Oremus April 2019

April 2019 | Edition Number 246 | FREE

Westminster Cathedral Magazine

Jesus cried with a loud voice: ‘Lazarus, come out’. The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them: ‘Unbind him, and let him go’.

A WINNER

A New Composition for Holy Week We are delighted to announce the result of our inaugural Composition Competition. The competition received an impressive level of interest, with entries from three continents, and many exciting and inventive compositions being submitted. In the end, the decision was unanimous, and the winning competition was by Barnaby Martin (27) from Wells, England.

‘The Cathedral Choir has had a long association with the Victoria Tenebræ Responsories since George Malcolm’s legendary 1959 recording,’ said Martin Baker, the Cathedral’s Master of Music, ‘so we are delighted to have been able to mark this year's anniversary with this competition. Barnaby’s entry caught our attention immediately, and we’re very much looking forward to premiering it on Palm Sunday.'

Sir James MacMillan said: ‘It is important that the ancient traditional liturgical texts of the church are kept alive in music, and this means finding new music of our own time, to clothe the timeless orthodoxies and treasures of our divine praises. It was heartening to see such substantial interest in this project from so many good composers who entered the competition. I enjoyed reading the entries and was encouraged by their endeavours. There was one clear winner though, and I look forward to hearing the new setting by Barnaby Martin in due course’.

Barnaby’s winning setting of Omnes amici mei will be premiered by the Cathedral Choir at the 10am Solemn Mass on Palm Sunday, 14th April; and the choir will sing it again later in the week, on Good Friday at the Solemn Celebration of the Lord's Passion, beginning at 3pm.

Barnaby Martin Barnaby is an award-winning composer of contemporary classical music, and is based in England. His compositions have been performed widely in the UK and internationally by groups including the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ligeti quartet and the choir of St Paul’s Cathedral. In 2018, Barnaby's work for orchestra, Quanta, was selected as the winner of the Toru Takemitsu Composition award; Barnaby is the only composer from the UK to have received first prize in the history of this competition. In 2017, he received his first nomination for a BASCA British Composer Award in 2017 for his cantata, The Temptations of Christ. www.barnabymartin.com

CONTENTS

Inside Oremus

Oremus Cathedral Clergy House 42 Francis Street London SW1P 1QW T 020 7798 9055 E oremus@westminstercathedral.org.uk W www.westminstercathedral.org.uk

Oremus, the magazine of Westminster Cathedral, reflects the life of the Cathedral and the lives of those who make it a place of faith in central London. If you think that you would like to contribute an article or an item of news, please contact one of the editorial team.

Patron The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster Chairman Canon Christopher Tuckwell Editor Fr John Scott Oremus Team Tony Banks – Distribution Zoe Goodway – Marketing Manel Silva – Subscriptions Berenice Roetheli – Proofreading Eucharia Sule – Office Assistant Design and Art Direction Julian Game Registered Charity Number 233699 ISSN 1366-7203 Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily represent the views of the Editor or the Oremus Team. Neither are they the official views of Westminster Cathedral. The Editor reserves the right to edit all contributions.

Publication of advertisements does not imply any form of recommendation or endorsement.

Unless otherwise stated, photographs are published under a creative commons or similar licence. Every effort is made to credit all images. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

Cathedral Life: Past & Present Omnes amici mei: The Composition Competition Winner 2 The Choir School is Recruiting 6 Holy Week Your Guide to the Liturgies 7 A ‘Proper’ Look at Lent – Psalm 90 by Fr John Scott 8&9 A Letter from Rome

by Fr Michael Quaicoe 15 Degrees of Organists 15 Cathedral History: The Forest of Columns

by Patrick Rogers 16 & 17 Mentoring in Marriage Preparation

by Fr Daniel Humphreys 20 Cathedral History in Pictures: Catholic Emancipation Commemorated by Paul Tobin 24 Lenten Reflection for the Servers 28 Helping Giving, Saving Waste 31 John Bradburne – A 40th Anniversary Celebration 32

© National Gallery of Art, Washington

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Features

Reconstructing Syria by John Pontifex 4 News from Norcia – The Nuns’ Return 9 Book Review: Jean Vanier’s A Cry is Heard

by Bishop Nicholas Hudson 10 & 11 A Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

by Frs Julio Albornoz and Rajiv Michael 12 & 13 The Papers of Pope Pius XII 14 Catholic Creators Launched 20 The Experience of Prison Chaplaincy

by Fr Keith Sawyer 21 HCPT – An Aspect of Lourdes

by Colin Bentley 25

Regulars The Raising of Lazarus by Lucas van Leyden, circa 1508.

The gospel account of the Raising of Lazarus (St John 11: 1-44) is an important pointer towards the Resurrection of Christ. Together with the accounts of the Samaritan Woman at the Well and the Man Born Blind, it can be used in all three years of the Lectionary cycle when candidates for Baptism and Reception into the Church are present at Lenten Sunday Masses.

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From the Chairman 5 Monthly Album 18 & 19 Cathedral Diary 22 & 23 Crossword and Poem of the Month 26 In Retrospect 27 Friends of the Cathedral 29 St Vincent de Paul Primary School 30

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THE GREAT WORK OF RECONSTRUCTION

Join the Companions ... and help us to keep publishing Oremus free of charge Although Oremus earns income from the advertising it carries, we rely on donations to cover our production costs.

The Companions of Oremus was established to recognise those who give generously to support us. Open exclusively to individuals, Companions’ names are published each month (see page 7). All members are invited to at least one social event during the year and Mass is offered for their intentions from time to time.

If you are able to support us by joining the Companions of Oremus please write to Oremus, c/o Clergy House, 42 Francis Street, London SW1P 1QW or email oremuscomps@rcdow.org.uk. Members are asked to give a minimum of £100 annually. Please mention in your email or letter how you would like your name to appear in the listing. If you are eligible for Gift Aid, please provide your name and address, including postcode.

Thank you for your support.

Homes for Homs An action plan to enable thousands of Christians to return to their homes in the Syrian city of Homs has been agreed in a house-repair scheme involving Church leaders and the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. At the meeting in Homs, the leaders of five Church communities signed the Homs Reconstruction Committee agreement, in which ACN will repair 300 homes as part of the first stage of the plan.

In the second phase, a further 980 homes are due to be rebuilt – 80 from the Melkite Greek Catholic community, 600 Greek Orthodox and 300 belonging to Syriac Orthodox families. ACN will support part of the project.

Highlighting the significance of the agreement, ACN Middle East projects coordinator Fr Andrzej Halemba said: ‘The agreement is one of the most critical steps forward in the recovery of the Christian community in Homs. The commitment to rebuild so many homes offers the light of hope for people desperate to return to the city that is one of the most important for Christians in the whole of Syria’.

Greek Orthodox Bishop Georges Abou Zakhem of Homs said: ‘The people need to come back to their houses but they can't do so without help’, whilst Melkite priest Fr Bolos Manhal said: ‘I am very happy that people have this wonderful opportunity to return to their homes. They have 4

© Amgad Beblawi

Aid to the Church in Need

In Syria, peace can be a fragile flower

suffered so much and for many coming home will be a dream come true. They have had to spend so much money renting a place to live, so to have their homes rebuilt will take a huge pressure off family budgets. There are more job opportunities in the city than in the countryside, so they will now be able to take advantage of them’.

With more than 12,500 homes destroyed in Homs and 37,500 badly damaged, many Christians have been living in displacement in the nearby Valley of the Christians for up to seven years. At the height of the conflict in 2014, there were less than 100 Christians remaining in Homs Old City and targeted attacks by Islamist extremists forced nearly 250,000 to leave. Last year, ACN piloted a scheme to repair 100 homes belonging to Melkite and Syriac Orthodox families, of which 85 are already reoccupied and the rest due to return at the start of the new academic year in the autumn.

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FROM THE CHAIRMAN

The Administrator writes Although my present appearance might seem to contradict it, I do enjoy walking and so was delighted when some people in my then parish of Hemel Hempstead decided to form a weekly walking group. From this developed the annual Walking Week, when about 8 or 9 of us would tackle one of the long distance walks over a period of 5 or 6 days, and this entailed staying in various parts of the country.

I won’t list all the walks we did, but those that particularly stick in my mind were the Yorkshire Dales walk and the Isle of Wight coastal path. Being a parish group, we celebrated Mass each evening and interspersed our walking with times of prayer, always including the midday Angelus. So as well as being a walk through beautiful countryside, be it in sunshine or rain, these walks became almost mini pilgrimages. Sometimes one walked alone and at other times with others, sometimes in silence and at other times in conversation.

The Lenten season takes my mind back to those walking days, sadly now no longer, because Lent is a sort of walking pilgrimage through its 40 days. We try to find time for silent prayer and reflection, for perhaps attending some form of adult formation, for spending extra time before the Blessed Sacrament, and for talking with others and sharing our faith.

Just as, on a walk, we pass at times through rich countryside and at others through some blasted heath, so our Lenten journey has its rich and fulfilling moments and its more arid times. As we go through Lent we know we are never alone, because we walk first with Jesus, who for 40 days endured the wilderness, and we walk too with our Christian brothers and sisters, that great army of faithful who with us received the sign of the cross on Ash Wednesday.

Westminster Cathedral Cathedral Clergy House 42 Francis Street London SW1P 1QW Telephone 020 7798 9055 Service times 020 7798 9097 Email chreception@rcdow.org.uk www.westminstercathedral.org.uk Cathedral Chaplains Canon Christopher Tuckwell, Administrator Fr Daniel Humphreys, Sub-Administrator Fr Julio Albornoz Fr Michael Donaghy Fr Andrew Gallagher, Precentor Fr Rajiv Michael Fr John Scott, Registrar Sub-Administrator’s Intern Oliver Delargy Also in residence Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Victories Music Department Martin Baker, Master of Music Peter Stevens Obl. OSB, Assistant Master of Music Jonathan Allsopp, Organ Scholar Cathedral Manager Peter McNulty Estates Manager Neil Fairbairn Chapel of Ease Sacred Heart Church Horseferry Road SW1P 2EF

One of my Lenten resolutions this year, together with an intention to pray more and to read more, is a desire to walk more and somehow to bring them all together. In writing this I am conscious of those who through age or infirmity are no longer able to walk as once they did and those who for many years have been wheelchair users; and to them I commend the practice of making a mental walk with the Lord. With our eyes fixed on the cross, and through the cross to the empty tomb, let us walk together praying for the grace of endurance and walking always in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd.

Wishing you all a very blessed Lent and a joyful Easter when it comes.

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COMPANIONS

Companions of Oremus

We are very grateful for the support of the following: Mrs Mary Barsh Mrs Else Benson in memoriam Dr Stuart Blackie Mr Denis Board Anne Veronica Bond Richard Bremer Francis George Clark Daniel Crowley Ms Georgina Enang Alfredo Fernandez Fred Gardiner Connie Gibbes Zoe & Nick Goodway Mrs Valerie Hamblen Bernadette Hau Mrs Henry Hely-Hutchinson Mrs Cliona Howell Alice M Jones & Jacob F Jones Poppy K Mary Thérèse Kelly Florence M G Koroma Raymund Livesey Barry Lock Alan Lloyd in memoriam Clare and John Lusby Pamela McGrath Linda McHugh Peter McNelly in memoriam James Maple Mary Maxwell Mrs C Mitchell-Gotell Abundia Toledo Munar Chris Stewart Munro Mrs Brigid Murphy Kate Nealon Cordelia Onodu Raymond O’Sullivan Emel Rochat Berenice Roetheli Patrick Rogers RIP John Scanlan Mr Luke Simpson Sonja Soper Tessa and Ben Strickland Eileen Terry Robin Michael Tinsley Mr Alex Walker Christiana Thérèse Macarthy-Woods Jacqueline Worth Patricia M Wright and of our anonymous Companions

If you would like to become a Companion of Oremus, see page 4

New in Cathedral Gift Shop We are pleased to announce an exquisite addition to the range of gifts available in Westminster Cathedral Gift Shop.

Cross pens are renowned worldwide for their design and quality and we now have for sale a luxury ball-point pen which comes with the Cathedral logo and in its own box.

This will make an excellent gift for a loved one on that special occasion.

Retail Price: £35.00

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A ‘PROPER’ LOOK AT LENT

Reading the Music Fr John Scott

On the First Sunday of Lent the temptation of Christ in the wilderness is the gospel reading in all three years of the lectionary cycle, and it attracts a notable set of proper chants. Normally these chants are a mixture of psalm verses and other scriptural texts, but on this Sunday only one psalm, 90, is used for all five chants of the Mass – Introit, Gradual, Tract, Offertory and Communion. If we pray the Divine Office, this psalm will be familiar through centurieslong use at Compline, Night Prayer; nowadays it is set for Sunday evening, but can be used on any day of the week.

In it we speak to God, promises of protection are given and God replies in first person speech. So there is internal dialogue in the psalm and dialogue between the psalm and the other readings.

Introit:

The Introit starts with the psalm’s last two verses, 15 and 16, where God speaks in promise to his people. Here we are being prepared for the first reading, which speaks of the great fulfilment of promises in the Exodus. The people of Israel cry out in their need: ‘the Lord heard our voice .. he brought us out of Egypt .. he gave us this land’. In terms of the Introit, this is the rescue and the glorifying.

Gradual: He has commanded his angels for you, that they may keep you in all your ways. V. They will carry you in their hands, lest you ever dash your foot against a stone.

The Gradual chant, from verses 11 and 12, gives another pointer, to the Gospel reading, since it provides the words which Jesus uses in refuting the third temptation: ‘He will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you .. They will hold you up on their hands, in case you hurt your foot against a stone’. The psalm text, with Jesus’s words in the gospel, says that God will give his angels charge, but the chant asserts that he has done so already; it expresses God’s prevenient, anticipatory love for us. Because the Lord has faced this temptation for us, we can be confident that the grace of God is there for us when we are, in turn, tempted.

Tract: Who dwells in the help of the Most High abides in the protection of the God of heaven. May he say to the Lord: ‘You are the one who takes me up, my refuge, my God; I will hope in him’. For he has freed me from the snare of the hunters and from the harsh word. With his shoulders he will shelter you and under his wings you will hope. His truth 8

© University of Victoria Library, Canada

He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will rescue him and will glorify him. With length of days will I fill him.

Ps. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High abides in the shadow of the God of heaven.

Folium of a medieval psalter, showing verses 12 – 16 of Psalm 90

will surround you as a shield: you will not fear the terror of the night. V. From the arrow flying by day, from the trouble which prowls in the dark, the downfall and the demon of midday. V. A thousand fall at your right and ten thousand at your right hand: however, it will not approach you. V. For he has commanded his angels for you, that they may keep you in all your ways. V. They will carry you in their hands, lest you ever dash your foot against a stone. V. You will tread upon the asp and the adder and trample the lion and the dragon. V. Since he has hoped in me, I will free him: I will protect him, for he has known my name. V. He will call upon me and I will answer him: I am with him in trouble. V. I will rescue him and will glorify him: with length of days I will fill him and I will show him my salvation.

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A ‘PROPER’ LOOK AT LENT/NEWS FROM NORCIA The Tract takes 13 verses of the psalm. In the first seven verses, we should note how there is a response to the divine promises of the Gradual: ‘You are the one who takes me up, my refuge, O my God; I will hope in him’. The psalm text uses the words: ‘I trust in him’, but the chant opts for sperabo, I will hope, naming the theological virtue, and emphasising it by using the future tense. In the next verse the psalm says ‘under his wings you will find refuge’, but the chant says that there: ‘you will hope’. In fact, the chant cannot stay away from hope. Towards the end of the tract, the psalm says: ‘Because he cleaves to me in love, I will deliver him’ and the chant renders this as: ‘because he has hoped in me, I will free him’. This alteration of the tenses is the text’s and the music’s way of leading us deeper into the heart of what God offers, so that as we come to the reading of the temptations, which are our own because they are also Christ’s, we are already fortified by the psalm.

The 40 days of the temptations are echoed in the Tract by the verses which embrace the whole of time, each hour of the day: ‘you will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow flying in the day, the trouble which prowls in the dark, the downfall and the demon of midday. A thousand, ten thousand fall beside you, but it will not approach you’. Why? Because the promise of angelic help has been made and has found response in our human hope. Whatever our state of mind, there is no hour at which the Lord withdraws himself

from us or does not attend to our prayer. The psalm does not in any sense downplay the troubles which we face, but asserts the possibility of out facing them and standing firm.

Offertory and Communion With his shoulders the Lord [Communion: He] will shelter you and under his wings you will hope: his truth will surround you as a shield.

The Offertory and Communion chants are textually almost identical and repeat a verse of the Tract: ‘With his shoulders he will shelter you and under his wings you will hope’ – so we have two more repetitions of the word – ‘his truth will surround you as a shield’. What is the Lord doing, showing us the way to do, in his scriptural answers to the temptations? Simply this: unmasking the devil’s deceit, as he seeks to draw us into setting ourselves up as gods, and revealing the truth of who we are and who we can be under God. And by this reliance on and hope in God, what of the devil? He left, exhausted. And I hope that I may have encouraged you, now, to look at and get to know psalm 90 as we continue in our Lenten journey of hope.

A shorter version of this piece was preached at the 10.30am Solemn Mass on the First Sunday of Lent, in aid of understanding how the music sung at Mass is related to the scriptural readings.

Benedictine nuns of St Anthony returned to the city of Norcia in Italy on Sunday 10 February, the feast of St Scholastica, more than two years after the earthquakes that devastated the region and destroyed their convent.

Since 30 October 2016, the sisters have been living in the nearby town of Trevi, as guests of the Sisters of Santa Lucia. Now they are back in their old home, the community will be living in temporary housing located in the garden of Santa Pace.

© pizzodisvevo

Rebuilding the Waste Places

The square in front of San Benedetto church,

The structure has been adapted before the earthquake as a monastery, and at the heart of the community is the Chapel, where the monastery's ancient tabernacle has been placed. The return of the Sisters to the birthplace of St Benedict and St Scholastica was celebrated with a Solemn Mass offered by the Archbishop of SpoletoNorcia, Renato Boccardo, in the community centre of Madonna della Grazie.

All of the churches in Norcia were destroyed in the 2016 earthquake, and as yet none have been rebuilt. The Mass was attended by many of the lay faithful, as well as local clergy, civil leaders including Norcia's mayor, and Benedictine sisters from the surrounding communities, including Trevi, Castel APRIL 2019

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Ritaldi, Fabriano, Pontasserchio and Viboldone. In his homily, Archbishop Boccardo emphasized that everyone has a call, a vocation. In Norcia, he said: ‘We must always begin again with vigour’. Despite the difficulties of rebuilding, and the temptation to start over again elsewhere, ‘it is necessary to cast our nets in Norcia and begin again from here. And the Benedictine nuns tell us this is possible’. Their return, the Archbishop said: ‘is a beautiful sign that makes us look ahead with confidence’.

Following the Mass, the Archbishop led a procession to the temporary monastery, which he blessed. The head of the Benedictine Community, the abbess, Mother Caterina Corona carried in her hands a relic of St Scholastica, brought by the Benedictine monks of Norcia. At the conclusion of the ceremonies, Mother Caterina thanked: ‘the nuns of Trevi, who welcomed us with so much love; the Archbishop, for his constant closeness; and the municipal authorities for allowing the construction of the housing module. But,’ she said, ‘we have returned mainly for you, dear fellow citizens of Norcia, to pray for you, and to share with you this moment of insecurity’.

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BOOK REVIEW

A Revolution of Tenderness Bishop Nicholas Hudson

A Cry Is Heard: My path to peace; Jean Vanier; Darton, Longman & Todd, London 2018; paperback 144 pp; ISBN 978 0 232 53391 0; £9.99

I have read more of Jean Vanier’s books than I can remember. But this one I read at one sitting: I could not put it down. Jean tells us things we have never heard before: like when Pope St John Paul II invited Jean to lead the rosary meditation in Lourdes. Six months from death and barely capable of speech, Pope John Paul motioned to Jean at the end of the prayer to come and sit next to him, and he gave Jean his rosary, the rosary they had just prayed together, confirming in this profound gesture, says Jean, what we always knew him to be: ‘a friend who continues to watch over L’Arche’.

A Cry is Heard I expected to be a book about hearing ‘the cry of the poor’. It is indeed partly an account of how ‘the Lord hears the cry of the poor’ (Ps 34) through the 140 L’Arche communities which have sprung up across every continent ever since Jean first shared his home with Raphaël and Philippe, two men he had befriended in a local psychiatric hospital. But it is even more about the urgent cry for freedom which surfaced powerfully in Jean himself and which he experienced to be answered profoundly in L’Arche; and an appeal, albeit implicitly, to let the same cry for freedom surface within the reader as well.

Jean was only 13 when this cry rose up within him as a compelling desire to leave home and join the Royal Navy. Jean’s father, Georges Vanier, was Governor General of Canada; and he recognised in Jean the authenticity of the ‘small inner voice that took hold of me and pushed me’ (20) to beg permission to leave home and cross the Atlantic. Jean’s cry for freedom he knew to be heard in his father’s simple response: ‘If it’s really what you want, then do it’ (20). He recounts how eight years in the Navy made him a stronger person, strong enough to obey the ‘small inner voice within me, saying (next) “Follow me” (out of the Navy) to find the kingdom of God’ (23-24). He was led to the community of L’Eau Vive, a religious community, a place of study and prayer near Paris. There he completed a Sorbonne Doctorate in Philosophy. He taught some years in Toronto. But he soon felt the call back to L’Eau Vive.

This gave him his first encounter with people who have a learning disability; he was profoundly touched by their yearning for relationship, by the way they asked him: ‘Will you be my friend?’; and his heart was opened.

Jean describes the voice which called him back to France and the voice which called him to share his life with 10

Raphaël and Philippe as being the same ‘small voice’ which had called him to cross the Atlantic at 13; a continuum, in other words; a voice which did not constrain but was rather his ‘way to freedom’. It is a freedom, he explains, which needs prayer; it is a ‘learning to listen to that inner voice often in profound solitude’ (31). Such attentive listening, he warns, can lead to surprise learnings: it is likely to lead to a learning not so much to accept as a ‘learning to ignore’; ‘learning to ignore ... the lure of power ... the desire for recognition ... everything that strengthens my ego’ (32).

There is power in the simplicity with which Jean can say: ‘My small voice had shown me the road to take. I had to live in Trosly’ (33); because Trosly, just 40 miles north of Paris, is where L’Arche began in 1965. What Jean discovered in sharing his life with people whom most of society rejects was a profound joy: ‘the joy I experienced there exceeded everything I could have imagined’ (35).

What others might have considered limiting, he experienced as a deep freedom. For he discovered in people with learning disabilities nothing less than ‘a path towards God’ (34). He says he has grown used to people thinking those with a learning disability ‘are poor little things we need to take care of’ but he knows them to be nothing less than ‘messengers from God’, ‘messengers from God who bring us closer to Jesus’ (50).

A Cry is Heard sets out to name the multiplicity of fruits which have been reaped not only by Jean and L’Arche, but by the churches and indeed other faiths through the experience of interchurch and interfaith communities being formed around those with intellectual disabilities. Jean has the courage as well to name the damage and hurt which was recently revealed to have been done by Fr Thomas Oremus

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BOOK REVIEW

Philippe, the Dominican priest who called Jean to L’Eau Vive and introduced him to people with learning disabilities.

Fr Thomas was revealed to have sexually abused adult women, without disabilities, in a spiritual direction context.

‘These behaviours caused serious harm to these women,’ writes Jean. ‘It was good that L’Arche and the Church wanted all people who had suffered in this way to be able to speak and be heard within the context of a canonical investigation’. Jean’s description of this tragic reality I find salutary: ‘I was shocked. I felt anger. Then sadness ... and almost disbelief,’ he says. ‘Gradually I had to accept this painful reality.’ He adds that he prays for the victimsurvivors and he prays for Fr Thomas. ‘I pray that together, at the foot of the cross of Jesus, we can all be open to the mercy of God’ (72-3).

‘revolution of tenderness’ which was achieved by Jesus in his outstanding ministry of mercy. The book itself cites Cardinal Rylko saying ‘L’Arche has caused a Copernican revolution’ (50). This same revolution of tenderness Jean is describing as having happened in him and through L’Arche when he says: ‘At the beginning, I thought I would carry out a Gospel work by trying to do people with disabilities good. Over the years I evolved as I discovered it was these people who did me good and, more than that, changed me’ (74). He puts it even more simply when he says: ‘If I encounter the poor with compassion and mercy, it is they who transform me’ (87). Here he is describing nothing less than his extraordinary share in the revolution of tenderness which Jesus came to effect; and I judge this to be Jean’s best rendition of that revolution to date.

As I closed this powerful book, there came strongly into my mind a saying of Pope Francis. It is the idea of a ‘revolution of tenderness’. He speaks often of the

Bishop Nicholas is an Assistant Bishop of the diocese, a former Rector of the Venerable English College in Rome and a long-time supporter of the L’Arche communities.

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A HAPPY BAND OF PILGRIMS

Discovering the Holy Land Every 5 years a pilgrimage is organised so that the junior clergy of the diocese have the opportunity to visit the Holy Land. In February Frs Julio Albornoz and Rajiv Michael joined the group to share this experience.

Fr Julio writes: It was a humbling opportunity to be able to make my first visit to the Holy Land. The pilgrimage was for a week in late February and we were a group of 23, including Bishop John Sherrington, Fr Gerald Skinner, who looks after Junior Clergy formation, and Fr John Hemer of the Mill Hill Missionaries, our biblical professor at Allen Hall seminary. Looking back at this intense week, with so many places that we visited, it will be pointless to try remembering and recording every detail. So I limit myself to the places and events that were most significant from a personal perspective. The pilgrimage was divided into two main parts: Jerusalem (where we stayed for 4 nights) and Nazareth (where we stayed 3 nights).

me there was the wide formation that the candidates must undergo, particularly the emphasis on the different languages, both ancient and modern, that they must learn. Another thing that caught my attention was the enthusiasm of the seminarians despite all the difficulties and challenges; and finally, the mosaic of the Virgin carrying the Child Jesus, who is wearing clerical dress. In the afternoon we returned to the Basilica of the Nativity to pray at the cave of the Nativity, where we had to queue for 2 hours!

On the third day we drove to the Mount of Olives. This, I would say, was my highlight for this part of the visit. We went first to the Chapel of the Ascension, which is a very simple building with a stone showing the very place from where tradition has it that Jesus was taken up to heaven. Then we went to the church of the Pater noster, where tradition believes that

The evening in our hotel inside the Old City gave the chance to energise ourselves for the busy schedule. Next day we drove to Bethlehem, where we visited the Shepherds’ Fields, the place where tradition has it that the angels appeared and announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. Then on we went to Manger Square, to celebrate Mass in the Chapel of St Jerome, the very place where the saint translated the scriptures from Greek into Latin; at this Mass we celebrated the Nativity of the Lord and we sang Christmas carols in most of the places we visited in Bethlehem! At a visit to the Latin Seminary we were welcomed by the Rector, Fr Yacoub Rafidi; what struck 12

After this we walked down from the Mount of Olives to celebrate Mass at the church of Dominus flevit, where, by tradition, our Lord wept for Jerusalem; there we prayed for those who suffer in one way or another. On that afternoon we drove to Mount Sion, where we visited the Cenaculum, the place where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper, which provided the opportunity for us to give thanks to the Lord for the gifts of the sacrament of Holy Orders and the Eucharist.

On the last day in Jerusalem we walked the Via dolorosa, finishing inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, where we arrived on time to join the Stations of the Cross which the Franciscans have led there for hundreds of years. One thing that struck and moved me at the last Station was that soon afterwards they moved into the chapel and exposed the Blessed Sacrament, a reminder that our Lord is still Emmanuel, God with us!

© Fr Julio Albornoz

Our flight landed at Tel Aviv in the afternoon. On arrival, we met our local tour guide, Kayed, and headed to Jerusalem by coach. As soon as we approached the city one thing became evident: the wall, which separates Israelis from Palestinians, a hard reminder of the ongoing conflicts in the land. Our guide explained to us the historical and present situation in a very helpful way.

the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray; inside the Our Father can be found displayed in many languages.

Then we walked down the Mount of Olives, stopping for a panoramic view across the Kidron Valley to Temple Mount and the Old City of Jerusalem. There our guide gave us a very enriching biblical account of the last days of Jesus, which allowed us to see the actual distances that our Lord travelled in his last days: from the triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem, to the place of the Last Supper and his Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, the betrayals, and the shuttling between Caiaphas, Pilate, Herod, back to Pilate, and finally Golgotha.

Mosaic in the seminary of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem; the Child Jesus wears clerical dress

At the end of these days in Jerusalem I can make my own the words of the psalmist: ‘I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the House of the Lord!’

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© Fr Rajiv Michael

A HAPPY BAND OF PILGRIMS

The shore of the Sea of Galilee

Fr Rajiv continues: ‘A land of mountain peaks, valleys and lakes’. After a lot of walking spread over four days in Jerusalem, experiencing first-hand what the bible means by ‘the hill country of Judea’ (Lk 1:39) we set off north for Galilee where Jesus grew up and spent most of his life. Fittingly, the sign outside the site of Peter’s house read: ‘Capernaum, home town of Jesus’. How amazing that the Creator of the world made himself at home, leading an unremarkably ordinary existence for most of his short life in this far-flung village in Israel. The territory disparaged as ‘the land of the Gentiles’ would be the locus of most of Jesus’ ministry. On the way we stopped at Bethany, at Lazarus’ tomb and the Jordan where Jesus was baptised.

shores, his ministry and words would continue to impact the world 2000 years later. Here, after the Resurrection, Jesus would again meet, forgive, and commission Peter.

We got the chance to make a halfhour boat trip on these waters which Jesus crossed so often. The boat could easily hold 50, and was quite spacious for the 20 of us on board. The boats in Jesus’ time were probably much smaller, with a five to seven-man crew.

Josephus, the Jewish historian, mentions boats which could hold 15 people and writes of 200 of these during the Jewish rebellions, but the number on the lake on any day (more probably at night) would have been far fewer. In the gospels we encounter the disciples fishing at night when moonlight attracts fish to the surface, making them easier to catch. But it was also safer at night, since storms blew up usually in the afternoons. This afternoon it is very calm on the lake as we take in the beauty of the surrounding mountains. Mid-way

It was on this shore that Jesus walked so often. At many of the places we visited, you can only imagine what the original site must have been like. They have been built, destroyed, rebuilt over the centuries. But this shore, with all its climatic changes, still retains something of its natural feel. Here Jesus called the apostles; after fishing all night, with Peter disappointed and tired at having caught nothing, the Lord seems to inconsiderately push him back to sea (Lk 5:4). But Jesus already knew the reward by which Peter would be shortly refreshed. His simple obedience at this time would be life-changing. Not only would he get his biggest-ever catch; the bigger catch still, was that he let himself be caught by Jesus. His destiny had changed; rather than ending on those APRIL 2019

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© Fr Julio Albornoz

The Sea of Galilee has several names in the bible – the Sea of Tiberias, the lake of Gennesaret. It is in reality a freshwater lake, and quite small – only 21km x 12 km. The beaches were sandy, we are told, at the time of Jesus; now they are mostly filled with small shells and pebbles. A handful of this sits in a wine-glass now, near my icons, a reminder of this place.

we stop for prayer and sing the hymn Dear Lord and Father of all mankind …. The words speak beautifully of the calling of the apostles beside this sea, the calm of the hills around and God speaking through the earthquake, wind and fire; it all seems very appropriate and moving. The Golan heights on the east and Mount Arbel on the west form a natural funnel as the lake drops sharply down, 700 feet below sea level. When the cold winds blew in from the east over the warmer air of the lake, the heavier cold air would have dropped down. These winds could create furiously large waves in a short time. When they came crashing onto the small fishing boats, they could have easily toppled them, despite everyone’s best efforts. Jesus, of course, frequently crossed the lake in such storm-prone times with his (rightly) reluctant disciples. It is quite surreal to realise that it was on one of these occasions, when huge waves of this very lake on which we are calmly sailing were crashing all around the terrified disciples, that Jesus walked on these waters, right through the storm, assuring them, as he always did: ‘It is I, do not be afraid’ (Mk 6:50).

As we disembark, and even more as we board our flight back to London, it is a word which we will have to remember.

Two thousand years ago in Galilee or in the busy-ness of London today, he remains with us, giving us his peace in our fears, assuring us of his presence till the end of time (Heb 13:8).

The pilgrimage group of junior Westminster priests with Fr John Hemer MHM and Bishop John Sherrington 13

REVEALING AND EVALUATING

Opening the Archives Vatican Media

Pope Francis has announced that documents relating to Pope Pius XII in the Vatican Secret Archives, will be opened next year. In an address to managers and staff of the Archives, on the 80th anniversary of the election of Pius XII as Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis said that Pius: ‘guided the Barque of Peter in one of the saddest and darkest moments of the 20th century’. The figure of Pius XII, he said, ‘has already been investigated and studied, widely discussed and even criticised, at times in a prejudiced or exaggerated manner’.

Today, he said, the pontificate of Pius XII is being re-evaluated, in the hopes that a more balanced historical judgment might emerge.

Pope Francis thanked the Vatican archivists for their work since 2006, making a careful inventory of the materials on Pope Pius XII, and preparing them for consultation.

Archival work ‘cultivates memory’, he said. ‘In a certain sense … it could be compared to the cultivation of a majestic tree, whose branches reach to the heavens, but whose roots are solidly anchored in the earth.’ If the Church is like the tree, the archivists work to keep its historical roots alive, so that ‘even the greenest and youngest branches can draw from them good sap for further growth’. The Holy Father said that he made the decision: ‘with a serene and confident soul, certain that serious and objective historical research will be able to evaluate Pius’ pontificate in its proper light. The Church is not afraid of history; on the contrary, she loves it, and desires to love it more and better, as God loves it’.

The archive will be opened on 2 March 2020. From this time, qualified researchers will be able to view a large volume of documents 14

collected in the Vatican during the period from 2 March 1939 to 9 October 1958. The date of the opening in 2020 coincides with the anniversary of the election of Eugenio Pacelli as Pope Pius XII. Bishop Sergio Pagano, Prefect of the Vatican Secret Archives, said that the decision to open the archives will allow a more profound evaluation of the figure of Eugenio Pacelli, who is often the subject of ‘superficial criticisms’. The Prefect recalled that, in 2004, Pope St John Paul II made the extensive collection of the Vatican Office of Information for Prisoners of War (1939-1947) available to researchers. This is composed of 2,349 archival units, divided into 556 envelopes, 108 registers and 1,685 boxes of documentation, with an alphabetical file, which amounts to about 2,100,000 records, relating to military and civilian prisoners, missing or interned, for whom information was being sought. This collection is still very much in demand today by private scholars or relatives of deceased prisoners.

When the archive relating to the pontificate of Pope Pius XI (19221939) was opened in 2006, at the request of Pope Benedict XVI, work was already underway for the progressive preparation of the documentary material of Pius XII, which many scholars demanded with ever greater insistence. Describing the new sources of the Secret Archives that will be available to scholars, Bishop Pagano cites about 151,000 sets of documents (each of which consists of dozens of sheets) of the Secretariat of State. Detailed computer descriptions of this documentation have been prepared and are available in paper format (68 volumes of indices). Then there are the so-called ‘separate envelopes’,

which contain documentation regarding individual topics or institutions, under the organisation of the Secretariat of State, totalling 538 envelopes, of which there will be a precise descriptive list. From the same source come 76 units, now called the Pius XII Papers, which contain manuscripts by Eugenio Pacelli before and during his pontificate, as well as typescripts of his many speeches, sometimes with handwritten corrections. There are also three other substantial special archival collections. The first is that of the Relief Commission, the second is simply called Pontifical Charity, and the third is that of the Migration Office, set up to deal with the problem of the repatriation of prisoners and refugees, as well as the growing issue of migration, caused by the poverty experienced in certain European countries.

This huge undertaking was carried out by twenty officials from the Vatican Archives working fulltime and exclusively on the project.

Where possible, they were assisted by qualified graduates from the School of Palaeography, Diplomacy and Archiving within the Archive itself. ‘It was certainly a struggle, but sustained by enthusiasm, both because we were aware of working for future historical research in relation to a crucial period for the Church and for the world, and because the papers were anything but uninspiring. They spoke, and I hope they will speak, to researchers and historians of an almost superhuman work of Christian ‘humanism’ that was active in the stormy disorder of those events that in the mid20th century seemed determined to annihilate the very notion of human civilization’, comments Bishop Pagano.

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THANK YOU!

Dear All I hope this finds you all in good health and strength. It is now a little over a month since my departure to continue my studies in Rome. Until then, Westminster Cathedral had been my home among you for close to seven years, and, in fact, it still feels like home to me. During my time and ministry among you, I felt welcome and loved. I couldn’t have asked for a better and more fulfilling experience, even among my own people. The smiles were genuine, the embraces warm and even the occasional (very rare) disagreements felt constructive and helpful. But I must register that your overwhelming show of support and very kind financial donations at my departure and afterwards, succeeded in surpassing my wildest expectations. For all of this, I say thank you and pray for the good Lord’s blessings upon you.

Rome, as many of you will know, is a beautiful and special city. I therefore feel privileged to be back here to complete my studies. Full-time academic work imposes a rather different routine to the one I was used to at the Cathedral; but it is fascinating. I trust that with a bit of hard work on my part, your prayers and A LOT of God’s grace, everything will end successfully here. Till then and ever after, I shall keep you all in my prayers. If we are spared and God permits us to meet again, we shall smile indeed!

© Royal College of Organists

A Letter from the Eternal City Westminster’s New Graduates

Martin Baker, our Master of Music, is currently President of the Royal College of Organists and recently had the pleasure of admitting present and former Cathedral musicians to degrees of the College.

From left to right, Michael Butterfield, now playing at King’s College, London and the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, gained his Associateship, whilst Jonathan Allsopp, our Organ Scholar, gained his Fellowship, as did David Grealy, who has served here for several periods of time and is now organist of the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. Congratulations all round!

With gratitude and best wishes for a blessed Lenten Season.

Sincerely

© Smithsonian Design Museum

Fr Michael Quaicoe

Anonymous English design for a writing desk, 1900 – 1905

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CATHEDRAL HISTORY

A Forest of Columns Patrick Rogers

As you enter the Cathedral an avenue of marble columns stretches out before you – first dark green, four on each side, then eight more in pairs as the nave crosses the transepts, and finally eight great yellow columns supporting the baldacchino over the high altar. You would imagine, if you gave it any thought at all, that these columns were selected by the architect, approved by the Cardinal, ordered, quarried, transported, finished and installed as intended. But it did not happen quite like that – not at all, in fact.

The eight dark green columns that you see first are verde antico marble from Thessaly in Greece. The same ancient marble appears throughout Italy, particularly in Rome and Venice, and also in Istanbul (Constantinople) in Turkey. After lying disused for well over a thousand years, the quarries were rediscovered at Casambala by William Brindley in 1889 – 92 and reopened to provide the columns for the Cathedral. The first five marble blocks had been rough-hewn and transported the seven miles to the railhead at Larissa, when Turkey occupied Thessaly in April 1897 and held it until June 1898, preventing shipment for over a year. Thus it was that the verde antico columns, on which Cardinal Vaughan had set his heart, were not finally cut, polished and installed until late 1899.

But meantime worse had occurred. When you first look at the eight paired columns where the nave crosses the transepts, all seems well. But then you notice that on the left a column of wavy light green Greek cipollino has been paired first with a column of cream and purple Italian breccia and then with one of verde antico – not the lovely dark green verde antico of the nave columns, but a lighter, less attractive variety, apparently from a different quarry. Meanwhile on the right a column of the same verde antico stands besides one of Italian breccia while further on breccia and cipollino are paired.

It all looks a bit, well, cobbled together. Can this be the work of John Francis Bentley, the Cathedral Architect, a man renowned for his scrupulous attention to detail?

Bentley's drawing of the column capitals 16

Well, yes it was, but something had happened outside his control. To his dismay, at Farmer and Brindley’s marble yards at 63 Westminster Bridge Road across the Thames, three columns, two of them cipollino and one of Italian breccia cracked while they were being worked on. To have ordered, quarried, transported, cut and polished replacements from the same quarries would have taken months. After waiting over a year for his verde antico nave columns, the Cardinal was in no mood for further long delays. The columns were needed at once for the structure of the building. Besides, if cipollino and Italian breccia were prone to crack, could replacements of the same marble be relied on? What was available, however, were blocks of verde antico, released in 1898 from the log jam caused by Turkish occupation. In 1892 William Brindley of Farmer and Brindley had discovered no less than ten ancient quarries for this marble at Casambala and in 1896 he had set up the Verde Antico Marble Company, conveniently situated at 34 Victoria Street, to supply it. Verde antico was a marble particularly liked by the Cardinal and had proved its durability and load-bearing strength over many centuries. It was most unlikely to crack as the other marbles had.

Three of the eight paired transept columns are now of cipollino and three of Italian breccia. A drawing (F65) by Bentley to show the design of the transept column capitals (of which there are four types) shades all four columns a light cipollino-like green. This suggests that four transept columns were intended to be of cipollino and therefore, logically, the remaining four of breccia. It thus confirms that two of the columns which broke were intended for the transepts. So where would they have gone? I believe the present pattern tells us. All three cipollino columns are on the inner (nave) side, blending in with the cipollino-clad piers, while all three Italian breccia columns are on the outer (transept) side, reflecting the more varied marbles of the transept walls. This, I believe, was the planned pattern thoughout.

But what of the other cipollino column which cracked and was discarded? There is only one obvious position for it – the aisle leading to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, a position now occupied by a column of the same light verde antico as in the transepts. A cipollino column here would blend in perfectly with the surrounding cipollino wall cladding. Indeed, there is no other obvious position for it, for Bentley’s columns are almost always paired – either side by side or (in the case of chapel entrance columns) across the nave – Languedoc with Languedoc, Swiss cipollino with Swiss cipollino, Greek with Greek. An exception is the Holy Souls Chapel where the silver-grey Labradorite entrance column is a fitting prelude for the silver mosaic and grey marble of the interior. The verde antico column in the Blessed Sacrament aisle was also ‘lost’ for a time, though it subsequently made a comeback. To Oremus

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CATHEDRAL HISTORY that onyx columns greater than five and a half feet had never been produced; he was adamant. At length, in 1902, soon after Bentley’s death, the eight onyx columns arrived. Three were already broken and another badly cracked. Two of the others now support the pediment over Our Lady’s altar in Birmingham Oratory. The yellow Verona columns originally planned by Bentley were ordered and arrived without mishap in 1905. His baldacchino, on which he had spent so much effort and which he had described as ‘the best thing about the Cathedral’ was unveiled on Christmas Eve 1906.

How they should have been: Greek cipollino and Italian breccia columns at the south transept

facilitate processions moving down the aisle, in 1949 the Cathedral authorities had it removed and replaced by a horizontal steel girder. If you look closely at the wall on either side, you can see where. The view of the Westminster Cathedral Chronicle that this: ‘will be welcomed by all’ was very far from the case.

In 1953 the Cathedral Art and Architecture Committee, which had lapsed, was reinstituted and the column, which fortunately was still in the builders’ yard, was restored. It was said that it had been carefully chosen by Bentley. Well … up to a point.

Finally, to the eight columns of yellow Verona marble carrying the baldacchino. Cardinal Vaughan had a contact, Marius Cantini, who owned onyx quarries near Constantine in Algeria and had supplied Marseilles Cathedral. The Cardinal decided on onyx for the baldacchino. In vain was he told APRIL 2019

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The yellow Verona marble columns of the baldacchino

A hundred and seventy years ago, John Ruskin, that great exponent of the Gothic style, compared the columns of a marble-encrusted building such as ours to its jewels. We have a hundred and thirty marble columns in Westminster Cathedral, all of them monoliths, all of them solid, ranging in size from three to fifteen feet. They are our jewels.

© Birmingham Oratory

The aisle by the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, with girder and without column

Onyx columns, originally for the Cathedral, now grace Our Lady’s altar in Birmingham Oratory 17

MONTHLY ALBUM

© Comms Office

© Comms Office

The Rite of Election

Everyone speaks to one of the bishops

Selfies galore

The Saturday and Sunday afternoons of the first weekend of Lent are reserved for the Rite of Election, when those who are to receive Christian Initiation or Reception into the Church at Easter come to the Cathedral to be welcomed. The Cardinal and all four auxiliary bishops are there to meet each candidate personally, although the conversations continued on the piazza after the service, despite particularly gusty weather. During Lent we are asked to remember these candidates especially at Mass each Sunday.

A Spring Party

Ambrosden Avenue’s Olive grove

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The Choir School parents opted for a Spring Party in an olive grove. These being in short supply in SW1, one had to be shipped in and created in Cathedral Hall, not at vast expense from Greece or Italy, but rather more cheaply from Northamptonshire. The supplier of the plants and trees turned out to be based in the town of Oundle, where the editor of Oremus served as a Church of England curate from 1978 – 81.

Conversation turned to how the town has changed and expanded over the years, with memories shared of late Sunday nights and early Monday mornings in a much-loved pub just outside the town where licensing laws, for some reason, did not apply.

Happy days!

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MONTHLY ALBUM

Experiencing Holy Hour As part of the follow-up to last year’s Adoremus Eucharistic Congress, Catholic primary schools from Kensington and Chelsea came on pilgrimage to the Cathedral, walking from Sloane Square. The aim was to experience a Holy Hour together, with representative children from the various schools serving, reading scripture and intercessions, and walking in the Blessed Sacrament Procession.

It is not always easy at a young age to enter into silence, but great credit must be given to the children and their teachers for the reverent behaviour in the Cathedral; and we hope that they (and other schools) will come again.

Fr Daniel leads the Blessed Sacrament Procession, with children representing all the schools following

Asking Prayers

The Police – Underground A new initiative was recently trialled in the Cathedral Café, when local police officers set up a Crime Prevention stall for a few hours and made themselves available to answer any questions. Visitors reported themselves pleased with the idea and also came away with several gadgets that could assist with keeping watchful and safe. It is unfortunately true that on a few occasions we have to call upon the assistance of our local police and therefore good that we get to know them better. For their part, the officers were pleased to meet members of the parish and congregation; and so we hope to repeat the initiative on other occasions during the year.

Artist at Work

How often do you notice the inscriptions at the feet of the Stations of the Cross and of a number of the mosaics, recording the names of benefactors and asking prayers for the repose of their souls? An addition to their number is in progress below the mosaic of the martyr St Laurence, on the sanctuary wall to the south of the high altar. It records the gift of the mosaic in memory of Joan Sheppard by her sons and is seen here being cut by Ayako Furuno.

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Being assisted by the police with enquiries

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A GREAT OPPORTUNITY

Marriage Preparation Courses at the Cathedral Fr Daniel Humphreys Preparation courses for marriage are offered three times each year at the Cathedral. It is both a pleasure and a necessity that we offer these opportunities for couples in advance of their weddings. The Code of Canon Law is clear that there must be personal preparation for marriage: ‘so that the spouses are disposed to the holiness and the obligations of their new state’ (Canon 1063). In the recent course, run during January and February, we welcomed 10 couples, from differing backgrounds. Our courses consist of seven sessions during which the participants are led through the Christian understanding of marriage as laid down in the Bible and the teachings of the Church. At the same time, through the excellent contributions from the mentor couples, real life experiences of marriage – its joys and sorrows, challenges and blessings – are shared with the engaged couples. We believe that they receive and participate in a well-rounded preparation for the lifechanging commitment they are about to make.

Alongside the catechetical work, and the shared emotions and expectations, comes the humour which is an important ingredient for all human relationships. During the last course this was very evident, with many amusing

moments. Speaking as a priest, I have found the preparation of couples for marriage very rewarding. Being with and getting to know people who have found another person to whom they intend to remain faithful for the rest of their lives is a joyful experience for any priest. At no point do we suggest that marriage is easy, and we stress that it is not for the fainthearted. One of the most vital things that we seek to transmit is the commitment that the Church makes to supporting married couples and families at all stages. I know that the mentor couples benefit from reflecting on their own marriages, and we are very blessed in having the kind support of couples at all stages of marriage, from under 10 years to over 50 years together, and from many different cultures and backgrounds.

Please do mention and recommend our courses to couples you may know who are planning to marry in the Church. Please pray for all who are preparing to celebrate the sacrament of marriage, and for all who need the loving support of the Church, especially those for whom marriage has brought sadness and disappointment. Do also remember our mentor couples, and thank God for their commitment and integrity.

Catholic Creators Launched More than 300 people gathered recently to hear Dr Gabriele Finaldi, director of the National Gallery and a committed Catholic, speak on ’Art and Faith’ at Farm Street Church in Mayfair. Artists from all spheres gathered for the talk, which marked the launch of Catholic Creators, an initiative dedicated to supporting and connecting Catholic artists across the UK. Led by artists for artists, the group will provide spiritual formation, social gatherings and opportunities for creatives to showcase their work.

In his talk, Dr Finaldi wove a path through the ages, showing how the image of Christ, in a secular age, can transcend set beliefs and capture the imagination of the viewer, demonstrating the perpetual relevance of and fascination with the life and resonance of Christ today. Works from the National Gallery's collection were presented with enthusiasm and sensitivity, as he guided the audience through the symbolic and pictorial aspects of Christian painting, showing the significance of art in regard to Catholic faith, but also of faith in shaping the art and symbols of suffering and humanity today. Jusepe di Ribera's tender depiction of the Lamentation of Christ, in its silence and reverence, was compared to Gregorio Fernandez’s stark and visceral polychromatic painted sculpture of the Dead Christ from the 20

same period, its brutal realism evoking both compassion and devotion from the viewer.

Twenty years ago St John Paul II wrote a Letter to Artists, saying: ‘In Christ, God has reconciled the world to himself. All believers are called to bear witness to this; but it is up to you, men and women who have given your lives to art, to declare with all the wealth of your ingenuity that in Christ the world is redeemed: the human person is redeemed, the human body is redeemed, and the whole creation’. Dr Finaldi commented further: ‘Image, liturgy, and sacrament come together in a perfect theatrical and theological concord. Christian writers often quote the words of Dostoevsky that ”beauty will save the world”. There is surely something profoundly insightful in this phrase. Beauty can cut across a thousand arguments, it can speak directly to the heart, it can be persuasive in many mysterious ways’.

The chair of Catholic Creators UK, Eve Farren, addressed the crowd saying: ‘Your presence is evidence of a hunger from Catholic artists to connect, to meet people who are orthodox in their faith, yet simultaneously deeply curious and open-minded – people who occupy the boundaries, who need to ask questions but always from a place of trust in, and fidelity to, the Church’.

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PRISON CHAPLAINCY

Spending Time with Her Majesty’s Guests Fr Keith Sawyer

The basis of prison chaplaincy is laid out in the Prisons Act 1952, which has been updated, mostly in detail. It comes down to two main duties, what are called Reception interviews and an act of worship. On arrival at a prison, the inmate has to be seen by the medical officer, a governor and a chaplain.

Since most Catholic chaplains in the Prison Service are part-time, usually the inmates have been seen for other purposes before the chaplain sees them, which is two or three days after they arrive. A prisoner is asked on arrival if he wishes to have a religion recorded on his papers, and most do. For Catholics, the Reception interview can be the occasion to rekindle contact with the Church, and whenever I have done them, I try to work towards confession and absolution.

The act of worship is usually a Mass, and ideally should be on Sunday morning. Clearly, the anticipated Mass of Saturday evening is not viable (there are enough problems getting staff coverage for other duties, let alone chapel) and nor are Saturday and Sunday afternoons when visiting takes place; and I would never expect an inmate to refuse a visit so as to go to Mass. Also, in theory, the prison should avoid other activity on a Sunday morning, although chapel is not compulsory. But I think some prisons will say: ‘if you are a registered RC, you go to Mass’, a practice I view with caution. It remains the case, though, that if we provide Mass at some other time, Saturday morning or a weekday, we must assume that other activities will happen in parallel, and we take our chance.

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© Chmee2

I have had four periods in prison. I was at Wellingborough Prison 1985 to 1991 and then at HMP Woodhill, Milton Keynes from 1992 to 1994. In both prisons I was asked to go back, as a locum catholic chaplain for some months, hence my four periods in prison.

The main gate of HM Prison, Wormwood Scrubs

prison. When I was serving Woodhill Prison, I remember a prisoner saying to me: ‘You’ve put prisoners before parishioners, and they are getting you out’. I think he probably assessed it correctly, too. On my second stint in Wellingborough I wanted to move the Mass from Saturday morning to Monday evening, but the governor wouldn’t have it and contacted the bishop to find a priest nearer than me. So I have the privilege of being able to claim that I have been thrown out of prison, a better fate than being thrown in. I can only say that part-time chaplains do not usually volunteer for prison work; we are told by our bishop that it goes with another appointment (usually a parish), and as obedient men we do what we are told.

On that matter, I think I can say that, despite our initial lack of enthusiasm for prison chaplaincy, most of us do a reasonable job, and the prestige of Catholic chaplains among uniformed prison officers is quite high. They respect us as priests, even though most will not agree with our faith.

Prisons usually have a Segregation Unit, for Vulnerable Prisoners, which means known sex offenders, convicted prison officers or police, or perhaps potential suicides. These are visited by someone from the chaplaincy daily, and usually the Catholic chaplain will do one day a week, but is always free to go in at other times. Visiting alleged paedophiles is a sad business, and

I cannot understand why our society pillories them so much. When Woodhill first opened, I used to come home to my parents after doing a full Monday inside, then go for a walk to clear my head in the evening, and would often cry about the men I had visited.

There are a few other reasons for the chaplain being involved with inmates: Christmas sees a Carol Service beforehand, usually done across the denominations, and Good Friday sees something similar. Since we do not have Mass on that day, it is sometimes possible to take the Blessed Sacrament in and give Catholics Holy Communion at the end of the shared service. I have been involved in the occasional wedding, and done the odd baptism and confirmation. Breaking the news of the death of a family member also falls to the chaplain, although mercifully I have never had to do this.

Unlike military chaplaincy, where the chaplains can at times turn out in full splendour, and hospital chaplaincy, where patients and families are usually grateful, prison chaplains work in the shadows, and it is sometimes called ministry to the lapsed. But it is also fulfilling the command of Jesus to visit those in prison, and on that basis we do God’s will, even if the human race does not see it in the same way.

Fr Keith is a priest of Northampton diocese and regularly assists with hearing confessions in the Cathedral.

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DIARY APRIL

2019

St Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury (21 April) The saints whose feasts fall in April often remain unnoticed as the days of Holy Week and the Easter Octave take precedence.

St Anselm (c.1033 – 1109) felt an early vocation to monastic life, but family pressure kept him from this for some time. Entering the abbey of Bec (Normandy) he was to become its abbot. Named Archbishop of Canterbury in 1093, he was exiled twice through quarrels with the king over the Church’s independence. Behind these politics lay both a deep spirituality, expressed in his prayers which we still use, and a searching theological mind which wrestled with the doctrine of the Atonement and the existence of God. Never officially canonised, Anselm was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1720 and his image features on one of the roundels beside the Cathedral doors.

St Anselm hands to Queen Mathilda a copy of his work

The Month of

April

Holy Father’s Prayer Intention: UNIVERSAL: For doctors and their humanitarian collaborators in war zones, who risk their lives to save the lives of others.

Sunday 31 March

Ps Week 4 4th SUNDAY OF LENT (Laetare) 10.30am Solemn Mass (Schola Cantorum of the London Oratory School) Haydn – Missa brevis Sancti Ioannis de Deo A Gabrieli – Laetare Ierusalem Monteverdi – Adoramus te Organ: Tournemire – Postlude-Fantaisie (L’Orgue mystique XV) 12pm RCIA Scrutiny at Mass 3.30pm Solemn Vespers (English) and Benediction 4.45pm Organ Recital: Francesca Massey (Durham Cathedral)

Monday 1 April Lent Feria

Tuesday 2 April Lent Feria (St Francis of Paola, Hermit) 5.30pm Chapter Mass

Lent Feria

Thursday 4 April Lent Feria (St Isidore, Bishop & Doctor) 11.30am – 8.30pm NHS Blood Transfusion Service in Cathedral Hall 2pm St Vincent de Paul School Passion Play Friday Abstinence

Lent Feria (St Vincent Ferrer, Priest)

Saturday 6 April Lent Feria 6pm Adult Confirmations at Mass (Bishop John Wilson) 22

Lassus – Magnificat octavi toni Palestrina – Tribulationes civitatum 4.45pm Organ Recital – David Gammie (Sacred Heart, Wimbledon)

Monday 15 April MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK

Tuesday 16 April

Lent Feria

TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK 12pm Chrism Mass (Full Choir) Monteverdi – Messa a 4 voci da cappella (1651) Croce – In spiritu humilitatis Monteverdi – Adoramus te Organ: J S Bach – Prelude and Fugue in E major (BWV 566)

Tuesday 9 April

Wednesday 17 April

Lent Feria

WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK

Wednesday 10 April

Thursday 18 April

Lent Feria

MAUNDY THURSDAY 6pm Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Full Choir) Josquin – Missa Pange lingua Palestrina – Dominus Iesus in qua nocte

Monday 8 April

Thursday 11 April Lent Feria (St Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr) 6.30pm Friends’ Talk – Christopher Somerville (Cathedral Hall)

Friday 12 April

Friday abstinence

Lent Feria

Saturday 13 April Lent Feria (St Martin I, Pope & Martyr) 4pm Extraordinary Form Mass (Lady Chapel)

Wednesday 3 April

Friday 5 April

Sunday 7 April Ps Week 1 5th SUNDAY OF LENT 10.30am Solemn Mass (Men’s Voices) Palestrina – Missa Eripe me Palestrina – Confitebor tibi Domine 3.30pm Solemn Vespers and Benediction Umbertus – Magnificat tertii toni Byrd – Quomodo cantabimus 4.30pm Mass for the Deaf Service (Cathedral Hall) 4.45pm Organ Recital: Jonathan Clinch (Royal Academy of Music) 5.30pm RCIA Scrutiny at Mass

Sunday 14 April

Ps Week 2 PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD 9am Family Mass 10am Procession and Solemn Mass (Full Choir) Malcolm – Ingrediente Domino F Anerio – Christus factus est Victoria – The Passion according to St Luke B Martin – Omnes amici mei Victoria – Missa quarti toni (Agnus Dei only) Victoria – Vere languores nostros 3.30pm Solemn Vespers and Benediction

Friday 19 April Fast & Abstinence GOOD FRIDAY 10am Office of Readings (Full Choir) Victoria – Eram quasi agnus Victoria – Iesum tradidit impius Victoria – Caligaverunt oculi mei F Anerio – Christus factus est 3pm The Celebration of the Passion of the Lord Bruckner – Christus factus est Byrd – The Passion according to St John Victoria – Improperia King John IV of Portugal – Crux fidelis B Martin – Omnes amici mei Casals – O vos omnes Tallis – Lamentations of Jeremiah Saturday 20 April

Fast as desired HOLY SATURDAY 10am Office of Readings (Full Choir) Victoria – Recessit pastor noster Victoria – O vos omnes Victoria – Sepulto Domino F Anerio – Christus factus est 8.30pm The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night Lassus – Iubilate Deo omnis terra Oremus

APRIL 2019

DIARY AND NOTICES Tuesday 30 April

Reid – Exodus canticle Palestrina – Sicut cervus Vierne – Messe solennelle in C sharp minor Handel – Moses and the Children of Israel Taverner – Dum transisset Sabbatum Organ: Vierne – Final (Symphonie VI)

ST GEORGE, Martyr, Patron of England

EASTER SUNDAY OF THE RESURRECTION 10.30am Solemn Pontifical Mass (Full Choir) Palestrina – Missa Ecce ego Ioannes Handel – Hallelujah Organ: Dupré - Prelude and Fugue in B major (Op. 7) 3.30pm Solemn Pontifical Vespers and Benediction Palestrina – Magnificat primi toni G Gabrieli – Ego sum qui sum Organ: Tournemire – ChoralImprovisation sur le Victimae Paschali 4.45pm Organ Recital: Peter Stevens (Westminster Cathedral)

Through the Week

10am Morning Prayer 10.30am, 12.30 and 5pm Mass 11-12.30pm Confessions

Monday 22 April

MONDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE

© Nheyob

Sunday 21 April

St George, Patron Saint of Scouting, at Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue, Ohio

Key to the Diary: Saints’ days and holy days written in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS denote Sundays and Solemnities, CAPITAL LETTERS denote Feasts, and those not in capitals denote Memorials, whether optional or otherwise. Memorials in brackets are not celebrated liturgically.

Tuesday 23 April

TUESDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE

Wednesday 24 April

WEDNESDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE

Thursday 25 April

THURSDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE

Friday 26 April

No Friday Abstinence FRIDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE

Saturday 27 April

SATURDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE Normal Service Schedule resumes

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Sunday 28 April

2nd SUNDAY OF EASTER (or of DIVINE MERCY) 10.30am Solemn Mass 3.30pm Solemn Vespers (English) and Benediction

Monday 29 April

ST CATHERINE OF SIENA, Virgin & Doctor, Patron of Europe APRIL 2019

Oremus

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What Happens and When

Public Services: The Cathedral opens shortly before the first Mass of the day; doors close at 7.00pm, Monday to Saturday, with occasional exceptions.

On Sunday evenings the Cathedral closes after the 7.00pm Mass. On Public and Bank Holidays the Cathedral closes at 5.30pm in the afternoon.

Monday to Friday: Masses: 7.00am; 8.00am; 10.30am (Latin, said); 12.30pm; 1.05pm and 5.30pm (Solemn, sung by the Choir). Morning Prayer (Lady Chapel): 7.40am. Evening Prayer (Latin Vespers* sung by the Lay Clerks in the Lady Chapel): 5.00pm (*except Tuesday when it is sung in English). Rosary is prayed after the 5.30pm Mass.

Saturday: Masses: 8.00am; 9.00am; 10.30am (Solemn Latin, sung by the Choir); and 12.30pm.

Morning Prayer (Lady Chapel): 10.00am. First Evening Prayer of Sunday (Lady Chapel): 5.30pm.

First Mass of Sunday: 6.00pm.

Sunday: Masses: 8.00am; 9.00am; 10.30am (Solemn, sung by the Choir); 12 noon; 5.30pm; and 7.00pm. Morning Prayer (Lady Chapel) 10.00am.

Solemn Vespers and Benediction: 3.30pm. Organ Recital (when scheduled): 4.45pm.

Holy Days of Obligation: As Monday-Friday, Vigil Mass (evening of the previous day) at 5.30pm.

Public Holidays: Masses: 10.30am, 12.30pm, 5.00pm.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: This takes place in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel every Monday to Friday following the 1.05pm Mass, until 4.45pm.

Confessions are heard at the following times: Saturday: 10.30am-6.30pm. Sunday: 11.00am1.00pm; and 4.30-7.00pm. Monday-Friday: 11.30am-6.00pm. Public Holidays: 11.00am1.00pm.

Sacred Heart Church, Horseferry Road SW1P 2EF: Sunday Mass 11.00am, Weekday Mass Thursday 12.30pm Funerals: Enquiries about arranging a funeral at the Cathedral or Sacred Heart Church, Horseferry Road, should be made to a priest at Cathedral Clergy House in the first instance.

Throughout the Year Mondays: 11.30am: Prayer Group in the Hinsley Room. 6.30pm: Guild of the Blessed Sacrament in the Cathedral Tuesdays: Walsingham Prayer Group in St George’s Chapel 2.30pm on first Tuesday of the month; 6.30pm: The Guild of St Anthony in the Cathedral.

Wednesdays: 12pm First Wednesday Quiet Days in the Hinsley Room; 4pm Interfaith Group on third Wednesdays in the Hinsley Room.

Thursdays: 1.15pm: Padre Pio Prayer Group at Sacred Heart Church. 6.30pm: The Legion of Mary in Clergy House.

Fridays: 5.00pm: Charismatic Prayer Group in the Cathedral Hall – please check in advance for confirmation.

Saturdays: 10.00am: Centering Prayer Group in the Hinsley Room. 2.00pm: Justice and Peace Group in the Hinsley Room on the last of the month.

23

CATHEDRAL HISTORY

Cathedral History: A Pictorial Record Cardinal Bourne celebrates High Mass to mark the Centenary of Catholic Emancipation, Saturday 13 April 1929 at the beginning of the Cathedral’s life the Divine Office was sung there. During None, the Cardinal vested for Mass and the procession entered the Cathedral by the West Door.

Following Mass the Te Deum was sung.

This picture was taken at the Offertory of the Mass, during the ceremony known as the Praegustatio. This took place at Pontifical High Mass, usually by a priest or sacristan standing to the far (Epistle) side of the altar, having brought a goblet to pre-taste some of the wine and water from the cruets that would be used to fill the prelate’s chalice. On the paten two large hosts were placed, one of which he would choose to consecrate, the other to be consumed by the person carrying out the Praegustatio. Only when the taster showed no reaction, fatal or otherwise, would the Mass then continue.

The purpose of this ceremony was to ensure that the elements of bread and wine had not been poisoned beforehand, hence the sacristan often being called upon to perform this function.

The writer’s own recollections in the early 1960s were of a former Head Sacristan, Sam Verrall, carrying out this role. It was abolished during the reforms of that decade.

Paul Tobin To mark this important event in the history of the Church in this country, Cardinal Bourne (Archbishop of Westminster 1903-1935) sang a Votive Mass of Thanksgiving in the presence of the Hierarchy of England and Wales. The clergy of both countries were also invited to attend. It was the Cardinal’s intention to include the whole diocese in the celebration by an instruction that on the following day (Sunday 14th): ‘… a suitable service of thanksgiving be held in every Church and Chapel of the Diocese, with the singing or at least reciting of the Te Deum; that the faithful be exhorted to receive Holy Communion and that the Blessed Sacrament be exposed during some part of the day’.

The Cardinal also wished that St George’s Day, 23 April, on which the Catholic Emancipation Act came into force in 1829, should be observed: ‘with special solemnity and that everywhere there be Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament’.

The Cathedral Chronicle of the time records how the Mass was to be preceded by the office of None being sung in Cathedral Hall, which had been turned into a chapel for the occasion, and not for the first time, since for many months 24

At the high altar, to Cardinal Bourne’s left, are the Assistant Priest and the Bugia Bearer in copes. The Bugia was a hand candle, used whenever a bishop read or sang from a text.

To the Cardinal’s right is the Deacon of the Mass, with the Subdeacon wearing the Humeral Veil over the Tunicle in order to receive the paten and stand holding it at the foot of the Altar steps between the Assistant Deacons at the Throne, until the conclusion of the Canon of the Mass (Eucharistic Prayer).

As these two Deacons occupied the stools either side of the throne, the Deacon and Subdeacon of the Mass sat on the two stools (on the marble), where their birettas can be seen. The two figures in copes at the foot of the steps on either side of the carpet are seminarians acting as Crozier Bearer (left) and Mitre Bearer (right). The Cathedral Chaplains are seated in the front row of the choir stalls, with canons from other dioceses, recognizable by their fur trimmed capes, in the rows behind.

Keen observers will note that the Paschal Candle is unlit, even though this event took place during the Easter Season.

One school of thought has it that being a Votive Mass rather than the Mass of the day, the rubrics of the day proscribed this or alternatively that the candle may not have been lit beforehand or had the wick trimmed; we will probably never know the real reason. Suffice it to say that in those days the Paschal Candle was not lit as frequently as nowadays.

Hanging between the pillars of the baldacchino on the right hand side of the altar can be seen an electric lamp, presumably with a companion on the left hand side, to aid visibility. Changes in illuminating the sanctuary have led to the removal of these, although the hooks from which they hung can still be seen on the underside of the baldacchino.

Sources: Photograph - Sport & General Press Agency Ltd. Westminster Cathedral Chronicle April & May 1929 Oremus

APRIL 2019

AN ARTIST’S PASSION

Putting Lourdes in the Picture

© Colin Bentley

The artist Colin Bentley has announced a major project: ’Pilgrimage – a portrait of HCPT’ inspired by the work of the charity. He is currently Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site Artist in Residence and has work in private collections throughout the world. Colin says: ‘I've always thought of myself as very lucky doing something that inspires me. Walking into my studio every day still fills me with joy and excitement.

I am so fortunate that my life revolves around my job as an artist. But for one week a year that all changes. Each Easter I close my studio, regardless of deadlines or work pressures, for my other passion in life, HCPT. The charity takes disabled and disadvantaged children to Lourdes at that time. The benefits the stay has on the children we take in our group (HCPT Group 141, based in Devon) is always staggering – be it in terms of their independence, self-esteem or little, but important, achievements that they attain during the week. It also, in many cases, provides much-needed respite for the parents and carers back home. Put simply, the week gives people hope.

Kiteboarders by Colin Bentley

never experienced anywhere else where you can witness incredible joys and deep sorrows in such a short space of time. It really is a remarkable place.

I’ve always wanted to do something that combines my day job as an artist and my week in Lourdes. However, as the pilgrimage is so deeply important to me, I've kept them separate until I could find a truly meaningful way of bringing them together. I’ve never taken on a project that is so deeply personal before, and it won’t be an easy journey.

However, I’m sure my passion for

My saddest and happiest experiences have been in Lourdes. It’s a place where I feel deeply connected to the most basic human emotions of love, hope, fear, joy and faith. It is a place of extremes. I've

HCPT’s work will shine through to create something truly special.

With the project I’ll explore the work of HCPT through a collection of portraits. Some will be large group portraits full of life, laughter and noise – while others will be quiet, intimate and delicate. I want each painting to capture an easily missed moment of care and deep love that is present in Lourdes.

I hope the collection of paintings will eventually give a true and vibrant flavour of an HCPT pilgrimage – both at Easter and Summer.’

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We would like to thank our readers for their continued support and all those who send donations.

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Send to: Oremus, 42 Francis Street, London SW1P 1QW United Kingdom

APRIL 2019

Oremus

25

CROSSWORD AND POEM

Good Friday Kathryn Southworth

In memoriam B The years have marked you – your face marred by rough treatment, wind’s whiplash, scarring your stone envelope, the address silting up.

But today, bearing our Easter tribute, we do not need to search among the dead – you are bursting with yellow trumpets booming that improbable call to rise, to bloom, to live.

With a sunburst of pure energy, God does something new and turns the world upside down, as he turned it inside out at Bethlehem. The gaunt corpse is gone; it is raised up from the dead.

Through Mary Magdalene’s tears, Jesus takes the appearance of the gardener. The tears clear as soon as her name is spoken, and she knows and sees the Risen Lord.

Alan Frost: March 2019

Clues Across 1 John -------, Victorian composer of the Crucifixion (7) 6 What a manger served as at the Nativity (3) 8 ‘I am the Alpha and the -----’, title of Jesus in the Apocalypse (5) 9 Saint of Seville, Doctor of the Church, Feast Day 4 April (7) 10 Board used by necromancers trying to contact the dead (5) 11 ------ Green, in North London, place of historic Catholic cemetery (6) 13 River in India sacred to Hindus (6) 15 Anglo-Saxon pagan goddess, from whom the word ‘Easter’ derives (6) 17 St Peter Mary ------, first martyr of the Oceanic Islands, Feast Day 28 April (6) 20 Administrative region of China, with several Catholic Churches under Rome (5) 21 Country of birth of W A Mozart (7) 23 Solemnly sworn statements (5) 24 Means of propulsion for river craft (3) 25 Seats of monarchs, such as Pugin’s masterpiece in the Palace of Westminster (7)

ANSWERS Across: 1 Stainer 6 Cot 8 Omega 9 Isidore 10 Ouija 11 Kensal 13 Ganges 15 Eostre 17 Chanel 20 Macao* 21 Austria 23 Oaths 24 Oar 25 Thrones Down: 1 Sprinkle 2 Albion 3 Novo 4 Roper 5 Cenotaph 6 Caning 7 Tuba 12 Airports14 Salva Nos 16 Sector 18 Norman 19 Faust 20 Malo 22 Seer *Also spelt ‘Macau’

26

© Prado Museum

Clues Down 1 Meaning of Asperges, as at beginning of Solemn Mass, and above Cathedral water stoup(8) 2 Ancient name for the island of Great Britain (6) 3 ---- cedat ritui’, fromTantum Ergo at Benediction (4) 4 William -----, married Margaret, eldest daughter of St Thomas More (5) 5 Memorial to the fallen (elsewhere) in War, notably in Whitehall (8) 6 Old school punishment when former PM loses direction! (6) 7 One of the brass instruments in an orchestra (4) 12 Heathrow and Gatwick, for example (8) 14 Domine Rex et Redemptor per Sanguinem Tuum ----- ---, prayer above Cathedral doors (5,3) 16 A guarded area or a mathematical shape (6) 18 Style of architecture, seen in cathedrals such as Durham, Ely and Norwich (6) 19 Goethe character, who sold his soul to the Devil (5) 20 Sed libera nos a ---- , from the Our Father (4) 22 Divinely inspired visionary, three young examples being from Fatima (4)

The Resurrection of Christ by El Greco

Men run to the empty tomb, see and believe.

Those on the way to Emmaus find Jesus in the word of Scripture and in person at the Eucharist. The fire has broken free and will burn brightly for ever. from a meditation

by Julian ChilcottMonk

To submit a poem whether by yourself or another for consideration, please contact the Editor – details on page 3.

Oremus

APRIL 2019

FIFTY AND ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO

In retrospect: from the Cathedral Chronicle Lent is about to begin. I invite you to offer your prayers and penance for peace and unity within the Church. Many of our priests are troubled. We help them not by condemning them but by showing them compassion. Pray especially for our young priests. It is not their fault if they are disturbed.

Remember that the Church is in the world and every institution is passing through a turbulent period. Instead of judging others we must examine ourselves and our motives. If we all seek closer union with Our Lord we are bound to come closer to each other. During Lent go to Mass and receive Holy Communion daily if you can. Give the money you save through self-denial to feed the hungry. What will be spent in smoking, drinking and entertainment between now and Easter in this country could save thousands from starvation. God grant you a holy Lent and a happy Easter. + JOHN CARDINAL HEENAN Archbishop of Westminster from the Pastoral Letter in the April 1969 Westminster Cathedral News Sheet There is to be a Reception at Archbishop’s House at nine o’clock on Tuesday, April 29th. Up to 1915 this welcome event in Low Week was held annually, but owing to the restrictions was not held during the last three years of the war. Contrary to the custom formerly prevailing ladies will be admitted this year. Evening dress is not obligatory.

and welcomed her without reservation as a precious factor in the struggle against Germanism. In 1914 he stood almost alone among his co-religionists in appreciation of Serbia, and the Serbians have shown their gratitude by the enthusiastic welcome extended to him in their freed capital …

In reference to the great welcome accorded to the Cardinal on his arrival at Laibach, in the new kingdom of Yugo-Slavia, we have the following report: ‘The Cardinal has been everywhere received with remarkable tokens of affection and esteem, in virtue of his double position as a Prince of the Catholic Church and an eminent citizen of the British Empire. Great Britain, which, up to now, has been a pleasing abstraction in these parts, has, through the words and actions of Cardinal Bourne, become a wonderful reality, and the effects of his journey will contribute to the prestige of the British Empire for many a long day ... Perhaps the most enthusiastic welcome was that given to Cardinal Bourne by the town of Laibach tonight. At every station along the riverside the Cardinal was hailed with cries of greeting, and when he arrived at the town an immense crowd had gathered there to receive him, headed by Bishop Jeglic and all the chief officials of the town. The Cardinal’s car was decked with flowers and drove slowly through the dense masses of cheering humanity. Every house flew its banner of the red, white and blue of the new kingdom of Yugo-Slavia’.

The visit of Cardinal Bourne to the Serbian capital Belgrade has a twofold significance. It marks the new era of religious fraternity henceforth to prevail in what was once a centre of uncompromising Orthodoxy. With the inclusion of five million Croats and Slovenes in the state of Yugo-Slavia, Serbia proper ceases to be the sectarian fortress compelled by Imperial Russia to uphold and favour the State religion in her administration and institutions. The participation by an English Prelate of the Roman Church in a solemn act of public worship whose officiant is Vice-President of the Serbian Cabinet, points to the inauguration of a spirit at once reverent and tolerant, that spirit so characteristic of England, so rarely met elsewhere.

On the other hand, the English Cardinal’s visit is a confirmation of the changed attitude of English Catholic circles towards Serbia and her legitimate national aspirations. Sympathy with Austria as a great Catholic Power had long militated against recognition of Serbia as a congenial ally, in the minds of English conservative Catholic circles. It is notable that cardinal Bourne was in this respect a determined pioneer. He at once gauged the merits of a dauntless little race that had in the past fought so well for Christendom against Mohammedanism, APRIL 2019

Oremus

At Constantinople, under snow, returning from the Mosaic Mosque, formerly a Christian Church.

The Cardinal Archbishop has returned to England and, considering his strenuous and eventful journey, is looking remarkably well. We are glad to be able to introduce into this issue a few snapshots of his travels. from Varia in the April 1919 Westminster Cathedral Chronicle 27

IN THE LORD’S SERVICE

A Quiet Day Fifteen adult and 30 young Cathedral servers took a Lenten Saturday out for a Quiet Day of reflection. The younger ones reinforced their resolutions, as can be seen here, with artwork. ‘Try not to lose focus, as wax may fall upon you! Beware: IT BURNS!’ warned one, whilst another looked at a group of bad habits: ‘Making inappropriate faces is disrespectful to God’ and ‘distracts people from prayer’. But it was not all about warnings: ‘O heavenly Father, help us to carry these candles in the Mass; make us do it with our hearts and all our souls.

Make it easier to pray whilst serving.

Make us stop our bad habits and help us serve the Lord in pleasure. I hope you like the way we serve, we will try to make it better’.

28

Oremus

APRIL 2019

THE FRIENDS OF WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL

All Aboard the Charabancs Christina White

The Friends’ Newsletter has just gone to press with a rather glorious front page image of a beautiful magnolia tree that we encountered during the recent trip to Leighton House. I was struck by the need for spring-proper as hailstones bounced off the window sill at the weekend. We are in need of sunshine and some brighter days.

Ever optimistic, we have two coach trips organised for Hampshire and Essex. We visited Winchester Cathedral last year, a very fine tour with some excellent guides, and Professor Andrew Sanders, vice-chairman of the Friends, had asked whether we might consider a visit to Winchester College, the famous public school in the heart of the city. It was too Winchester College Chapel complicated to combine the two back in November, but we have arranged a trip for May that will also include the Hospital of St Cross. We have been given permission to celebrate Mass in the College chapel and in the afternoon will, weather permitting, stroll along the riverbank for the short walk to the Hospital – the oldest and most beautiful almshouse in England (the coach will drop those off who don’t wish to walk). The brothers at the Hospital have maintained the ancient tradition of offering bread and beer to the wayfarer who calls at the porter’s lodge. It is unique in England in terms of the quality of its preservation and has been used extensively in filming, most recently for the BBC adaptation of Wolf Hall. We will be very much in other centuries, since Winchester College dates from 1382 and the Hospital’s foundation is recorded as being between 1132 and 1136.

APRIL 2019

Oremus

On into July, and Rory O’Donnell of the Cathedral’s Art and Architecture Committee is accompanying us to Ingatestone Hall in Essex, the country house of the Petre family. Lord Petre has given us permission to celebrate a house Mass using a wooden recusant altar table that was in use in penal times. We have lunch arranged at the House and in the afternoon will visit the grounds of Thorndon Hall ( which is no longer in the family’s ownership) and, by special arrangement, the Petre family chantry chapel. The beautiful Thorndon Country Park, which was previously the grounds of the country estate, was designed by Capability Brown. I hope we will have time for a stroll and tea before venturing back to London. We will be accompanied on both trips by a Chaplain from the Cathedral. Please book early.

A reminder that later this month we are delighted to welcome the Times’ writer and journalist Christopher Somerville for a talk on his new book Ships of Heaven – the Private Life of Britain’s Cathedrals. The book has been very warmly received pre-publication.

This is not a dull architectural guide to these fine churches, but an intuitive response to what he found. Sir Jeremy Dixon summed it up beautifully: ‘One benefits from his longstanding experience as a professional walker with a gift of writing poetically about landscape.’ I was struck by Professor Diarmiud MacCulloch’s response to the book. As a Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford he had a longer perspective on the importance of Cathedrals in the national psyche: ‘Cathedrals are perhaps Christianity's greatest modern ambassadors in these islands: welcoming portals to experiences and emotions beyond everyday concerns,’ he writes.

‘Christopher Somerville is a genial companion as far as the remotest among these glorious communities, and charmingly opens the private doors at which visitors cast speculative glances’.

Westminster Cathedral was on the list for Christopher to visit, so it will be fascinating to hear what he has to say.

Tickets for all Friends events are available through Clergy House Reception or directly from the Friends’ Office – please call 020 7798 9059.

I hope that you will enjoy the events which we have arranged for the summer.

Forthcoming Events Tuesday April 11: Christopher Somerville Ships of Heaven – the Private Life of Britain’s Cathedrals.

Cathedral Hall: doors open at 6.30pm; talk at 7.00pm. Tickets £10.

Refreshments will be served.

Tuesday May 28: Private tours of Winchester College and the Hospital of St Cross. The coach will depart from Clergy House at 8.15am. Please bring a packed lunch. We have been given special permission to celebrate Mass in the College Chapel.

Afternoon tea booked at the Hospital.

Tickets £50.

Tuesday June 4: Talk by Alison Weir on Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets.

This is the latest book in the historian’s series on the wives of Henry VIII. Cathedral Hall: doors open at 6.30pm and talk is at 7pm. Drinks and book signing to follow. Tickets £10.

Tuesday June 11: Quiz with fish and chip supper. Cathedral Hall: doors open at 6.30pm and the quiz is at 6.45pm. Tickets £15.

Contact us • Write to: Friends’ Office, 42 Francis Street, London SW1P 1QW • Call: 020 7798 9059 • Email: friends@ westminstercathedral.org.uk Registered Charity number 272899

29

SVP PRIMARY SCHOOL

A Saint in Stone! – St George Elio, Year 6

I passed the Cathedral when I was young, but never went inside it until I came to St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School. Once I went inside, I began to get to know it better.

The first thing I noticed was that it was big! When I am in the playground, I can see the sides from the outside, so it is big on the inside and the outside. The thing I really liked was the campanile, which is the tower of the Cathedral. It looked like a mountain in the sky and you get a good view of the sky and the clouds and London and feel a big wind blowing on you in the tower.

I am really impressed with the outside and impressed by the inside, too. It has so many chairs, I really like the statue of St Peter and I have touched his feet and prayed. I also really like the altar because it is so big, wide and magical.

But I am afraid of the great Cross, because I think it might fall right in front of the altar.

Some of my friends have written articles about ‘Saints in Mosaic’ in Oremus, but I have decided to write about a saint in stone! It is St George; I tried to find a mosaic of St George, but I couldn’t find one. But I found a carving of Saint George, I hope you don’t mind!

The reason I want to write about him is that my older brother is called George. St George is important in Lebanon, where my family comes from, and I also have an uncle who is called George and he lives in Lebanon. St George in the carving is holding a flag, which has a cross on it and a shield, which also has a cross on it. He is wearing a Roman soldier’s armour. He wears that because he was in the Roman army and he is the patron saint of England and many other countries.

In the carving, St George looks strong and tough, which goes with his job as a soldier. He was supposed to have fought a dragon, but dragons are not real, the dragon represents evil.

The carving in the cathedral does not have a dragon in it! So it is true to his life. But it is true that George fought the Roman Emperor and disobeyed him, because he was a secret Christian and was ordered to capture and get rid of Christians. He was beheaded because of his faith.

The carving is decorated with gold leaf around his halo.

All saints have a halo to show that they are holy. The lettering on the carving is red, because red is the colour of a martyr.

It was created by Philip Lindsey Clarke. I think it is very well designed and it is honest, because it doesn’t show the dragon.

I will take my brother George into the Cathedral to see it. The best day to go and see it is 23 April*, because that is St George’s feast day and my brother’s name day. I think the carving will surprise my brother.

30

* This year the liturgical celebration of St George is transferred to Tuesday 30 April, because of the Easter octave – Ed. Oremus

APRIL 2019

EFFICIENT GIVING

Helping Giving, Saving Waste About this time last year, we had just completed a Planned Giving Appeal. Many responded generously and have continued to honour their commitments; and a good Lenten discipline is for all of us to reconsider what we can and should do to support the Church, whose local focus is in the Cathedral, this wonderful house of prayer which is entrusted to us. We know that some give by standing order, supplemented by envelopes, some give on Identification either by name weekdays, some belong or number is sufficient to more than one church community etc. Every single donor is important, but in order to meet the needs of all parishioners, we are introducing a more flexible donation envelope option for the coming year.

Regular Donor envelopes can be used by any parishioner who has registered their contact details with the Cathedral’s Finance Officer. This is particularly important for those who wish to Gift Aid their donations, as we need to know the identity of the donor in order to reclaim the tax from the Government. If you would like a donor number, or information about Gift Aid, or have any questions about donation envelopes, please telephone Anne Marie Micallef on 020 7798 9055 or email: annemariem@rcdow.org.uk .

We hope that parishioners will welcome the changes and understand why they are being introduced. The intention is to respond to the varying patterns of giving in the congregation, and to assure you of our best efforts to use your money well in support of the Church’s life.

Helping Donors We will continue to provide boxes of weekly envelopes for those who are able to use them each week, but we are extending the use of the Cathedral’s white Regular Donor envelopes, which can be found at the back of the Cathedral.

These have several advantages: • As Regular Donor envelopes are not personalised, they are considerably cheaper to produce; so we save more of your donation to the Cathedral.

• As they have no date printed on them, they can be used at any time: Sunday, weekday, Holy Day of Obligation or for special donations.

• They do not go out of date, so we create less waste, acting responsibly towards the environment, as the Holy Father encourages us to act in all our dealings.

•B ecause they are not pre-printed, though, it is essential to write your full name (christian name and surname) and/or your donor number on the face of the envelope.

If you have previously used weekly envelopes, your donor number will have been printed on each one. And if you have unused pre-printed envelopes, please don’t throw them away. You can continue to use them – the date on them does not matter now; it is your donor number which tells us that the donation comes from you.

APRIL 2019

Oremus

31

PROMOTING A CAUSE

Towards the Beatification of John Bradburne Readers may remember that although John Bradburne is particularly venerated for his work with lepers in Zimbabwe, there are many other aspects to his varied and fascinating life, including a spell working as an Assistant Sacristan here at the Cathedral. Here, for your diary, are details of a Mass on 21 September celebrating his 40th Anniversary of death, with an accompanying exhibition and events in Cathedral Hall.

Celebrating John Bradburne's Life 1921 – 1979 with his 40th Anniversary There will be a Mass and exhibition to celebrate the life and work of John Bradburne, whose cause for beatification as the first 20th century English saint is moving ahead this year.

John spent years seeking God from the Malayan Jungles in World War Two to wanderings in Europe and Israel, until he finally found his true place in the world caring for leprosy patients at the Mutemwa Leprosy Settlement in Zimbabwe. Here he dedicated his life to God and to those suffering from leprosy until his death on 5 September 1979.

Place:

Westminster Cathedral, 42 Francis Street, Westminster, London SW1P 1QW Ticket price:

Early Bird price £8 per person includes entrance to exhibition, talks and refreshments in Westminster Cathedral Hall or £10 on the day.

Order of Events:

2:30pm Celebratory Mass at Westminster Cathedral.

Join us in the Cathedral Hall for light refreshments and entertainment

by Zimbabwean musicians Guest speaker Professor David Crystal Portraits of Mutemwa and John Bradburne's relics John Bradburne Memorial Society will have books, CDs, DVDs and beautiful cards for sale Payment will by cash or cheque.

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Places are limited. Please order your ticket now by sending back this slip along with £8 cash or cheque made payable to: John Bradburne Memorial Society

Name: Address:

Postcode: Email:

RSVP

To pre-order any items please email us at info@johnbradburne.com

Post to: PO Box 32, Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 0YB. Tickets are also available online at: www.johnbradburne.com