Friends of the Cathedral

A Walk in the Park

Christina White

Richard Hawker popped by the Friends’ Office this week to discuss his forthcoming tour of the Sacristy. As Head Sacristan, he was one of the contributors to the Memorial Booklet for Canon Christopher. He told me that a friend from Shrewsbury Diocese had got in touch after reading the booklet which, in turn, had been shared by a Friend. We agreed that the Cathedral’s reach is wide and that, in no small measure, is a tribute to all the Friends across the country and further. I hope Richard’s tour attracts a large and appreciative audience. He is responsible for unearthing some of the most beautiful and under-used vestments and altar frontals which now grace the Cathedral.

I travelled in by tube this week and was pleased to see a poem from John O’Donohue Time to be Still on the wall as part of London Underground’s poetry series. The verse was shared widely in lockdown and the journalist Fergal Keane also read it aloud on Radio 4. It seemed so apposite for these Covid-19 times, and I have shared it in the autumn newsletter. O’Donohue, now deceased, had been a Catholic priest in his younger years and that vocation shines

through his verse. The poem inspired me to take a walk in St James’s Park. I liked the contrast between the squirrel intent on gathering food for winter and the tropical planting.

Of course, we go to press with the Covid-19 Regulations changing. We decided sensibly to focus the majority of events online, which now seems like a good call, but the walking tours will be restricted to no more than six people including the tour leaders – Paul Pickering and Joanna Bogle. Paul’s tour at the time of writing was therefore already ‘sold out’. Friends please note, there will be no Christmas Fair this year, but please sell the raffle tickets which have been enclosed with the mailing. There will also be tickets on sale via Clergy House – books only, we are not selling individual tickets this year.

As notified last month, we have already secured the pledges for our online Big Give campaign, which means that your donations to our appeal for Cathedral Communications will be doubled. There will be more information in the Cathedral Newsletter and on the website in the weeks to come. In the meantime, we continue to collect funds for the Canon Tuckwell Memorial Fund and donations to this and Big Give will be treated as being ‘in Father’s memory’. Our Memorial Booklet is available to all Friends of the Cathedral, or you can make a donation of £30 or more to the Memorial Fund and you will receive a copy.

Payment for our events and donations to the Memorial Fund may be made via our Virgin Money Giving Account (we are not accepting cash). It is the simplest and easiest way to pay: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/ make-a-donation/ We will also have a Friends’ payment link on the Cathedral website. If you wish to pay for an event by cheque, then the cheque will need to have cleared well in advance. There are full details of the payment conditions in the autumn newsletter.

Finally, please help us to grow membership of the Friends whom the Cathedral needs more than ever. You can download an application form from the Cathedral website, we can email you a form, or there are paper forms in the Cathedral.

Keep well.

Forthcoming Events

Tuesday 6 October: Online Cathedral Quiz via Zoom with Fr Daniel Humphreys as Quizmaster. 7pm £10. Wednesday 14 October: Online talk via Zoom by Fr Nicholas Schofield: Defending the Papal States in Italy: the Britons who marched for the Pope. 7pm £5. Thursday 22 October: Online talk via Zoom by Professor Caroline Barron of King’s College, London on St Thomas Becket 7pm £5. Monday 26 October: Joanna Bogle, a walking tour focused on London’s Marian shrines. Meet at St Dominic’s church, Haverstock Hill at 1.45pm for the tour, to start at 2pm £10 (please note current restrictions). Wednesday 4 November: Online talk via Zoom by Professor John Harvey on his novel Pax, looking at the complicated life of the painter Peter Paul Rubens. The talk will be live at 7pm £5. Thursday 19 November: An online private tour of the treasures of the Cathedral sacristy with Head Sacristan Richard Hawker in conversation with Professor Andrew Sanders. The video of the tour will be online at 7pm £10.

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

The Gentle Whisper of God

The usual Baptisms, Confirmation and Receptions into the Church which mark the Easter Vigil had to be delayed until the Cathedral reopened for public worship. They have now taken place and one candidate writes here of his spiritual journey.

In April 2018, I sat at home dejected and feeling like a moral and spiritual failure. I felt angry with God, feeling like my prayers, and petition were falling on deaf ears. Shortly after in the stillness of the room I sensed a subtle presence beside me in a way I had never experienced. I felt a shift in consciousness and a conviction that God is real, and that I wasn’t alone. At the same time, I heard a whisper, saying, ‘Go to church’.

My spiritual journey began in 1994. At 20 years of age, I had become addicted to drugs and alcohol. I found myself homeless, destitute and hopeless. My parents secured a place for me in a 12 step-based residential rehab centre. Having grown up with an atheist father and non-religious mother, it was hard to believe in a higher power which could change my life, as part of the programme. But out of desperation I began to pray and ask for help. Miraculously, from then on, I felt my life start to transform. Broken relationships were restored. Having been expelled from school, I went back to college then on to university. I gained meaningful employment. Slowly I started believing in God and his love. At the centre of this was the AA programme. There have been trials, disasters and regressive episodes. But I’ve been sober over 10 years now and still attending AA which opened the door to faith in my life as well. I had never, however, felt inspired to go to church.

That night, after the incident, I suddenly found myself eagerly making way to the local Catholic church. I remember shedding lots of tears during that Mass. I began to pray asking Jesus for the ‘fullest possible union with him’. I remember feeling I was being led. I can’t remember when I stumbled on Westminster Cathedral. Upon entering I felt strangely comforted by the lingering aroma of incense and the majestic spiritual atmosphere. I made a decision then, that this would be my place of worship. After much dithering, I finally summoned the courage to ask for baptism. I met with the priest who informed me that the new catechumenate year was starting in a matter of days! I entered the pre-catechumenate phase in May. It involved informal sessions, focused on Scripture, using Lectio Divina. It allowed our group, which was an eclectic mix of individuals, to know each other, bringing a multitude of spiritual experiences to our weekly discourse. We also had some wonderful catechists who were an integral part of the journey, providing support and guidance.

The main catechesis began in September. Some of the classes were difficult to digest and often sparked intense internal debate. The Act of Creation, Trinity, Eschatology to name a few, called for ardent contemplation. I would leave class do further research seeking clarity. Slowly, I felt God giving me greater understanding, unravelling some

A group of this year’s new Catholics

of my questions, though others required a leap of faith. I began to understand the grace available in the Mass and the Sacraments; I was struck by the wisdom of the Church, handed on in its Tradition from over two millenia of reflection on the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. The classes were delivered by articulate speakers who tackled very difficult issues. We were encouraged to reflect in our groups and share our experience which produced meaningful debate. As the months passed, I found my faith and commitment fortified and my sights firmly focused on the Easter Vigil: then Covid-19 struck!

During lockdown our fellowship continued through weekly online meetings. One particularly moving experience of many during this period was when we prayed the Stations of the Cross together sharing Christ’s passion. Online resources were shared in abundance. I gained some solace following the Easter Vigil and Masses online. After several months of impatient waiting, we finally had the good news of the Cathedral reopening and shortly after, we had a date in August for our Baptisms. As the day arrived, I had truly come to believe that I would be made new from above and my sins would be washed away. Notwithstanding the Covid restrictions, the majesty of the Cathedral and the ancient, sacred tradition of the Mass created a celestial experience. As I approached the altar to receive the Body of Christ it struck me that what I had asked Jesus without understanding, for ‘the fullest possible union’ two years ago, he had fulfilled. I knew I would never be the same again. I could identify with the words of Fr Rajiv: ‘The journey has just begun’.