Monthly Album 18

An Eminent Guest

November being the month of many Requiem Masses, the diocesan clergy have their own occasion of praying for the souls of their brethren at the Annual Deceased Clergy Mass. This year the Mass coincided with the presence in London of His Eminence George Cardinal Pell, sometime Archbishop of Sydney, Australia, who shared in the celebration of Mass and the subsequent socialising in Cathedral Hall. Here he is seen, with Bishop Michael Campell OSA, Emeritus of Lancaster, on his right and on his left (not visible) the Cathedral’s own resident Antipodean, Fr Brian O’Mahony.

A Trio becomes a Quartet

In recent times we have been used to having three Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Victories living with us in the Clergy House Convent on the top floor, and many will know their faces from having seen them at Mass in the Cathedral. However, the Sisters do have their own chapel and there has been a tradition of Mass being celebrated for them there once each week. Generally it has been the Administrator who undertook this responsibility, but this is now being shared among the Chaplains, so that we may all have the experience of being with the Sisters in their own home at much closer quarters than is possible in the Cathedral, where distances are inevitably much greater. Pictured here before Mass are (left to right) Sr Angelina, Sr Celeste, Sr Jesuina and Sr Fatima, who, we are delighted to report, has come to join the Sisters here in Westminster. We wish her happiness in her new home.

A Photographer Caught

The Catholic Police Guild had its Annual Requiem in the Cathedral, with Bishop Alan Williams sm of Brentwood presiding and the customary presentation of police headgear to represent deceased officers was made at the beginning of Mass. Dame Cressida Dick, Metropolitan Police Commissioner was present, having been met and welcomed by Cardinal Vincent. It just happened that both the Editor of Oremus, who would describe himself as a person with a camera, was present at the same time as Marcin Mazur, who works for the Bishops’ Conference and is properly described as a photographer. Oremus is often indebted to Marcin for images, but on this occasion the temptation to picture him taking pictures proved irresistible. We apologise to him (seen standing in front of the throne) for cutting half his head off.