young, lively, and with a fresh, open and joyful approach which is immensely attractive...the Order is 25 years young and is large and flourishing and I loved every moment of my time with them...

....And so on to Tennessee, where the Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia - better known as the Nashville Dominicans - welcomed me joyfully and where I once again felt warmly at home and surrounded by affection. It wasn't until the next morning (Mass at 6.15am!) that I saw them all, and just gulped in astonishment....here was this vast chapel, with over two hundred white-robed  Sisters, their voices ringing out confidently with the Mass responses and  sung chants. Nashville loves them: there is a large girls' high school, a popular kindergarten and primary school, plus Aquinas College...and I  spoke at the College and at the school, and also at the nearby Father Ryan High School...

The sisters have convents in various places in addition to this Motherhouse, and the newest venture is at Elgin in Scotland...they have great numbers of novices and postulants, the latter despite the fact that the girls wear a most hideous semi-habit for their first year or so, quite unlike the lovely full robes worn once they  make their first vows.

The Montessori Good Shepherd programme is used with the small children, and it was a sweet sight to be a sister on the floor surrounded by little ones all busy with a small, beautiflly-made minature altar and set of vessels, or drawing some bright pictures...all with a sense of cheerful, quiet, creative .purpose..that rare combination of peace and activity that is somehow the essence of a happy day.

There is more, but that was essentially what I was doing in America, and I flew home the better for it all. There is a sense of a flourishing Church there. And America is going to need that in the years ahead. The political scene looks grim, and uncertainty beckons for the future of religious freedom and for the right to give legal protection to unborn children...

...and, with the recent feast-day of St John Paul the Great...

...you might enjoy this post...

Autumn...

...the most glorious, the most enchanting, of all English seasons. And emblematic of our country, with its beauty and its sense of time passing, its vague feeling of nostalgic sadness,  its lack of heat and drama, its deep connection with homely things...

Autumn is a season of crisp fresh mornings,and sudden awareness of forgotten city trees as their leaves come cascading down, and the cosiness of buses glowing in twilight, and the value of everyday blessings like mugs of tea and pieces of buttered toast.

Why is it so short? In Heaven, obviously it will mostly be England - probably Sussex and near the sea -  and almost always teatime.    But I think it will also be Autumn, for great swathes  of time, and for whole eras and epochs... with the great harvest of everything all completed...

After a wonderful week...

...in America - of which much more later - I hurried from Heathrow into London by train and tube, fretting over delays  with luggage at Heathrow ansd the sloooooowness of trains on the Circle Line...

But all was well. My wonderful husband - following an urgent email message from me at Chicago airport - had taken by Dame of St Gregory Cloak and badge to Westminster Cathedral and left it, by arrangement, in the sacristy. Kind Cathedral staff  unlocked the sacristy door - all of us trying to be as quiet as possible as there was a lovely wedding taking place in the adjacent Lady Chapel - and I got the cloak, and trailed my luggage out into the piazza, thence into a taxi...and caught the great annual Procession of the Blessed Sacrament just after it crossed Lambeth Bridge. I scrambled into my cloak, which mercifully covered much of my luggage, and a kind volunteer took my other case - and there we all were, singing "Tell out my soul" and "Sweet sacrament Divine" along the streets of Southwark to St george's.  For more about the Procession read here...

Off to New York...

...and thence to Tennessee for various lectures ....

Gender ideology...and a bishop speaks...

...with wisdom, courage, and common sense.

Do read this excellent and helpful letter to Catholic teachers...

Knights and Dames of the Order of St Gregory the Great...

...together with other papal Knights and Dames, gathered at the Church of SS Anselm and Caecilia in Kingsway, London, for the annual Mass yesterday. Superb music from the Schola of the Cardinal Vaughan School. Knights in splendid uniforms, Dames in cloaks...

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor spoke at dinner. This year marks the 60th anniversary of his ordination.  He spoke  rather well, telling of the different Popes he had known during his years of priesthood....and then at the end he spoke about  going home, and the final Homecoming  of us all...and as he is rather famous for inviting people to sing together, we all ended up singing "Keep the home fires burning"....

The Catholic Young Writer Award...

...is sponsored by the Catholic Union Charitable Trust, and I am one of the organising team. I spent part of this week packing and posting prizes to the various winners. Info here...

Evensong....Evensong....

...I've become mildly addicted.  The evening light slowly fading behind the high windows, the church glowing with  candles on the altar and a choir singing the psalms back and forth up by the Chancel. The day's work  doesn't dither into a rushed muddle, it goes gently and firmly into evening with reassurances of God's care.

We have Evensong every Thursday here. Of course one can  - clergy must, lay people  are encouraged to  - say the Liturgy of the Hours every day. Reading the evening office in a train has its quiet joy. One can use the excellent daily  Magnificat booklet  specifically designed for the busy person.   And it is glorious to sing Vespers and Compline when in a monastery or convent or simply with a group of friends....

But there is something lovely about Evensong: a gift to the Catholic Church from the Ordinariate.

In the October evening...

...A Thomas More Walk around Chelsea, part of the Catholic History Walks.  We began at the Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer and St Thomas More. then headed down towards the river, and along through Roper's Garden to Chelsea Old Church and the More statue...ands then on down Beaufort Street to Allen Hall...

I had spent the day working on wrapping and posting prizes won by young people at Catholic schools in the 2016 Catholic Young Writer award, sponsored by the Catholic Union Charitable Trust.   Topic for this year was "Saints of the British Isles"  so after taking the batch of prizes to the Post Office at London Bridge, it was somehow suitable to head for a walk in the footsteps of Thomas More.

American readers of this Blog might like to know that I will be speaking at Aquinas College, Nashville, Tennessee in a few days' time...

...and while on the subject...

...of Weigel, this is worth reading...

George Weigel...

...author and columnist, best known for his biography of St John Paul and for his Evangelical Catholicism   spoke at St Patrick's. Soho, on Monday, on St Francis of Assisi,  as part of a series of lectures marking the Year of Mercy. It was superb, a well-researched exploration of the life and message of this most popular of saints, drawing out the profound and challenging messages of his life. A really good evening. The hall - in the crypt beneath the church - was full. Father Alexander Sherbrooke, in welcoming us, noted that it was five years since the church and halls were all removated and restored....Weigel had been a guest speaker during the various celebrations. And the chief guest during those celebrations, Cardinal George Pell, will be another speaker during this nw series of lectures...info here...

The Alliance of Pro-Life Students...

...has sent me a note about a forthcoming event which I am glad to promote:

Celebration & Fundraiser event on Thursday 20th October in a stunning central London location. We are pleased to welcome Dr Peter Saunders, CEO the Christian Medical Fellowship, as our Keynote Speaker. Attendees will also hear from Niall OCoinleain, Chairman of APS, who will share an exciting announcement you won't want to miss about the future of APS and its mission. Spaces are limited, and our RSVP deadline is 12th October!You can get your ticket at www.allianceofprolifestudents.org.uk/fundraiser2016 

This has been a Dominican week...

...culminating in  joyful afternoon in Portsmouth Cathedral today with Sister Mary Catherine of the Dominican Sisters of St Joseph  making her vows at a glorious Mass  celebrated by Bishop Philip Egan. 

Earlier, on Wednesday, I was in Oxford, visiting some young friends and their enchanting new baby, Joseph....recently baptised by Fr Richard Conrad of Blackfriars. It was a happy afternoon over tea and gingerbread, with the baby giggling and enjoying life, and all of us reminiscing and talking over lots of things...and then later I was myself at Blackfriars for Vespers.  The strong young voices singing the psalms back and forth, a sense of reassurance, of confidence in the Church and the future...and then a warm welcome and a  hearty supper in the Refectory , preceded by Dominican grace said in the Cloister. Over supper, a wonderful mixture of banter and good theological conversation...and then more good talk over wine  afterwards, ranging over St John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis, evangelisation, academic work, the nature and purpose of post-graduate study, cookery, and the importance of ceremonial cakes ....home on a late train to London with a sense of a very well-spent day...

Then today, a cathedral filled with joy - glorious singing by a young girls' choir, fruit of the Sisters' wonderful work with young people through "Fanning the Flame"  and other youth gatherings. The moving and impressive sight of Sister Mary Catherine kneeling before the Bishop to make her final vows.Then a delicious tea with lots of cakes, and the great joy of meeting lots of friends...

While in Oxford I had been impressed by the youth of the Friars...but now today a group of novices were among the guests,  from  Blackriars, Cambridge - the newest and youngest of the Dominicans in England. Golly...the Dominican Order, in this 800th anniversary year, is thriving and is going to be a big part of the New Evangelisation of our country...

Read about...

...a Birthday, the "Our Father", carol singing, and a celebratory lunch...

All in Auntie's page in The Portal, on-line magazine of thre Ordinariate... Read here