Westminster Record - June 2016

Westminster Record

June 2016 | 20p

Unveiling the Passage Refurbishment

Walsingham: An English Treasure

Final Preparations for World Youth Day

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Page 12 & 13

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Becket Relics Reunited On Monday 23 May, the beginning of a pilgrimage of the Hungarian relic of St Thomas Becket began at Westminster Cathedral with Vespers and Mass celebrated

by Cardinal Peter Erdö and Cardinal Vincent Nichols. The Hungarian relic was processed to the Cathedral and was reunited with relics of St Thomas Becket from around the UK and displayed in the sanctuary.

These included relics from Westminster Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, Stonyhurst College, St Thomas of Canterbury Fulham, and St Magnus the Martyr Church.

The two Cardinals greeted the President of Hungary János Áder and the First Lady. Guests also included the Hungarian Ambassador to the UK, Peter Szabadhegy, and Prince Carlo and Princess Camilla, Duke and Duchess of Castro. The Papal Nuncio Archbishop Antonio Mennini, and ecumenical guests including the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres were also in attendance.

Representatives from Stonyhurst College, St Thomas of Canterbury Church in Fulham, St Magnus the Martyr Church and St Joseph and the English Martyrs in Bishops Stortford, who all contributed relics to this great occasion, joined hundreds of people in the Cathedral to make the most of this unique opportunity to venerate the relics of St Thomas Becket.

Cardinal Erdö preached the homily, remarking on the importance of ecumenical relations, and giving the packed Cathedral a brief history of the great St Thomas Becket.

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On 24 May the Hungarian relic was transferred to Westminster Abbey where Evensong was sung by the Abbey Choir.

The following day the relic was taken to the Houses of Parliament where Mass was

celebrated in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Undercroft.

The relic was received at Rochester Cathedral, and finally at Canterbury Cathedral where the pilgrimage closed with Mass in the Cathedral crypt.

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Editorial

Westminster Record | June 2016

Westminster Record – Contact us Pilgrimage: The Inner Journey Editor Mgr Mark Langham Archbishop’s House, Ambrosden Avenue SW1P 1QJ Managing Editor Marie Saba 020 7798 9031 Inhouse writers Hannah Woolley and John Scott 020 7798 9178, and Martha Behan 020 7798 9030 Design Julian Game To order copies contact Andrea Black 0161 214 1216 or email andrea.black@thecatholicuniverse.com Print management and distribution by The Universe Media Group Ltd.

June publication dates Editorial deadline: 10 July 2016 Listings email: communications@rcdow.org.uk News and stories call 020 7798 9030 Email: communications@rcdow.org.uk Advertising deadline: 17 July 2016 To advertise contact Carol Malpass 0161 908 5301 or email carol.malpass@thecatholicuniverse.com Produced by the Communications Office of the Diocese of Westminster. News and articles published in the Westminster Record do not necessarily represent the views of the Diocese of Westminster, unless specifically stated otherwise.

Appearance of advertisements does not imply editorial endorsement.

Announcing the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis noted the special importance of pilgrimage for the Year, as it ‘represents the journey each of us makes in this life’.

Those of us who have been on pilgrimage know what he means: there is something about travelling to a destination, particularly a sacred destination, that symbolises, and expresses, our inner journey. The sense of striving, of sacrifice, of looking ahead to a goal, bears witness to our inner yearning for conversion, overcoming obstacles in our path as we seek to draw closer to God. Pilgrimage is very much part of our diocesan life: within our diocese we have historic centres of pilgrimage at Willesden, Westminster and St

Albans. But this year, we have some special opportunities to walk together as pilgrims. In early July, there will be a diocesan pilgrimage to Walsingham, England’s Nazareth, with its ancient Slipper Chapel and the beautiful mile-long pilgrimage route into the town. Later that month, young people from all over the diocese will be heading on pilgrimage to Krakow, for World Youth Day, to join with millions of others from all over the world to celebrate their faith. Around the same time, the Cardinal is also leading the diocese to Lourdes for the wellestablished pilgrimage, on the theme ‘Merciful like the Father’, the motto of the Year of Mercy.

But pilgrimage need not involve a long journey; indeed, Pope Francis has asked that Holy Doors be opened at local shrines so that as many people as possible may visit them. In our diocese, Westminster Cathedral is a principal focus, but there are also Holy Doors at fourteen other sites around the diocese.

Why not find out your local shrine, and pay it a visit?

For more news from around the diocese throughout the month, please see

www.rcdow.org.uk where new stories are posted daily.

St Dymphna Day Campaign Every year the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales runs an internship to give young Catholics the opportunity to work in parliamentary and public policy roles. Most recently four of the interns, Tom Burke, Helen Rodger, Faith Anderson and Martha Behan have run a mental health campaign based around St Dymphna, the patron saint of mental illness, whose feast day is 15 May. The campaign aimed to reduce the stigma of mental illness, and widen the discussion of faith and mental health. The four interns also wanted to raise awareness of the work the Church already does around mental health, especially the work done by the ‘Welcome Me as I Am’ project, run by Ben Bano. This project has developed a set of Page 2

resources to help parishes engage with the mentally ill in their communities, and increase discussion through reflection and prayer. A significant part of the campaign was the tabling of an Early Day Motion in Parliament on faith and mental health, which has gained the support of 26 MPs so far.

On 25 May, the St Dymphna Day Campaign, in conjunction with the Catholic Legislators Network, held an event in

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Parliament at which Ben Bano spoke to a group of MPs and peers. The event was successful in sparking discussion among legislators about how best to address the faith needs of those with mental illness. Ben Bano said, ‘I particularly enjoyed discussing how mental wellbeing can be promoted with parliamentarians and other stakeholders and I hope to continue to develop the conversation of faith and mental health.’

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‘Make Her Known to the Whole World’ On Tuesday 26 April Cardinal Vincent visited his titular church in Rome, Sant’ Alfonso, for the 150th anniversary of the return of the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour to public veneration. The celebration began with a procession of the icon to the church which was followed by Mass.

In his homily the Cardinal reflected on the words of Pope Francis: ‘Jesus Christ is the face of the Father ’s mercy.’ This Year of Mercy is ‘an opportunity to journey towards a deeper appreciation of the mercy of God’. He continued saying, ‘Today we too have been on a journey, in honour of one whose face reflects more brightly than any other the mercy of Jesus Christ: Our Lady, Mother of Perpetual Help.’

Cardinal Vincent went on to consider the history of the icon which was a treasure of the church of St Matthew which stood on the site of Sant’ Alfonso in the fifteenth century.

It is known that the icon was

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removed by Augustinians in 1798 as war raged in Rome. The enthusiasm of a particular Augustinian Brother, Augustine Orsetti, for devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help was passed on to a boy called Michele Marchi, who later became a Redemptorist. When it was discovered that land newly acquired by the Redemptorists was the original site of the church of St Matthew, Pope Pius XI approved their request that the icon should be placed in the

new church for public devotion.

Quoting Pope Pius IX, ‘Make her known to the whole world’, Cardinal Vincent said, ‘It is my prayer today we may continue to take those words of Pope Pius IX to heart, and that devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, in this church and elsewhere, may continue for the next 150 years, showing to many the limitless mercy of God for us all, his little ones, and made manifest in Jesus Christ our Lord.’

Mass For Matrimony On Saturday 14 May, Cardinal Vincent welcomed 700 couples, celebrating over 25,000 years of marriage, to the ninth annual Mass of thanksgiving for the Sacrament of Matrimony at Westminster Cathedral at 3pm.

In his homily, the Cardinal reflected on the words of Pope Francis in Amoris Laetitia that ‘the family is the engine of history’. He explained that families ‘are a place where the

800 Years of Dominican Preaching

wonder of God’s presence amongst us is surely seen, a place where the sacrificial love of Christ so often finds expression in daily actions and daily service’.

On the Vigil of Pentecost, the Cardinal prayed that the Holy Spirit ‘kindle that love which makes our families truly creators of history, fashioners of the future and heralds of the Gospel’.

Referring to the renewal of

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On Friday 29 April, the feast of St Catherine of Siena, Cardinal Vincent celebrated Vespers in Westminster Cathedral for the culmination of the celebrations for the 800th anniversary of the Order of Preachers. Also in attendance were the Master of the Order, Fr Bruno Cadoré OP, and the Provincial of the English Province, Fr Martin Ganeri OP, who both addressed those gathered for the celebration.

Archbishop of Liverpool, Malcolm McMahon OP, preached the homily which reflected on St Catherine of Siena and unique nature of the Order of Preachers.

Vespers featured a specially commissioned Magnificat by Sir James MacMillan and was attended by Dominican Sisters, lay Dominicans and supporters of the order, as well as bishops and other religious from throughout England and Wales.

their marriage vows later in the Mass, Cardinal Vincent said: ‘The renewal of your love today is also a great renewal of our wider society, for your love is a force for life, for kindness and courage, where you may be.’

The Mass for Marriage has been an annual event since 2008, when couples celebrating milestone anniversaries are invited by the Cardinal to renew their vows, as an act of witness for the Sacrament of Matrimony.

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Andrew Parkin, Principal of St Dominic’s Sixth Form College, Angela O'Brien, the Chaplain, and three students, Erin Gallagher, Niamh Boyle and Caitlin McSweeney joined other Dominican Schools at this celebration.

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Westminster Record September 20112016 Westminster Record | June

Celebrating London’s Diversity at Mass for Migrants

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This year the annual Mass for Migrants in honour of St Joseph the Worker took place at Westminster Cathedral on Bank holiday Monday, 2 May 2016. It was an opportunity for Catholics from London’s diverse communities to gather and pray together.

It was also an opportunity to remember refugees and migrants who have left their homes because of political or economic hardships, and are struggling to find a better life for themselves and their families.

Cardinal Vincent was the principal celebrant, along with bishops from the Dioceses of Westminster, Southwark and Brentwood, representing all parts of London.

‘We Want Our Stories to Be Heard’ At the Mass for Migrants in honour of St Joseph the Worker on 2 May 2016, following the banner procession into the Cathedral, two migrants, one of whom is an asylum seeker, spoke to the congregation about their experience.

The first, Mike, is an asylum seeker who fled Iraq. He spoke eloquently of his situation and the difficulties he faces in his attempts to find security: ‘My name is Mike. I am Christian. I am 70 years old. I am from Iraq of Armenian origin. My grandparents were killed in the Armenian Genocide.

‘I came to Britain more than 10 years ago to seek asylum. I am still waiting for protection.

Only God knows when I will get my status and have a peaceful life again. Life has not been easy since I came. I suffered from bad immigration advice in Britain. They took my money but didn’t give me good advice. I was detained for 45 days.

‘I have been destitute on many occasions. As I speak in front of you today, I am destitute. I don’t think I am lucky. Most of those who sought asylum with me are now British citizens. Of course I am British in my heart. ‘I try my best to integrate. I try my best to learn despite my age. I volunteer for the British Red Page 4

Cross. I volunteer for CitizensUK in Cardiff. I do everything possible to keep myself busy and productive.

Yet the wait continues. God knows!

‘Before coming to Britain, I had a decent life in Iraq. I had a business which rented cars to foreigners. Life was really good until the agents of Sadam Hussein asked me to give them the names of all the foreigners that rented my cars. They imprisoned me for 10 years, tortured me and put my life in danger. They also found out that I had sisters in Britain. Life went from good to bad in a short time. I thus decided to leave my home in search of another home. A place I could call home.

‘I am more at risk now than ever. The Home Office says I can go back to Iraq. I wonder how a Christian is safe in Iraq.

No paper. No accommodation.

No support. No future. I just live on generous people’s support. Despite my age and health I am strong inside. Life goes on.

‘My life is full of ups and downs, but one day it may change. God will help me.

Please pray for me. Also pray for Iraq.’

Following Mike, Susan Benavides spoke passionately about the conditions of domestic workers and the fight that many face in the quest for

respect and a living wage: ‘My name is Susan Benavides. I am from Ecuador.

I am a mother of three daughters. I lived in Spain for 12 years before moving to London in 2009. In London I work as a cleaner.

‘As you may know, many Latin Americans in this city work as cleaners. That is partly because of our English language skills. And in many cases, our rights as workers are not respected.

‘We are required to work and work, without our opinions being listened to, without being valued or thanked, treated like machines, not like people.

‘I have colleagues who work more than one job because life is very expensive in London. I have a friend who works 18 hours a day, not including two hours on the bus.

‘That is why I am fighting for the London Living Wage, for a wage that would give us more dignity and independence. And also fighting for all of our rights at work to be respected.

‘We are migrants, but we should not allow ourselves to be treated the way we are being treated; we should not keep quiet.

‘We want our stories to be heard. Please let us pray for the migrants that are on low wages.’

The Mass began with the colourful banner procession, representing the rich diversity of Londoners with origins in several nations. Members of several ethnic chaplaincies took part in the Mass, providing music and bringing forward the offertory gifts.

In his homily, Cardinal Vincent recognised the parallels between the journey that Paul and his companions took in the Acts of the Apostles from modern-day Turkey to Greece and the journey taken by many migrants and refugees seeking a better life in Europe: ‘The pathway of the spread of our Christian faith, then, is the same as one of the pathway followed by refugees and migrants today. May it be a pathway on which they meet the fruits of that faith: compassion, encouragement, help and respect.’

He expressed his hope that ‘the way in which governments respond to the immense challenge which faces us will take more seriously the personal generosity of so many who are willing to welcome refugees and desperate migrants and yet are hindered from doing so by policies shaped more by caution and fear’.

Reflecting on the words of the Hail, Holy Queen, the Cardinal said ‘this is a vale of tears as both the Mediterranean and the Aegean Seas become, in the Holy Father’s words, graveyards for

children, the elderly and their families. Today we pray for all who weep and sense that they have been abandoned.’

He also recognised ‘all who have arrived in this country, in this city, and who work hard not only to survive and to support their loved ones, but also to make their contribution to the well-being of others’. He called for ‘a change in heart in our society’, one that would see appreciation for ‘the great contribution made by so many migrant communities, without whom this city would not function’.

The Cardinal also spoke about the need to ‘see with the eyes of faith’, to recognise that ‘every person in endowed by God with a dignity and worth that goes beyond legal status and documentation’.

He prayed that those in authority might ‘find the courage and imagination to respond more generously to those in need, speeding up our own resettlement programme and looking to see how other avenues of rescue and support can be provided’.

Cardinal Welcomes Resettlement of Child Refugees Following the announcement

by David Cameron on 4 May that the UK will accept an unspecified number of unaccompanied children who have arrived in the EU from Syria, Cardinal Vincent has made the following statement welcoming the decision: ‘I am very happy that the government is extending an offer of sanctuary to a greater number of children fleeing

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conflict, while continuing to combat the evils of human trafficking.

‘The UK’s response to the refugee crisis is improving the lives of thousands. I encourage the Catholic community to keep on playing its part through working with local authorities; being generous with time and resources, and extending the hand of welcome to refugees arriving here.’

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Westminster Record | June 2016

Cardinal Bo in UK Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon in Myanmar-Burma, is currently visiting the UK to meet with MPs, faith leaders and people from across England, Wales and Scotland as a voice of hope, and to ask for continued support for the people of Myanmar. The Cardinal has been invited to the UK by Missio, and in 2014, World Mission Sunday focussed on the work of the Church in Myanmar. On 12 May he celebrated Mass at Westminster Cathedral with Bishops John Sherrington and Nicholas Hudson.

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1050 Years of Christianity in Poland

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On the Sixth Sunday of Easter, New London Mayor 1 May 2016, 1050 years of Christianity in Poland were celebrated with Mass at Ealing Abbey.

Cardinal Vincent was the principal celebrant at this joyful and proud occasion for Polish people.

During this year, the baptism of Mieszko I, the first ruler of the Polish State, in 966, is marked. In his homily Cardinal Vincent noted that 50 years ago ‘would not have been a good time for such celebrations’ and that ‘they had caused considerable conflict’.

He prayed that ‘the Catholic faith may continue to inspire’ Poland and that ‘the strength, generosity and sense of sacrifice which springs from the very heart of this faith may long be a

fundamental part of your national characteristics’. He also noted the contribution that Polish people have made and continue to make to this country.

Referring to Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation about the ‘importance of family and the love at the heart of family life’, the Cardinal spoke of the day’s celebrations as an example of how Polish people are responding to the Pope’s call to make their ‘families places where children can sink roots in the rich soil’ of their collective history.

Noting the difficulties that can exist in family life, Cardinal Vincent echoed the Pope’s call to ‘the whole Church to go out to find those who are struggling and make sure that

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they have the support they truly need’.

Paying tribute to the bishops of Poland, he said: ‘I applaud the appeal made by your bishops on 30 March, in the context of these anniversary celebrations, that Government and leaders take initiatives and launch programmes to provide practical help for those in the most difficult situations: those with profoundly sick children, those with children who have severe special needs, and those with children conceived unwillingly, sometimes even in violence.’

He went on to say: ‘This is the work that we all need to do to create the circumstances in which recourse to abortion is recognised for what it is: the destruction of an innocent human life and a tragic intervention into a woman’s life.

‘Like Pope St John Paul before him, Pope Francis recognises that often difficult circumstances can cause a lack of freedom that leads a woman to the painful and agonising decision to undergo an abortion. This can never really be the best choice as it leads to a dreadful wound in the mother and the destruction of innocent human life.’

He concluded by praying for ‘Poland and all its families’, asking God’s blessings.

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Cardinal Welcomes New London Mayor Following on from the announcement on Saturday 7 May that Sadiq Khan had been elected as the new Mayor of London, Cardinal Vincent issued the following statement: ‘I welcome Sadiq Khan as the new Mayor of London. I assure him of my prayers for his time in this important office in which he will face the great challenges of London, in its richness, diversity and energy.

‘Yesterday Pope Francis reflected on these challenges.

Speaking of the great cities of Europe he used these words: "Many of our cities are remarkably beautiful precisely

because they have managed to preserve over time traces of different ages, nations, styles and visions...the richness and worth of a people is grounded in its ability to combine all these levels in a healthy coexistence. Forms of reductionism and attempts at uniformity, far from generating value, condemn our peoples to a cruel poverty: the poverty of exclusion. Far from bestowing grandeur, riches and beauty, exclusion leads to vulgarity, narrowness, and cruelty. Far from bestowing nobility of spirit, it brings meanness."

‘May this same spirit inspire the leadership of our new Mayor.’

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Westminster Record | June 2016

Cardinal Vincent and Prince William Peace Garden at Unveil the Passage Refurbishment Hurtado Centre

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On 13 May, Cardinal Vincent and the Duke of Cambridge visited the Passage to launch their newly refurbished building. The Cardinal, who is patron of the charity, thanked all those that support the work of the Passage, particularly the Sisters of Charity.

An extensive refurbishment of the St Vincent’s Centre had been completed, creating a

new client restaurant, winter garden, new employment and training space, as well as new accommodation units and client activity spaces. This refurbishment will give the Passage a lasting legacy to be able to serve the most vulnerable in society for generations to come and enable them to help individuals to find their own home for good.

The Duke of Cambridge previously visited the Passage in 1994 as a child with his mother the Princess of Wales and Prince Harry, prior to the organisation’s refurbishment. Prince William was presented with a photo from this visit in 1994, by one of the Passage’s clients.

Monday 18 April saw the opening of the Hurtado Jesuit Centre’s Peace Garden and Journey Exhibition by Bishop Nicholas Hudson. The Hurtado Jesuit Centre is the home of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and the garden will serve as a place of peace and rest for those who visit and work here, including the hundreds of refugees who make use of the services. The garden was made possible with support from local volunteers and a donation of tools from the council. Clarissa Fleischer, an RHS student, did a beautiful job designing it.

The Journey exhibition was the work of local primary school children. Over 200 works were sent in from English Martyrs in Tower Hill, St Anne’s in Whitechapel and Our Lady and St Joseph’s in Poplar. Thirty pieces were chosen for the exhibition. They

portrayed journeys, those the children had taken themselves, journeys in the life of Jesus, and the journeys of refugees around the world.

Bronagh Nugent, the head of English Martyrs and Jane Harte, the head of Our Lady and St Joseph’s both attended.

‘I am so proud of them’, Bronagh Nugent commented.

The event was abuzz with the obvious pride of parents and children as they saw their mini masterpieces framed on the walls. All were amazed at the insight into the lives of refugees the children demonstrated.

Bishop Sherrington Visits Cambridge On 1 May, Bishop John Sherrington celebrated Mass at Fisher House, the Catholic chaplaincy for his alma mater, Cambridge University.

In his homily Bishop John reflected on the role of the Holy Spirit in the context of the Pope’s Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia: ‘A rich presentation reveals the power of the Holy Spirit in the heart of each believer and in the midst of the complexity of family life for it is there that the call to holiness is pursued.’

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That evening Bishop John was invited to preach at Evensong at Trinity Hall College by the Dean, Dr Stephen Plant, for the feast of Ss Philip and James. In his sermon, he reflected on the words of the Gospel: ‘Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go’.

(John 21:18) He explained that, ‘As we celebrate the feast of the apostles and martyrs, Ss Philip and James, these words help us to understand the act of surrender that is at the heart of Christian life: surrender to the Will of God and the painful stripping away of our own inadequate understandings and precious plans.’

The Wonder of the Gift of Human Life This year Day for Life focuses on the wonder of the gift of human life and the gift of our common home which is God’s creation. It provides an opportunity for people to think about the connections and relationships between people and the earth which we inhabit. Today tragically,

men, women and children are sometimes viewed as commodities which can be bought and sold. As Pope Francis has powerfully articulated in Laudato Si’, there is a real need to rediscover a spirit of wonder and awe at the gift of human life so that all life may be

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properly respected and a new heart created for the home in which we live.

The Day for Life, commemorated on Sunday 19 June, is the day in the Church’s year dedicated to celebrating the dignity of human life from conception to its natural end.

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Westminster Record | June 2016

Reshaping the Future of Catholic Education

by JP Morrison The recent publication of the education white paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, has provided an opportunity for Catholic education to re-evaluate how the Church embraces and shapes the political agenda for academy formation across the country.

Catholic education has consistently provided the best education possible for young people so ‘that they may have life and have it to the full’ (John 10.10). Our schools have been consistently defined as providing high-quality academic, personal, social, physical, spiritual and moral education built on the foundations of our faith and the teachings and practice that consistently demonstrate Christ at the centre of our schools.

The academisation programme of schools is not new. The policy has been in place for 20 years. However, the government has made it clear in its white paper that, from 2017, all direct funding in education will be managed by schools and no longer by local authorities.

This signals a major shift from local authority control and responsibility for schools to that of the individual school itself.

We cannot allow our schools to shoulder this burden alone. Our schools face the biggest financial challenge in a generation. They will be expected to do more with less.

Over the next four years, it is predicted that funding to schools will decline between 10 and 15 per cent. The impact of a new national funding formula will directly affect our urban schools as the government has decided to shift funding from the cities to the countryside.

The diocese is committed to

help secure the future of Catholic education with a renewed vigour to place at the heart of our service the mission of the Church. We need to seize this opportunity to shape new avenues with new purpose to define who we are, what we do and how we serve the Church.

We cannot stand by and do nothing and wait for others to redefine our future, which is already beginning to happen.

We seek to extend and develop the impact Catholic education has on the lives of so many across our diocese. There are currently 85,000 students in Catholic schools across the Diocese of Westminster. There are 217 schools, of which 173 are in the trusteeship of the diocese.

Since April the Education Service has embarked on a detailed review of our academy policy with a view to increase exponentially the number of academies and Catholic Academy Trusts (CATs). This process is led by a highly experienced and diverse team from education and business who will present to the trustees in July a provisional paper outlining the best model, leadership and governance, administration and services, asset management, and financial and legal protocols.

All heads, chairs and vicechairs of schools and colleges have been invited to attend academy information evenings hosted at six secondary schools in May and June to hear first hand what the diocese intends to do. These sessions have been very well attended and have allowed participants to express their concerns and address the challenges we face as a community to get the policy right.

By bringing our community together, we are using the key principles of Catholic social teaching of solidarity, subsidiarity, reciprocity, plurality and sustainability. We are defining who we are in an age of financial instability, changing social values and rising secularisation. We do not shirk this responsibility; we see it as an opportunity.

Our schools and the value they provide are under more scrutiny now than they have ever been. The challenge to our

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admissions policy and the introduction of the Catholic Certificate of Practice make it so important that our future is determined by our community for our community.

The services that were once provided by local authorities are rapidly diminishing. They no longer have the personnel to provide support services for the most vulnerable students and families. We have a duty of care in our policy review to finance staffing structures that would allow specialist support for students and families which our schools have been requesting.

All this means is that we have to define a new way of thinking about how schools operate and work together. We are at our best when we shape and define a collegiality at local level to meet local needs. The core principles of our schools demonstrate that ‘the life of faith needs to be the driving force…so that the Church’s mission may be served effectively, and the young people may discover they joy of entering into Christ’s “being for

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others”’ (Pope Benedict, Spe Salvi, 28).

CATs require a new form of governance than we are currently used to. The diocese will be seeking to appoint new foundation directors with the right skills to oversee the management of trusts. This will be an exciting opportunity for Catholics to serve education in a new way, whilst at the same time retaining the key elements of success our schools have been used to. The reality is we need to redefine what a local governing body will be responsible for as the current format will no longer be tenable.

The Diocese of Westminster will continue to support all its schools with advice on religious education, collective worship, admissions, pre- and postSection 48 (the diocesan inspection of religious education and Catholic life in schools) support and so on. We are exploring how best we can provide leadership and management of HR, finance, and legal advice that will be part of the services our new CATs will provide.

Academies have the advantage of not having to fund the 10 per cent for building costs that currently voluntary aided schools are required to do. Accessing full state funding of Catholic education is important because, with the financial austerity facing our schools, it is becoming increasingly challenging to balance budgets and plan for the future.

We provide a proven and successful education model. We are proud that, in our schools, Christ is at the centre and the child is at the centre. We have an exciting future ahead of us and a proud track record behind us. The diocese needs to take a lead and shape a new path for all our schools in order that everyone involved, not only can see the face of Christ, but can excel to the best of their abilities in an environment that allows them to flourish.

The academy programme expansion should not be seen as an imposition, but rather a compelling invitation to reshape the future of Catholic education.

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Westminster Record | June 2016

Following Our Lady

On Sunday 8 May pilgrims from across the diocese gathered at the Shrine of Our Lady of Willesden for the annual May street procession.

Starting from the Shrine Church, they prayed the Rosary and sang Marian hymns as they made their way through the streets, making their own prayers, and remembering the intentions of the pilgrimage: for our diocese, and for our

brothers and sisters who are persecuted for their Faith.

By tradition the pilgrimage pauses for a rest at the Convent of Jesus and Mary where, on this scorching day, we were offered cooling water, as well spiritual food in the homily which this year was given by Fr Gabriele Brusco LC, Assistant Priest at the Shrine. He spoke about how in his twenties he had rejected the Catholic Faith and had encouraged others to do the same. As a volunteer with a children’s group he had grudgingly accompanied them to Fatima. A friend asked him to say a Hail Mary there, and though he said it would be of no use as he did not believe, yet he said the prayer, and from that moment he felt the protection of Mary and the call of the Lord. And now here he was, a priest serving at the London Shrine of Our Lady! He encouraged those gathered to pray the Rosary each day, as he does: part of his relationship with Mary, Mother of Mercy.

Consecrating New Altar at Mill End

Celebrating Our Altar Servers As part of its celebration of the Year of Mercy Brent Deanery in the diocese is focussing on some of the ministries we may sometimes take for granted. On Saturday 16 April the Dean, Fr Stephen Willis, together with Fr John Menonkari CMI and Fr Hugh Corrigan OAR celebrated a Mass of thanksgiving for the ministry of altar serving. Over 40 servers were able to attend the Mass at St Joseph’s Church, supported by parents, family and parishioners.

In his homily Fr Stephen thanked the servers and those

who supported them (especially parents) for their vital ministry, reminding everyone that St Stephen was the patron saint of servers and that this ministry had existed from the earliest days of the Church. He and many other priests had been servers in their youth and it was important that we continue to encourage young people to serve. The qualities asked of them were reflected in the events commemorated in the Triduum.

For example, the washing of feet on Maundy Thursday when many servers would have

helped their parish priest follow the example of Jesus in looking after his followers through this act. These qualities are those which are reflected in the idea of mercy which Pope Francis had asked us to focus on. Fr Stephen asked all to encourage young people to become servers and to participate fully in the liturgy, particularly the Triduum.

After Mass refreshments were served in the parish centre, reflecting the fact that being a server is being part of the community and doesn’t stop at the church door!

New Icon of St George at Whetstone

On 30 April Cardinal Vincent consecrated the new altar at St John the Evangelist Church in Mill End. On a beautiful sunny day parishioners and friends gathered to celebrate the culmination of six months’ work on the new sanctuary.

The new sanctuary was the parish project for Growing in Faith. The old wooden altar and ambo have been replaced with stone and the dais replaced with one made out of marble. The relics of St Francis of Assisi, St Gemma Galgani Page 8

and St Gerard Majella went into the new altar.

Parish Priest Fr Shaun Church thanked his parish for giving so generously to help the project, remarking that all the panes of glass in the new stained glass window were sponsored within a week.

In his homily the Cardinal told the congregation that they should remember how special this day is. He went on to say that the work put in now will allow many future generations to practise their faith in the right surroundings.

A specially commissioned icon of St George the Martyr, patron of England, was blessed on his feast day, 23 April at St Mary Magdalen’s Church, Whetstone. The icon was donated by several benefactors and in memory of loved ones. It was painted by Aidan Hart, from Shrewsbury, who is a lector in the Greek Orthodox Church and an acclaimed icon painter.

Fr Mark Woodruff, a Byzantine Rite priest of the Diocese of Westminster, blessed the icon according to the Rites of the Eastern Church, appropriately as St George, as well as being patron saint of our country, was a Syrian martyr and is also much venerated in the Holy Land and in the Eastern Church.

Whetstone parish has, over the last couple of years, raised several thousand pounds for Aid to the Church in Need for those affected by the conflict in the Middle East.

Parish Priest Fr Gladstone Liddle, pointed out during the ceremony how so many refugees over the centuries have found a welcome and home in England, and how especially the Diocese of Westminster has benefitted and been enriched by migrants and refugees.

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The icon has already worked a little miracle by introducing the parish to the presence in nearby Woodside Park of the Belarussian community and its priest, Fr Serge Stasievich, who are in the process of building a church. The parish hopes to foster close links there.

The evening ended up with a party celebrating not only St George but also the Queen’s 90th birthday and Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary. Many children were dressed as Georges or Dragons, as well as English roses and rugby fans.

This icon in St Mary Magdalen’s Church will be a constant reminder of the generous spirit that England has shown in the past by not only adopting a ‘foreigner’ as her patron saint, but as a generous home to those over the centuries who have sought a safer, freer life, and an inspiration for the future.

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Westminster Record | June 2016

Commemorating Portuguese War Pupils at Douay Martyrs Raise £5500 for CAFOD Dead at St James, Twickenham The Douay Martyrs School community, staff, students and parents have taken part in raffles, cake sales, sponsored silences and all manner of fundraising activities to generate a total of £5,500 for CAFOD. The money will be used to bring clean water to those countries in need. The government has also

responded by doubling the sum to £11,000. Headteacher Mr Tony Corish reported that ‘this was an outstanding achievement which we are all very proud of.’

Fundraising is an important function of the Douay Martyrs community and is regarded as a reflection of the Catholic ethos of the school.

by Fr Ulick Loring On 9 May about 30 parishioners from St James’s, Twickenham formed part of a congregation of 160, which included the Portuguese Ambassador H E João de Vallera, at evensong at St

George’s Chapel, Windsor.

This special evensong was to commemorate the 630th anniversary of the Treaty of Windsor between Portugal and Britain.

The event was arranged

Recognition for a Lifetime’s Work

On Sunday 1 May, a reception by the Chaldean Catholic mission in UK was held to honour Dr Suha Rassam who was awarded the medal of Knight of Malta by the Iraqi Chaldean patriarch Louis I Sako for her humanitarian and educational achievements.

Dr Rassam, author of Christianity in Iraq, is a founder of the charity Iraqi Christians in Need (ICIN) which was set up by a group of fellow Iraqis to provide financial and spiritual support to Iraqi Christians both in Iraq and in countries such as Syria and Jordan, where many are now refugees.

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through the good offices of Bernard Hornung, Chairman of the Anglo-Portuguese Society.

The Dean, the Rt Rev David Conner graciously gave permission for a collection to be taken for the installation of two stained-glass windows at St James’s, a joint effort between the parish and the AngloPortuguese Society.

One window will commemorate the Portuguese Dead of the Great War and the other King Manuel II of Portugal a notable parishioner from 1914 until his death in 1932. King Manuel supported the Allied war effort and made notable contributions towards the alleviation of wounded soldiers.

The Portuguese war effort is not commemorated anywhere in this country although Portugal is our oldest ally. Portuguese forces suffered many casualties in France, East Africa and at sea.

The new windows, which will be unveiled in April 2018, will right an historical omission by commemorating the sacrifices of the Portuguese soldiers.

A requiem mass for the Portuguese War Dead will be celebrated at the Guards Chapel, Birdcage Walk, on 22 July.

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Page 9

Westminster Record | June 2016

St Benedict’s Cricket Tour to Sri Lanka

St Thomas More Students Inspired by President Obama Members of the U15 and U14 cricket squads at St Benedict’s School in Ealing enjoyed a fantastic tour to Sri Lanka over the Easter holidays. The touring party stayed in Kandy, Hikkaduwa and Colombo and played a total of six matches.

The challenge was to cope with the extreme heat and humidity, to compete with talented Sri Lankan boys who play cricket throughout the year and to get accustomed to high quality spin bowling. By the end of the tour there was a huge

improvement. The last two matches produced a tie against the Sanath Jayasuriya Academy followed by a memorable win against the Colombo Colts Cricket Academy, the school’s first win in Sri Lanka in two tours!

Keith Newell, Head of Cricket at St Benedict’s, said: ‘It was a great privilege to visit such a beautiful country and to be welcomed with such warmth.

We hope to give other St Benedict’s pupils this opportunity in the future.’

Before the tour the boys raised a total of £4,700 for the Foundation of Goodness, a charity that changes the lives of rural communities which continue to suffer from the longterm consequences of the devastating 2004 Tsunami.

Between them they cycled, rowed and ran the entire circumference of Sri Lanka. The touring party visited the Foundation’s headquarters during the tour and tour captain Tomek Tsang presented the cheque.

On Saturday 23 April, five Sixth Form students from St Thomas More Catholic School in Wood Green attended an inspiring talk by the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama. The President’s talk made up part of his recent visit to the United Kingdom, probably the last in his presidency, to thank the British government and people for their support over his years in office.

The school’s five students, Ola Adedokun, Tiffany Ambersley, Benjamin Parker, Julie Tran and Jeremiah Kusi-

Addai, were lucky enough to be sitting only a few rows behind the President. During his talk, he covered topics ranging from climate change to education, and his legacy.

Ola said about the experience, ‘He had me hooked on his every word; the one thing that resonated with me was his admittance to not knowing everything. That type of honesty, especially for a president who has to uphold his status, is amazing.’ She went on to say, ‘To see such an influential person in my generation was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’

Girls’ Rugby Kicks Off at St Thomas More Catholic School Since the start of 2016, St Thomas More Catholic School in Wood Green has had its first competing girls rugby team. In the space of just a few months, the team has gone on to take part in a variety of competitions and, most recently, representing Middlesex County at Twickenham in the Area 2 Regional Finals.

The team is comprised of Year 8 girls and is coached by one of the school’s PE teachers, Miss Bouchereau. The school is part of the CBRE All Schools Rugby Programme which has provided pupils with the opportunity to play rugby in school and for many, this has been first time they have experienced the sport.

The girls started off their competitive journey playing in a small tournament at New River in February and then Page 10

played in the London Youth Games representing Haringey, where they came a very respectable 5th out of 20 which is a great achievement considering many of the girls had only been playing for three months. At their most recent competition, the girls had a fantastic success, winning the Bowl Title through their hard work and passion.

Miss Bouchereau has been thrilled with the progress the team has made, saying, ‘What magic it is to watch students learn a new sport in less than four months and develop into a confident, competitive rugby team! That’s the beauty of sport! I am very proud of the achievements the girls have made and I know they will be soon become an established team in their own right.’

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Westminster Record | June 2016

Golden Gymnasts Kieran Blower, a Year 7 student at The Douay Martyrs Catholic Secondary School, has won a gold medal at the World Gymnastics Competition in China. Kieran and his partner Callum Portugal-Walker fought off fierce competition to receive this most prestigious trophy.

Each boy put in about 20 hours of practice each week at the London Borough of Hillingdon Gymnastics Club in Hayes and together they earnt the right to

compete against the very best from around the world.

Each of them showed remarkable grit and determination to fend off rivals and secure their gold medals.

Headteacher Mr Tony Corish celebrated Kieran’s success in a school assembly saying ‘the school was very proud to have such a committed and talented individual among its youngest members’. Kieran’s schoolmates were delighted with his success

and look forward to further news of his achievements in the world of gymnastics. He is truly a role model for other young people and an example of how aspiration can turn into real success.

Pilgrim Hall: ‘A Place of Safety’

Fr Ambrose McCambridge OSB scales the climbing wall.

‘The Things We Do for Charity!’

St Benedict’s School in Ealing celebrated its Patronal Feast on Friday 15 April. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor celebrated Mass at Ealing Abbey with the whole school.

The afternoon was devoted to fun activities but with a serious purpose, to raise funds for four chosen charities: Colourful Dreams School in Malawi, HCPT the Pilgrimage Trust, Sisters of Scholastica in the Philippines and Villa La Paz Foundation in Peru. The total sum raised was £6,885.76.

English teacher Dr Julie Greenhough said: ‘In the Abbey, what Cardinal Cormac referred to as our “happy church”, I am struck at the joyousness prevalent amongst us as we sing, pray and collectively join together on this special day. Our spirit of community is one of the strengths of our school. In his homily the Cardinal asked us to consider being a hero today.

Citing the example of Pope Francis and his simple acts of thoughtfulness for others

(offering a chair, sharing a sandwich) we are encouraged to do likewise. By making a sacrificial effort, not easy to do in today’s secular world, and by praying and listening to God we will have meaning in our lives and hope for our lives.’

After Mass there was donut bobbing and a Big Balloon Bounce Off, head and shoulder massage and piñata bashing.

The ever popular Haunted House had a long queue and the Combined Cadet Force ran an air rifle range and organised the climbing wall. In the sports hall the Sumo Smash attracted a huge crowd, which stayed to watch the exciting dodgeball, while the music department was generating a lot of noise with the open mic and the rap battle. Pupils and staff alike launched themselves wholeheartedly into the spirit of the event and were generous in their contributions.

Dr Greenhough summed up: ‘Ah, the things we do for charity at St Benedict’s School!’

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On 21 April Cardinal Vincent attended St James Catholic School in Twickenham for the official blessing of their new Pilgrim Hall, prayer garden and Stations of the Cross. The Cardinal was welcomed into the school by the RE captains and taken on a tour of their new facilities by Headteacher Clare Webber.

The blessing ceremony began with an introduction by school governor Nick Wiseman, and an explanation of the development of the prayer garden, Pilgrim Hall and Stations of the Cross by Caitlin Phillips.

During the homily, Cardinal Vincent praised the work of the school and spoke to pupils about the Year of Mercy. He told the assembled pupils,

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teachers and parents that the most common phrase in the New Testament is ‘do not be afraid’ and that the Pilgrim Hall should always be a place of safety for them. He went on to say that God always asks us to get back up and ask for forgiveness, and this is why we should not be afraid.

After the ceremony,

Cardinal Vincent processed to the garden, with its sculpture of open hands, and then onto the Stations of the Cross on the outside walls of the Pilgrim Hall. The pictures were all designed by pupils at the school and were blessed by the Cardinal in the presence of the RE captains, teachers and local parish priests.

Page 11

Westminster Record | June 2016

Walsingham: An English Treasure

Where the Boundary between Heaven and Earth is Thinnest

by Giovanni Marseglia

© Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

by David Chapman When I was 18, I had never heard of Walsingham. Brought up in Devon and attending Anglican ‘dull’ churches, neither high nor low and barely lukewarm, I could not afford to go home from college at weekends and readily accepted the invitation of a fellow student to help fill his coach going to Norfolk. And so I first came to Walsingham.

The Anglican shrine was a culture shock and I can still recall the cold of Norfolk in February, but I felt instantly ‘at home’. I had no doubt that the glory of Anglo-Catholic worship and the fullness of Catholic teaching was what I had, without knowing it, been seeking.

I should warn anyone who has never visited Walsingham that it is seriously addictive!

Not one year has passed since that first visit in 1962 when I have failed to return. However, the Anglican Church was changing and, in 1994, I decided to seek reception into full communion with the Catholic Church, a decision I have never regretted.

Relations between Catholics and Anglicans in Walsingham, as elsewhere, have improved in recent years, but over 20 years ago it was with some trepidation that I returned to Page 12

Walsingham, this time as a Catholic. I need not have worried. The spirituality of the place exerted itself just as powerfully. As the Rector, Fr John Armitage, says, ‘There is one shrine. It is Walsingham itself. It has a Catholic presence and an Anglican presence, an Orthodox presence and even a Methodist presence. Our Lady of Walsingham is at its heart.’

The place deserves its title of

the ‘Holy Land of Walsingham’.

So, what is it that draws me back, as it has drawn pilgrims for nearly a thousand years?

Principally, I have found answer to prayer; in times of difficulty, I have to make a pilgrimage, and, through Mary’s intercession with her Son, my prayers have always been answered. Someone once said that Walsingham was one

of the places where the boundary between heaven and earth was at its thinnest, so perhaps this is not surprising.

Then there is the wonderful tranquility of the place: not the same as peacefulness.

Pilgrimage has always been a time of companionship and fun as well as intense prayer: look at Chaucer’s pilgrims. Whether you go with a group or just on your own, you will always find like-minded people having a love for Our Lady as a common theme.

I am surprised that people

who have been to Lourdes, Fatima, Aylesford, even Guadalupe, have never been to England’s National Shrine of Our Lady, to which pilgrims had been going for centuries before the others! There are many exciting developments going on at Walsingham now.

There has never been a better time to go. However, be warned: you are unlikely to make only one visit!

See you there on 9 July!

(Details of the Westminster Pilgrimage elsewhere in this edition.)

Palmers Green Returns to Walsingham

© Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

In July 1935 the first ever walking pilgrimage to Walsingham since the Reformation left from St Monica’s Church, Palmers Green. For the Year of Mercy a group of parishioners from St Monica’s are planning to repeat some of the experience.

The pilgrims will follow the route set out in one of John Merrill’s Pilgrim Ways books.

Given daily commitments of modern life, it is not practical to repeat it as one continuous pilgrimage, as it would exclude many who wish to take part.

Instead, the parishioners intend to walk the route in two stages, with the first 85 miles as five walks of about 17 miles on five successive Saturdays. They set out on Saturday 28 May for the

first of these walks after an early morning Mass, heading out to Enfield and on to the Lea navigation path to Broxbourne.

The final 60 miles will be a fiveday walk, camping under the stars and arriving in Walsingham for the diocesan pilgrimage on Saturday 9 July.

The original walk started with Mass and a blessing of walkers, when a letter of encouragement and blessing from Archbishop Hinsley was read out. For this pilgrimage, Cardinal Vincent has sent a letter in which he bestows his blessings on the pilgrims and shares with them a prayer for meditation composed by Karl Rahner SJ, saying, ‘I hope it will serve to inspire you on your pilgrimage’.

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Westminster Record | June 2016

Lord Jesus Christ, it is with you that we wish to make our journey. Our road is an old one, which began long ago when you started with us in baptism and when we started with the habits of the children of Adam. Yet it is a new road, because you are he who constantly renews our youth… Go with us, Lord, stay with us, even when it is towards evening. Walk with us in the path of truth, the truth which makes us free. Go with us on our everyday paths which lead to your kingdom, for it is faithfulness in everyday things which brings us wisdom and maturity. Go with us on the paths by which we make our pilgrimage to you.

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If the essence of a pilgrimage is the journey, then the experience of preparation for our diocesan visit to Walsingham in July has been something special in its own right. Being fortunate enough to have visited Rome and Lourdes several times, I am no stranger to the idea of taking time out to undertake a spiritual retreat.

restoring Walsingham to its correct natural state?

The Holy Mile concluded at a ruined abbey. Seldom has a monument had such a profound impact on me. Not much remains of the original building, but a stunning arch points gloriously upwards out of the grass. Most of the rest could be described as beautiful England. This is where I found

I looked around at the destruction, the analogy that I drew was that of the current situation in Palmyra. What happened in Walsingham was an act of monumental vandalism, and it happened in England.

After visiting the abbey, we made our goodbyes and set off back to London. Surprisingly, my pilgrimage did not end.

Indeed, the planning visit we had in Walsingham was not my first visit to that place. On the two previous occasions I had visited the shrine, I left content and hopeful of returning for more.

Visiting the shrine this time was quite different for me.

Through the practical necessity of needing to understand the simple geography of the village, one incorrect myth was dispelled: this was not a village with ‘nothing’ in it. On the contrary, it has things that are quite unique.

I felt an increasing realisation that the quiet, ‘quaint’ Norfolk village we see today cannot give us a proper understanding of what life was like in its heyday. If Walsingham was indeed one of the big four Christian sites alongside Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostela, then we surely need to look to those places to get an idea of what it used to be. I find this shocking.

This is England!

Walsingham is located in a truly beautiful place. It was my good fortune to walk both the Holy Mile and the Rosary Mile.

The sights and sounds of England’s green and pleasant land were truly a joy. To hear the birds and animals in place of traffic was a welcome relief.

Nice as this may have been, I could not help but wonder at how it would be in July with thousands of us. The sound would be different but no less remarkable. Indeed, will we be

my journey suddenly became very difficult.

Fr Christopher Vipers was explaining the logistics of our forthcoming Benediction service to me, particularly with regard to movements of various people during the service. It will conclude with the Salve Regina. Whilst this might not seem much out of the ordinary in itself, it is the symbolism of where the Cardinal will be standing when we begin to sing that haunted me. ‘X’ literally marks the spot.

The lovely people we met at the shrine had plenty of advice for us. In particular they made some suggestions of YouTube videos we could seek out to get an idea of other large-scale events to our own. I did this as soon as I got home.

As ever is the case with modern technology, we very quickly get drawn into related matter. In this particular case there was a fascinating documentary about Earl Philip Howard, who as cousin of Queen Elizabeth I, visited the

That is the spot where once the copy of the Holy House of Nazareth stood, as described to Richeldis in her vision.

There is something quite special about the abbey grounds. There is a ‘feel’ about the place. Here we are linked with extraordinary history, past, present and future. For us, journeying to the abbey is no more than a coach journey of a few hours. For pilgrims past it was a journey on foot that may have taken months and would at best have been fraught with inherent danger.

While we were standing there, I recall one of my friends remarking that it felt peaceful.

This was not my view. When

shrine after its destruction and how he became an outspoken critic of what had happened, culminating in his eventual demise. His story is linked with the Walsingham Lament, as some believe him to be its author.

This brought me full circle back to our own diocesan website, where Gerald Daly had previously written a review (featured in last month’s Westminster Record).

After being in the abbey, the poem deeply affected me. It perfectly described my feelings.

Words are not always the easiest form of expression for me as this ramble probably

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confirms, but as a music teacher, I find other ways to express myself. Since getting back home, I have begun setting the Walsingham Lament as a madrigal, primarily because that genre belongs to the Elizabethan era.

My choice of Elizabethan idioms pays homage to the poem’s origin.

I am still working on the music and do not know for certain how it will end up, as composition is very much like working with wet clay. A final result can often be quite different from initial expectation, which is quite exciting. With every use of a mode and a suspension, I find myself rediscovering the wonder of English Elizabethan music and with that the fine line that composers such as

William Byrd had to walk to avoid falling foul of persecution.

Despite using Elizabethan idioms, there is no certainty that the finished product will sound particularly Elizabethan.

This is not a problem, as we live in the present. I am looking forward to trying it out with a few friends.

The madrigal is nothing against the astonishing history of Walsingham, but to me it represents hope for the future.

The poem may be about the shrine’s destruction, but setting it to music now is a sign that things can change for the better. If it is ready, maybe we will sing it on 9 July.

Giovanni Marseglia, along with Liz Simpson, will lead the singing on the Walsingham pilgrimage on 9 July.

Page 13

Westminster Record | June 2016

Walsingham: An English Treasure

Where the Boundary between Heaven and Earth is Thinnest

by Giovanni Marseglia

© Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

by David Chapman When I was 18, I had never heard of Walsingham. Brought up in Devon and attending Anglican ‘dull’ churches, neither high nor low and barely lukewarm, I could not afford to go home from college at weekends and readily accepted the invitation of a fellow student to help fill his coach going to Norfolk. And so I first came to Walsingham.

The Anglican shrine was a culture shock and I can still recall the cold of Norfolk in February, but I felt instantly ‘at home’. I had no doubt that the glory of Anglo-Catholic worship and the fullness of Catholic teaching was what I had, without knowing it, been seeking.

I should warn anyone who has never visited Walsingham that it is seriously addictive!

Not one year has passed since that first visit in 1962 when I have failed to return. However, the Anglican Church was changing and, in 1994, I decided to seek reception into full communion with the Catholic Church, a decision I have never regretted.

Relations between Catholics and Anglicans in Walsingham, as elsewhere, have improved in recent years, but over 20 years ago it was with some trepidation that I returned to Page 12

Walsingham, this time as a Catholic. I need not have worried. The spirituality of the place exerted itself just as powerfully. As the Rector, Fr John Armitage, says, ‘There is one shrine. It is Walsingham itself. It has a Catholic presence and an Anglican presence, an Orthodox presence and even a Methodist presence. Our Lady of Walsingham is at its heart.’

The place deserves its title of

the ‘Holy Land of Walsingham’.

So, what is it that draws me back, as it has drawn pilgrims for nearly a thousand years?

Principally, I have found answer to prayer; in times of difficulty, I have to make a pilgrimage, and, through Mary’s intercession with her Son, my prayers have always been answered. Someone once said that Walsingham was one

of the places where the boundary between heaven and earth was at its thinnest, so perhaps this is not surprising.

Then there is the wonderful tranquility of the place: not the same as peacefulness.

Pilgrimage has always been a time of companionship and fun as well as intense prayer: look at Chaucer’s pilgrims. Whether you go with a group or just on your own, you will always find like-minded people having a love for Our Lady as a common theme.

I am surprised that people

who have been to Lourdes, Fatima, Aylesford, even Guadalupe, have never been to England’s National Shrine of Our Lady, to which pilgrims had been going for centuries before the others! There are many exciting developments going on at Walsingham now.

There has never been a better time to go. However, be warned: you are unlikely to make only one visit!

See you there on 9 July!

(Details of the Westminster Pilgrimage elsewhere in this edition.)

Palmers Green Returns to Walsingham

© Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

In July 1935 the first ever walking pilgrimage to Walsingham since the Reformation left from St Monica’s Church, Palmers Green. For the Year of Mercy a group of parishioners from St Monica’s are planning to repeat some of the experience.

The pilgrims will follow the route set out in one of John Merrill’s Pilgrim Ways books.

Given daily commitments of modern life, it is not practical to repeat it as one continuous pilgrimage, as it would exclude many who wish to take part.

Instead, the parishioners intend to walk the route in two stages, with the first 85 miles as five walks of about 17 miles on five successive Saturdays. They set out on Saturday 28 May for the

first of these walks after an early morning Mass, heading out to Enfield and on to the Lea navigation path to Broxbourne.

The final 60 miles will be a fiveday walk, camping under the stars and arriving in Walsingham for the diocesan pilgrimage on Saturday 9 July.

The original walk started with Mass and a blessing of walkers, when a letter of encouragement and blessing from Archbishop Hinsley was read out. For this pilgrimage, Cardinal Vincent has sent a letter in which he bestows his blessings on the pilgrims and shares with them a prayer for meditation composed by Karl Rahner SJ, saying, ‘I hope it will serve to inspire you on your pilgrimage’.

Follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/diocese.westminster

Westminster Record | June 2016

Lord Jesus Christ, it is with you that we wish to make our journey. Our road is an old one, which began long ago when you started with us in baptism and when we started with the habits of the children of Adam. Yet it is a new road, because you are he who constantly renews our youth… Go with us, Lord, stay with us, even when it is towards evening. Walk with us in the path of truth, the truth which makes us free. Go with us on our everyday paths which lead to your kingdom, for it is faithfulness in everyday things which brings us wisdom and maturity. Go with us on the paths by which we make our pilgrimage to you.

Follow us on Twitter at: twitter.com/RCWestminster

If the essence of a pilgrimage is the journey, then the experience of preparation for our diocesan visit to Walsingham in July has been something special in its own right. Being fortunate enough to have visited Rome and Lourdes several times, I am no stranger to the idea of taking time out to undertake a spiritual retreat.

restoring Walsingham to its correct natural state?

The Holy Mile concluded at a ruined abbey. Seldom has a monument had such a profound impact on me. Not much remains of the original building, but a stunning arch points gloriously upwards out of the grass. Most of the rest could be described as beautiful England. This is where I found

I looked around at the destruction, the analogy that I drew was that of the current situation in Palmyra. What happened in Walsingham was an act of monumental vandalism, and it happened in England.

After visiting the abbey, we made our goodbyes and set off back to London. Surprisingly, my pilgrimage did not end.

Indeed, the planning visit we had in Walsingham was not my first visit to that place. On the two previous occasions I had visited the shrine, I left content and hopeful of returning for more.

Visiting the shrine this time was quite different for me.

Through the practical necessity of needing to understand the simple geography of the village, one incorrect myth was dispelled: this was not a village with ‘nothing’ in it. On the contrary, it has things that are quite unique.

I felt an increasing realisation that the quiet, ‘quaint’ Norfolk village we see today cannot give us a proper understanding of what life was like in its heyday. If Walsingham was indeed one of the big four Christian sites alongside Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostela, then we surely need to look to those places to get an idea of what it used to be. I find this shocking.

This is England!

Walsingham is located in a truly beautiful place. It was my good fortune to walk both the Holy Mile and the Rosary Mile.

The sights and sounds of England’s green and pleasant land were truly a joy. To hear the birds and animals in place of traffic was a welcome relief.

Nice as this may have been, I could not help but wonder at how it would be in July with thousands of us. The sound would be different but no less remarkable. Indeed, will we be

my journey suddenly became very difficult.

Fr Christopher Vipers was explaining the logistics of our forthcoming Benediction service to me, particularly with regard to movements of various people during the service. It will conclude with the Salve Regina. Whilst this might not seem much out of the ordinary in itself, it is the symbolism of where the Cardinal will be standing when we begin to sing that haunted me. ‘X’ literally marks the spot.

The lovely people we met at the shrine had plenty of advice for us. In particular they made some suggestions of YouTube videos we could seek out to get an idea of other large-scale events to our own. I did this as soon as I got home.

As ever is the case with modern technology, we very quickly get drawn into related matter. In this particular case there was a fascinating documentary about Earl Philip Howard, who as cousin of Queen Elizabeth I, visited the

That is the spot where once the copy of the Holy House of Nazareth stood, as described to Richeldis in her vision.

There is something quite special about the abbey grounds. There is a ‘feel’ about the place. Here we are linked with extraordinary history, past, present and future. For us, journeying to the abbey is no more than a coach journey of a few hours. For pilgrims past it was a journey on foot that may have taken months and would at best have been fraught with inherent danger.

While we were standing there, I recall one of my friends remarking that it felt peaceful.

This was not my view. When

shrine after its destruction and how he became an outspoken critic of what had happened, culminating in his eventual demise. His story is linked with the Walsingham Lament, as some believe him to be its author.

This brought me full circle back to our own diocesan website, where Gerald Daly had previously written a review (featured in last month’s Westminster Record).

After being in the abbey, the poem deeply affected me. It perfectly described my feelings.

Words are not always the easiest form of expression for me as this ramble probably

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confirms, but as a music teacher, I find other ways to express myself. Since getting back home, I have begun setting the Walsingham Lament as a madrigal, primarily because that genre belongs to the Elizabethan era.

My choice of Elizabethan idioms pays homage to the poem’s origin.

I am still working on the music and do not know for certain how it will end up, as composition is very much like working with wet clay. A final result can often be quite different from initial expectation, which is quite exciting. With every use of a mode and a suspension, I find myself rediscovering the wonder of English Elizabethan music and with that the fine line that composers such as

William Byrd had to walk to avoid falling foul of persecution.

Despite using Elizabethan idioms, there is no certainty that the finished product will sound particularly Elizabethan.

This is not a problem, as we live in the present. I am looking forward to trying it out with a few friends.

The madrigal is nothing against the astonishing history of Walsingham, but to me it represents hope for the future.

The poem may be about the shrine’s destruction, but setting it to music now is a sign that things can change for the better. If it is ready, maybe we will sing it on 9 July.

Giovanni Marseglia, along with Liz Simpson, will lead the singing on the Walsingham pilgrimage on 9 July.

Page 13

Westminster Record | June 2016

Promoting Catholic Family Life and Love

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by Edmund Adamus, Director of the Office of Marriage and Family Life At long last, the much awaited post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, ‘On Love in the Family’, (AL) has arrived. I can still recall that moment back in October 2013 when, during a visit to Rome, then-Archbishop Nichols called me to inform me of the Vatican’s announcement launching a worldwide questionnaire. I admit to feeling a knot in my stomach knowing the sheer amount of extra work it was going to generate and wondering where on earth it would all end.

At 253 pages of text over 325 paragraphs over nine chapters, Amoris Laetitia is not a quick, nor at times, easy read.

Indeed early in the document at paragraph 7, the Holy Father states: ‘I do not recommend a rushed reading of the text.’

Considered and even prayerful reflection is required especially on the beautiful sections on the sacrament of matrimony itself (Ch 3) and what one might call the Pope’s ‘ode’ to St Paul’s famous hymn to love in 1 Corinthians 13 (Ch 4). It is an excellent source for both individual and couples Page 14

meditation and for even a whole family to read together.

Pope Francis is clear about the overall message of the document: ‘we can hardly stop advocating marriage simply to avoid countering contemporary sensibilities, or out of a desire to be fashionable or a sense of helplessness in the face of human and moral failings’.

This has always been the modus operandi of the Marriage and Family Life office in Westminster and we are proud of trying our best with limited resources to offer programmes, information and resources that can help clergy, parishes and families themselves access the right kind of pastoral/spiritual care and sustenance needed for their commitment to authentic Catholic family life and love.

The following are just some of the initiatives we promote to help parishes become what the pope describes as ‘a family of families’.

So for example, the Holy Father speaks of the ‘sexual union, lovingly experienced and sanctified by the sacrament, is in turn a path of growth in the life of grace for

the couple’. As a response we provide the excellent marriage enrichment retreat weekend designed to affirm and deepen marital graces in the light of Theology of the Body. Over 250 couples have experienced this seminar and there are still two more dates for 2016. http://loving4life.co.uk/ In the chapter on 1 Corinthians 13 the Pope wisely says: ‘The Gospel tells us to look to the log in our own eye (cf Mt 7.5). Christians cannot ignore the persistent admonition of God’s word not to nurture anger: “Do not be overcome by evil” (Rm 12:21).’

So it’s with this in mind that we continue to offer the excellent and rewarding workshop. This is offered to parishes as three-hour practical, solution-focused experience aimed at helping couples and individuals improve the quality of their communication at all stages of their married life. Drawing on contemporary research and Catholic theology, it aims to equip participants with skills and insights to transform a relationship that might be struggling with unresolved

resentments into the thriving, joy-filled encounter that it is meant to be.

Furthermore as Amoris Laetitia states that ‘to show understanding in the face of exceptional circumstances never implies dimming the light of the fuller ideal, or proposing less than what Jesus offers to the human being’. www.smartloving.org/ breakthrough The diocese is proud to be supporting, as it has done since 2009, the ground-breaking marriage restoration programme www.retrouvaille.org.uk which has successfully helped rescue almost 200 couples from permanent separation and divorce. The confidential telephone number 07887296983 and email will always be answered info@retrouvaille.org.uk For those whose marriages have sadly irretrievably broken down we recommend the tried and tested Beginning Experience weekend and mutual support group or there is the Association for Separated and Divorced Catholics which also offers practical and

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spiritual help at www.asdcengland.org.uk Finally the Pope is adamant that when thinking of preparing people for marriage, it’s not just how we help the engaged couple, though there are huge challenges in this field, but indeed what we do as he puts it, to ‘reach the hearts of young people, appealing to their capacity for generosity, commitment, love and even heroism, and in this way inviting them to take up the challenge of marriage with enthusiasm and courage’.

To that end we have been running the increasingly popular Explore project in our diocesan high schools since 2014. It is one of the most exciting new apostolates of remote marriage preparation being offered to schools in Key Stage 4 and 5 as part of the RE or RSE/SRE/PSHE curriculum.

Pope Francis exhorts us ‘to find the right language, arguments and forms of witness’ to inspire the young to aspire to lifelong marriage and family.

So if you think you can volunteer three or four times a year either as a couple or as a facilitator to help an informal, honest dialogue between young people and spouses, we’d be delighted to hear from you.

Young people enjoy the experience, teaching staff find it invaluable in helping achieve key educational goals, and volunteer couples receive automatic marital enrichment from generously giving of their time and insights. Further information is available from the Development Officer Mary McGhee at marymcghee@rcdow.org.uk or on 07786 737437. www.theexploreexperience. co.uk All of the above is underpinned by the wellestablished and much appreciated annual Mass of Thanksgiving for Matrimony in the cathedral on the vigil of Pentecost which, since 2008 has welcomed over 10,000 spouses to publicly renew their commitment to one another.

Information and details of other resources, events, programmes and initiatives can be found at http://rcdow.org.uk/diocese/ma rriage-and-family-life/ Follow us on Twitter at: twitter.com/RCWestminster

Westminster Record | June 2016

Called to Live the Gospel

by Canon Stuart Wilson The phone call from the Cardinal usually comes in the afternoon. In the last two years I have had two of them. Each time Cardinal Vincent has asked me to come and see him so he can talk about something.

The first time was two years ago. His request was simple.

Would I take over the Chairmanship of the Caritas Advisory Board from Canon Pascal Ryan? I said yes, little knowing what it would involve.

I met with the Director, John Coleby, and we tried to work out whether I was the man for the job! That’s when the truth began to dawn on me. I wasn’t taking over Caritas; Caritas was taking over me.

So began two amazing years.

I knew little about the work so I was on a steep learning curve.

However, I wasn’t altogether hopeless.

I realised early on that I had some influence and I used it to make a name change. We needed a good brand name. We came up with Caritas Westminster. I think it has been received well.

I was soon to discover what was behind this name and what we needed to do. Some things were well established: Magic Breakfasts in schools, clubs for the lonely and our many food banks. Early on we called our food bank volunteers together and I realised how much I needed to learn.

Fr Michael Dunne who runs the highly effective (and ecumenical) Bow Foodbank taught me. His exposition of scripture took us to the Garden of Eden where we learnt that in the very beginning God provided food for Adam and Eve. For us to provide food today is simply an extension of

that first merciful act of a wonderful God. I also learnt something else that day. Food banks are not about food they are about PEOPLE. People who visit food banks have many needs, not just hunger.

Caritas Westminster had been given a brief by the Cardinal.

The work done should be in every parish. Because of the money being raised by Growing in Faith, we began to recruit staff to help realise this aspiration. Edward and Phoebe were our first hub workers and they were a blessing. Now the number has grown and our hub workers are making amazing differences.

The idea of the hub is that at a local level there is an effective person who tries to ‘add value’ to whatever a parish is trying to do. If a parish is just getting going then our hub worker offers ideas, enthusiasm and professional skills that will help every parish have an effective plan in their outreach and service to others.

It’s only two years ago that we started out. We soon realised that we also needed to map what was already happening in the diocese. So many parish communities had projects established that we knew nothing about. Now there is an interactive map on the website http://rcdow.org.uk/caritas/ social-action-initiatives/ where you can see what is happening in your locality. It’s wonderful to relate that new projects are added all the time.

Occasionally things crop up that are not planned but which become very important. One such project is Bakhita House, a haven for women rescued from trafficking. Working with other agencies, we have established a safe home for up to 12 women who were held in slave-like conditions. Our leader is Karen Anstiss and she is doing amazing work with her team to give new life, new hope and new beginnings for women from all over the world. The house certainly brings hope where there was once despair.

By the end of my first year as chair, many new things had come into being. I have been so privileged to work with a really dynamic team. We didn’t just work together, we prayed

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together, we trained together and we celebrated together. We were not simply workers; we were a committed group.

However, quite unexpectedly, our team of workers were challenged to do new work.

Our beloved Pope Francis issued his exhortation Evangelii Guadium at the end of 2013 which challenged every Christian to spread the joy of the Gospel. This challenge was not primarily about preaching the Gospel but living it. It meant we had to refocus and rise to the challenge.

Then in December 2015, the Holy Year of Mercy began. The document which helped us understand the year of mercy began with these amazing words: ‘Jesus Christ is the face of God’s mercy’. Over two years I had truly learnt that Caritas and its work was about showing the mercy of the heavenly Father to those who for whatever reason were not able to see it for themselves.

And so we come to 2016.

Again the phone rang and again I went to see the Cardinal. He told me that he wanted me to start new work as the Vocations Promoter. It was a big new piece of work and I am still getting to grips with the challenges it poses.

The Cardinal also asked me if I would be happy to hand over the chair of Caritas Westminster to Bishop Paul McAleenan. They say what goes round comes round. In 1996, after 25 years in Anglican ministry, I decided to become a Catholic. I was sent to Clapton to live and work with the future Bishop McAleenan. It was a great time.

Whilst I was there, the famous document called The Common Good landed on the doorstep. Both Bishop Paul and I studied this document closely along with many of our parishioners. It was such an exciting time to begin to understand the social teaching of the Catholic Church and Bishop Paul was an excellent companion as we tried to put the teaching into practice. He passed on to me that inspiration to live the common good; I am so happy to pass onto him the work of Caritas Westminster. It is in excellent hands. Deo Gratias.

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Photo credit: Dom Daniel McCarthy OSB

Dom Martin Shipperlee OSB has been re-elected for another eight-year term as Abbot of St Benedict’s Abbey, Ealing.

New Parish Priest for Hitchin Our Lady & St Andrew Catholic Church was packed on Pentecost Sunday, 15 May, for the induction of Fr Tom O’Brien as the new Parish Priest following the retirement of Fr Michael Lambert.

Bishop Paul McAleenan celebrated Mass at which he welcomed Fr Tom to the parish in his new role. Presented with a symbolic large wooden key,

Fr Tom, who has been in the parish as Assistant PP for the past year, confirmed his commitment to serving the Hitchin Parish.

Bishop Paul also thanked Fr Michael for his prayerful commitment and support to the Parish. In retirement, Fr Michael Lambert will continue to live in Hitchin and carry our pastoral duties and counselling support.

If you have a story or an event you would like to have featured on this page, please contact communications@rcdow.org.uk or 020 7798 9030

The Leaven Carmelite Secular Institute

CALLING ALL Single and widowed women Seeking to dedicate their life to God Through vows in secular society.

Contact: The Secretary, The Leaven, c/o The Friars, Aylesford ME20 7BX. Tel: 01883 742488.

Email: kinman@ouvip.com

www.theleaven.org.uk Page 15

Westminster Record | June 2016

Chaplain’s Corner

Fr David Reilly, Diocesan Youth Chaplain In these days since Lent and Easter, and the great feasts that followed, we have returned to the season of ‘ordinary time’.

These months take us through the year towards the solemnity of Christ the King and the beginning of Advent. Perhaps the rather prosaic name can be misleading; so what exactly does ordinary time mean?

A helpful clue lies in the colour of the green vestments, the colour of nature. At this time of year the countryside is marked by the rich green of the trees and grass, the colour of

growth and life. In the parable about the growing seed Jesus said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.’

(Mark 4.26-29). Ordinary time is a season of secret growth and maturity. During these long months of summer we are called to be like the seed growing secretly in the earth, maturing slowly to full ripeness. No one sees this growth occurring, until at last, we appreciate how far we have come.

During this particular summer, we have an invitation from the Holy Spirit to grow in a particular way: to grow in mercy. Only an open heart and a disposition to hear the Spirit can lead us to grow in the right direction. How might we incorporate small, hidden acts of mercy in our lives? Many of us will take part in World Youth Day this summer in Poland, or in a pilgrimage to Lourdes.

These can be powerful moments for us to grow in our friendship with Christ and mercy towards our brothers and sisters.

Director’s Spotlight Phil Ross

The Summit On 13 May, Westminster Youth Ministry responded to the growing call to bring teenagers together from across the diocese to share their experiences of faith and launched the Summit.

The Summit evening witnessed young people gather at the Centre for Youth Ministry to listen to an enlightening talk from Fr Greg Pearson OP, who used the metaphor of climbing to the summit of a mountain to describe the journey of faith.

There was also a thoroughly joyful praise and worship session led by the talented Dominic Cunliffe. This was a time to step out of the busyness and pressures of daily lives to draw spiritual enlightenment from a period of quiet reflection through prayer and adoration.

The evening was a real opportunity for the younger members of our diocesan youth community to have something developed specifically for them.

In capturing the desire to hold faith at the centre of our lives the evening also recognised the need to meet and talk, so time was also set aside to enjoy a curry supper and chat.

This time of year is full on and thoroughly enjoyable with so many wonderful activities just about to start and beginning work on plans for autumn and winter.

It’s always interesting weaving our fixed resources with the range of outreach activities we could theoretically develop for our youth audience. We’d love to do everything but we have to prioritise with great care.

We’re on the cusp of World Youth Day in Poland and my team are in Krakow having a last look at on-site progress where they will walk the 10k vigil walk to help us better understand what our pilgrims will face. We want our pilgrims to have a truly memorable experience.

We’re just about to help with two wonderful school retreats,

one with St Mark’s over two days at Wintershaw and then a couple of days with our great friends at Cardinal Wiseman School. Both provide us with the opportunity to interact closely with the youth audience and this helps us pitch future events.

Planning is well underway to support the diocesan pilgrimage to Walsingham in July and we mustn’t forget that Fr David Burke will be with the Redcaps in Lourdes, also in July.

We’re now full steam ahead with the recruitment of the new volunteer missionaries at SPEC and then it’s about planning their induction ahead of the new school year. Bricks are already being laid for the new residential building, so things are really taking shape.

One last thought is of a personal note and concerns my great friend Fr John Shewring the Parish Priest of Ponders End. On 15 May I attended Mass for the 40th anniversary of his priestly ordination, a celebration led by Bishop John Sherrington. Fr John was instrumental in my becoming a Catholic through RCIA and quite how I ended up the Director of Youth Ministry must hark back to his prompting: a wonderful priest and mentor.

‘Do not be content with a mediocre Christian life…I ask you, instead, to be revolutionaries, I ask you to swim against the tide; yes, I am asking you to rebel against this culture that sees everything as temporary and that ultimately believes you are incapable of responsibility, that believes you are incapable of true love.’

Pope Francis Page 16

To find out more about the Youth Ministry and experiences of our young people at: dowym.org.uk.

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Westminster Record | June 2016

SPEC: A Hidden Treasure for Youth

by Hannah Woolley Our diocese is home to many secret or little-known treasures. One such treasure is SPEC, the diocese’s retreat centre for children and young people in schools and parishes across the diocese. SPEC’s principal focus is offering faith-based residential and day retreats for schools and parishes of the diocese.

The name ‘SPEC’ comes from the Latin speculum vitae, which translates as ‘mirror to life’ and one of the key aspects of these retreats is that these young people are ministered to by other young people: a group of 18-25 year old volunteer missionaries’. These missionaries spend a year in formation and as youth missionaries in the SPEC community. Working with other young people makes them more authentic and effective witnesses to their faith to the parish groups and schools that visit SPEC retreats.

At the heart of the work of SPEC is its core community of resident staff and volunteer missionaries. The core community of resident employees, a mixture of families and single people, provides continuity of community life.

This year (or sometimes longer) is of immense value to the volunteer missionaries for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is an opportunity to continue formation in their faith, and to pursue the ministry that they feel God is calling them to. It is a time of discernment and to building and deepening their relationship with God. One of the gifts, according to the volunteer missionaries, is being able to work with young people, to see them develop and grow in their faith.

Many of our diocesan youth

workers have spent time at SPEC as volunteer missionaries and feel that this time in formation solidified their understanding that God was calling them to minister to young people in this way.

The ongoing formation of the community and the rule of life that was introduced in 2012 underpins the work that SPEC does with young people.

Mondays are dedicated to time together as a community in prayer and formation. A guest speaker will join the community for catechesis and Mass. On the day I visit, Bishop John Sherrington is with the community. An opportunity for reflection and discernment, this valuable time is a reminder of the calling of each of those working at SPEC have experienced, and is a time to reconnect with God, rooting their lives and work in the Catholic faith and their own personal encounter with God. In March 2014, SPEC moved to new premises at the picturesque Waxwell Farm in Pinner, a beautiful Tudor farmhouse situated in grounds of manicured lawns and rolling woodland glades (you could easily be persuaded that this is situated in the middle of the countryside). The oldest part of the main building dates back to the 16th century, and more recent buildings complement the architectural style. It is certainly a place that readily lends itself to the silence and reflection needed when on retreat.

A new building is currently being constructed in the beautiful grounds of Waxwell Farm that will enable SPEC to offer residential retreats to schools and youth groups as they did at their previous home

To find out more about the Youth Ministry and experiences of our young people at: dowym.org.uk.

at All Saints Pastoral Centre.

However, this time of scaling back during the transfer in location has provided those who work at and with SPEC with a valuable time of discernment for the future of SPEC and what is most needed to serve our young people effectively.

What is striking about the community at SPEC is how much it feels like a home, like a family. Perhaps this originates in the resident families that provide stability and consistency, but it also stems from the strong sense of community which is clear in the kindness shown to one another by the staff and missionaries, and to their guests. It is somewhere that quickly feels like a safe environment and where you are instantly at ease, a valuable quality given that, for young people, coming on retreat is often a significant step. It is an opportunity, perhaps the first they have had, to take their faith out of its usual environment of school, home, or Sunday Mass. A retreat offers time and space to examine your faith and what it means to you. Many young people struggle or are reluctant to express their faith, others are shy or simply don’t know what they think or believe. For the missionaries, one of the most rewarding aspects of their work is seeing young people grow in courage, and slowly begin to engage and express their thoughts.

We are so fortunate that such an encompassing experience of formation and youth work is available for young Catholic adults as volunteer missionaries. To be part of a community that lives, prays and works together is of immeasurable value, particularly at a time of change and discernment. Being grounded in this setting, SPEC offers our young people throughout the diocese an opportunity to connect with their faith in an environment that fosters trust, openness and acceptance.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer missionary at SPEC, or want to know more about the experience and the retreats they offer, contact: spec@rcdow.org.uk.

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Final Preparations for World Youth Day

by Rebekah Curran and James Kelliher What an amazing few days in Krakow! The purpose of the trip was to meet the World Youth Day organisers, explore the city and become more prepared for the practicalities of the pilgrimage.

Upon arrival in Krakow, the first thing we did was go to the beautiful main square to take some photos and videos, and meet up with some young Polish Catholics who have been involved in previous World Youth Days.

After enjoying a traditional Polish meal, we were shown around our accommodation for the WYD week, at the University of Agriculture.

We began the next day by visiting the WYD organising committee, where we met their charismatic spokesperson, Dorota Abdelmoula. She was very engaging and open to hearing our thoughts and questions. We certainly had a sense that they are very busy, but that the event is in good hands.

Then we took the tram to the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, which will be the location of the short Pilgrimage of Mercy, taking place during the catechesis days.

After a quick visit to Blonia Park, site of some of the main event of WYD, we met up with

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some more of the organising committee volunteers for dinner. They will be visiting us in London for our final preWYD meeting in June.

The next day, we took a taxi to our WYD accommodation so that we could walk the route to the vigil site. The journey to Campus Misericordia, the name of the vigil site, took us about three hours to complete. We saw that there is still a lot of work to do, but we’re confident that it will all be ready on schedule.

We ended our visit of the site by going to the House of Mercy, which Pope Francis will visit whilst in Krakow. Overall, it was a great visit and opened our eyes to what we can expect during WYD. It was lovely meeting the hard-working young Catholics who are making sure that the event is a great experience for all our pilgrims.

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Page 17

Westminster Record | June 2016

Wombling Free

On 24 April, 24 runners completed the London Marathon for the Jesuit Missions. This year the team was raising money for the Jesuit Missions’ Syria appeal which sends much needed medical supplies to the sick and injured in Homs and Damascus.

Two ran in the famous Womble costumes, novice Jacques St Laurent in 5hrs 12mins and Benjamin Eckmans from Germany, persuaded to don the costume only the day before. ‘I missed not being able to see the great London landscape as I went around the course as I could really only see my feet and the road in front of me,’ said Jacques, ‘but in compensation I got huge cheers and photo calls from the crowd all the way around for the

costume’.

Jesuit novice Chris Brolly was pleased with his time of 3hrs 43mins ‘the crowd was fantastic, one chap misread my t-shirt which read “Jesuit Missions” and called out “come on Jesus!” which made me smile!’

Fr Superior Dominic Robinson SJ commented, ‘It was a joy for the community to welcome the runners and their supporters, it is always a great day with a great buzz and in aid of an excellent cause.’

If you haven’t yet sponsored a runner there is still time to support the Jesuit Missions Syria appeal and show your appreciation of the team’s efforts.

Donations can be made at www.jesuitmissions.org.uk/ take-action/london-marathon

The Power of Volunteering Retired geography teacher and education officer Hilda McCafferty, 65, has been a school and confirmation volunteer for CAFOD for eight years.

Hilda’s role involves giving talks and assemblies about the issues that people face over the world and how CAFOD works with partners so they can help themselves. Hilda enjoys working as a pair with Jo Hodgson around schools and at confirmation groups.

‘Young people’s sense of fairness and justice is what really inspires me, to think that people will carry on even better work for the future. It is young people who will be the policy and change makers of tomorrow, so we need to make young people aware of international issues now.

‘I feel like I can’t volunteer and tell other people to do something for CAFOD and then not do it myself, so this year my parish, Our Lady of Fatima, White City, raised over £2,000 for CAFOD’s Lent campaign, helping provide clean water to communities around the world.

‘What I love about being a Confirmation volunteer is showing young people the importance of putting their faith

into action and giving examples of how CAFOD puts their faith into action to fight injustice and poverty. CAFOD volunteers come from all walks of life, bringing their own knowledge, ideas and personalities, from arranging events to partaking in events. Alongside this, most volunteers have other commitments like bringing up families, but still find a way to help support CAFOD. ‘It is these memories and experiences I take with me when I talk to schools or Confirmation groups to let them know that what I’m saying is not an exaggeration.

‘For me, this is what

CAFOD is about. No matter where you are from we all come together working for a fairer and better world.’

To find out more about becoming a youth volunteer, get in touch with Nalini Nathan and book onto our free training taster day on 25 September.

Community Participation Coordinator – CAFOD Westminster & Southwark, Mobile: 07710094448 Email:nnathan@cafod.org.uk) for more information.

Send us your volunteering stories with CAFOD so we can feature you in our National Volunteering Week online special from 01-07 June.

In or Out of Europe: which will be better for welcoming refugees?

by Barbara Kentish Justice and Peace tries to address huge problems. Take the refugee situation, the whole of Europe is struggling for a response to such a big and complex issue.

Thanks to the excellent lead of churches, faith groups, and CitizensUK, not to mention Pope Francis reaching out to refugees in Lesbos, Catholics know where to stand on welcome. Many are desperate to help with the Calais situation or to welcome Syrians into their home. At the Mass for Migrants, Cardinal Vincent called on the government to be more generous in responding to these needs, and reiterated the Christian welcome message. (See page 4 for coverage of the Mass.)

Now the European referendum is coming up, with Page 18

the Out campaign focusing on the problems caused by migrants. Pictures of thousands of refugees coming from wartorn countries challenge our thinking too: can we really cope?

Thierry Cuénot, head of emergency services for CaritasFrance, thought it was easy.

‘Just tell everyone to vote to stay in’, he told me, ‘then Germany, France and the UK, the big or strong economies, can sort out the welcome together. It’s not a “refugee” crisis. It’s a political crisis.

What is the problem in a unit of 500 million people absorbing up to one million refugees?’

It is true that a more helpful Franco-British solution to Calais, for example, might involve putting in place more humane treatment of potential asylum seekers than is currently the case. The UK is

spending £80million on security fences, while France is mainly treating the ‘Jungle’ inhabitants as non-persons.

But whether such an approach will prevail in or out of the EU is not clear.

Rather than telling people how to vote, Justice and Peace is taking a leaf out of St Therese’s book: doing the little things. June 18-25 is Refugee Week, with its ‘Welcome’ theme.

We support the Catholic Worker‘s twice-monthly vigil outside government offices for more humane treatment of refugees, where they name those who have died on the journey.

On Tuesday 2 June they will be outside Downing Street from 12.30-2.30pm, with an extended prayer vigil.

We will hold a Justice and Peace pilgrimage based on the

CAFOD theme of the Lampedusa Cross on Saturday 25 June (details on our website www.westminsterjp. wordpress.com) The Kent charity Seeking Sanctuary, supported by Southwark Justice and Peace, can channel gifts and goods to those most in need: see www.seekingsanctuary. weebly.com There is also a multimedia

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exhibition, Call My Name, from 2 to 22 June at Londonewcastle Project Space, 28 Redchurch Street, E2 7DP. Read also the aid agencies’ statement on refugees, Safe Haven, to get the overall European picture.

We can pray, inform ourselves, and make our own minds up on Europe. Which vote will help ‘the stranger’ more? Europe: Which Will Be Better for Welcoming Refugees?

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Westminster Record | June 2016

Prison Ministry in the Year of Mercy and Beyond

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‘Every time I go through the gates into a prison to celebrate Mass or for a visit, I always think: Why them and not me? I should be here. I deserve to be here. Their fall could have been mine.’

Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy ‘A Christian approach to punishment and prison is not a soft option. Love is not the same as being lenient. But love always looks to the good of the other.’

Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, A Place of Redemption In the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis is asking us to allow the mercy that Christ manifested on the Cross to saturate our lives so that we can be more effective witnesses to the world around us. The Holy Father reminds us that mercy is very practical in its application: ‘The mercy of God is not an abstract idea, but a concrete reality through which he reveals his love.’ The Year of Mercy can be seen as a special ‘time to offer everyone the way of forgiveness and reconciliation’.

One of the ways Pope Francis is urging all Catholics to manifest mercy is through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The corporal works include visiting the imprisoned, and the spiritual works include converting sinners, instructing the ignorant, advising the doubtful and comforting the sorrowful. These are very relevant to prison ministry as more and more young people continually become trapped in a cycle of offending, meaning they are in and out of prison.

They lack the spiritual and practical support to be who God wants them to be.

The situation they find themselves in is made worse by the fact that the prison environment in England and Wales is in its worst state for 10 years with ever increasing violence. Nick Hardwick, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, said in his Annual Report 2014 2015, that the envisioned ‘rehabilitation revolution’ often spoken about by the government is very far off.

In a typical week in the prisons in England and Wales, four or five prisoners die, there are one or two self-inflicted deaths, 500 self-harm incidents, more than 300 assaults, 40 serious assaults, and 70 assaults on staff, including nine serious attacks. (Source: Safety in Custody Statistics from Ministry of Justice quarterly update to Dec 2014). There is a common consensus in our society that our prisons must punish those who break the law, but that does not mean they should not be places of rehabilitation too. Yet within an environment of intense violence and self-harm in prison, as well as overcrowding and a lack of purposeful activity, it is hard for prisoners to break free from their destructive mindsets.

From a Christian theological point of view true rehabilitation is more than just helping free a prisoner from a life of crime. It begins when a prisoner recognises their need for forgiveness, not just for breaking the civil law, but for breaking the laws of God and causing offence to him alone (Psalm 51).

Mercy also doesn't wait for the offender to make the first

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move, but rather runs to meet the sinner on their journey (Luke 15.20). Our bishops ‘acknowledge that concern for those in prison, despite it being one of the boldest of Jesus’ commands as to how his followers are to serve him, is not high up on the agenda of many Christians.’

The Scriptural mandate for prison ministry is of course well known: ‘I was in prison and you visited me.’ (Matthew 25.41-43) Community chaplaincy teams are working extensively within the prison system to build professional relationships with prisoners. For example in both HMP and YOI Isis Prison in Thamesmead, London and HMP and YOI Feltham, Middlesex young Catholics aged 15 to 25 are rediscovering their faith through the chaplaincy and recognising their need to be discipled and mentored in the truths of their faith. But it is not possible for the small chaplaincy teams by themselves to give them this ongoing structured one-to-one

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support especially just before their release, arguably when they need it the most.

Feltham Community Chaplaincy Trust (FCCT) is a multi-faith charity where people of different faiths work together to help young offenders rebuild their lives. It is the first community chaplaincy project in the UK to work with young people leaving prison.

A big part of this ministry is to train and support volunteer mentors from parishes in the London region to support community chaplaincy teams who begin the mentoring relationship just before prisoners’ release. Volunteers empower young clients to be self-sufficient, encourage them to take the lead in working towards spiritual and practical goals, pray with them, and support and advise them, where appropriate.

Full training is given and whilst FCCT recruits volunteers from all backgrounds (ideally to match them with someone of a similar faith background) there

is a recognition that, with Catholic young people making up a sizeable part of the prison population, more Catholic volunteers are absolutely essential in community chaplaincy.

Mgr Roger Reader, FCCT Trustee and Catholic Chaplain at HMP/YOI Feltham explains: ‘You may be surprised to learn that both Feltham Prison and Isis Prison for Young Offenders can be places of hope, but they can. Among all the problems of many sorts which the young prisoners have, many of them hope for a better life once they are released, and for some that hope is based on the Catholic Faith which they have found in prison. This hope needs nurturing and supporting and volunteer faith mentors have a vital role in this.’

If you sense the Holy Spirit could be leading you to be a sign of mercy to prisoners during this designated Year of Mercy, please get in contact with FCCT on 0208 445 5585 or CCFeltham@hmps.gsi.gov.uk

Page 19

Westminster Record | June 2016

‘Sport Has a Unique Potential to Benefit the Human Person’ human life).

We have these not just in London but in Cheshire and Yorkshire.

by Mgr Vladimir Felzmann How time flies when you are having fun. As we approach the Rio 2016 Games later this year, it’s surprising to think that the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games took place only a short while ago.

In that time, in what seems like the blink of an eye, the John Paul 2 Foundation 4 Sport (JP2F4S) has grown from my baby to a toddler.

In case you cannot recall, the Foundation was launched in the UK by Pope Benedict XVI in September 2010. It became a registered charity the following year.

The Foundation honours the memory of St John Paul II by building on his passion for sport and his belief that sport has a unique potential to benefit the human person and society.

JP2F4S launched the first ‘Legacy Club’ in the UK, ‘Sports Squared’, in Sion-Manning School on 22 of September 2012.

JP2F4S is akin to a trade association as it inspires, motivates, enables and supports sports clubs to be conceived and grow, helping them to find funding while monitoring and mentoring their leadership to sustain the values of JP2F4S and encouraging them to communicate their achievements onto a wider stage.

Currently there are four types of JP2F4S clubs. A fifth is on its way.

There are schools PETS clubs (where PETS = PIES Education through Sport; and PIES = The Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and Spiritual dimensions of Page 20

Olympic Legacy Then there are after-school clubs. These help schools with their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and bring them closer to the local community. In fact the first Olympic legacy club in the whole of the UK was Sports Squared based at Sion-Manning School.

There are also community and parish-based clubs. These enable young people to become peer-evangelists as they invite their non-worshipping school friends to become a part of their local, worshipping, community.

And fourthly, there are stand-alone clubs, some initiated by JP2F4S. A great example of this is Wessex United whose team members came from two rival gangs but thanks to our intervention are now at peaceful harmony. For two years running now they have won the PowerLeague competition at Wembley.

Other clubs, enabled, supported and structured by JP2F4S, have been founded by others. It was Alex Sarama, then a Lower Sixth Form student, who founded what is now Goldhawks Basketball based at St Peter’s, Merrow. Launched in 2012, it is now the biggest basketball club in South East England.

The fifth type of club we are working on is in Wormwood Scrubs as we develop a programme enabling its 18-25 year old inmates to obtain the ‘FA Level 1 Coaching Award’ and our ‘Aim High for All Change of Attitude to Life’ Certificate.

This is another great example of the Church working to reduce re-offending and help young people get back on their feet. This offers a second chance to live life to the full.

Values-driven Approach We support schools and clubs by promoting a vision-based, values-driven approach to sport and physical education, enhancing the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual growth of young people for the benefit of all.

We are inspired by values dear to St John Paul II and the philosophy of education set out in the book Christ at the Centre written by then-Mgr Marcus Stock.

In order to achieve all this, we have produced a range of materials, principally designed for use in PHSE lessons. The materials provide a rationale for developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness, their understanding of, and relationship with, God. They enable pupils to reflect on and acquire virtues which help them develop their character. They can also be used in RE and PE lessons.

Additionally, a series of eight PowerPoint presentations are designed for use in Year group or whole-school Assemblies.

service. They transcend and thus include the British values of individual liberty, rule of law, toleration and democracy.

To find out more, visit www.johnpaul2foundation4 sport.org. There you will find a button enabling you to chip in your bit, so becoming a benefactor of this inspiring

Catholic charity which works with all for the benefit of all.

Twitter: @jp2f4s Facebook: johnpaul2foundation4sport Mgr Vladimir Felzmann is CEO of John Paul 2 Foundation for Sport and is Catholic Chaplain for sport.

Rooted in Christian Virtues The programme is rooted in a belief that Christian virtues, while transcending, promote British values. It provides schools with an evidence-based assessment demonstrating not only that these values have been taught, but also that their impact has been evaluated.

From the life and statements of St John Paul II we have identified eight values drawn from the Beatitudes. These JP2F4S values are integrity, dignity, humility, justice, truth, forgiveness, tolerance and Follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/diocese.westminster

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Westminster Record | June 2016

Mosaic Menagerie: Ducks in the Cathedral

by Ann Marie Micallef Before Cardinal Vaughan appointed John Francis Bentley as architect for the Cathedral in 1894, Mr Bentley had let it be known that he intended to undertake a study tour of European basilicas. He travelled to various places in Italy. My husband and I decided to follow in his footsteps and visit Ravenna and Bologna. The most famous Church in Ravenna is San Vitale. San Vitale was begun in 527 and finished in 548. The outside is plain. It has eight

sides and lots of windows. The latter are really important as when one enters the church the first thing one sees are beautiful coloured mosaics.

There are mosaics on the floor too and the one that really caught my eye was the one of a duck. There are also ducks on the great pier at the east end of the church.

According to Wikipedia, the word duck comes from Old English *dūce ‘diver’, a derivative of the verb *dūcan ‘to duck, bend down low as if to get under something’. The duck in St Vitale is not diving

he is standing tall. There was another duck in in a wonderful mosaic on the ceiling of the atrium of St Andrew’s chapel in the Archiesposcopal Museum in Ravenna. He is also on the front of Ravenna’s calendar for 2016 and on numerous postcards and souvenirs.

The choice to have a duck in such important churches seems really strange to me as ducks can be silly in their looks and behaviour. This is even seen in the mosaics as one duck has one red leg and one black leg and his beak is red and black too. If one says the word ‘duck’ we

often think of silly ducks in cartoons such as Donald Duck or Daffy Duck. In this regard, ducks have been the subject of an academic study. In 2002, psychologist Richard Wiseman and colleagues from the University of Hertfordshire conducted a LaughLab experiment, concluding that of all animals, ducks attract the most humour and silliness. Mr Wiseman said, ‘If you're going to tell a joke involving an animal, make it a duck’.

I asked our guide in Ravenna why the mosaic artist had chosen the duck. He said he didn’t know. He said all the birds and animals together represented ‘a vision of paradise’. Further research has shown that ducks have been used in a number of early

Christian mosaics but no one really knows why. It might be because of their bright colours or it might be because they were domesticated in monasteries.

Whatever the reason they can make us smile.

In Westminster Cathedral when you come through the side doors you will see two mosaics facing you, one of them is St Anthony surrounded by birds and the other is St Francis surrounded by fish. If you look closely at the one of St Anthony, I am sure that at least two of the birds are ducks.

Come and have a look and see if they make you grin.

If you want to know more about the Cathedral and its mosaics please ask the ladies and gentlemen of the Guild of St John Southworth (‘The red cloaks’).

Inside the Hospice: A Spiritual Magpie

by Fr Peter Michael Scott I am like a spiritual magpie. I collect or steal advice from prayerful people and use it when spending time with God. I particularly like some of the wise words of St Thérèse of Lisieux. In her beautiful ‘Story of a Soul’ she writes: ‘I have not the courage to force myself to seek beautiful prayers in books; not knowing which to choose I act as children do who cannot read; I say quite simply to the good God what I want to tell Him, and He always understands me.’

Quite often I come across a patient who is rekindling their spiritual life and feels uncertain about how to pray. They sometimes produce prayers given to them by well-meaning

family and friends, and when I ask if they are helpful, they admit that some are…and some are not. So, preening my feathers, I take on the personality of a spiritual magpie and I show them the aforementioned quote from St Thérèse, and they always smile.

I am a privileged magpie because when I give patients the Eucharist, I witness their prayer.

They might utter a few beautiful thanksgiving words under their breath or they withdraw and shut their eyes and their countenance changes. Whichever way, I sense they are talking to God from their inner most selves, masks down, presenting their needs honestly to the Father.

There is another phrase I have stolen, and this is one was

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given by Pope St John Paul in his message for the 5th World Day of Prayer for the Sick. He said, ‘You that bear the weight of suffering occupy the first place among those whom God loves. As with those he met along the roads of Palestine, Jesus directs a gaze full of tenderness at you, His love will never be lacking.’

It is lovely to be able to read the words of St John Paul to those praying and then say, ‘God is listening to you, he loves you, he is close to you’.

These, of course, are my words, based on those I have stolen, but I hope patients and staff steal them from me and tell others.

Please pray for the patients, staff and volunteers of St Joseph’s Hospice.

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Page 21

Westminster Record | June 2016

Photo credit: Fr Lawrence Lew OP

Ss Thomas More and John Fisher: 22 June

The English Reformation martyrs are commemorated on a number of feast days throughout the liturgical year.

However, Ss Thomas More and John Fisher are remembered in their own right on 22 June, a day on which we are called to remember all those who suffer persecution. St John Fisher was martyred on 22 June 1535, shortly after he was made a

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Cardinal. Fisher is the only Cardinal to have been martyred for the Catholic Faith.

He was appointed Chancellor of the University of Cambridge where he was also chaplain and confessor to Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII. Under Fisher’s guidance, Lady Margaret founded two colleges at the university, St John’s and Christ’s,

and the Lady Margaret Professorship of Divinity.

However, Fisher was a chief supporter of Catherine of Aragon when Henry VIII sought to divorce her and he warned the Upper House (House of Lords) in November 1529 that the Parliament Acts could only destroy the Catholic Church in England.

Fisher refused to take the Oath of Succession which recognised any children of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn as legitimate heirs to the throne and consequently was sent to the Tower of London on 26 April 1534.

Fisher was initially sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered. However, public outcry mounted as people drew parallels between Fisher and his namesake, St John the Baptist. To prevent Fisher living through to his feast day (24 June), Henry VIII changed the sentence to beheading which was to take place by 23 June.

This ploy failed as, ironically, beheading Fisher drew even closer parallels to St John the Baptist, and Fisher’s martyrdom took place on the feast of St Alban, the first martyr of Britain.

He was beheaded on 22 June and eventually, after was eventually buried next to St Thomas More in St Peter ad Vincula, the church within the Tower of London.

St Thomas More was a family man, a father of four, and lawyer who was martyred shortly after

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John Fisher on 6 July. More was Chancellor of England and a close advisor to Henry VIII from 1529 until his resignation in 1532.

More remained steadfast in his belief in Papal Supremacy and refused to sign a letter asking the Pope to annul Henry VIII’s first marriage and later declined to attend Anne Boleyn’s coronation. Like Fisher, he refused to take the Oath of Succession and was charged with treason on 1 July 1535.

More has hung, drawn and quartered. On the scaffold he declared that he died ‘the King’s good servant, but God’s first’.

We pray to Ss John Fisher and Thomas More for protection of the rights of conscience and for those who suffer persecution because of their faith.

2

Obituaries

27 28

Fr Fred de L’Orme RIP Fr Fred de L’Orme, who died on 10 May aged 68, served the diocese for 37 years. Born in Bombay (Mumbai), he grew up in White City Estate, showing an early talent for music and song which he developed and used to great effect throughout his ministry, even leading weekly concerts at Nazareth House in retirement. The range of his pastoral ability to relate to different people was manifest in parochial service, but no less in hospital ministry in Ealing and, later, in Barnet. He also had three spells of school chaplaincy, twice in the diocese and finally at Prior Park College. A particular feature of his life after a visit to Medjugorje in 1998 was the Apostolate of St Joseph of the Eternal Family, which he introduced into parish life and exported when on holiday in Canada and Australia.

In 2012 Fr Fred suffered a heart attack and moved, after convalescence, to the Stevenage parishes, but ill health prevented his continuing there and he moved to Nazareth House in Cheltenham before moving to Nazareth House back in East Finchley.

May he rest in peace.

Fr Anton Cowan RIP

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In Memoriam: June

Fr Anton Cowan died peacefully at home on 12 April aged 74, having served as a priest for 43 years. Born in Chelsea of a

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4 7 9 10 11 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 26

29 30

Fr Philip Carpenter (1992) Bishop Victor Guazzelli (2004) Fr Stephen Finnegan (1993) Fr Damien McManus (1997) Fr Joseph Rees (2007) Fr William McConalogue (2009) Fr John O’Connell (1970) Mgr David Norris (2010) Fr John Harrington (2007) Fr Vincent McCarthy (1974) Fr Francis Davis (2003) Canon Alfonso de Zulueta (1980) Fr George Lee (1987) Fr Michael Pinot de Moira (2013) Cardinal Basil Hume OSB (1999) Fr Michael Connor (2007) Cardinal Herbert Vaughan (1903) Fr Thomas Kiernan (2013) Fr J Brian Campbell (1983) Fr Anthony Turbett (2000) Fr John Moran (1988) Mgr Canon Roderick More O’Ferrall (1991) Fr Raleigh Addington (1980) Fr Cuthbert Boddy (1970) Canon Denis Crowley (1980) Fr Richard Fitzgibbon (2006) Fr Edmund R J Henry (1971) Fr William Anderson (1972) Fr Christopher Bedford (2008)

Catholic mother and a Presbyterian father, his education was in local Catholic schools, leading to eight years in banking, before he acted on the vocation which he had known from an early age. An unusual aspect of his banking career was meeting and keeping contact with Spike Milligan, in some ways the opposite of Fr Anton, whose natural preferences were for routine and a quieter life.

The spirituality of St Thérèse of Lisieux, with her focus of the Little Way and manifesting God’s love in every detail of life was an inspiration for him. Fr Anton was thus well qualified to act as Diocesan Censor in consideration of material to be published by the Church; but no less was he careful in maintaining contact with couples he had married and children he had baptised, noting anniversaries and sending cards and letters. The habit characterised his gentle and approachable pastoral care.

Fr Anton served in a number of parishes throughout his ministry, and particularly for ten years or more successively at Our Lady of Willesden, St Mary Moorfields and finally at Cheshunt before retirement in 2014.

May he rest in peace.

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Events & Calendar

Westminster Record | June 2016

REGULAR EVENTS

Liturgical Calendar - June

If you have an event, please email: communications@rcdow.org.uk

Prayer Groups SUNDAYS Taizé at St James, Piccadilly W1J 9LL every third Sunday 5pm.

Call 020 7503 5128 for details.

Tyburn Benedictines Monastic afternoon Every first Sunday 2-5pm Martyrs’ Crypt, Tyburn Convent, 8 Hyde Park Place W2 2LJ.

Our Lady, Untier of Knots, Prayer Group of Intercession meets every third Wednesday at St Anselm & St Cecilia, Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

Parish Mass at 6pm followed by Prayer Group until 8.45pm. Rosary, Adoration, Silent prayer and Divine Mercy Chaplet. Email: Antonia antonia4161@gmail.com.

1 Wed

St Justin, Martyr

2 Thu

Feria or Sts Marcellinus and Peter, Martyrs

3 Fri

THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS; No Friday abstinence

4 Sat

The Immaculate Heart of Mary

5 Sun

+ 10th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

6 Mon

Feria, Tenth Week of Year 2 or St Norbert, Bishop

7 Tue

Feria

8 Wed

Feria

9 Thu

Feria or St Ephrem, Deacon & Doctor or St Columba, Abbot

Westminster Cathedral Young Adults meet socially after the 7pm Mass on Sundays and then at the nearby Windsor Castle pub.

For further details please contact: westminsteryoungadults@gmail.com

THURSDAYS

10 Fri

Feria; Friday abstinence

Jesus Christ the Fullness of Life provides a space for Christians of different traditions to share time together in prayer and friendship.

Details at www.jcfl.org.uk.

11 Sat

St Barnabas, Apostle

12 Sun

+ 11th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

13 Mon

St Anthony of Padua, Priest & Doctor

14 Tue

Feria, Eleventh Week of Year 2

MONDAYS

Soul Food A Catholic charismatic prayer group for young adults meets Thursdays 7-9pm at St Charles Borromeo, Ogle Street W1W 6HS. Details at www.soulfoodgroup.org.

15 Wed

Feria

16 Thu

Feria of St Richard of Chichester, Bishop

17 Fri

Feria; Friday abstinence

18 Sat

Feria or Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday

19 Sun

+ 12th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

St John Paul II Prayer Group Every second Thursday of the month 7-8pm, Mass, Adoration and Prayer at Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane WC2E 7NB.

20 Mon

St Alban, Martyr

21 Tue

St Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious

22 Wed

STS JOHN FISHER AND THOMAS MORE,

FRIDAYS

23 Thu

Feria, or St Etheldreda (Audrey), Virgin,

Divine Mercy Prayers and Mass Every first Friday 2.30-4.30pm at Our Lady, Mother of the Church, 2 Windsor Road W5 5PD.

24 Fri

THE NATIVITY OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST;

Mothers’ Prayers at St Dominic’s Priory, Haverstock Hill NW5 4LB Mondays 2.30-3.30pm in the Lourdes Chapel.

All are welcome.

TUESDAYS Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Tuesdays 6-9pm concluding with Benediction at Newman House, 111 Gower Street WC1E 6AR. Details 020 7387 6370.

Prayers for London at the Shrine of Our Lady of Willesden Tuesdays 7.30pm. Organised by the Guild of Our Lady of Willesden, Nicoll Road NW10 9AX. Vocations Prayer Group Second Tuesday of the month 8pm at 47C Gaisford Street NW5 2EB. Taizé at St James’, Spanish Place, W1U 3UY every first Tuesday of the month at 7pm. Email: penny28hb@aol.com or just come along.

WEDNESDAYS Wednesdays on the Wall (WOTW) Every first Wednesday of the month. 6pm at All Hallows on the Wall, 83 London Wall EC2M 5ND. A short service of prayer and reflection at 6pm, coffee at 6.45pm followed by discussion.

Corpus Christi Contemplative Prayer Group for Young Adults Wednesdays from 7pm at Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane WC2E 7NB. For further details please contact corpuschristipg@yahoogroups. co.uk.

Bishop and Martyrs Twelfth Week of Year 2 No Friday abstinence

Westminster Cathedral Charismatic Prayer Group meet every Friday 7.30pm Prayer, Praise and Teaching.

First Friday is a healing Mass. For details, please call 020 8748 2632.

25 Sat

SATURDAYS

29 Wed

Taizé at Notre Dame de France 5 Leicester Place WC2H 7BX at 7.15pm. Call 020 7437 9363.

30 Thu

St Francis of Assisi Catholic Ramblers’ Club meets every Sunday for walks around London and the Home Counties.

Contact by email: antoinette_adkins2000@yahoo .co.uk, call 020 8769 3643 or check out the website: www.stfrancisramblers. ukwalkers.com

Feria or Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday

26 Sun

+ 13th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

27 Mon

St John Southworth, Priest & Martyr

28 Tue

St Irenaeus, Bishop & Martyr + STS PETER AND PAUL, Apostles feria or The First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church, Thirteenth Week of Year 2

At Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Acton, the Queen of Peace prayer group meets every Friday evening after 7pm Mass.

The evening consists of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, a homily, recitation of the Holy Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. All welcome.

Praying with Pope Francis - June 2016 Universal Intention: Human Solidarity - That the aged, marginalized and those who have no-one may find, even within the huge cities of the world, opportunities for encounter and solidarity.

For Evangelisation: Seminarians and Novices - That seminarians and men and women entering Religious life may have mentors who live the joy of the Gospel and prepare them wisely for their mission.

Ealing Abbey Events Summer Term at the Liturgy Institute During July and August the Liturgy Institute will give 10 day courses in Liturgy and Latin, accredited by KU Leuven and in collaboration with Pontifical Institute of Liturgy, Rome.

For more information, visit: http://liturgyinstitute.org/ courses-summer-2016/ Follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/diocese.westminster

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Other regular Masses Deaf Community Mass First Sunday of the month 4.30pm at Westminster Cathedral Hall, Ambrosden Avenue SW1P 1QW. Young Adults Mass Held every Sunday at Church of the Immaculate Conception, 114 Mount Street W1K 3AH. Mass 7.00pm. Social gathering afterwards. Contact: team@fsplus.info or visit www.fsplus.info.

Mass at Canary Wharf Held on Tuesdays at 12.30pm at 2 Churchill Place E14 5RB. Organised by Mgr Vladimir Felzmann, Chaplain to Canary Wharf Communities. Details www.cwcc.org.uk.

St Albans Abbey Fridays at 12 noon. Mass in the Lady Chapel of St Albans Abbey AL1 1BY. Members of the Westminster LGBT Catholic Community are specially welcomed at the following Sunday Mass at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, and invited to our parish hall afterwards for tea/coffee, when there is also the opportunity to learn of pastoral help available: 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month, 5.30pm.

EXTRAORDINARY FORM MASSES Sundays: Low Mass 9.30am, St James Spanish Place W1U 3QY. Low Mass 9am, The Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP. Low Mass 5pm, St Bartholomew, St Albans AL1 2PE. Low Mass 5.30pm, Shrine of Our Lady of Willesden, NW10 9AX. Mondays: Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP Mass 6.30pm Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane WC2E 7NB. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays: Low Mass, 8am The Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP. Fridays: Low Mass 7.45am St Mary Moorfields, 4/5 Eldon Street EC2N 7LS. Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP. Low Mass 6pm St Etheldreda, Ely Place EC1N 6RY. First Friday only.

Low Mass 6pm St John the Baptist Church, King Edward's Road E9 7SF. First Friday only.

Low Mass 6.30pm Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane WC2E 7NB. Second Friday only.

Saturdays: Low Mass 12.15pm, St Wilfrid’s Chapel, The Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP. Low Mass 4.30pm, Side Chapel, Westminster Cathedral SW1P 1QW. Second Saturday only.

Ealing Abbey Lay Plainchant Choir New members are always welcome. Workshops take place on Wednesdays from 6.40pm to 8pm.

Contact Dom Peter on 07474515365 for more details.

Page 23

Westminster Record | June 2016

St Peter’s Holy Door: The Way to Embrace Mercy

by Martha Behan ‘The practice of pilgrimage has a special place in the Holy Year, because it represents the journey each of us makes in this life.’

(Misericordia Vultus 14) During this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy Pope Francis invites us to make a pilgrimage to a Holy Door.

The main Holy Door is of course at St Peter’s in Rome, which was opened by the Pope on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, 8 December 2015.

We are now six months into the Year of Mercy, and can be forgiven for forgetting about it.

Hence why, when I was waiting to start the Way of Mercy, I was not feeling particularly open to Pope Francis’ ideals. I have been through many Holy Doors and was familiar with the discourse of forgiveness surrounding them. However, to say I was familiar with it is not to say that I embraced it. I was not prepared to feel anything going through the Holy Door, other than the awe that St Peter’s generates in tourist and pilgrim alike. But, as I’m sure many people have found before me, my inner journey reflected the other journey of pilgrimage.

The short walk down towards the Vatican, thinking and reflecting on mercy, on the connection with my fellow pilgrims and my family brought me into the right place spiritually to embrace the

Page 24

loving mercy of God in my life.

It was a wonderful experience and I hope to offer some advice to others thinking of doing the same.

To make the most of your visit to the Holy Door in Rome, I recommend booking online in advance. It is not essential, but it does guarantee a place on the pilgrimage, something that is very important for the busy summer months. When you book you will be asked to name a pilgrimage leader. This does not have to be the priest or chaplain in charge, but just a point of contact. They have no responsibilities beyond confirming the booking with the stewards.

I would also recommend going early, as with all things in a big city, it is less busy earlier in the morning and therefore much easier to set your own pace instead of it being dictated by other people on the route.

The pilgrimage itself can take as long as you want. If you stop the suggested amount of times, and only do the prayers on the sheet, then it takes about an hour. Since there is no time limit, it is nice to add your own prayers and reflections to aid your personal journey toward forgiveness.

The beginning of the pilgrimage is easy to spot; it’s at the end of the Via Della Conciliazione (the main road to the Vatican). Your pilgrimage begins in a white marquee on

the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II. If you are really stuck, start at St Peter’s and walk towards Castel Sant’Angelo until you find the marquee. There are plenty of guides around in yellow tabards to help things run smoothly; they will happily direct you to where you need to be.

Like the Way of Mercy itself, the marquee is small, so they are keen to get you started on the Way as soon as possible.

This is where you collect the prayer sheet and are given the option to carry a cross if you’re with a big group. If you have booked, you also receive a CD of Luke’s gospel. Don’t feel pressure to carry a cross as they are quite heavy and it’s only manageable when you can share the duty with others in the group.

From the marquee, you are guided on to the Way. It’s blocked off from the rest of traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, to allow you to focus on your pilgrimage.

Once you start walking it feels busy as you are next to the road. I would recommend spending some time getting in a prayerful frame of mind before starting. Perhaps visit Santa Maria Transpontina which is only a short way from

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the start. Again, ask the stewards to guide you.

Once you begin the Way, it’s quite straightforward. The prayer leaflet guides you to where to pause and pray. The reflections are apt and thought provoking, reminding us of the importance of pilgrimage and the joy of mercy.

You stop five times along the Via della Conciliazione. The stewards block the roads to allow you to cross without having to wait. Sometimes, however, it is worth stopping and looking up at St Peter’s which looms over the route, and thinking of the many thousands of people who have walked and will walk this Way of Mercy. Think of the many others who come to feel the mercy of Christ in their lives.

Unfortunately some parts of visiting the Vatican are nonnegotiable. You and your belongings will have to pass through the security barriers, even the cross. There are special lines for pilgrims however, so you should in theory go through more quickly. From there you walk across the square, stopping twice more before entering St Peter’s through the Holy Door.

After this you are let into the gated corridor that runs all

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the way up to the tomb of St Peter. This allows you to continue your pilgrimage undisturbed. When you reach the end you are let into the circle near the tomb. This is where my group gathered to say our final prayers. I would suggest going round the back of the tomb to pray as it can be quite off-putting to have an audience of tourists behind the barriers. You can take as long as you like there; the stewards will let you out when you are ready.

‘By crossing the threshold of the Holy Door, we will find the strength to embrace God’s mercy and dedicate ourselves to being merciful with others as the Father has been with us.’

(Misericordia Vultus 14) I did not find strength going through the Holy Door. I found humility, at my ignorance and arrogance of the Way of Mercy and the blessings that come from Holy Doors. It brought me to acknowledgment of my sins and the ever present mercy of Christ willing to forgive me.

I understood that I was very small going through that door, I was a sinner but I was still called into the hugeness of the mercy of God. Then I realised that recognising this truth is the real strength.

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