Westminster Record - November Edition by RCWestminster

Lithuania: London University students on pilgrimage in the most Catholic country in Europe Page 10

Meeting the Pope in the slums of Rio during World Youth Day Page 19

November 2013

©Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

Students at the Cardinal Pole School in Hackney

The Blessings of Catholic Education By Alex Balzanella

atholic education is popular; with regular reports in the media and on occasion complaints in some sections of society about it. Here at the Westminster Record we are proud to say and show more about our schools in the Diocese, especially as the last year has witnessed further improvements in provision and quality of our Catholic education. This month’s edition has a particular emphasis on the recent successes of our schools, illustrating just why Catholic education remains a popular choice throughout London and Hertfordshire.

We have recently witnessed both the opening and growth of Catholic schools. The blessing of St Richard Reynolds Catholic College by Archbishops Vincent Nichols, Peter Smith and George Stack on 19 September was attended by 1,000 people. It will, when at full capacity, provide places for over 1,200 students at primary and secondary level. Holy Family Primary School, West Acton, was also delighted to move into its new school building this September. They are currently providing muchneeded school places in the London Borough of Ealing for 150 pupils.

Diocesan schools have also had a particularly successful year in educational attainment. To name just a few achievements, the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School was ranked in The Times as the highest attaining comprehensive school at A-level in the country; St Anne’s Catholic High

“Catholic education remains a popular choice.” School, Enfield was awarded the PixL Club award for their best ever GCSE results, whilst St Gregory the Great Science College, Harrow achieved their highest ever A-level results this year.

However, Catholic education is not just limited to qualifications. Rosemary Keenan, CEO of the Catholic Children’s Society, spoke about its pastoral benefit: “Our Catholic ethos and Christian values help to ensure that the fulfilment of parents’ and students’ dreams benefits our wider society. We need, however, to recognise that learning does not take place divorced from emotional well-being.” “Catholic education, through its commitment to pastoral care, helps to ensure that the emotional, material and similar barriers to learning are lowered.

It is this pastoral focus which the Catholic Children’s Society (Westminster) seeks to enhance. An unhappy child, be it due to poverty, parental disharmony or any other cause, is unlikely to be ready and able to learn. Children benefit hugely from our shared approach and commitment to this pastoral understanding of education.” In all of this we remember the hard work of Catholic teachers and classroom assistants who are central in representing the Church to our students. Please remember them in your thoughts and prayers over the coming month.

Editorial

Westminster Record | November 2013

Westminster Record – Contact us Editor Bishop John Arnold

What’s next for our Faith?

Archbishop’s House, Ambrosden Avenue, SW1P 1QJ Deputy Editor Jo Siedlecka 020 7267 3616 jsiedlecka@gmail.com Managing Editor Barnaby Johns communications@rcdow.org.uk Inhouse writer Alexander Balzanella 020 7798 9178 Design Julian Game Proofing Michael Holmes, John Scott Advertising Carol Malpass 01785 662685 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.

December publishing dates Editorial Deadline: 20 November Listings email: communications@rcdow.org.uk News and stories call 020 7267 3616 jsiedlecka@gmail.com Advertising Deadline 22 November To advertise call 01785 662685 Produced by the Diocesan Communications Office of the Diocese of Westminster. News and articles published in Westminster Record do not necessarily represent the views of the Diocese of Westminster, unless specifically stated. Appearance of advertisements does not imply editorial endorsement.

o the "Year of Faith" is coming to an end. Who would have thought that, when we began it, we would be finishing the Year with a new Pope? From so many points of view, the Year has witnessed astounding events; from the moment when Pope Benedict announced his retirement, through the election of Pope Francis, to more recent events such as World Youth Day, in Brazil, and the first meeting in Rome of the eight cardinals given charge of assisting the Holy Father in reviewing the workings of the Roman Curia. These are exciting times. But has the Year of Faith made an impact? Archbishop Vincent asked us all in the Diocese to consider carefully Pope Benedict's invitation to celebrate the Year of Faith. He was aware of the diversity of the parishes; urban, suburban and rural with all levels of economic well-being. He was also aware of the many projects running in so many parishes, together with

the common challenges of the "Growing in Faith" campaign which presents the vision for our future. So it did not seem right to launch another common project concerning a deepening of our faith which all parishes and communities would be expected to observe. There needed to be room for a response of the Pope's invitation but it could not be a prescriptive response that we would all do something together. Parishes were asked to concentrate their efforts in the way they thought fit to their own circumstances. They responded generously in many different ways. The diocesan agencies also introduced new initiatives and considered how they might best assist individuals and parishes in their response. The Year was divided into four seasons, with individual themes, with appropriate resources being provided for each. But now the Year is coming to an end and we must be careful to have the right understanding about how it must be closed. Is it simply "Job done"? Do we just see the projects as completed and we "get back to normal", now that those four seasons have run their course. I do not think so. I would like to think that the Year will have been understood as offering a stimulus to what is an ongoing calling to all of us. St Paul

understood that he was on a journey of discovery. Having encountered Christ in a very personal way, he had the task of working out how his belief in Christ had to be lived out in the actions of his life. He encountered others, in the cities which he visited, who wanted to believe in Christ and he helped them to grow in their faith, step by step. His exhortations in his letters all challenge those who hear his words to deepen their faith and to find ways in communicating that Faith to others. This is an essential foundation for our lives as Christians. Pope Francis spoke several times, while in Brazil, to the young people, effectively telling them to get out into the world and speak of the Gospel by their words and actions. The experience of Faith is in that personal encounter with Christ which develops throughout our lives and can never simply be taken for granted or remain something static. Our Year of Faith may be over but its invitation and challenge is to be renewed each and every year - that is what being a Christian is all about!

Bishop John Arnold Editor

The View from Rome: Life at the ‘Greg’ by Antonio Pineda, Westminster Seminarian at the Venerable English College, Rome

What do Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Bishop John Arnold and Bishop John Sherrington have in common? These esteemed leaders of our diocese all studied in Rome and are alumni of the Pontifical Gregorian University. The Gregorian, or the Greg as it is affectionately known by seminarians and clergy, is one of the pontifical universities entrusted with the academic formation of men training for the priesthood at the Venerable English College (VEC). The Greg is noted for being the first university to be granted a pontifical status. This means that its curriculum is accredited by the Holy See and its degrees have full effect in canon law.

The Greg can trace its roots back to 1551, when St Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (or Jesuits) established a college in Rome. Named after Pope Gregory XIII, the university today has approximately 3,800 students from more than 150 countries. Most of these are priests, seminarians, and members of religious orders but recent years have seen an increasing number of lay students studying there too. Currently, there are four seminarians from our diocese studying at the Greg who are undertaking a three-year Theology baccalaureate as part of their formation in Rome. With its proud history and having one of the most respected and largest Theology departments in the world, the Greg can appear to be a daunting place to study, especially for new students. This is certainly how I felt when I moved to the Greg in October for the third year of my formation, with two of my fellow

Westminster seminarians, Benjamin Woodley and Adam Dora. In our first two years we studied at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a smaller university. In many ways, moving to the Greg felt like moving from primary to secondary school. It was easy to be overwhelmed by our new university with its bigger buildings, grander lecture halls, and greater student population. One of the biggest challenges for most UK seminarians is the fact that the lectures at the Greg are in Italian, a shock for us who had the luxury of learning Philosophy in English. Learning Italian very quickly became our priority, in addition to learning about church history, the Synoptic Gospels. New Testament Greek and other subjects from our Theology course. Despite this, there is something right and fitting about studying at the Greg. It has a very

The new Westminster Gregorians (from left to right): Adam Dora, Antonio Pineda and Benjamin Woodley with Bishop John Hine from the Diocese of Southwark.

long pedigree of attracting some of the foremost thinkers in the Church and, more importantly, we are following in the footsteps of many generations of seminarians from England and Wales, many of whom were

martyred for their faith. So whenever I struggle to understand my lectures in Italian, I need only remind myself what a privilege it is to be a part of the VEC-Gregorian tradition.

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Schools News Oratory School celebrates 150th anniversary

Westminster Record | November 2013

A Room fit for St Francis in Brook Green

ishop John Sherrington blessed and opened a new building dedicated to St Francis of Assisi at Larmenier & Sacred Heart Primary School in Brook Green on 2 October. The new building is separate from the main school and equipped both with an interactive whiteboard and cooking facilities. There are two small adjoining gardens; one of them a vegetable plot in which pupils will grow their own produce. After welcoming the Bishop, Year 6 pupils gave parents and friends of the school a

performance of the story of St Francis with drama and song. After blessing an icon of St Francis, Bishop John blessed the room and all those who will use it. He told the pupils that he hoped that they would want more from life, just as Francis did, and would use God’s gifts to help others and be friends of Jesus. The room’s flexibility is one of its greatest assets, according to Head Teacher Sister Hannah Dwyer: “It will let the children have space outside the classroom environment and will be used for

more than just teaching. It has been designed and built for the enrichment of the children’s emotional, spiritual and social development as well”. Above: Pupils act out life of St Francis of Assisi Below:The new garden adjacent to the Francis Room

On 27 September Archbishop Vincent Nichols offered Mass, concelebrated by Fathers of the Oratory, in thanksgiving for the 150th anniversary of the London Oratory School. The Mass included music provided by the Oratory School’s choir and Brass Band and was attended by over 1,300 students and alumni.

New school chapel opened

Celebrating a vision and a way of life

Bishop John Sherrington celebrated Mass at Holy Rood Catholic Primary School in Watford on the occasion of the opening of the new school chapel on 1 October. Bishop John spoke about his experiences at the recent World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro and reminded the children that to love the Lord is to spend time with Him. After Mass there was a Blessed Sacrament procession into the new chapel, placing the Lord into the tabernacle for the first time.

Archbishop Vincent with altar servers at the 125th anniversary Mass Students, staff and friends of The Convent of Jesus and Mary Language College gathered in the ‘Canvas Cathedral’ in Willesden, North West London for the 125th Anniversary Founders’ Day Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Vincent Nichols. In his homily, Archbishop Vincent reflected on what we have learnt from the Sisters of Jesus and Mary: “a moral language, a vision and a way of life.” Headteacher Mrs Geraldine Freear commented: “I find it incredible that the bricks of the corridors of the Convent building heard the prayers of the very first Sisters back in 1888. Today they hear our prayers. We are making history ourselves”.

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Schools News

Westminster Record Westminster RecordSeptember | November2011 2013

A ‘Magic Breakfast’ with the Archbishop

Studying the blueprints of humanity Nicholas Breakspear Catholic High School in St Albans has qualified for a biotechnology programme to study the blueprints of human beings. It is run by American firm Amgem and allows a teacher and technician to be trained in advanced DNA engineering techniques. This knowledge will then be passed on to students whose lessons will look at DNA being cut chemically using restriction enzymes and then identifying what has been made and so better understand the role biotechnology’s potential impact has in our future. The specialised equipment to which they will have access is used at the forefront of industry.

Nick Attoe, head of biology, said: “We shall be using the equipment with the A2 biology students as part of their course, and it will be really exciting to be able to train students to carry out biotechnology techniques that are used currently in professional laboratories.”

Diocese of Westminster appoints new Director of Education By Alex Balzanella

rchbishop Nichols sat down for a ‘Magic Breakfast’ with more than 80 children from St Mary’s and St Michael’s in Tower Hamlets on 25 September. The Primary School is one of five in the Diocese of Westminster running the scheme that provides free, healthy breakfasts. The initiative between Caritas Diocese of Westminster, the Diocese’s social action agency,

and Magic Breakfast has shown clear benefits for pupils. Over 90% of the schools involved reported increased concentration during lessons, improved attendance and attainment. Archbishop Nichols said he fully supported the aims of the charity and welcomed the collaboration: “In addition to the important aims of this initiative in enabling children to make the most of their education, it also

creates a joyful environment. You just have to look at everyone involved. The volunteering is done in a spirit of service and is done through love. It links family to school to parish and so has additional benefits in building community. I am hopeful this is something that can expand, enabling pupils to flourish and for learning to be taken on both in the home and more widely.”

50 Years for St Raphael's Primary School

Faith Matters Lectures 6 Nov 2013 (7pm) Through a Google Glass Darkly - Finding God in the Digital Age. Fr Dermot Preston, SJ Provincial of the British Jesuits 19 Nov 2013 (7pm) Contemporary Challenges to proclaim the Catholic Faith Archbishop Augustine di Noia, OP All lectures are in Cathedral Hall, Ambrosden Ave SW1P 1QJ

These are public lectures and all are welcome. Places are limited and registration is required at rcdow.org.uk/faith/faith-matters, or by email: faithmatters@rcdow.org.uk or telephone 020 7931 6078. Suggested donation per lecture is £3.

By Chris O’Callaghan St Raphael’s School in Northolt celebrated its Golden Jubilee on Thursday 10 October. Accompanied by the school choir, Archbishop Vincent Nichols presided over the celebration in St Raphael’s Church with pupils, teachers, parents and representatives of the local community including Councillor Tej Ram Bagha and Ealing MP Stephen Pound. In his homily the Archbishop referred to angels and guardian angels. He encouraged the

JP Morrison - currently Headmaster of St Ignatius Catholic College, Enfield – has been appointed to the post of Director of Education for the Diocese of Westminster. He will take up the post on 1 January 2014. In his role as Director he will manage the development, promotion and effectiveness of Catholic education in the Diocese.

young people, saying that we all have a guardian angel guiding us on the way to the Lord, watching over us in life. Following the Mass, there was a blessing of the new nursery at the school, which plans further development to serve the Catholic families of the area. Headmistress Mrs Staunton said she was ‘delighted’ to welcome the Archbishop and looked forward to a future Archbishop attending the School’s centenary in fifty years’ time.

The Apostolate of St Joseph at the Church of the Transfiguration, Stevenage Old Town. Prayers on the last Saturday of the month 3 - 5pm: Adoration, Confession, Annointing, Divine Mercy, Rosary and Litany to St Joseph, followed by Mass for Sunday 6pm. We pray for our families, the sick and dying and the Church throughout the world.

Contact: 4 Basils Road, Herts SG1 3PX. Tel: 01438-226857.

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News

Westminster Record | November 2013

Prisons Week 17 – 23 November

Parishioners sleep on the streets for charity

Who can forget those images of Pope Francis washing the feet of 10 young men and two young women during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at the Casal del Marmo young offenders’ institute in Rome this year? Prisons Week runs from 17 – 23 November and is an opportunity to embrace those in society often ostracized or marginalized. Andy Keen-Downs, Pact CEO, explains what lies behind it: “Prisons Week began in the Catholic community in the late 1970s and has now become a national ecumenical event. This year the theme is ‘Step into the Light’, which is the idea of how Christ brings true light and freedom to the imprisoned. It is about a message of hope.” Archbishop Vincent said: “I am delighted to support Prisons Week once again and I strongly encourage Christians to think about, pray and act for all those affected by prisons during this special week in November.” Each day of the week there are specific prayers along with leaflets and posters. See www.prisonsweek.org for more details.

Prisoners Sunday 17 November Prison Week begins with Prisoners Sunday on 17 November. This is a great opportunity to support the work of Pact in three specific ways: 1) Prayer: Pray for prisoners as well as those facing what is for many the harder journey of coming out of prison. One former offender said: “My mind was in the right place, but the support network with Pact gave me a direction. Before I hadn’t got a clue what I was going to do afterwards. They showed me a pathway.” Please also pray for families who deal with the stigma and guilt of a relative in jail. Finally, please pray for those who work in the prison system – the guards and governors. 2) Action: Those with time on their hands can contact Pact about volunteering opportunities. Contact details are available below.

Parishioners from a number of churches from the Diocese joined with other Christians to raise funds and awareness of homelessness. The event was organised by West London Churches Homeless Concern.

3) Giving: Sunday 17 November will also have a second collection in your parish for Pact. Please give generously.

Speaking about the experience, Daniel Kaminski, who worships at Our Lady of Victories Kensington, said:

“Sleeping rough on a pavement even with a sleeping bag and cardboard boxes is very, very hard. The noise of traffic, bright street lights and worry over security was relentless and make sleep so difficult. It was an eye-opener and a very valuable experience for myself and the whole team of volunteers.”

More information about Pact can be found at www.prisonadvice.org.uk as well as video and audio clips that explain its work and how you can help; or call: 020 7735 9535

The group from Our Lady of Victories, Kensington, have raised £8,000 so far; donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/our-lady-of-victories

Hopes for Restorative Justice

Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Are you called to share with others in a spirit of peace and reconciliation in a broken and divided world?

The annual Mass for members of the legal profession at the beginning of their year, the Red Mass, took place at Westminster Cathedral on 1 October 2013. The Mass was celebrated by the Rt Rev. Alan Hopes, Bishop of East Anglia and former Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, with over 130 members of the legal profession in attendance. The Red Mass, in which the judiciary and legal profession gather to call on the Holy Spirit to guide their work, was revived in 1891, having been customary prior to the Reformation. It has been celebrated at Westminster Cathedral since 1904. Follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/diocese.westminster

It involves * Living in Community * Sharing prayer * Eucharistic Adoration. * Education and Retreat Centres * Working for peace and reconciliation in the reality of our daily life. Contact: See Web page: acilondon.org.uk or srsak10@hotmail.com Page 5

News

Westminster Record | November 2013

News In Brief

Ethnic Chaplaincies join for ‘The Mission’

Making Ordinariate History

he Slovak Catholic Mission in London (SCM) organised a multicultural event entitled ‘The Mission’ at Westminster Cathedral Hall on Saturday 5th October. During the day SCM introduced Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius, the missionaries to the Slavs, and their legacy to the members of Catholic Ethnic Chaplaincies in London. Over 150 attendees had an opportunity to listen to the inspiring talks of representatives of English, Irish, Italian, French, Chinese, Brazilian and African Catholic Missions. The speakers presented the work of their own missionaries and how they can inspire us. They also pointed to various approaches to evangelisation and shared their own missionary experience and their views on how to be a Christian amongst different

“Cardinal Hume would be proud of this” religions and cultures. The event organisers hope that their efforts will bear much fruit: "We believe that this event will inspire people to explore how each of us can become a missionary by being who we are and where we are; and by

Harvest Fast Day thank you

Thank you to everyone who has supported CAFOD this Fast Day. Your support during each Fast Day appeal drives CAFOD’s long term development work throughout the world, helping families like Mayling’s (pictured above) to have enough to eat today, and to sustain them in the future. We are grateful for the welcome you have given our volunteers all over the Diocese and for your ongoing support through your donations and for your time spent in volunteering. Thank you also to everyone who continues to take action with CAFOD through the Hungry for Change campaign. So far, more than 50,000 people have sent a message to David Cameron, calling for the UK to lead the way in creating a fairer food system in Page 6

Left: RoseMarie Benaim enjoys homemade soup at a Harvest Fast Day lunch at the Church of Christ the King, Cockfosters

which everyone has enough to eat. We can also take action for a fairer food system by the choices we make every day in our own lives. Choosing to buy Fairtrade at your local store, for example, helps small producers with fairer wages and working conditions. To learn more about how you can act to help grow a fairer food system, visit www.cafod.org.uk/hungry.

learning to listen to God’s voice. The mission starts in our hearts. When we have a close and sincere relationship with God, there will always be an occasion in which we will be able to witness by our words and in our deeds that God is alive in us”.

Anchor House celebration attracts stars from stage and screen Celebrities from a variety of backgrounds gathered to mark World Homeless Day at a reception at the House of Commons on Thursday 10 October. The event was put on by Catholic homeless charity Anchor House and hosted by Baroness Maddock. Speaking on the day was economist Lord Gus O’Donnell, former Cabinet Secretary, who emphasised the remarkable impact that the charity has, saying: “Oxford Economics found that for every £1 Anchor House spent, there was £4 of social benefit – that’s an amazing social impact and a terrific investment. Visiting Anchor House, I realised that the people there are working incredibly hard to deal with some of the most difficult cases and are really making a difference.” Every year, Anchor House provides support and accommodation to single, homeless people giving them so much more than just a roof over their heads. Last year alone they provided a home for 202 people, helping 67 move into independent living and supporting 50 into employment.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols visited the Cardinal Hume Centre to bless the newly opened Basil Hume House on 1 October. The building houses five flats, providing the young people who are resident at ‘The Centre’ with the chance to live more independently. Speaking at the opening of the new House, Archbishop Vincent Nichols said: “While I cannot baptise a building, I can bless it and the values of this Centre and ask that the flats provide peace, warmth and comfort for all those who dwell in them... Cardinal Hume would be proud of this, to see all that has been done in his name.”

History was made in the church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory, Warwick Street on 10 October when a new text for Mass integrating centuriesold Anglican prayers into the Roman Rite was first used in the Diocese. The ‘Ordinariate Use’ has been devised for the Personal Ordinariates, set up by Benedict XVI to allow Anglicans to enter into full communion with the Church whilst preserving distinctive elements from Anglican tradition.

Marriage and Family Life The Marriage and Family Life office is delighted to announce that its director, Edmund Adamus, has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the National Office for Vocation to enhance what can be done to promote a culture of marriage and family as well as exploring the importance of remote marriage preparation. Mr Adamus has also been appointed as a member of the Bishops’ Conference Marriage Preparation Working Party, which helps oversee preparation for the Sacrament in the diocese, and a trustee of the Explore Marriage charity.

Mass for the deaf community

Bishop John Arnold celebrates Mass for the Deaf community. For information on the Westminster Deaf Service email: shellroca@rcdow.org.uk

News

Westminster Record | November 2013

The Choir: Spanish Place By Barnaby Johns

Director of Music Iestyn Evans with the Choir of St James, Spanish Place.

r Terry Worroll recently laid his conductor’s baton to rest after more than 40 years as Director of Music at St James’, Spanish Place. Every Sunday at the 10.30 Solemn Latin Mass he has led some of the finest singers in London through the most sublime music ever composed. Something of this has entered into Terry himself, who is a delightful person to encounter. The professional choir of three sopranos, two altos, two tenors and three basses, sings from high up in the triforium, or from the west end gallery. For special occasions they go up to 14-16 singers, some older and some recently-graduated choral scholars through Terry’s good contact with the college choirs of

Oxford and Cambridge and with the Conservatoires – Trinity College, the Royal College and the Guildhall are close by. The singers leave university with great aspirations looking to make careers in music. “We need the finest musicians in London because the musical turnover is considerable. Spanish Place sings the repertoire of the 16th century such as Victoria and Palestrina, as it suits the Gothic building remarkably well. Although it will be standard and quite familiar to the singers, the choir have to be very very good sight-readers. They all work extremely hard.” Terry explains how they position themselves: “For this

type of music we sing from the west end gallery and thus down the nave, which is very effective. Since my retirement, I now notice how many of the congregation keep turning around to take a look up. We keep in mind that this is not a performance and the singers are conscious of the solemnity of the sacred liturgy. They are respectful and well behaved; and they genuinely care about what they are doing.” They also sing from the transept by the organ or split the choir and use both areas, to great effect. Beyond the Renaissance repertoire they sing Mozart and Haydn and more contemporary liturgical settings by Charles Stanford, Lennox Berkeley, Jean

Langlais and James Macmillan. I asked Terry how he has maintained such high standards for so many years: “We are dealing with adults and not training their voices. Here we seek to have them singing in a homogenous way. Blending the polyphonic music is not that difficult as you just need one to lead and the others follow. The choir has an hour’s rehearsal before Mass but I prefer, or rather I preferred, to keep rehearsal light and to do a lot of the conducting work through the Mass to keep the freshness and spontaneity. Too much practice deadens it.” Iestyn Evans has now taken over as Director of Music with Edward Tambling as his new assistant. Edward spoke of the longevity of Terry’s career with the choir: “Nowadays it might appear as something of an oddity for someone to be in the same position for so long; we may think there is something wrong with them as they can’t go anywhere else but actually it is a sign of real quality and high standards.” There has always been a strong musical tradition with professional singers at Spanish Place; at times there have been arguments about cost, but now both clergy and parishioners are very supportive. Life after the choir is somewhat peculiar for Terry: “I miss being involved with the music and sitting down with the

Being a School Chaplain Louise Gordon is Lay Chaplain at the Convent of Jesus and Mary Language College in Willesden. Having celebrated 125 years of the school’s life she writes here about her life at the school. My role here is to support the spiritual and liturgical life of the school, and no two days are the same. I am part of the Liturgical Group, coordinating prayer and liturgy throughout the school. The highlight of our week is our Pastoral Mass, which the girls line up to take an active part in. I’m available to students at break time and lunch time, if anyone wants to pray in the chapel, talk or ask questions. During the year I organise retreats and lead reflections and liturgies for students, and prepare prayer resources that are available to everyone. I’m available to support staff too, and I give a short reflection or ‘Thought for the Day’ for staff on Friday mornings. I really enjoy working with the girls and being part of such a thriving and successful girls school.

congregation is a rather strange experience. It is interesting to see how things come around…… sitting down in the nave I was aware of the choir speeding and then I remembered how successors always go faster than you do. I did it myself not so long after I began working here when the Director of Music, Henry Washington, asked me to conduct a Mass by William Byrd. It did go rather ropey in the middle from too much youthful enthusiasm and afterwards Henry said, “I always think it is a good idea to choose a speed that singers feel comfortable with.” It was a very polite way of telling me to slow the pace down. Now I leave gaps at the end of phrases and I have become much more expansive. I take my time so that the music isn’t over so soon.” “In the past I complained that the Church doesn’t do enough to support and encourage young musicians. But I also have to admit that I have held on to one of the greatest jobs for a musician in London for 40 years! And I also hope that I have helped quite a few people along the way.”

Terry Worroll, who led the choir for more than 40 years

TYBURN NUNS LIFE OF PRAYER • Contemplative • Monastic • Eucharistic • Ecclesial

Are you called to serve God as a Tyburn Nun? Please contact

Mother General, Tyburn Convent, 8 Hyde Park Place, London W2 2LJ

A meeting of School Chaplains from the Diocese in October

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Evangelisation

Westminster Record | November 2013

Spreading the Good News Mark Nash reports on a day of high profile speakers on Spreading the Good News Today Evangelisation is a tricky word to define in English. It is a noun derived from a verb and can be translated as ‘good-news-ing’. It is also a term many wish to shy away from, some even referring to it as the ‘e-word’. But precisely this word and this subject were the focus of a day conference held in Somers Town on Saturday 12 October, where participants from across the Diocese of Westminster and further afield came to share their thoughts and their experiences of Spreading the Good News Today.

Great speakers The day started with a keynote from Fr Daniel O’Leary, a priest of the Diocese of Leeds and a well-known speaker and writer. His presentation on a spirituality for parish leaders and catechists was well-received, as he urged us all to hold on to the sure knowledge of God’s love. Fr Daniel’s moving talk was followed by a more practical exploration of ‘good-news-ing’ in the parish by Fr Dominic McKenna, parish priest in Borehamwood. At times deeply moving and at others highly humorous, Fr Dominic helped those gathered to see the relationship between loving action and sharing the good news of Christ.

Keynote speaker Fr Daniel O’Leary

Enriching workshops Participants were then able to choose one of three workshops, two of which were on the theme of prayer (the diocesan Year of Faith theme from September to November) and the third on Pope Francis and the new evangelisation. Trish Bonnett, pastoral assistant at Our Lady Immaculate and St Andrew in Hitchin, explored the use of the labyrinth in personal prayer. Many were deeply touched that this part of the Church’s tradition could be incorporated into individual prayer. The Sacramental Assistant at Hitchin, Jane Gonzales, gave a rich presentation on using art in prayer with a focus on images of

Christ found in different cultures. The third workshop saw Clare Ward, Home Mission Desk Adviser at the Bishops’ Conference, give an excellent interactive presentation on the message of Pope Francis and the transmission of the Gospel message. The notes from this and from the other speakers will be available to download on the diocesan website. In addition, a short video interview with Fr Philip Knights which premiered at the conference will be available to view on the conference pages of the website: http://rcdow. org.uk/faith/conference2013/. Fr Philip specialises in mission and has written extensively on the subject including the 2002 book Evangelisation in England & Wales. The task of concluding the conference, with a highly practical and useful presentation, fell to Anne Marie Salgo, Evangelisation Project Coordinator for the four West End churches. Anne Marie shared the experience and wisdom of these churches in engaging the Catholic and wider community through a variety of events ranging from the purely social to ones that reflect particularly on the spiritual riches enjoyed by the Catholic Church.

Participants were able to choose one of three workshops, two on the theme of prayer and one on Pope Francis

More to come? The day was very tightly timetabled, with so much crammed into the six hours available, but participants were pleased with what they had experienced and learnt. Ann from North London reflected that this for her was an additional impetus in her involvement as a small community leader. Others have asked for the event to be an annual one. In the meantime participants have been encouraged to share what they have gained from the conference with others in their parish and more widely. You too can get a flavour by visiting the conference site over the coming weeks as we upload video and presentations from the day.

“Instead of just being a Church that welcomes and receives, try to be a Church that comes out of itself and goes to the men and women who do not participate in parish life, do not know much about it and are indifferent towards it.” Let us always hold on to the idea of which Pope Francis reminds us: our very nature is missionary and our joy can be found in telling others of Christ Jesus whose love we receive and know. Visit the conference site over the coming weeks as we upload video and presentations from the day: http://rcdow.org.uk/faith/ conference2013 Photographs by Weenson Oo Mark Nash is Small Communities Adviser in the Agency for Evangelisation

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Justice and Peace

Westminster Record | November 2013

Westminster –

soon to be a Fairtrade diocese Witnessing to justice for the world’s producers By Barbara Kentish

SEE Anyone who has been following the story of the fire at the clothing factory in Bangladesh will be aware of the links between poverty and shopping on our High Streets. We know that with Fairtrade, there is something we can do to let the big shopping chains know our views about ethical shopping. Bishop John Arnold has just written to all parishes encouraging them to support Fairtrade, a very important way to shop ethically. A diocese committed to Fairtrade shows that it wants justice for the poorest growers and producers of our food and goods from developing countries. We reported in this page two years ago that 70 parishes had signed up. Now we have 92 out of a current total of 214. To be a Fairtrade diocese and so give even greater witness to Trade Justice, we need over half our parishes to sign up - that is about 16 parishes to go. And some parishes may have lapsed, so we are aiming for at least another 18 new ‘sign-ups’. The Fairtrade parishes we have on record are opposite: (If this is not correct, please let us know as soon as possible).

Acton East Archway Barnet Berkhamsted Bethnal Green Borehamwood Borehamwood Nth Brentford Bunhill Row Bushey and Oxhey Chiswick Dollis Hill Ealing Abbey Edmonton Enfield (Edmonton) Enfield Our Lady of Mt Carmel Enfield Our Lady & St George Finchley East Fulham St Thomas of Canterbury Fulham Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Fulham Road, Our Lady of Dolours Gunnersbury Hampstead Hanwell Harpenden Harrow North Harrow South Harrow-on-the-Hill Hatfield Haverstock Hill Hayes Hemel Hempstead SS Mary &Joseph Hemel Hempstead East Our Lady Queen of all Creation Hemel Hempstead West St Mark Highbury Highgate Hitchin Hoddesdon Hounslow Hoxton Islington Kensal Rise Kentish Town Kenton

Kingsbury Green Kingsland Letchworth Garden City Manor House Muswell Hill New Barnet New Southgate Northfields Notting Hill Osterley Palmers Green Pimlico Pinner Ponders End Potters Bar Radlett Rickmansworth Royston Ruislip Sawbridgeworth Shenley Shepherds Bush Somers Town Southall St Albans St Albans South St Margarets-on-Thames Stamford Hill Stevenage St Josephs Stevenage Shephall St Hilda's Stroud Green Sudbury Swiss Cottage Tollington Park Tring Waltham Cross Wapping Ware Warwick Street Watford Watford North Welwyn Garden City Welwyn Garden City Digswell Welwyn Garden City East West Drayton West Green Wheathampstead Whetstone Whitton

JUDGE Our biggest inspiration is of course Jesus himself, whose two miracles with loaves and fishes showed without doubt that it is God’s will that all should be fed, and that this happens through sharing our goods, however little they are (a) Matt 14:13-21 and all evangelists, (b) Matt 15: 32-39, Mark 8: 1-9). St Gregory the Great wrote, “When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours. More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice.” And people should be able to work to provide for their needs, as the Catechism tells us: ‘Everyone should be able to draw from work the means of providing for his life, and that of his family and of serving the human community.’ (2428) Resources: there are prayer and worship resources on both the Fairtrade Foundation website, see http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/get_involved/campaigns/fairtra de_places_of_worship/fairtrade_churches/ideas_for_worship. aspx and that of Traidcraft: http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/publications_and_resources/chu rch_resources

ACT 1. Check with your parish priest for the Fairtrade information pack and letter from Bishop John Arnold, which were circulated in mid-October. 2. If you have not signed up, consult your parish council and fellow parishioners and consider working and applying for Fairtrade status. As most people know, the requirements are threefold: • Serve Fairtrade tea and coffee at all parish-based functions • Promote Fairtrade in some other way (posters, other products, stalls, liaison with supermarkets etc) • Organise a Fairtrade event during Fairtrade Fortnight (February 24-March 9 2014) 2. If you are registered, but commitment has lapsed for some reason, organise a Fairtrade committee to get it going again. Rummage around for your Fairtrade Certificate! 3. If you are a dedicated Fairtrade parish, look at our list and consider befriending a neighbouring parish and persuade them to sign up. 4. Put one of the ’52 Fairtrade tips’ in your newsletter every week. 5. Note the date of our grand launch on 1 March 2014 at Holy Apostles Church, Pimlico. Be there!

Fairtrade coffee grower: there are now hundreds of different varieties of Fairtrade coffee

St Paul's Cathedral's Fairtrade sculpture, made for its award ceremony two years ago.

6. Contact us if you have any queries: justice@rcdow.org.uk Tel 0208 888 4222 Page 9

Pilgrimage

Westminster Record | November 2013

Catholic mania in Lithuania Eight students from London universities and their chaplain, Sr Mary Kenefick, followed in the footsteps of Blessed John Paul II to Lithuania, to discover the most Catholic country in Europe and their own Catholic faith. They also discovered the country’s version of the Cornish Pasty.

The pilgrims

By Helen Rodger

ur Pilgrimage lasted 12 days during which we were welcomed into communities, churches and homes across Lithuania by members of the Catholic organisation, Ateitis. It currently boasts over 3,000 members in Lithuania and promotes a deeper understanding of our faith through discussion, study and debate.

Sharing the Story in Kaunas We began in Kaunas, Lithuania’s second-largest city, where we met medical students who gather regularly to discuss relevant issues like medical ethics. As a member of the UCL Catholic Society, it was interesting to meet Lithuanian students and to discuss recent developments like the new Pope. It was also in Kaunas that we began to appreciate the incredibly sad but inspiring history of persecution and resistance that Christian Lithuanians faced in the last century. We met a man working in the beautiful Church of Christ’s Resurrection who had been sent to a Siberian labour camp under the Soviet occupation. In spite of all the hardships he had endured, including losing one of his eyes, he was still eager to share his story and his love for working in the new church. Christ’s Page 10

St Faustina’s House in Vilnius During our stay in the capital, Vilnius, we visited various sites of religious and historic interest, including the house of St Faustina. We also found time to visit the monumental Hill of Crosses outside Šiauliai near the Latvian border. While travelling, we witnessed weddings, First Holy Communion and Confirmation. One wedding party even generously gave us some of their cake! Another group of young Catholics we spent time with were the pre-seminarians of Žemaičių Kalvarija, young men aged 16-18. They welcomed us into their home for a night where we discussed faith, paths to the priesthood and football – a serious business! We hope they will soon come to the UK where they would be most welcome.

Clockwise from top: The Hill of Crosses; Milda, our co-ordinator, guide and friend; On the roof of Christ’s Resurrection Church in Kaunas; Vilnius Cathedral by night

Food for Body and Soul Resurrection Church in Kaunas is such a simple but peaceful space to worship in and praying in the rooftop chapel while admiring the views was one of my favourite moments on the pilgrimage and is a must see for anyone visiting Lithuania.

“The white sand beaches at Nida seemed the perfect place to reflect on our journey through this fascinating country before plunging back into central London.”

Enjoying the Baltic!

An essential aspect of any pilgrimage is nourishment of all sorts and Lithuania did not let us down! As we travelled from chapel to café, we sampled regional delicacies such as homebrewed gira, pig’s ears and kibinai, Lithuania’s version of the Cornish pasty. On our final day, we were rejoined by Milda, our wonderful contact from Vilnius, to brave a swim in the Baltic Sea. The white sand beaches at Nida seemed the perfect place to reflect on our journey through this fascinating country before plunging back into central London. Our pilgrimage was rewarding in numerous ways but it was the generosity and engagement of the Ateitis members which really inspired me to be more proactive in educating myself about the Church. We were deeply impressed by the welcome we received in Lithuania and we hope our trip will be the start of a fruitful exchange between Lithuanian and British Catholic students, and we would urge anyone interested to contact us at uclucatholic@gmail.com for more details about our trip, Ateitis and Lithuania.

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5097

Parish Profile - Brook Green Westminster Record September 2011

Westminster Record | November 2013

Holy Trinity: A Country Parish in the Heart of London By Alex Balzanella

“A graceful pinnacle spire” Searching for Holy Trinity Church, Brook Green, you could be mistaken for missing it entirely – although not because it lacks stature! With its medieval-style stained glass and high tower this Gothic church completed in 1862 is much more typical of grand Victorian Church of England buildings. After a short chat with Parish Priest Fr Richard Andrew and Assistant Fr Gerard O'Brien we go to view the interior of which Cardinal Wiseman himself was much enamoured and the parish clergy are still proud. The depiction of the Lord's Passion glows in the East window, whilst a crucifix hangs before the altar with angels appearing to bear up the roof. Fr Richard is keen to point out the Church’s entry in London Catholic Churches by Alexander Roffman, who describes Holy Trinity as having “a graceful pinnacle

spire and grey gabled frontage to the Green.” To Fr Richard the church is a wonderful space to worship, being just large enough – with five Sunday Masses – to accommodate everyone, yet small enough to create a sense of a parish family worshipping together.

“A country parish in the heart of London” Both the church and its environment are indeed beautiful, but it is the community spirit which is so special about parish life at Holy Trinity, illustrated most vividly at the Family Mass each week: “At the end of the Mass there isn’t a rush for people to get in their cars and head home. Instead everyone spills onto the street, with families taking the chance to catch up with each other as well as children playing on their scooters and with their friends on the Green. There’s also often a cake stand afterwards too.” Fr Gerard agrees with Fr Richard’s assessment “It’s incredible really; with this traditional building and the Green, it’s just like a country parish in the heart of London.”

“Guests not just the deserving poor”

The East Window depicting the Passion of Christ

Yet Holy Trinity is just a short distance from the busy Hammersmith interchange and in no way removed from the particular challenges facing any central London parish. Poverty, isolation and homelessness are common here, too; and that led to the parish becoming involved in the West London Churches Homeless Concern, a cooperative enterprise with 14 other churches in the local area and organised in the parish by Fey Dunnery. Fr Richard explained the concept to me: “Once a week from November parishioners host a night shelter in the

parish hall when they cook and serve a three-course meal for up to 70 homeless men and women. Up to 40 are also able to stay overnight and are served breakfast before they leave. Those who stay are welcome guests, not just the deserving poor.”

“Blessed with how happily people get involved” When I ask if there are any particularly active groups and societies I am met with such a large and diverse list that I can hardly keep up. The parish has regular meetings of Cafod, the Catholic Children’s Society, Legion of Mary, SVP and the Union of Catholic Mothers. There are also prayer and visiting groups in the parish as well as a philosophy group for children. “We are very blessed with how happily people get involved” says Fr Gerard. As well as these societies, Holy Trinity is constantly in demand for the sacramental life. Each Saturday morning the parish hosts up to four Baptisms, with over 150 in the last year. There are also 60 children presently preparing The graceful spire of Holy Trinity, Brook Green for their first communion and involved in masses, Fr Gerard – making weekly “a continuous stream of visits to each and Fr Richard assemblies and events at the adults" seeking to enter the attending events like the recent school. It really helps the Church through the RCIA. opening of the Francis Building pupils to feel part of parish The team of catechists at Larmenier. life.” Indeed, with such an responsible for the success of Fr Richard said: “It’s active, vibrant and attractive the programmes are organised wonderful to have two schools parish they’d be mad not to! by Sister Jenefer Glencross. which want us to be actively Both Fr Richard and Fr Gerard, who have been at Holy Trinity for two years, say how much they learnt from her about the parish when they arrived.

School years of Faith Key for many young parishioners at Holy Trinity in forming and developing their Catholic faith is attendance at one of the two primary schools in the parish: Larmenier Sacred Heart and St Mary’s. Both schools are eager to be involved with the parish, with the schools' chaplain – Anja Huynh, Fr Richard Andrew, Sr Jenefer Glencross and Fr Gerard O’Brien

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In Pictures

Westminster Record | November 2013

In Pictures

Westminster Record | November 2013

©Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk.

Fr Andrew Cameron-Mowat SJ gave a Faith Matters Lecture entitled ‘Eucharist: Sacrament of Healing, of Unity and of Life.’

St Anthony of Padua Church, Edgware, install stained glass window into the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrement

Ordinations to the priesthood take place. Eight men were ordained d in the service celebrated by Archbishop Vincent Nichols at Westminster Cathedral.

Mass for Marriages is celebrated at Westminster Cathedral, a celebration of one of the Sacraments of the Church.

The Year of Faith In Pictures Archbishop Vincent Nichols answers questions at the Westminster Youth Ministry ‘You Believe’ talk

Children have a ‘Magic Breakfast’ at St Mary & St Michael Catholic Primary School, Tower Hamlets. A Caritas initative.

Page 12

Our lady of Czestochowa is brought to Westminster Cathedral

Contact the Elderly tea party takes place in Palmers Green. A Caritas initative.

A newly renovated statue of Mary, in Brook Green, is processed in a celebration during the Year of Faith.

Children at Our Lady of Victories Primary school, hold in an open assembly to pray the Rosary with parents and friends.

Page 13

In Pictures

Westminster Record | November 2013

In Pictures

Westminster Record | November 2013

©Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk.

Fr Andrew Cameron-Mowat SJ gave a Faith Matters Lecture entitled ‘Eucharist: Sacrament of Healing, of Unity and of Life.’

St Anthony of Padua Church, Edgware, install stained glass window into the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrement

Ordinations to the priesthood take place. Eight men were ordained d in the service celebrated by Archbishop Vincent Nichols at Westminster Cathedral.

Mass for Marriages is celebrated at Westminster Cathedral, a celebration of one of the Sacraments of the Church.

The Year of Faith In Pictures Archbishop Vincent Nichols answers questions at the Westminster Youth Ministry ‘You Believe’ talk

Children have a ‘Magic Breakfast’ at St Mary & St Michael Catholic Primary School, Tower Hamlets. A Caritas initative.

Page 12

Our lady of Czestochowa is brought to Westminster Cathedral

Contact the Elderly tea party takes place in Palmers Green. A Caritas initative.

A newly renovated statue of Mary, in Brook Green, is processed in a celebration during the Year of Faith.

Children at Our Lady of Victories Primary school, hold in an open assembly to pray the Rosary with parents and friends.

Page 13

CAFOD News

Westminster Record | November 2013

Going the extra mile for CAFOD! R

unners from Team CAFOD made the best of the autumnal sunshine by racing against poverty in two different October halfmarathons! Congratulations to Rachel Caterer, a CAFOD volunteer from Rickmansworth for running Bournemouth Half Marathon and to the team of runners from Our Lady of Muswell Primary School, Muswell Hill, for completing the Royal Parks Half Marathon. A team of eight teachers, including Head Teacher Angela McNicholas, raced through the streets of London past Buckingham Palace and a number of other landmarks. Well done and thank you to everyone who took part.

If you’re looking for one last chance this year to go the extra mile for the world’s poorest communities, the Nativity Run may be for you (see dates for your diary). New for this year’s run is a 10k route, for anyone wanting a greater challenge, and also a Nativity Toddle—a fun race exclusively for those aged 12 and under. If you’d like to start 2014 with an even greater challenge, why not join Team CAFOD for the London Marathon! Anyone who is lucky to have their own place in the marathon is welcome to join Team CAFOD, and if you haven’t, there are still charity places available. For more information, visit cafod.org.uk/londonmarathon

The team from Our Lady of Muswell Primary School, Muswell Hill.

CAFOD volunteer Rachel Caterer after the Royal Parks Half Marathon.

St John Vianney receives the LiveSimply Award! Congratulations again to St John Vianney, West Green, for earning the LiveSimply Award! Parishioners John Fogarty, Mariantha Fomenky, Fr Joe Ryan (pictured) and other parishioners were on hand to receive the award presented by Ellen Teague in late September. To earn the award, a parish must put into place a plan to meet the three LiveSimply requirements – to live simply, live sustainably, and in solidarity with the poor. St John Vianney was the first parish in Westminster to earn the award. To learn more, visit cafod.org.uk/livesimply

With Christmas just a month away now, the annual question looms: what gifts should I buy this Christmas? What would a relative who seems to have everything already possibly appreciate as a gift? If you’re struggling to find the right present look no further than a CAFOD World Gift. What could be better than helping a child learn to read, supporting a small farmer, or even helping to establish a community health care clinic?

There’s something for every budget, with every pound going to make a difference for some of the world’s poorest communities. The receiver of the gift will receive a beautifully illustrated card showing them the benefit that their gift has. What’s more, you can join up with others to fundraise collectively and create a “virtual village” showing just how much of an impact your gift is having. Catalogues will be available in your parish from the end of October, and you can browse the whole collection online at http://worldgifts.cafod.org.uk For more information or to book a place for any event, contact CAFOD Westminster: 0208 449 6970 or westminster@cafod.org.uk. You can be a part of Team CAFOD at any sponsored event—even ones you’re organising yourself! If you’re planning to take part or run your own event, let us know at westminster@cafod.org.uk.

Dates for your diary Saturday 2 November Campaign Energiser - Join us for an update on CAFOD’s Hungry for Change campaign, with special guest speaker Fr Ignacio Blasco SJ, a CAFOD partner from Guatemala working with communities affected by climate change. Held at Amigo Hall, Lambeth. Booking Essential. Monday 25 November Concert for CAFOD - You are invited to a special concert by the Hertfordshire Constabulary Choir in aid of CAFOD. They will be performing an evening concert at Holy Family Church, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 7RQ. The concert will begin at 8pm. Tickets are £5. Saturday 14 December Nativity Run - Get in the festive spirit with this 5k fancy dress run/walk on Clapham Common. Open to runners of all ages and abilities. For more information visit: www.cafod.org.uk/nativityrun

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Westminster Record | November 2013

Page 15

Vocations

Westminster Record | November 2013

You are a Priest forever...... By Fr Richard Nesbitt

n November we remember in a particular way the sick and retired priests of our diocese – both in our prayers and by donating to the annual appeal to support them in their time of need, just as they supported so many others in a lifetime of ministry. I met two such retired priests of the diocese, Canon Adrian Arrowsmith and Canon John McDonald, together with their chaplain, Canon Digby Samuels, at St Anne’s care home in Stoke Newington, run by the Little Sisters of the Poor.

for 6 years in the navy – I was one of the crew of a torpedo boat which fought out of Dover (or “Hell-fire corner” as it was known). It was a life-changing experience but I soon knew that priesthood was the deeper calling in my life. When I told my mother that I wanted to be a priest, she said: “Well, you’d better learn to cook then!” She realised that housekeepers would soon be a thing of the past and she was right.

Lady of Victories in Kensington and finally at the All Saints Pastoral Centre, London Colney. Each place had its own joys and challenges and I am very grateful to have had such a rich life of priestly service in such diverse parishes. I cannot say that I have retired as God continues to use us in surprising ways!

Q: Did your paths cross again after ordination?

Canon Digby: Yes, at the end of my sabbatical after leaving my last parish of St Patrick’s, Wapping, the Archbishop asked if I would come here as there was a need. The ministry here is essentially about accompanying the elderly – a community of about 50, plus the staff and the community of Sisters. It’s a very happy care home in which the beautiful chapel is very much centre stage. It really draws the community together,

Canon John: Yes, I had a very pious grandmother who often talked to me about the priesthood. I first tested this vocation with the White Fathers and stayed with them for about 3½ years. But after the novitiate in Holland I decided to come back to the ‘home mission’ as I had a strong devotion to the English Martyrs. With the help of my old headmaster, Canon Parsons, at Finchley Catholic Grammar School I was accepted for seminary and went to St Edmund’s in the early 1950’s.

Canon John: Only from time to time – God has given us many different challenges over the years. After 8 very happy years as curate at St Joan of Arc in Highbury I spent 20 extraordinary years working for the Crusade of Rescue, supporting adoption families across the country. When I eventually returned to parish life at Our Lady of Lourdes in Acton, it took a while to learn all the new modern hymns! Next I took over from Canon Adrian at Ruislip before a serious stroke meant that I moved to a less demanding parish at Corpus Christi in Maiden Lane, where I spent 13 very happy years. When I ‘retired’ at the age of 75, I helped out as Chaplain to the Knights of Malta and at the hospital in St John’s Wood before moving here to St Anne’s as Chaplain. A couple of years ago, due to ill health, I let go of the chaplaincy work and became one of the residents here, so I think this means I might finally have retired!

Canon Adrian: As a boy I was attracted to three things – the Navy, the stage and the priesthood. I chose the Royal Navy first – largely because it was war time and everyone was being called up anyway. I served

Canon Adrian: My first parish after ordination was at Muswell Hill, after which I moved to the Cathedral as Master of Ceremonies for 12 years. Following that I had long spells as parish priest in Ruislip, Our

Q: Canon Adrian and Canon John – how long have you known each other? Canon Adrian: We first met at St Edmund’s seminary in Ware over 60 years ago and now here we are together again in our retirement. Q: So you were both young men when you felt called to the priesthood?

Q: Canon Digby, you have been here at St Anne’s since April I believe...

to experience Christ’s presence amongst us every day. I am very privileged to be able to join in with the Sisters’ daily prayer life. We pray the Divine Office and Rosary together plus times of meditation so there’s a real devotional and spiritual rhythm to the home.

to be here. Q: Finally, what advice would you give to any young men discerning a calling to the priesthood?

Q: What is it like to minister to these men who have ministered to so many others in their lives? Canon Digby: It’s lovely – a real communal experience. We eat main meals together, concelebrate Mass and take it in turns to preach on Sundays. I feel I am learning very profoundly from the depths of their spirituality and experience, including life before Vatican II. Life at St Anne’s is very different from parish life, which I love, but there is definitely an extraordinary giftedness about this life and ministry and I feel very blessed

Canon John: Very simple - get the advice of a good priest. Spiritual advice from people who already know something of this journey is essential. Canon Adrian: Go on retreat to a monastery. Why? Because you are cut off from the outside world and to really reflect on your life, you’ve got to be as quiet as possible. Silence helps you to face yourself and find out what God wants you to do. And if it is His will for you to become a priest, there could be no better life! For a longer version of these interviews see the Priesthood section of the Westminster Vocations website: www.rcdow.org.uk/vocations

Canon John McDonald, Canon Digby Samuels and Canon Adrian Arrowsmith.

We’ve been caring for seafarers for nearly 100 years, please remember Apostleship of the Sea in your Will.

For more information on vocations please contact Fr Richard Nesbitt richardnesbitt@rcdow.org.uk or 020 7349 5624 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 Page 16

www.apostleshipofthesea.org.uk Registered charity in Scotland - number SC043085 Registered charity in England and Wales - number 1069833

Marriage and Family Life

Westminster Record | November 2013

Making Modern Medicine Moral

Explore calls for new couples Explore is searching for couples willing to volunteer their time to help promote marriage in schools. The charity’s mission is to encourage and place ordinary married couples into classrooms where they allow students to learn about being married so as to spark questions about their own hopes and fears for the future. We need couples that are brave enough to stand in front of students and answer questions frankly and honestly. Questions will range from funny and basic to tougher ones but we need couples that will give an honest account of married life to the next generation. The commitment is small - after training, couples and advisercoaches will spend an occasional half-day in a school within the Diocese maybe once or twice a year. School visits involve two 30-minute Q&A sessions with 15-17 year olds who have discussed questions before. If you would like to know more about becoming a volunteer, please contact Gay Mallam on gaymallam@uwclub.net or call 07754841955. Please also visit Explore’s website at www.theexploreexperience.co.uk where there is a new short video about the charity.

By Tracy Curran

edical professionals, bioethicists and theologians came together for the 10th International Matercare Conference in September. This event was held to help recognise the ethical challenges for Catholic professionals as they work in environments where the predominant medical and social view is contrary to Catholic teaching. Talks at the conference were wide-ranging and covered the multitude of issues facing practitioners from around the world. Topics included issues like how having children has become viewed as a lifestyle choice to be made only by the economically worthy, rather than as being a gift from God. Reproductive issues specific to geographical regions were also discussed. Research presented by a Nigerian obstetrician showed the majority in sub-Saharan Africa do not want access to artificial birth control but would like information on reliable natural family planning so they can prepare for their future.

Other topics included screening, contraception and the future prospect of a genetically engineered ‘threeparent baby’. Thanks to the event, I now have a better awareness of Natural Procreative Technology, a fertility management programme to help sub-fertile couples conceive without IVF. The conference ended with an audience with Pope Francis who spoke about "the transcendent dimension in human life and the imprint of the creative work of God from the very first moment of conception.” "Do not neglect to pray to the Lord and the Virgin Mary" he said, "for the strength to do your job well and to bear witness with courage. Today it takes courage to be a witness of the ‘Gospel of Life’!” It was inspirational to meet others involved in maternity care who face some of the same struggles. It made it a challenging but valuable insight into Catholic values being applied in modern medicine.

From Rome to Home Deacon Stefan Kaminski tells us about his time with the Marriage and Family Life Office Having been at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family Life during my final months in Rome, I have found working with our own Marriage and Family Life office hugely beneficial. One of the tasks facing the MFL office is to understand what is happening around the diocese in terms of preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage as a basis to encourage further development. Armed with the Diocesan Year Book, I was able to contact most of the parish priests and my conversations proved to be highly informative. They established what - if any - each parish offers in the way of marriage preparation and enabled me to gain a sense of where the difficulties lie in this

task. Many expressed an interest in starting or expanding a programme, but struggled to find married couples to help out. Apart from the immediate preparation for marriage, there are the challenges of what Edmund Adamus calls "remote preparation" and on-going formation. Remote preparation is directed towards the young via parents and is increasingly important today. It was therefore encouraging to see the MFL office co-ordinating efforts with a charity called "Explore." Their idea is a simple one familiar to many seminarians on placement: go into the local secondary school, talk about your vocation and answer questions. "Explore" arranges for volunteer married couples to do this. The result is that students see couples who are responding to the call to marriage and who can talk about

it. MFL has been facilitating such weekend programmes as "SmartLoving". Run as a seminar by married couples, it helps spouses develop their communication skills and see their relationship within their faith. Observing the seminar served as a reminder of how important it is to reflect regularly on our vocation, whatever it may be. The experience proved to be a good place for a deacon in formation for priesthood to end part of his placement. For further details contact Edmund Adamus at the Diocese of Westminster Office for Marriage and Family Life edmundadamus@rcdow.org.uk or 020 7798 9363 Page 17

Youth

Westminster Record | November 2013

News in Brief

Director’s Spotlight I

t seems such a long time ago that many young people enjoyed a wonderfully spiritual summer during their time at World Youth Day in Rio, World Youth Day @ Home, Chelsea does World Youth Day, Lourdes and Youth 2000’s Kingdom Come. Westminster’s young were certainly busy during July and August ! Summer 2013 presented our youth with a rich and eclectic range of opportunities to join together and share their faith, and they are now urged by Pope Francis to make things happen at a very local level: “Let me tell you what I hope will be the outcome of World Youth Day: I hope there will be noise. … I want you to make yourselves

heard in your dioceses, I want the noise to go out, I want the Church to go out onto the streets, I want us to resist everything worldly, everything static, everything comfortable, everything to do with clericalism, everything that might make us closed in on ourselves.” Pope Francis (July 25 Meeting With Youth, Cathedral of San Sebastián, Rio de Janeiro) This is a wonderfully inspiring challenge and it’s crucial that everyone works tirelessly to provide our young with the opportunity to take Pope Francis’ words and translate them into action. In WYM we remain totally focused on Parish Youth

Ministry, it’s the primary driver in our day to day activities, and we are witnessing genuine momentum across the Diocese in parish youth activities. We are supporting an increasing number of parish communities as they look to develop and guide their youths’ spiritual ambitions. Call the youth team at the Centre for Youth Ministry if you want to discuss parish youth activities in your community – we’d love to help you. Phil Ross Tel: 020 7387 1971

Get involved and keep in touch!

With the start of the school year the youth team were invited by St Charles Sixth Form (pictured) and St Benedict’s Sixth Form to take a leading role in their recent induction programmes. Rebekah and Frank led sessions during the induction days and these interactive gatherings provide the youth team with the opportunity to spot developing trends in the young adult universe. James Kelliher is now into his second month of taking responsibility for Youth Communication and Event Management at Somers Town. He writes in this edition of his experience of meeting Pope Francis in the Varginha favela in Rio during World Youth Day. Please contact him if you have an event or a message to share: jameskelliher@rcdow.org.uk

twitter.com/ RCWestminster or @DOWYM

If you have a story for the blog or for Westminster Record email us at: communications@rcdow.org.uk

Upcoming events

NOVEMBER 2013

23 November Centre for Youth Ministry, Somers Town Want to know how to defend your Catholics faith and values in public? A day partnered with Catholic Voices to offer an insight into the media world and the associated challenges, questions or accusations from people who don't understand our faith.

Fr David Reilly, Diocesan Youth Chaplain

As the Year of Faith draws to a close, Archbishop Nichols has asked us to prepare for the great mission of the New Evangelisation. Across the diocese, there are young people and young adults already setting out on a mission towards the future. In homes and families throughout the diocese, young parents are already living the very real responsibility of being the ‘first and best’ teachers of the faith to their children. Those who went to World Youth Day heard the invitation to ‘Go, make disciples of all nations’ (Matt 28:19). In the seminary, dozens of young men are preparing for their future ministry as priests. In the parishes, many Christians have been formed and commissioned as catechists who

You can also keep in touch online with the latest youth activities at www.facebook.com/ dowym?fref=ts

See photos of youth events at http://tinyurl.com/5vqo hvo

Chaplain’s Journal

will teach and spread the Gospel among a new generation. In the youth retreat centre at SPEC, new volunteers have already been formed and commissioned to lead retreats which contribute towards the growth of young Christians. Many parishes are starting to work with new pastoral assistants and youth workers as a result of ‘Growing in Faith’ and the generosity of many who have made these new ministries possible. In the diocese, in Parliament and many other agencies, our interns have begun their experience as Christian men and women working in public life in the world. In our schools, new teachers have been following the CCRS course to help them offer a fully Christian and human education for those whom they teach. All over the place, young Catholics are stepping up to the challenge of reaching out – as Pope Francis says – of stirring things up and making a noise. Every person has a place and task in this Church: what are you going to do as part of this great mission that Christ has given us?

You can find out more about the Diocesan Youth Service and the experiences of our young people by going to wym.rcdow.org.uk. The site includes coverage of events, interviews and photos.

Considering Religious Life?

The

Sisters of

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Newly-confirmed make Walsingham Pilgrimage 110 recently-confirmed young people from the county of Hertfordshire came together for a pilgrimage to Walsingham led by Bishop John Sherrington on 21 September. Speaking about the importance of the day Bishop John said: “This pilgrimage is an important development from the confirmation commitment, giving the young people a chance to celebrate their faith and to give them a sense of mission into the world and the future.” “Pilgrimage is an important part of our Catholic tradition. It gathers the church, strengthens us in our faith and inspires us to serve others in the wider world. I hope it will encourage those who attended to be confident in being young Catholics in Hertfordshire.”

www.sistersofnazareth.com vocinfo@sistersofnazareth.com Sister Frances: (44) 077 859 759 61 A warm welcome awaits you!

Page 18

Youth

Westminster Record | November 2013

A walk with Pope Francis By James Kelliher

t’s not every day you get to meet the Pope. Even rarer is the opportunity to shake his hand, chat briefly with him and walk down a street together in one of Rio de Janeiro’s infamous slums. Well, this is what I got to do during my time in Brazil. It came about because I was the English Language Coordinator for World Youth Day. During a private meeting in our downtown office in central Rio, Fr Anisio, one of the World Youth Day Coordinators, broke the news to me that I would be one of five volunteers to meet Pope Francis in a favela (slum) called Varginha. My first reaction was to feel a great sense of calm, which I don’t think Fr Anisio was expecting. Other volunteers who received similar news were more emotional and excited. I remember telling him that I was very thankful for being given this opportunity, but

“He told me to pray for him, to which I responded, “Thank you.” I immediately thought afterwards “Thank you?” if he was wondering why I was so calm upon receiving the news, it was probably because I’m British. When the day arrived the four other volunteers and I were escorted from Our Lady of Copacabana Church to the Varginha favela in two black vehicles. As we approached our destination, I was surprised by the hundreds of police and military personnel surrounding the neighbouring streets and buildings. The heavily-armed security was a reminder of the fact that the favelas had a reputation for violence.

We arrived at a little church where we prepared ourselves and chatted for a while. About an hour later word came that the Pope would soon be arriving so we went outside and waited along with the thousands of enthusiastic locals who were cordoned off by security. Moments later, we could start to hear the sound of helicopters and more security were arriving on the scene – the Pope was coming! And then we saw the top of the Popemobile come into view. He had arrived! Everyone was cheering and waving, and he was waving and smiling back. He then got out of his vehicle and headed into the little church that we had been in only moments before. After his prayers he returned to the street and made his way in our direction. Surrounded by security, the Pope approached us. My Spanish-speaking friend Cristina greeted him and introduced the rest of us. In turn, we shook his hand and greeted him. I was under the impression that this Pope wasn’t one for ring-kissing, so I shook his hand when my turn came. I told him that it was nice to meet him. He told me to pray for him, to which I responded, “Thank you.” I immediately thought afterwards “Thank you?” But looking back, I think I said this because I was thanking

him for asking little me to pray for the Pope, of all people. After this, he gave me a rosary that he had blessed. The five of us then walked down the street with him, hand in hand. It was meant to be a straightforward process but, given the frenzied scenes, the security was very alert and cautious and it was sometimes difficult to stay with the Pope. But I wasn’t perturbed by this. It was all part of the experience of being with one of the most important and loved people on the planet. We continued to walk with him down the street, as he greeted, hugged and kissed the crowds. It was a remarkable scene, one of pure bedlam and joy and it is something very few people will ever have the good fortune of experiencing. I could write so much more as this is only half the story, but I’ll conclude with this final thought. Meeting the Pope in the favela was a unique experience. But my biggest reflection from this day

“My biggest reflection from this day isn’t that I got to talk to the Pope… It is that he wants me to live an authentically Catholic life" isn’t that I got to talk to the Pope – and I don’t think he would want it to be. It is that he wants me to live an authentically Catholic life. And so the core reflection from my encounter with the Pope is this: to aspire to be a saint, for there is surely no other way for a Catholic to live.

Inspiring the Youth to Discipleship Chris Padgett is an international Catholic speaker, musician and author, as well as professor at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. Lissette Quezada spoke to him about his conversion to Catholicism and his experience of his first time speaking at the four-day Youth 2000 Retreat in Walsingham this Summer.

Conversion Padgett has been passionate about youth ministry since his youth in a dynamic Protestant church in South Dakota. As a young adult he formed a band, Scarecrow & Tinmen, with a few friends as a form of ministry “to communicate the truth of Christ’s love and forgiveness in a way that makes a difference.” Padgett started to gain some exposure to Catholicism from playing at local churches throughout the U.S. He was invited to play at Catholic youth events and while performing at one event he began to rethink his previous misgivings about Catholicism: “Many stereotypes and preconceived notions had to be modified for me to make such a transition, but the longer I searched, the more convinced I became.” After a few years of much prayer, reading, and discernment, Padgett was received into the Catholic Church at Easter 1999. His conversion was one of the most amazing adventures of his life and since that time he continues speaking and performing at various youth events around the world.

Walsingham Padgett spoke to the retreat while standing adjacent to the Blessed Sacrament exposed on top of a wooden structure called the Burning Bush. He exhorted the youth to become disciples in their parishes and for their peers. From this experience of continued exposure to the Eucharist, which is, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “the Source and Summit of the Christian life”, he said that they should draw strength to become disciples: “God made us as religious beings. We long for answers to deep questions … and to make a difference. Being a disciple means growing in that understanding of what it means to be His and to share that love with the people we meet.” Chris also encouraged those who work with youth to be active in their discipleship: “We have the responsibility to live in a way that could lead others to Christ.” Every Catholic, in order to live out their Baptism, must “continue to grow in your The ‘Burning Bush’ at the understanding so that you can Walsingham Retreat continue to give people things that will assist them to grow in their understanding in Christ.” He reflected on how Jesus ministered to the woman caught in adultery, from John 8: “When we love them in their mess, we get the opportunity to share and help them out of that mess.” Being a disciple means “we need to be authentic in our need for Christ and our love for others.” His speech on the retreat’s theme Kingdom Come was so well received that his workshop the next day was overflowing with eager youth. He said that “there was a hunger there for content, so we were able to unpack some strong ideas” where he was able “to get to the heart of the issues” with his audience. He enjoyed the openness and positive attitude he encountered while at Walsingham, saying that “it was very easy to establish a rapport … I felt very comfortable.” To learn more about Chris Padgett, or hear his testimony, please visit www.chrispadgett.com

Page 19

The Arts

Westminster Record Westminster RecordSeptember | November2011 2013

Javier Bardem introduces Sons of the Clouds The Last Colony We are more familiar with Spanish film star Javier Bardem as a villain in the latest James Bond movie Skyfall or in his Oscarwinning role in No Country for Old Men but in October he visited London to promote his documentary film 'Sons of the Clouds - The Last Colony' which won this year's Goya Award for Best Documentary. With original music by Fernando Velasquez, it is beautifully filmed and visually very striking. Using rare historic footage and contemporary interviews, the film tells the story of the Western Sahara, once a Spanish colony on the Atlantic coast of North Africa, which was invaded by neighbouring Morocco in 1975. As the Spanish authorities left, the Moroccan armed forces came in with tanks and used cluster bombs on the civilian population, driving more than 200,000 people into the Algerian Sahara desert where they have lived in tented refugee camps ever since. The remaining native population in Western Sahara now lives under an illegal armed occupation. Unusually, the UN peacekeeping mission in the region does not have a mandate to record or monitor human rights abuses and these are taking place with impunity. Many men and women have been tortured or have 'disappeared'. A referendum on independence that was supposed to have taken place in 1991 to determine the future of the Western Sahara has been delayed year after year by Morocco. The story rarely reaches the media, as journalists and film makers are officially banned from visiting. A delegation of British MPs this year were refused entry to the occupied territory. Bardem decided to make the documentary after attending a film festival in the refugee camps in 2008. "I knew about the situation, but you don't realise the full impact of something until you experience it personally" he said. During his visit to London he had meetings with the Foreign Office and met several Justice and Peace groups. He has already addressed the US Congress and the United Nations. "As a Spaniard I feel very responsible for these people and I think we should all feel ashamed of what we created there; and that such a situation has gone on for so long," he said. Bardem is asking for the referendum to take place and for the UN mission to add a human rights component to its mandate in the territory.

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St Augustine A fresh translation by Benignus O’Rourke OSA DLT pbk, 397 pages, 2013, £12.99 Review by Denis Blackledge SJ Here’s a book that is what it says it is! Here’s a fresh sense-line translation of one of the greatest autobiographical works ever written, the Confessions of St Augustine. O’Rourke wanted to produce a version that would be picked up and easily read by a teenage reader as well as by an older one. He chose – wisely – to pick only the first nine books, which tell the inside story of a soul. There’s plenty of white on each page, which helps the feel of the book and carries the reader along the fascinating story. The reader is taken through the tortuous pilgrimage of Augustine as he gratefully pours out his heart and mind to God - there are no holds barred! Each chapter has a brief synopsis, and all Scripture quotes are saved for three pages of notes at the very end of the volume. There’s a contemporary feel to the book and many of the golden threads might well be an echo of what the pilgrim reader has experienced in her or his own life in relation to the loving Lord. Tolle, lege! – “pick up” a copy “and read”, and let yourself be touched by it all.

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Page 20

The Arts

Westminster Record | November 2013

A reflection on humility

True till death: Faith of Our Fathers

Book review by James Kelliher This is a quick read on the importance of humility in achieving peace and happiness. The booklet is divided into two; half is written by the Pope, the other is taken from St Dorotheus of Gaza. The Saint lived during the 6th century and this booklet taps into a number of his reflections on humility and “self-accusation”. Pope Francis has clearly been influenced by this interesting Saint’s life and it’s easy to see why. In a time when people are quick to judge, short on self-reflection and all too eager to blame others, this booklet provides a timely and thought-provoking meditation on the need for all of us to take a step back and reflect on our humility.

DVD review by John Scott

ishop Brain of Salford has a skull on his first-floor landing; not as a reminder of mortality, but as a pointer to faith and to the resurrection. It is that of Ambrose Barlow, a Benedictine priest who ministered over many years to Lancashire catholics and was finally martyred in 1641. In this DVD two priests from that county, Fr Marcus Holden now of Ramsgate and our own Fr Nicholas Schofield of Uxbridge, take us on a tour around England to sites connected with the English Martyrs, that heroic group of priests and lay men and women who from the 1530s to the 1680s taught, practised and witnessed to the Faith. We hear Archbishop Vincent explain how the Martyrs captured his developing imagination and how they gave English Catholicism a particular devotion to the Pope and to the Mass, those central tenets which the Martyrs had only to deny to win their freedom. Condemned as traitors to the most painful deaths, what emerges repeatedly is their charity, as they prayed for the monarch, for the country and no less for their executioners. Many priests, trained abroad and smuggled into the country, were captured soon after landing; yet brief life expectancy did not deter them. And they depended upon the faithful, who supported and hid them and themselves took the greatest of risks so doing, for even hearing Mass could provoke the severest penalties. This was a persecuted community; deprived of the sacraments, impoverished through repeated fines, barred from all public employment. Yet many conversions came; St Margaret Clitherow of York was a convert, became a catechist, died a martyr. Country houses, cottages, hidden rooms, monastic sites, holy wells all feature in this DVD, but this is not architectural tourism. We see too the relics retrieved by the faithful who watched their priests’ deaths – a fragment of bone, a bloodstained shred of vestment. These are crucial, because we believe that God uses material things to give us Himself and bring us to Him and in these relics we have the raw material of heaven. In recent years we have welcomed the relics of St Thérèse and other European saints and venerated them, but we have our own English saints and their relics must speak powerfully to us too. Prior to the canonization of the 40 Martyrs in 1970, there was widespread knowledge about them. Generations pass, though, and this DVD will serve well to bring our ‘Fathers in the Faith’ to our attention, and devotion, again. Follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/diocese.westminster

32pp • £1.95• 2013

Kolbe’s Gift: More than a play Theatre review by Christine Parreño The name and story of St Maximilian Kolbe, the famous martyr of the death camps, are increasingly well-known. Not so well-known is Franciszek “Franek” Gajowniczek, the man for whom Kolbe traded his own life and was, as it were, the ‘other’ protagonist in the story of the WWII saint. However, after seeing David Gooderson’s play Kolbe’s Gift brought to life in the Leicester Square Theatre, I am no longer likely to forget either name. The performance was a real success thanks to the sensitive work of a tight-knit cast and director Pete Collins. Amid the terrors of Auschwitz the humanity of Fr Maximilian stood out, changing and saving many lives, most obviously that of Franek, a Polish soldier whose anguished cry for his family prompts Fr Maximilian to offer his own life for Franek’s. Although all seven actors held their own (often making it seem as though the stage was populated by double their number), Cyprus-born John Ioannou’s portrayal of a physically frail but spiritually strong Kolbe and Russell Layton’s fearful, uncertain Franek deserve particular mention. Auschwitz was recreated respectfully but unflinchingly, reminding the audience that this was not merely a play – it was a portrayal of history. In one particularly memorable scene the Commandant (played by a thoroughly convincing Callum Coates) paces amongst the prisoners, randomly selecting those who are to be executed. Walking slowly downstage centre, he began selecting victims from the audience; and from where I was I could see audience members physically shrinking

from that coolly pointing finger, heard bursts of nervous laughter quickly stifled. I myself couldn’t help but be relieved that I was seated a safe nine rows back – a sign of the overmastering reality of that atmosphere of terror, brought so convincingly to life by the creative team. However, what really sealed the deal for me was the playwright’s fresh and thoughtprovoking take on the tale we all knew and loved. Gooderson teases out the strands of a true story that had hitherto remained out of the general limelight, weaving them into a new chapter on what we have rarely thought about: the aftermath – or, more accurately, the aftershock – of Kolbe’s gift. Franek’s wild and almost fatal ‘survivor’s guilt’, the courage of his wife, the couple’s fight against a world which disbelieved that such a perfect act of love could be carried out in the bleak and inhuman terror of

Auschwitz. All of this was excellently written and acted, adding a new and unexpected depth to the play. Also present at the performance was Fr James E. McCurry, author of a new insightful biography entitled Maximilian Kolbe: Martyr of Charity published by the Catholic Truth Society (available at www.ctsbooks.org or call 020 7640 0042) as an accompanying booklet to the TenTen production. As a personal friend of Franek and a Procurator involved in Fr Maximilian’s cause for sainthood, Fr James is uniquely well placed to write the biography and has done so with skill and sensitivity. St Maximilian Kolbe inspired, saved and changed many lives. Thanks to this stellar production and its companion booklet, he and his story can continue to do so in the twenty first century and beyond: truly a rare and powerful gift for our time.

Page 21

Saints & Obituaries

Westminster Record | November 2013

Father Austin Hart RIP

Saint Catherine Labouré Nun, visionary and founder of the devotion of the Miraculous Medal, St Catherine came from a large farming family near Dijon in France. Born in 1806, she looked after her widowed father and later worked as a waitress in her uncle's cafe in Paris, before joining the Sisters of Charity at the age of 14. She lived in the community in Reuilly, caring for the elderly in a rest home. Her superiors wrote that she was a 'quiet and dull' person. Until her last years, few people realised that she led an extraordinary inner life. Through a series of dreams and visions, she accurately foresaw many historical events in France. In one dream she saw a picture of Mary standing on a globe with shafts of light coming from her hands with the inscription underneath reading: 'Mary conceived without sin,

pray for us who have recourse to thee.' On the reverse side was a capital M with the cross above and two hearts below. Catherine believed she was ordered to have this produced as a medal. She spoke with her superiors and, in 1832, the archbishop allowed 1,500 to be minted. Later an account of the medal's origins was published. A canonical review in 1836 declared them authentic. In 1842 a Jewish man from Alsace, Alphonsus Ratisbone, inspired by the devotion to the medal, became a Christian and founded the Fathers and Sisters of Sion. From that time onwards the devotion to the Miraculous Medal spread around the world. Catherine died on 31 December 1876. Her body remains incorrupt in the convent chapel at Rue de Bac, Paris. She was canonised in 1947.

Liturgical Calendar - November 1 Fri 2 Sat 3 Sun 4 Mon 5 Tue 6 Wed 7 Thu 8 Fri 9 Sat 10 Sun 11 Mon 12 Tue 13 Wed 14 Thu 15 Fri 16 Sat 17 Sun 18 Mon 19 Tue 20 Wed 21 Thu 22 Fri 23 Sat 24 Sun 25 Mon 26 Tue 27 Wed 28 Thu 29 Fri 30 Sat Page 22

+All Saints (Holy Day of Obligation) All Souls’ Day +31st in Ordinary Time St Charles Borromeo, Bishop Feria Feria Feria or St Willibrord, Bishop Feria The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica +32nd in Ordinary Time St Martin of Tours St Josaphat, Bishop & Martyr Feria Feria Feria or St Albert the Great, Bishop & Doctor St Edmund of Abingdon, Bishop +33rd in Ordinary Time Feria or Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts Peter and Paul, Apostles Feria Feria The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary St Cecilia, Virgin & Martyr Feria or St Clement I, Pope & Martyr; St Columban, Abbot or Blessed Virgin Mary +Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe; Closing of the Year of Faith Feria (Week 34) or St Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin & Martyr Feria Feria Feria Feria St Andrew, Apostle, Patron of Scotland

In Memoriam: November Fr George Barringer (1978) Fr Terence Brady (1989) Mgr Reginald Butcher (1976) Canon Carles Carr (1985) Fr Eric Chadwick (1993) Fr Anthony John Cooke (2007) Fr James R Coughlan (1974) Fr Ian Dommerson (1996) Fr Joseph Doyle (1978) Fr James Ethrington (1981) Fr Christoper Fullerton (1980) Fr John Galvin (2010) Canon Joseph Geraerts (1979) Fr Peter Geraerts (1980) Fr Raymond Geraerts (1995) Canon Edmund Hadfield (1982) Fr Christopher Hamilton-Gray (2012) Cardinal John Heenan (1975) Fr Peter Johnson (2000) Canon Louis Marteau (2002) Fr Peter O’Reilly (2005) Fr Jeremiah Ryan (2001) Fr Maurice Ryan (1983) Fr Joseph Scally (1995) Fr John Spencer (1980) Fr Samuel Steer (1996) Fr James Stephenson (1970) Fr Richard M Sutherland (1974) Fr Horace Tennant (2000) Mgr Canon George Tomlinson (1985) Fr William Wood (1986) Fr James Woodward (1976) Canon Arthur Welland (1978)

Fr Austin Hart died on Friday 20 September. He was 89 years of age and had been a priest for fifty-one of them. May his dutiful, jovial soul rest in peace. Austin Hart was born in Thornley, Co. Durham on 17 April 1924, the youngest of ten children. He was educated in the local Catholic School and afterwards began an apprenticeship in joinery. Just after completing this he was called up to the Army in 1942, serving with the Fusiliers. After demob he returned to his job as a carpenter, whilst also considering his call. He was accepted as a student for the priesthood in the Diocese and entered the Seminary in 1956. He was ordained to the Priesthood on 24 May 1962. After ordination Fr Austin had appointments at Commercial Road, Spanish Place, Tollington Park, Stanwell and Wapping. In 2003 he went to live at Nazareth House, East Finchley where he served as chaplain. After stepping down from the chaplaincy in 2012 he moved to St Anne’s Home in Stoke Newington. Austin had a lifelong interest in opera, enjoying visits to Glyndebourne. He followed cricket keenly, read voraciously and was politically very shrewd. He maintained his love of working with wood and was happy using his skills in the churches and presbyteries where he served.

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Diary and Events

Westminster Record | November 2013

SUNDAYS Taizé at St James Piccadilly Every third Sunday 5pm. Call 020 7503 5128 for details. Lectio Young Adults Group Lectio Divinia for young adults with time for reflection and discussion afterwards. Every first and third Sunday in term time at 6.45pm. Contact davidreilly@rcdow.org.uk. Ceilidh at Camden Irish Centre Real Ceilidh dancing every Sunday from 8pm, with lessons for newcomers until 8.30pm then on with the dance! All are welcome. £4 per session with great music from Tony Kearny. Partners not needed. Contact 020 7272 5815 Tyburn Benedictines Monastic afternoon First Sunday of the month 2pm5pm Martyrs’ Crypt, Tyburn Convent, Bayswater Road near Marble Arch. Westminster Cathedral Young Adults Young adults meet socially after the 5.30 and 7pm Masses on Sundays. on the steps of the Cathedral, then a pub.

Catholic tours in London Qualified Catholic tour guide leads ‘Saints and Scholars’ walk every Sunday including Mass. Contact Peter on 07913904997 or circlingthesquaretours@ hotmail.co.uk

Deaf Community Mass First Sunday of the month 4.30pm in Westminster Cathedral Hall Ambrosden Ave. SW1P 1QW Young Adults Mass - First Sunday of the month At Mount Street 7pm. Quiet prayer at 7.15pm, Mass at 7.30pm. Social gathering afterward. Contact: organise@fsplus.info or visit www.fsplus.info. Young Adults Mass - Third Sunday of the month At Mount Street. A quieter version of First Sunday. Contact team@fsplus.info St Francis of Assisi Catholic Ramblers’ Club Every Sunday throughout the year walkers meet for a ramble in the Home Counties. Contact Antoinette 020 8769 3643 or visit www.stfrancisramblers.org.uk.

MONDAYS Mothers’ Prayers at St Dominic’s Priory, Haverstock Hill Every Monday 2.30-3.30pm in the Lourdes chapel. All are welcome. Prayer Event for people in the arts and media Third Monday of each month 6.30pm. For more information see www.artisaninitiatives.org

TUESDAYS Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Tuesdays 6-9pm concluding with Benediction at Newman House, 111 Gower Street. Details 020 7731 3367 Mass at Canary Wharf Tuesdays 12.30pm at 2 Churchill

Place E14. Organised by Mgr Vladimir Felzmann, Chaplain to Canary Wharf Communities. Details www.cwcc.org.uk 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, London NW10 9AX Vocations Prayer Group Second Tuesday of the month 8pm at 47C Gaisford Street, Kentish Town, NW5

WEDNESDAYS Wednesdays on the Wall (WOTW) 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. Youth 2000 prayer group Wednesdays 7.00pm at Corpus Christi Church, Maiden Lane, Covent Garden.

THURSDAYS Jesus Christ the Fullness of Life - JCFL First Thursday of the month. Young adults from all Christian denominations pray and share a meal. Details www.jcfl.org.uk. Soul Food A Catholic charismatic prayer group for young adults meets from 7 to 9pm at St Charles Borromeo, Ogle Street, W1W 6HS Details www.soulfoodgroup.org info@soulfoodgroup.org

FRIDAYS Association of Divorced and Separated Catholics Third Friday of the month. All divorced and separated Catholics, are welcome. Call Frank or Christine 020 8422 1591 Divine Mercy Prayers and Mass First Fridays 2.30-4.30pm at the Church of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, 2 Windsor Road, Ealing. St Albans Fridays at 12 noon. Mass is celebrated every week at St Alban’s Abbey, one of the oldest Christian churches in England. Westminster Cathedral Charismatic Prayer Group 7.30pm Prayer, praise and teaching. First Friday is a healing Mass. Details 020 8748 2632 Vocations Discernment Group 7pm, Hinsley Room, Westminster Cathedral. Meetings for young adults aged 18-38. Visit www.free2become.org or call 01277 373 848

SATURDAYS Taizé at Notre Dame Church Leicester Square 7.15pm. Call 020 7437 9363 2-3 November Relics of St Anthony Tour: Saturday at Westminster Cathedral, SW1P 1QJ Sunday at St Peter’s Italian Church, EC1R 5DL

EXTRAORDINARY FORM MASSES Sundays Low Mass 9.30am, St James’s Spanish Place, W1 Low Mass 9am, High Altar, the Oratory, Brompton Road, SW7 Mondays Sung Mass 6.30pm Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, WC2. Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Rd SW7 Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Rd SW7 Fridays Low Mass 6pm St Etheldreda, Ely Place EC1 First Fridays only. Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Rd SW7 Mass 6pm St John the Baptist Church, King Edward's Rd Hackney E9. Every Second Friday Low Mass 6.30pm, Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, WC2 Saturdays Second Saturdays at 4.30pm, Low Mass Side Chapel Westminster Cathedral Low Mass 12.15pm St Wilfrid’s Chapel, The Oratory, Brompton Rd SW7 Sundays Monthly afternoon classical piano recitals presented by the Chopin Society UK. Westminster Cathedral Hall. Prices £12, £10 (OAP), £6 (students). For more information contact 020 8960 4027 or go to www.chopin-society.org.uk

19 November London Justice and Peace Autumn Assembly on “Justice & Peace – Mission Beyond the Year of Faith.” The Salvation Army Regent Hall, W1C 2DJ 10am - 4pm. Contact justice@rcdow.org.uk

Page 23

Spotlight

Westminster Record | November 2013

Are hearts still on fire? Public figures reflect on the legacy of the Papal visit after 3 years By Chris O’Callaghan

n 27th September, the Archbishop blessed a commemorative plaque at the West Door of Westminster Cathedral to celebrate the third anniversary of the visit of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in September 2010. At the time, the visit was acclaimed by all as a success for the Church in Britain and for repairing some of the damage done to the image of the Catholic Church following a troubling list of scandals which had emerged during Benedict’s pontificate. But three years on, what kind of success has lasted since 2010? What legacy did the visit leave us? Facts and figures are not enough. Belief is central to religions and cannot be measured numerically. Would an increase in weekly attendances at local churches after the visit be a reflection of its effect? In a similar way, would the intake at RCIA or confirmation programmes really show the effects of the visit? From the outset therefore, the issue of how to measure the legacy three years on is difficult. When I asked Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor for his reflection on the visit, he said the impact was “quite simply, the Page 24

impact of Pope Benedict himself. He emerged to the British people not as a stern, uncompromising Pope but as a pastor, a shepherd, someone who was able to speak clearly and easily of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of this country”. This is undoubtedly true. Before the visit, the Holy Father was portrayed in some corners of the media as a hardnosed authoritarian figure with links to the Nazi Party from his childhood. Instead he revealed himself as a compassionate and engaging figure to all who met him. On his departure, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, said that the Holy Father had made us all “sit up and think” and had spoken to “6m Catholics but also been heard by 60m people”.

A Papal gift - bearing fruit

“It was a success three years ago and its effects have not been diminished three years later.” From a youth perspective, Paschal Uche, who addressed the Holy Father outside of Westminster Cathedral on behalf the Catholic youth of Britain, said at the time how he was welcomed “in a sense like a rock star and he really responded to that”, showing the Holy Father’s before unknown and unseen connection with the youth of Britain and their excitement and warmth towards him. He remembered him as a ‘gentle and generous man’ and that his address to the young people was a ‘landmark of encouragement for young Catholics in the UK’. Westminster Youth Chaplain Father David Reilly echoed these sentiments saying ‘the meeting between Pope Benedict and the young people outside Westminster Cathedral was one of the highlights of the Papal Visit. It was a great moment

for the work of youth ministry in our dioceses and country’ The Rt. Rev. John Arnold, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster described the Holy Father as a “humble man” who has helped to show us how to confront the challenges our society faces: climate change, poverty, gender equality and the proper use of resources. He told me the visit had a “wonderful impact on Catholics and people of faith” and that the enthusiasm it generated can be translated into a new way of thinking about faith in the world. Lord Patten, who played a principal role in the organisation of the visit, thought it showed that the UK was not a “godless island” and that the Church remained full of “natural vitality” and central to British life and worship. He went on to say that the visit reaffirmed the notion that the Church still has a role to play in society and that the success of the visit could be an inspiration for all religions in Britain with wider and further reaching implications than just the obvious ones for the Catholic community, thoughts echoed by Bishop Arnold who referred to the Holy Father’s meeting with other faith leaders in Twickenham. “It was a success three years ago and

Are hearts still on fire? Public figures reflect on the Papal visit after three years

its effects have not been diminished three years later” is his conclusion. Quantifying the legacy of the visit three years on looks to be an impossible task for legacies can take many years to develop and come into effect. Nevertheless the people who have contributed to this article have seen evidence flowing from 2010. A continuation and strengthening of dialogue and friendship between faiths, a truer public perception of the Holy Father and his significance in the Church and a uniting of Catholics across the country; these merely scratch the surface of the legacy. The challenge for us all now is make sure that we continue to build on this progress so that it continues to bear fruit five, ten, fifteen years later.