Westminster Record - November 2015

Westminster Record

November 2015 | 20p

Celebrating the Red Mass

Interview with Canon Philip Cross

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Page 15

Mercy Matters: Advent and the Jubilee Page 20

The Joy of the Family An ‘immensely rich experience’ were the words Cardinal Vincent used to describe the Synod on the Family which took place in Rome over three weeks in October.

He began by explaining that, at this synod and the Extraordinary Synod last October, Pope Francis ‘has gone to great trouble to make every participant feel relaxed’. At last year’s synod, the Pope had told all present: ‘I want you to speak freely, I want you to speak passionately, I want you to say what you experience, and you can feel free in doing so because I am here’.

‘The meaning of the synod as being with the Pope is crucial to understanding him,’ said the Cardinal. As with the first Council of Jerusalem when Peter stood and spoke at the end of the discussion, Pope Francis spoke about the ‘pattern of synods as being central to his understanding of the Church’.

‘The synod was a process of discernment, a walking together of a group of people to discern the way forward,’ the Cardinal made clear. ‘This discernment is a pathway, not a “yes” or “no” answer to people’s complex situations.’

He explained that there was a noticeable shift in the emphasis of this synod, from ‘problems facing the family to appreciation and esteem for the families around the world’.

‘In particular, our esteem grew for those families who live in great difficulties but support and sustain their stability, their faithfulness, their fruitfulness (in the wide sense of the word)

and do so inspired by their understanding of the call of God’, Cardinal Vincent said.

He added, ‘this synod saw itself as offering real, strong support for marriage, based on the partnership of a man and a woman and for family life as key institutions in the world today.’

In his closing address on Saturday evening, Pope Francis posed the question, ‘What does this synod mean for the Church?’

Cardinal Vincent believed that the synod helped the Church to ‘develop a freshness about the way we think of the family’. He mentioned key phrases in the final document of the synod, including: ‘the family is the image and likeness of the blessed Trinity’ which points back to Pope Benedict XVI’s phrase that ‘the deepest essence of God is relationships, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and that the image and likeness of God is to be seen in the family’.

The Eastern tradition contributed the image of the family as ‘the mystery of the love of the Trinity’, noting that the family can inspire ‘contemplation and awe’ because family life has ‘something of the mystery of God about it’.

Continued on pages 10 & 11

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Westminster Record | November 2015

‘The Most Powerful Message is Mercy’ the world, but also thos ,as we pray at Mass, ‘who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection and all who have died in your mercy’.

The Christian family extends beyond this world, and our bonds of love are stronger than death. November is the month of the Holy Souls, our dear and loved ones whom we commend to Christ and to his mercy. In this light, we carry a reflection in preparation for Advent, The Synod on the Family, which concluded last month, which this year is enriched by the beginning of the Year was not (as so many of Mercy. As we are called to commentators wished it to proclaim God’s mercy be) first and foremost a especially (but of course, not battleground over theology only!) from our pulpits, it is or canon law, but an fitting to focus on the great affirmation of the role of the pulpit of Westminster family, and its role in Cathedral, one of the founding and nurturing the principal places for our health, not merely of family proclamation of what Pope units, but also of the whole Francis calls the Lord’s most of society. We in Westminster powerful message: mercy. have been indeed fortunate The family of the Church that Cardinal Vincent has includes also the saints, and been participating in the this month it is the famous Synod throughout these medieval St Hugh of Lincoln, important weeks, and we saintly Carthusian bishop, carry a summary of his supremely tactful politician, reflections on the synod, as and friend of swans. Now well as his formal address to that’s what I call multithe assembled Fathers. tasking.

For Catholics, family has an even wider association, the family of the Church includes not only our nearest relations and the faithful throughout

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

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

Two Cathedrals Procession

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© Joseph Seba Gillett

The Two Cathedrals Blessed Sacrament procession, which happens annually between Westminster Cathedral and St George’s Cathedral in Southwark, took place on 3 October.

The tradition began in thanksgiving for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the UK in 2010 and has continued as a sign of unity between the two dioceses ever since. Bishop Nicholas, who was originally ordained as a priest of the Diocese of Southwark, and is now an Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, led the procession which began at Westminster Cathedral and closed with Benediction at St George’s.

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News Cardinal Vincent Invites Legal Professionals to be ‘Missionaries of Mercy’ Westminster Record | November 2015

Cardinal Vincent celebrated the annual Red Mass to call upon the Holy Spirit to guide the work of the judiciary and legal profession which took place at Westminster Cathedral on the first day of the law year, 1 October.

In his homily, Cardinal Vincent invited those present to ‘reflect on the place of mercy in every aspect of the administration of justice’ and to be ‘missionaries of mercy’ who ‘live out the relationship between mercy and justice that our faith reveals to us’.

Taking as his starting point the sending of the Holy Spirit, the Cardinal explained that the Holy Spirit ‘manifests God’s justice’ and ‘also testifies to God’s mercy, and continues to make present that mercy in our lives’.

He went on to say, ‘No one exists as a matter of justice.

Rather, our very existence is an act of God’s mercy, made all the more clear by the fact that our existence has a real purpose, an eternal future in the joyful presence of God.’

Looking at how those who administer justice might live out this relationship, Cardinal Vincent invited them ‘to let the Holy Spirit fire your imaginations, so to discover and create ways in which you can rightly season justice with mercy, no matter your field of law.

‘Mercy is not reserved just for those who commit crime. Mercy must also extend to their victims.

And to every person.’

He enjoined them to ‘seek, too, the place of mercy in the way you treat everyone you meet in your courts, your chambers, your offices’.

Finally he called them to ‘welcome into your hearts the Holy Spirit who keeps us ever sensitive to the suffering and weakness of others, respecting always whatever human dignity demands as their due’.

The principal celebrant of the Red Mass this year was Archbishop Antonio Mennini, Papal Nuncio. Arrangements for the Mass are made each year by the Thomas More Society, whose membership consists of Catholic members of the Judiciary and Bar as well as solicitors.

Re-visiting Neasden Temple

Divine Mercy Day of Prayer

by Jon Dal Din

A Divine Mercy Day of Prayer of intercession for peace in Iraq, Syria and all the Middle East was held in Westminster Cathedral on 26 September. Two of the diocesan Middle Eastern chaplains, Fr Shafiq Abouzayd and Fr Nadheer Dako, gave powerful testimonies along with Reta Bidi, a student originally from Baghdad who lived through the Iraq War before fleeing to the US. The keynote speaker was Fr Paul Sigl, Founder of the Family of Mary.

The proceeds of the collection after covering expenses, a total of £3,367, was sent directly to the Maronite Archbishop of Damascus, Archbishop Samir Nassar.

around this beautiful Mandir dedicated to their spiritual founder, Bhagwan Swaminarayan, and explained the origins of the Mandir, its architecture and symbolism. We were led upstairs into the Inner Sanctum to seven ornate shrines housing murtis (sacred images which Hindus believe to be ritually infused with the divine presence).

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These are the spiritual heart of the Mandir, and the focus for prayer and worship.

At the end of the visit Cardinal Vincent commented that recognising our differences, being well-rooted in our own religious beliefs and expressing them confidently, is no barrier to dialogue and friendship, but rather the sure foundation for them.

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© Daniel Blackman

On 9 September, Cardinal Vincent visited BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, the largest Hindu temple outside of India. This year the Temple celebrates its 20th anniversary, having been visited by Cardinal Vincent, then Auxiliary Bishop for North London, when it was newly opened.

The group was met by three sadhus, who guided us

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News

Westminster RecordRecord September 20112015 Westminster | November

On 17 October, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Synod of Bishops by Pope Paul VI in 1965, Cardinal Vincent addressed a gathering in the Vatican.

Beginning with his personal experience as a seminarian in Rome during Vatican II, he observed that by the third or fourth seesion, they appeared to be ‘brothers in the Lord, bound together in the challenge of a shared task, being fashioned into an affective college in a new spirit flowing through the Church’ and that the creation of the Synod of Bishops in 1965 ‘has fashioned strong and enriching relationships between bishops and between bishops and the Holy Father which would have been unimaginable before the Council’.

Emphasising the divided nature of Europe in the 20th century following the two great wars and the cold war, he explained that ‘Europe was not only deeply divided but also absorbed within itself.’ He said that over time the meetings and work of the Synod of Bishops has greatly contributed to

‘dissolving our Euro-centric vision not only of the world but also of the Church.’

Much of this had to do with the discovery that ‘the riches of the Church are to be found well beyond its European heartland’.

He added, ‘We now appreciate particularly that the “resourcing” of the life and thought of the Church comes from many places.’

The Cardinal recalled the 1998 Special Assembly for Oceania where St Peter’s Basilica was filled with garlands of flowers and the sound of conch shell horns: ‘I thank God for the rich variety of Catholic life that the Synods have brought to us all, dissolving for ever the Europe-centred imaging of the Church which can so inhibit our discussions.’

He made particular note of the two Special Assemblies for Europe of the Synod of Bishops held in 1991 and 1999. The first ‘was intended in the mind of Pope St John Paul II to get the Church breathing with both lungs, both Catholic and Orthodox, even though the first attempt that was needed was to get West and East to breathe together,’ he said.

It ‘did not fully live up to those expectations’ because ‘distance between East and West was greater than had been realised’.

The second assembly, at which there ‘was far more mutuality, resulted in the Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Europa. .

The Cardinal noted the emergence of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences which has ‘continued and complemented the work of the European Synods of Bishops and effectively served the collegiality enjoyed in this continent in Europe’.

Reflecting on modern-day Europe, Cardinal Vincent emphasised the variety of nationalities now present here, citing the diversity of parishes in this diocese as an example.

He referred to the refugee crisis saying that ‘the European Union is facing critical questions and tensions, especially the temptation to remain a fortress’.

Speaking of the recent meeting of the Presidents of the European Bishops’ Conferences in Jerusalem, he spoke of the

New Catholic School to Open in Golders Green A new independent Catholic girls’ school is to open in Golders Green in September 2016 by the Alpha Plus Group.

St Anthony’s School for Girls will be located in Ivy House, NW11. Ivy House overlooks Golders Hill Park and is the former home of the London Jewish Cultural Centre and of prima ballerina Anna Pavlova.

The new school will be a two-form entry school, which will educate girls from age 4 to 11. Classes in Reception and Year 3 will open in September 2016 and growth will be organic after that, with Year 1 and Year 4 opening in September 2017 and so on. The maximum roll will be 280.

The diocese has granted permission for the school for girls to be opened to complement St Anthony’s Catholic Boys’ school in Hampstead as an expansion to Catholic provision in the area.

The school will operate with a Page 4

© L’osservatore Romano

Cardinal Vincent Reflects on Importance of Synod of Bishops on the Life and Mission of the Church in Europe

‘common challenges’ they shared, ‘among them, were the challenges facing the family today and the strength which the family brings’.

He continued, ‘Europe knows clearly now this challenge and the need to find ways of holding before people the full invitation of marriage

in the Lord, its faithfulness, its fruitfulness and its witnes’.

He affirmed that the ‘bishops of Europe, now together, are ready to play our part in this Synod’ and gave thanks for all that has been received since the institution of the synod of bishops 50 years ago.

Apostleship of the Sea is seeking a

Corporate Fundraising Officer to join its innovative fundraising team in London. This role is focussed on the identification and delivery of engaging and sustainable corporate partnerships and will be responsible for managing a pipeline of prospects to ensure the organisation meets its long and short term strategic objectives.

The key responsibilities for this role include: • Researching, identifying and approaching new corporate partnerships • Build and develop new business introductions and relationships • Lead on pitch and negotiation stages to secure new partners • Maintain accurate contact management records to ensure clear reporting • Report against income and expenditure budget The successful applicant will have the following skills and experience: • Proven experience of developing innovative corporate propositions • Significant experience of securing proactive corporate partnerships • Exceptional listening skills and effective written and oral communication skills with an inspiring communication style • Creative, imaginative, shows initiative, a self-starter

Location: London Salary: £35K pro rata, 4 days per week Closing date: 30th November 2015 Interviews: 14th December 2015

pastoral board, which will work with Alpha Plus and the school leadership to ensure the Catholic ethos of the school is nurtured and developed. The new school

will be run with the same ethos and values as the existing St Anthony’s School for Boys, where the pastoral board model has worked highly successfully.

For an application pack or for more information contact John Green, on 07505 653801 or johngreen@apostleshipofthesea.org.uk Registered charity in England and Wales no. 1069833.

Registered charity in Scotland no. SCO43085.

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News

Westminster Record | November 2015

Golders Green Parish Celebrates Centenary On 26 September, the parish of St Edward the Confessor, Golders Green, came together to celebrate the church’s centenary.

In July 1908, Fr William Bendon,

the first Parish Priest, purchased the present site of the church just outside the boundary of the new Garden Suburb. A small church was built first but this proved

inadequate to serve the growing congregation and the building of a larger church was begun in 1913. The church was opened on the feast of St Edward the

Confessor, 1915, by Cardinal Francis Bourne. Cardinal Vincent presided at the anniversary Mass which was attended by parishioners and many other

guests. After the Mass, the congregation crowded into the parish hall to enjoy the variety of food prepared by parishioners and later even some dancing!

Pinner Scouts Celebrate 75th Anniversary

On Sunday 27 September the 3rd Pinner Scouts of St Luke’s parish celebrated their 75th anniversary. Canon Robert Plourde celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving which was

followed by tea in the parish hall. The celebration was attended by Beavers, Cubs and Scouts as well as parents, friends and previous members.

Robert Baden-Powell’s last

letter to scouts everywhere was read as well as a personal letter from Head Scout Bear Grylls. It was a great celebration with members both current and former taking part in the day.

90th Anniversary Celebrations at Elstree and Borehamwood On 27 September the parish of Elstree and Borehamwood celebrated 90 years of Catholic worship with a Mass of Thanksgiving led by Cardinal Vincent at St Teresa of the Child Jesus.

The Mass was live streamed to the parish centre and marquee to accommodate the large number of people who attended, including local MP Oliver Dowden, and the Mayor of Hertsmere Martin Worster. In 1925 the first Mass was held in a small chapel with just 50 people, which has continued to grow into the joint Catholic parishes of Borehamwood.

After Mass, the Cardinal presented diocesan medals to Sean Ryan, Doreen Hore and Nick Todd for their many years of service to the parish.

Certificates of Appreciation were also given to the Impact group and the boys that assisted with the preparation and serving of the parish community Sunday lunches.

Following Mass, people gathered at St Teresa’s school for the parish’s annual international lunch which celebrates the cultural diversity of the community. People wore their national dress and brought along traditional dishes to share.

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Schools St Joseph’s Primary School Finds Temporary Home at Newman Catholic College

Westminster Record | November 2015

Following the fire at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Willesden on 22 September which devastated the roof and top floor, staff and pupils have been relocated to temporary accommodation whilst work is carried out on the school site.

Newman Catholic College welcomed staff and pupils from St Joseph’s, providing accommodation for nearly the entire school, with the exception of nursery and reception which are situated not far away. St Joseph’s have moved into the sports hall, drama studio, and sixth form building of Newman College, in addition to a purpose-built porta cabin on the school site.

Dawn Titus, Executive Headmistress of St Joseph’s, was keen to keep their school community together as far as possible and was pleased to have been able to relocate pupils and staff to the site of a Catholic school. The two schools have worked together to come to an arrangement that reduces the impact to students of both St Joseph’s and Newman College and the local community. St Joseph’s have a designated area on the school site to give the children and staff as much freedom and

sense of community as possible during the time they are based there.

‘I would like to thank Breda Kirby, Associate Headmistress, and Bridget Pratley, Associate Deputy Headmistress, as their support, along with all my staff, has been nothing short of amazing.’

Pupils have taken the relocation in their stride and continue to engage fully with their learning and maintain excellent standards of behaviour despite their new and unusual environment.

Understandably, the fire was distressing for staff, pupils, and parents, but the school community has come together to ensure that stability and support are provided during this time of transition and uncertainty.

On 19 October Bishop John visited the staff and pupils of St Joseph’s and was impressed by the cooperation between the two schools, how quickly the relocation was carried out and how well pupils and staff have settled and adapted to their new environment.

After his visit, Bishop John said, ‘I would like to thank the staff at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School and Newman Catholic College for the way in which they have worked

Bishop John meets pupils in a temporary classroom in Newman College drama studio

together to enable the children to be located at Newman College and continue their schooling. I also add my gratitude to Brent Council and the Diocesan Education Service for their outstanding dedication. The amount of cooperation and sense of solidarity shows Catholic education at its best.’

Out of the tragedy of the

fire, the local Catholic community responded generously to support St Joseph’s. The complete dedication of Dawn Titus, Breda Kirby, Bridget Pratley, and all of St Joseph’s staff has meant that children returned to school just over a week after the fire took place. Plans are underway to move back to the school’s original site where

porta cabins will be erected while work is being carried out to restore the school building.

An event such as this often stretches a community to its very limits, but it is clear that the St Joseph’s community is stronger than ever and its focus on providing children with the best Catholic education possible is still at the heart of all they do.

Diamond Jubilee celebrations at St Michael’s School On 29 September, the feast day of St Michael, over 1500 students, staff and invited guests gathered at St Michael’s Catholic High School in Garston for a Mass celebrated

by Cardinal Vincent to mark the school’s Diamond Jubilee.

St Michael’s was originally founded in 1955 by the Dominican Sisters of Rosary Priory, Bushey, who attended the celebrations.

During his homily Cardinal Vincent spoke of opening our eyes and looking inside ourselves and being less concerned about our exterior appearance. This linked to the Page 6

introduction of the new mission statement and pledge for the next ten years. As much as the Jubilee Mass was a celebration of the past ‘sixty glorious years of Catholic education’ in South West Hertfordshire, it was also a chance to look ahead and recommit to St Michael’s mission statement of ‘Bringing Christ to All and All to Christ’. The new pledge is dedicated to helping a phenomenal ex-student, Sr Mary Joachim in her ‘Mission of Hope’, serving communities in Africa and East Asia, while continuing development work in Rwanda.

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Schools

Westminster Record | November 2015

Gold Club Status for St Gregory’s St Gregory’s Catholic Science College has been awarded Gold Club status, for the second time, under a scheme set up by the Mayor of London to recognise exceptional schools in the capital. The Gold Club is part of the Mayor's drive to boost standards and raise attainment for all schoolchildren. Andrew Prindiville, Head teacher, said ‘we are delighted that the excellent work of our staff and pupils has once again been

recognised by the Mayor of London’. The Mayor of London Boris Johnson commented’ 'Congratulations to St Gregory’s Catholic Science College for its outstanding achievements and for the hard work of its pupils and staff.

Londonschools are going from strength to strength and our Gold Club members are testament to the fact all schools can aspire to attain excellence for all their pupils’.

Construction Industry Award for Our Lady and St Joseph School and St Francis Family Centre

© Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School and the St Francis Children's Centre, which were opened by Cardinal Vincent in March this year, have received a high commendation at the British Construction Industry 2015 Awards Event in the Building Project of the Year category (under £10million).

The school and centre were also a finalist in the Sustainability category.

The school and children’s centre were designed by the Green Tea Architects and constructed by 8build.

National Poetry Day at St Augustine’s St Augustine’s Priory School celebrated National Poetry Day with poet Mona Arshi. Her poem, ‘The Minister of Light’, was commissioned especially for national poetry day, and she read from her collection ‘Small Hands’. Ms Arshi had made a film featuring some of the girls from the school. The school had further celebrations in the afternoon with the opening of an outdoor stage.

Cardinal Vincent Blesses New Sacred Hearts’ Hall at St Vincent’s Primary School On 23 September, St Vincent’s Catholic Primary School in Acton welcomed Cardinal Vincent to bless and dedicate their new Sacred Hearts Hall.

Guided by local artist, Mrs Sophie D’Souza, pupils created a large mosaic in the new hall which portrays the flags of the countries of origin of the pupils and the emblem of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, whose two parishes in Acton serve the school.

During the ceremony, Cardinal Vincent formally installed the Blessed Sacrament into the school’s St Damien of Molokai Chapel. Damien, the leper priest, of the Sacred Hearts Fathers, sacrificed his life for the lepers on the Island of Molokai. He was beatified in June 1994 and canonised on 11 October 2009, with his feast celebrated on 10 May. The pupils and choir of St Vincent’s led the liturgy with representative members of staff, parents and governors. Mrs Tina Cleugh, Headteacher, congratulated all members of the school community on their dedication and commitment to the liturgical and Catholic life of the school.

The tabernacle in the new chapel has been hand carved in Equador, and the stained glass window depicting the six school ‘House Saints’ associated with the charism of the school includes its founding order, the

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Pield Heath School Raises Money for Cancer Research UK Pield Heath School has been busy fundraising, with two events taking place at the end of September.

On 25 September the school took part in the 'World's Biggest Coffee Morning' and raised almost £600 for Macmillan Cancer Research. The event was attended by parents and members of the local community. The school thanks Brunel University for their invaluable help in making it a success as well as the generosity of their supporters.

On 26 September, 12 members of the school community took part in the Shine Night Walk to raise money for Cancer Research UK and successfully completed the half marathon in less than five hours. If anyone would like to support the team they can do so at www.justgiving.com/LouiseMahon2015.

Sisters of Charity of St Jeanne Antide. These, along with the stained glass Cross window in the front of the new building, are beautiful and exquisite examples of the Catholic links across the school and its history.

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Ecumenical

Westminster Record | November 2015

Bishop John Takes Part in Catholic Methodist Dialogue in Kuala Lumpur

In October, the Joint International Commission for dialogue between the World Methodist Council and the Catholic Church met in Kuala Lumpur. Bishop John is a member of the commission and here shares his experiences of Christianity there.

It was the fourth meeting of the current dialogue which had been tasked with preparing a document for the World Methodist Council meeting in Houston in 2016. The document

will focus on the ways in which Catholics and Methodists understand the call and path to holiness and will be entitled, The Call to Holiness: From Glory into Glory.

The decision to meet in Malaysia had been a joint decision of the World Methodist Council and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the two bodies who sponsor the dialogue and to whom we ultimately report. The aim was to support Christians

and ecumenical dialogue in the countries which we visited.

Christians in Malaysia comprise about 9% of the population of 28million. About 61% of the country is Muslim, 20% Buddhist, and 6% Hindu.

While we were in Kuala Lumpur, we joined a celebration to mark the 55th anniversary of the foundation of the Catholic Teachers’ Federation at which Archbishop Julian Leow, who was celebrating the first anniversary of his episcopal

Going for Growth in Hertfordshire On 3 October, Churches Together in Hertfordshire held their Go for Growth conference at the Focolare Centre for Unity in Welwyn Garden City. The aim of the conference was to look at growth in all its dimensions, with the theme of gathering all things together in Christ.

Around 130 people took part in the day, which began with a discussion panel consisting of representatives from Churches Together in Hertfordshire.

Clare Ward from Home Mission at the Bishops’ Conference who was there to discuss Proclaim ’15, explained that ‘Go for Growth made for an excellent expression of our commitment, across the denominations, to proclaim the joy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ where we pray, live and work’.

Panel participants offerered their insights and experience on the mission to share the Gospel.

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In the afternoon, a series of workshops were held, among them one presented by the Westminster Youth Ministry who explained the breadth and nature of their work.

Bishop John Sherrington, who chairs Churches Together in Hertfordshire, ran a group on Pope Francis and The Joy of the Gospel. After the event, he reflected that ‘it was a lively and inspiring day as members of different Churches and

Christian traditions met to consider how we might better proclaim the joy of the gospel and serve together the mission of the Church. Thank you to all who organised it and to WYM who provided a stimulating workshop.’

The closing worship drew everyone into adoration, lifting minds and hearts to the infinite beauty of God. Unity in him, in the end, is both the means and the end of all missions.

ordination, spoke passionately about his dream to rebuild Catholic education with a sound curriculum and a clear Catholic identity.

A number of religious orders were honoured for their contribution to Catholic education in Malaysia over many years. In particular Sr Enda Ryan, FMM from Co Limerick, the Leader of the Canossian sisters, spoke about their former houses in Welwyn Garden City and Cheshunt. Br Anthony Rogers, a La Salle brother, whose life had been committed to education, spoke about his present work to protect the human dignity of workers in the mining industry.

Mass on Sunday was celebrated at St Francis Xavier Church, a Jesuit parish with a congregation of 4,000 people on Sunday. We heard of a retreat to be held in Advent and the need to book early because of limited places: only 600!

We later joined the Trinity Methodist Church for worship; again a large congregation of several hundred people. This church was being rebuilt and will have an auditorium to seat 900 people. It is wonderful to experience such vibrant and warm communities.

I met a number of Christians in Kuala Lumpur who were fearful about the future and asked me if I knew about the 2014 High Court ruling which had declared that use of the name of God as ‘Allah’ (used by Malay speaking Christians) was restricted to Muslims. This ruling has led to some incidents of the seizure of bibles and hymn books which have been subsequently desecrated and raised fears amongst Christians.

Formerly most Christians living on the Malaysian peninsular had Chinese or Indian descent.

Christians from East Malaysia have an indigenous origin and speak Bahasa Malaysia.

In response to this ruling Archbishop Leow, in a recent pastoral letter, wrote, ‘We do not know what the future holds or what the repercussions of the decision of the Court of Appeal

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will be on rights of the minorities to practise their faith in the manner they consider in keeping with their religious practice, but we do know that we are a people of Faith and Hope.’

I encourage you to pray for the Christians in Malaysia and to find out more about the situation. In a country with a small Christian minority, the ecumenical need to pray, understand one another and serve together because we share a common baptism is a necessary imperative.

We also visited the Hindu shrine of Murugan at the Batu Caves where many worshippers bring gifts to the gods and newborn babies are dedicated.

Malaysia has a rich and complex mix of religions and diversity of peoples from many different origins which makes it colourful and fascinating.

With this rich experience, we began to work on the document to be completed for next year.

Draft chapters on anthropology, the Church, the path to holiness and the life of Christians in the world, and the life of ‘saints above’ were examined and received critique. My preliminary work had been in dialogue with Methodist Rev Dr Trevor Hoggard, who was formerly a Methodist minister in Derby and then served at the Methodist Church in Rome. Its focus has been the ‘four last things’: an examination of Catholic and Methodist understandings of death, judgement, heaven and hell.

The most interesting discussion has been concerned with the Catholic understanding of purgatory and some Methodist understandings of purification beyond the grave.

Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical The Hope That Saves (Spe Salvi, 2007) has provided interesting material for debate as has Blessed John Henry Newman’s Dream of Gerontius.

I flew home with a much greater understanding of the situation of Christians in Malaysia and the need to find out more and to pray for the Church in a difficult situation.

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Parish Profile A Jubilee Year for Harrow South and Northolt Parish Westminster Record | November 2015

time. Fr James’ predecessor, Fr Gerard Skinner, helped the parish get back on track with an austerity programme aimed at reducing the debt. ‘It’s utterly remarkable how the parish has cheerfully shouldered that burden and got rid of that big debt,’ says Fr James. Now that the debt has been paid completely, the parish has entered a new phase. As Fr James explains: ‘We needed to re-focus and remind ourselves why we’re really here. That’s why we have this year of Jubilee.’

The parish has come together to celebrate this Jubilee fittingly, socially as well as spiritually. The year began with a party. As Fr James says, ‘We can really put on a great party in this parish. That’s to do with the different nationalities and all the expert cooks in this parish.’

As the parish is one of the centres of the Polish Catholic Mission, parishioners combined forces with the Sacristan Ann, Parish Secretary Nicola Polish mission to put on a Corpus Christi festival in and Fr James Northolt. ‘We had a great It soon became apparent solemn Exposition and that a church would be Benediction accompanied by required and one day the choir from Harrow School,’ Fr Bernard happened to spot explains Fr James. The festival some land behind the pub that was such a success that the might serve. With some effort, parish is already thinking the land was purchased and a about plans for next year. church and presbytery were As the parish prepared to built. mark the 50th anniversary of ‘Since the the first Mass in St Bernard’s, 1960s, year by Fr James says, ‘We decided we year, so much needed to reflect on 50 years of energy has gone grace, of the sacraments into paying for bearing fruit in this so many projects community, in that life of the in the parish, parish community.’ beginning with Fr James invited the the building of Franciscan Friars of the St Bernard’s Renewal to hold a mission in St church in Gabriel’s during the week of 12 Northolt,’ September, ahead of the Jubilee explains Mass with Cardinal Vincent.

Fr James.

Reflecting on the week and the As the parish continued to overwhelming response from grow, alterations to both sites parishioners, he says, ‘From have been made to continue to the fullness of Christ, we have meet the needs of this vibrant received grace upon grace. We parish, adding social and had an opportunity to reflect meeting spaces and, more upon sacramental grace and to recently, re-ordering some give thanks to God.’ elements such as the placement Fr James remarks on the of the baptismal fonts and the prayerful nature of the parish. entrance to St Bernard’s.

‘There is great devotion,’ he With this growing list of notes. In addition to the older projects, a debt built up over parishioners, ‘the generation of ‘The story of this place is all about buildings’, says Fr James Neal, as he explains how the parish has grown since the middle of the last century.

‘What is important to remember is we’re one parish with two churches’, he stresses.

St Gabriel’s in South Harrow was the original parish church.

With the development of the Northolt racecourse in the 1940s and the growth of the village community, in 1959, then-Parish Priest, Fr Bernard Canham formed a Mass centre in an outbuilding belonging to a local pub to serve the needs of Catholics moving into the area.

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faith’, like others in London the parish boasts a vibrant mix of nationalities.

One sign of this devotion is the strong weekday Mass attendance and the Sunday Mass arrangement. As Fr James explains: ‘There is great pride and protectiveness, and a wonderful resilience.’ With two churches and a full Sunday Mass schedule, the parish relies on priests from outside the parish to assist.

‘I try to schedule it so that I’m in one church each Sunday on a strict rotation so that we can provide as stable a ministry as possible,’ he says. In response, parishioners have a very practical attitude. As Fr James notes, ‘they’re very generous about the different styles of priests who have come to celebrate Mass here’.

In other ways, it is a parish of compromises. The office is located at St Gabriel’s and the presbytery is attached to St Bernard’s, with parish secretary Nicola holding the fort in one location while Fr James shuttles back and forth between both churches, often ferrying candles, newspapers and people.

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‘The spine of this place is the A312, which is notoriously congested at critical times,’ he notes. ‘Logistics are a constant dynamic.’

This is a critical factor for many young families who live in the parish. As Fr James explains, ‘we are a parish with two churches, two tube stations, two of everything, except one parish priest and no schools’.

Despite several attempts over the years to establish a Catholic school in the parish, for one reason or another it has not come to fruition.

Consequently, children attend Catholic primary schools in neighbouring parishes, with secondaryschool-age children typically going to Wiseman, Sacred Heart and the Salvatorian College.

During the interview, Fr James observed that priests

often read a parish profile in the Record and think that all parishes must share these same characteristics. Yet, what emerges from this particular story is the resilient faith of this parish. The distances which parishioners are willing to travel to attend liturgies, the warm welcome extended to visiting priests, and the lengths parents are willing to go to ensure their children receive a Catholic education demonstrate in their own way the great devotion this parish has.

It is therefore not surprising that, in this Jubilee year, the parish chose to hold a mission week to give thanks for the graces received and to rediscover their purpose as Catholics bearing witness in this area of West London.

Founded: 1933 Mass Times: St Gabriel’s (Sat 6pm), 8.30, 10, 12noon St Bernard’s 9, 11, 5pm Telephone: 020 8864 5455 Website: parish.rcdow.org.uk/ harrowsouth Page 9

Synod on the Family

Westminster Record | November 2015

The Family as ‘Icon of God’s Relati

Continued from page 1

From the feedback he received from the diocese, Cardinal Vincent explained that the strongest voice was that of people saying that the most important thing in their life is their family, and that they would do anything for them. ‘It is clearly a light in people’s lives, even when other things go a bit dark,’ he said.

The document also repeated the phrase of Pope St John Paul II that the family is ‘the way of the Church’. The family was also described as ‘the icon of God’s relationship with his people’. The Cardinal explained that synod looked to the example of the family, to see

Page 10

how families cope with difficult situations where people don’t agree. ‘We can learn from how these families do this,’ he said.

The Cardinal said that his favourite phrase of the synod was that ‘the family is the flesh of the Church’. He continued, ‘the Church and the mystery of Christ’s presence amongst us takes flesh in the family’.

He explained that the synod ‘has set a pathway for the Church’ on which ‘we are going to have to find new ways of accompanying families and individuals at every phase in their life. This is particularly true for those facing difficulties, and there are key paragraphs

directed towards those who are divorced and remarried.’

Referring to the first reading (Jer 31.7-9) and the Gospel (Mk 10.46-52) of the Sunday following the synod the Cardinal explained that the readings echoed ‘the wish of the synod to find ways of accompanying people’ and ‘typified the type of accompaniment the synod envisioned for people in difficult situations’.

The Cardinal explained that there may be some people in irregular relationships in whose lives and relationships were ‘real signs of goodness’ who might be accompanied on a

journey towards marriage or encouraged towards a ‘sacramental understanding and celebration of their marriage’.

‘You have to begin by acknowledging what is positive and of the gospel in their lives even though it’s in an inadequate or incomplete setting,’ explained the Cardinal.

He reiterated that this is not new, but instead there is ‘a long tradition of pastoral practice within the Church’, with masters of this ‘art of accompaniment’ such as St Ignatius of Loyola and St Alphonsus Liguori.

‘This Synod is inviting us to recover some of these treasures and to become more conscious of them in explicit ways than in the last twenty years or so,’ added the Cardinal. Echoing Pope Francis he continued, ‘You have to bring your theological understanding face to face with realities and that is when theology becomes a living stream. This is the road the synod has chosen to take.’

‘It’s a pathway of step-bystep accompaniment to help those who are divorced and remarried, who might have left in tears to realise that, as Pope Francis has said, they’re not excommunicated; they have a place in the Church. They are our brothers and sisters, and we want to walk with them to find the best way forward for their participation in the life of the Church in many different ways,’ he added.

‘Whether that amounts to them receiving Communion cannot be predicted, and should not be predicted.

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‘This pathway is about wanting to listen and explore all the hurt that inevitably results from divorce, which can be like losing a limb. We want to offer a pathway of healing.’

The Cardinal also referred to paragraph 56 of the final document, which quotes from Evangelii Gaudium expressing Pope Francis’ wish that ‘all communities will devote the necessary effort to advancing along the path of a pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are’. Echoing the Pope’s words, Cardinal Vincent explained that ‘we are looking for a path of pastoral and missionary conversion because we cannot leave things as they are’.

‘We must always ask ourselves how the Church fulfils this mission of pastoral care. This synod has also raised the question of how we understand the sacraments today, how they are almost embedded in people’s lives and what the Eucharist really means.

‘We have almost got to a position where the Eucharist has become a badge of approval. And that is a misunderstanding of the Eucharist.

‘Every time I receive Communion it’s a challenge to me to change, to be different, to be more like the Sacrament I receive. St Augustine taught that we were to see on the altar the Sacrament of who we are and of who we are to become.

‘I think there is a much deeper understanding of the Eucharist, and probably the Follow us on Twitter at: twitter.com/RCWestminster

Synod on the Family

Westminster Record | November 2015

ionship with His People’

Photos ©Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

theology of marriage, and the whole sense of why, for the Catholic Church, sacraments are central to our lives as disciples of Christ.’

There was also quite a bit of discussion about the effect of poverty on families. Families are being broken apart as people travel round the world looking for work, or as they are caught in jobs which make it impossible to sustain family life.

‘I can’t help but think of Cardinal Manning,’ said the Cardinal, ‘and his insistence at the time of the Great Dock Strike in 1889 that a man should be able to go home and have a family life and the working conditions were such that that was impossible. If that is the situation today I see no reason why the judgement of the Church would be any different.’

Throughout the synod there were constant reminders and appeals for the difficulties faced especially by families across the Middle East in the violence and disruption faced by people seeking refuge in Europe. In his Angelus message on the Sunday following the synod, Pope Francis reiterated the appeal: ‘We have been walking together at this synod. Do not forget the thousands of people who have been walking to try and find refuge in the safety of Europe.’

At the end of the synod, a final document was presented to Pope Francis representing the completed work of the participants. It is likely that the Holy Father will produce a document during the Year of Mercy.

Cardinal Vincent said: ‘My hope would be that the title would be The Joy of the Family, in line with his previous The Joy of the Gospel. It would be a very positive of exposition of why the Gospel of Christ and his vison for marriage and family is really good news for people and for our society today.’

At the conclusion of the synod, the Cardinal issued a pastoral letter that was to be read in all parishes in the diocese on Sunday 1 November, the Solemnity of All Saints. He urges: ‘May we draw from this synod of bishops great encouragement for our own family life and for the life of the family of the Church, as we each reach out for the great mercy of God, a mercy that will never fail us once we come, with penitent hearts, seeking its healing and peace.’

For the updates from the synod and the pastoral letter, please visit the website rcdow.org.uk.

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Page 11

Westminster Record | November 2015

The Ambo of Westminster Cathedral

by Dom Daniel McCarthy OSB

Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

Cardinal Vincent preaches from the ambo at this year’s Easter Vigil

When Pope Benedict XVI visited Westminster Cathedral on 18 September 2010, the celebration of the Eucharist showed the best practice of the local church and gave a fine example to follow. One aspect of that liturgy which may still be unfamiliar to many people is the proclamation of the scripture from the ambo, sometimes called a pulpit.

This is the marble and mosaic balcony standing on pillars two-thirds of the way up the nave. The original pulpit was installed in June 1903 and was rebuilt in 1934. There the scripture is proclaimed in the midst of the assembly, whereas in many parish churches it is proclaimed from a lectern standing near the altar in a raised sanctuary.

History The pulpit of Westminster Cathedral can now be understood, thanks to recent research into the origin, ritual use and symbolic structure of the ambo. The etymology of the term ‘ambo’ is not certain, but may come from the Greek verb anabaino, ‘I go up’, referring to the steps and raised structure for proclaiming the scripture.

Proclaiming the scripture from a raised platform in the midst of the congregation developed early in the Christian tradition. In the sixth century the largest ambo ever constructed was commissioned by the Emperor Justinian for the great church of Hagia Sophia in Page 12

Constantinople. The building still stands, but the ambo was dismantled.

In the eleventh century the use of the ambo was introduced into the Christian west by Abbot Desiderius of Monte Cassino (later Pope Victor III 1086-87) who invited artisans from Constantinople to renovate the abbey church. They brought with them the artistic heritage of Byzantium, including the intricate mosaic work best known by the work of the Cosmati family. A superb example of a Cosmati mosaic is the floor design in front of the main altar of Westminster Abbey, where the English monarch is anointed.

The artisans’ work on Monte Cassino was so well received that they were invited to renovate the nearby cathedral of Ravello, whose original smaller ambo remains intact but was moved to make space for a larger one whose design is more reminiscent of the ambo in Westminster Cathedral. The first ambo to be built in Rome was installed between 1118 and 1124 during a renovation of the basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. It still stands, unappreciated by the innumerable visitors to the Bocca della verità or the ‘Mouth of truth’, an ancient sewer cover located in the church’s front porch. Another fine ambo remains intact in the Basilica of San Clemente near Rome’s Colosseum. Many Roman basilicas had an ambo, including

St Peter’s and St John Lateran, Rome’s cathedral.

In the 1400s many ambos were dismantled in accord with the new aesthetic of the Italian Renaissance, which valued wide, open spaces free of medieval accretions. The reading of scripture shifted to the altar and the sanctuary, which gradually came to be the sole focal point in the celebration of Mass.

Meaning The meaning and use of the ambo finally came to light with the research of Mgr Crispino Valenziano, emeritus professor of the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy located at the Benedictine house of studies, Sant’Anselmo, Rome. Through research he began to piece together the historical account and the ritual use of ambos.

The difference between a lectern and an ambo is that a lectern, no matter how monumental, serves the function of holding a book, whereas an ambo has a symbolic structure for proclaiming the word of God. It can be explained easily if we begin with the first antiphon of Vespers on Easter Sunday which says: ‘The angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled the stone away and sat on it.

Alleluia, alleluia.’ The account continues as the angel told the women: ‘Do not be afraid… he is not here. Go quickly and tell his disciples: “He has been raised from the dead”’ (Mt 28:1-7).

The space below the present

ambo at Westminster Cathedral is empty, as if to say, ‘He is not here! He has been raised from the dead’. The empty space is an integral element of the symbolic narrative and so cannot be used for storage. The emptiness is the negative expression of the Resurrection, whose positive expression is given on the front of the ambo, where the minister stands to proclaim the scripture.

There the low edge is decorated with a bas relief of the victorious Lamb who was slain. This image of the victorious Lamb is also integral to the symbolic narrative of the ambo and so should not be covered by a hanging.

Pope Benedict XVI presided at a Votive Mass of the Precious Blood in honour of the dedication of Westminster Cathedral. The deacon proclaimed the passage from the Gospel according to John, 19.3137. The passage recounts part of the passion of Jesus, when the soldiers came and broke the legs of the other two men but, because Jesus had already died, a soldier pierced Jesus’ side and there flowed out blood and water. This scripture passage, taken alone, ends on a difficult note and does not point to the Resurrection. Because the deacon is standing on the ambo, however, itself a type of the empty tomb, the architecture and ritual supply what the

specific passage of scripture does not. The proclamation of the account of piercing the side of Jesus is proclaimed in the context of the Resurrection. All scripture proclaimed from an ambo, indeed, is interpreted in light of the resurrection, its proper Christian context.

At that liturgy the ambo was decorated in flowers all along the top of its low edge. The garden motif, indeed, was incorporated into the marble sculpture of the ambo itself. The capitals of the pillars holding up the ambo are decorated in acanthus leaves. This floral motif is integral to the narration of the Resurrection account, because Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb located in a garden.

Because the ambo can thus represent the empty tomb, the Easter candle is placed near it during the Easter Vigil, and the Easter Proclamation, the Exsultet, is sung there in praise of Christ the Light. The Easter candle also remains there throughout the Easter season.

Noteworthy ambos mentioned above each have a sculpted candleholder for the Easter candle integrated into the ambo itself, where it remains throughout the liturgical year.

Indeed a permanent Easter candleholder could rightly be added to the ambo of Westminster Cathedral. © Daniel McCarthy OSB

Fr Daniel McCarthy, OSB is a monk of St Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison, Kansas, guest professor of Liturgy and Latin at KU Leuven and recently appointed to serve as a professor at the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy, Rome. www.liturgyinstitute.org

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Youth

Westminster Record | November 2015

Director’s Spotlight

Chaplain’s Corner

Phil Ross

Fr David Reilly, Diocesan Youth Chaplain

With the Youth Service actively involved in projects as diverse as World Youth Day, Flame, the Young Adults training programme and Confirmation retreats, it is often easy to forget that our primary mission is to support our young in their home parish.

Our time working in a parish setting is truly fulfilling. Of late, our support of the Southall Youth Festival along with regular visits to HIYA, Clapton, Sudbury and many other parishes provides the on-going assurance that our faith is living and strong in our young people.

The network of youth workers has been established for a while now and continues to grow and the strength of community is alive in this group. It's amazing how a shared glass of wine now and again helps underpin the sense of common purpose.

It has been particularly noticeable over the last couple of years that many parishes have established their young as a local pastoral priority and quite often this has led to the recruitment of a youth worker for the parish. This is one area

where the youth ministry can offer tangible and direct support and I'm conscious that this support might not necessarily be well known.

If a parish is considering employing a youth worker then it's worth giving us a call. We have journeyed alongside many parishes as they move through the recruitment process. We can help with the development of a job description appropriate for the role and provide a guiding hand.

Working with the parish and human resources we can ensure that the right advert is produced and the most appropriate channels used to publicise the role. We'll gladly sit with the parish team at the interview stage and ensure that the new starter receives ongoing support and is inducted into the youth worker network.

There we have it, a rather shameless plug for one of our slightly hidden attributes.

Youth Mass to Celebrate Year of Mercy At a penitential celebration in St Peter's Basilica on 13 March, Pope Francis announced an extraordinary Jubilee year dedicated to Divine Mercy. In his homily, he said: ‘I have decided to call an extraordinary Jubilee that is to have the mercy of God at its centre. It shall be a Holy Year of Mercy. We want to live this Year in the light of the Lord's words: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (cf. Lk 6:36)”’ On 11 December Bishop Nicholas will celebrate a Mass for Youth at St Aloysius, Euston, to give the young people of the diocese an opportunity to celebrate together the start of the Year of Mercy.

Music will be provided by Edwin Fawcett and his music ministry scholars. This is an ideal opportunity for this group to witness to their faith and reveal the wonderful progress they have made in the 12 months since the award of their scholarships.

After the Mass there will be time to gather in the church hall to share some food. All parishes are asked to encourage representatives of their youth and young adult constituencies to attend.

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

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What we call today the autumn term was often referred to as Michaelmas Term, starting as it does near the Feast of St Michael. Together with Gabriel and Raphael, Michael is one of the archangels whose lovely feast marks the beginning of autumn. In fact, this season is full of beautiful days. In October we celebrated the feasts of two of the most famous saints: St Thérèse of Lisieux and St Teresa of Ávila.

November too has its own distinctive character, marked by our intense prayers for the Holy Souls, and beginning and ending with the glittering splendour of the solemnities of All Saints and Christ the King.

In these days of rejoicing and prayer, the liturgical year ebbs to its close. The dying days of autumn, like the leaves that sweep around our feet, remind us that there is ‘change and decay in all around we see’. The Church seasons do not start and stop arbitrarily but grow organically one into another. Already we sense the promise of a dim new light which invites us to begin again the journey of conversion and hope.

The journey of the Church’s year is meant to be a sign of our experience of life. In December, the Church will begin the new Holy Year, a time of grace marked by a renewed called to merciful living. As we reflect on how our own lives change, grow, flourish and end, perhaps we can also draw strength from the promise that all of this has an ultimate meaning: that Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of man, is the centre of time and history. He is the true light, the morning star, who illumines our darkness and makes everything clear.

See photos of youth events at: http://flickr.com/ photos/catholicwestminster

Page 13

Vocations

Westminster Record | November 2015

Reflection on St Columban for Pilgrimage to Myshall This is an abridged version of a reflection originally given by Sr Ann Gray SSC during a pilgrimage walking in the footsteps of St Columban to Myshall, a small village on the slopes of Mount Leinster in Ireland. This year marks the 1400th anniversary of his death. His feast day is 23 November.

According to Cardinal Tomas O’Fiach, St Columban ‘came to be known as Ireland’s first European poet, scholar, abbot, preacher and co-founder of western monasticism’, not to mention ‘the associate of kings and correspondent of popes.’

He was the founder of great monasteries in Europe in such places as Luxeuil, Annegray and Bobbio, and he continues to be greatly revered on the continent.

In this picture, we see Columban on the move, full of restless energy and spirit of the missionary. Here he is, staff clasped firmly, his cloak flowing behind him and his arm stretched out in longing for what lies ahead. Each time I look at this image of Columban, I am reminded of Balaam in the Book of Numbers of whom it was proclaimed: ‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes,

the oracle of one who hears the word of God, of one who knows the knowledge of the Most High.

He sees what Shaddai makes him see, receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened.’

For me, this is Columban of the far-seeing eyes, the man who yearned for something or someone, always beyond, the committed believer who was convinced of the urgency to preach the Gospel message and who was so convincing that others wanted to join him. Can we see ourselves in this?

It was Columban’s early monastic training which enabled him to sustain and nurture this energy, through the constant round of prayer, manual labour, study and mortification, and through following the practice of some of the monks to withdraw from time to time from community life and go ‘into the desert’ to some nearby cave or forest.

Jonas, who wrote the famous ‘Life of St Columban’, tells us: ‘At one time he was living alone in that hollow rock, separated from the society of others and, as was his custom, dwelling in hidden places or more remotely in the wilderness.’

In the natural beauty of

Myshall, at the foot of Mount Leinster, where we believe Columban was born, we can understand how, when a piece of land in Bobbio was given to him, Cardinal Tomas O’Fiach said that this was ‘the sort of terrain after which the Irishman seemed to hanker – wild, wellwatered, wooded and remote and where he was surely pleased to be moving once more from the affairs of kings and bishops to the solitude which he loved’.

And what of us? It has been said that the missionary is born in contemplation. Through such times alone with God, we listen to the word of God in scripture and nature and develop those far-seeing eyes so that we can see what Shaddai makes us see, receive the divine answer and allow our eyes to be opened.

Then we can trust the words: ‘Do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.’

Strengthened by such times of solitude, we can each day respond to God’s call however it comes to us, and grow more and more deeply into the motto which St Columban and all of us strive to live: ‘Let us be Christ’s and not our own.’

Wealdstone Schools Celebrate Mass for the Year of Consecrated Life On 9 October, Wealdstone and Harrow Weald parish, which was founded by the Salvatorians, held a schools’ Mass as part of their Year of Consecrated Life celebrations.

Fr Paul Harris celebrated the Mass and Dean of Harrow Fr Shaun Middleton preached.

Around 400 pupils from the four schools of the parish packed into the church and all contributed to a wonderful Mass in which the unique gifts and talents of the schools nad the role of children in spreading the Good News were celebrated.

The Salvatorian College and St Joseph’s Primary School were founded by the Salvatorians and Sacred Heart Language College was found by the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions so it was a Page 14

Adult Faith Formation Events Faith Matters Advent 2015: 'Behold, this is our God' At Vaughan House, 46 Francis St, SW1P 1QN, from 7–8.30pm.

24 November – ‘Fear not,’ said the Angel to the shepherds, ‘I bring you good news of great joy for all the people.’ (Lk 2.10)'.

Fr John Farrell OP offers a meditation on St Matthew and St Luke's account of the birth of Christ, and on the joy of believing.

1 December - 'Waiting for Christ with the Fathers'. Fr Thomas Skeats OP explores how the early Church understood the coming of Jesus through a study of some of the earliest commentaries on the Gospels.

8 December - 'Christ and Chalcedon'. Fr Dominic Ryan OP shows how the Church came to recognize the two natures of Christ, and why this is important.

15 December - 'Christ the Fulfilment of our Hope'. Fr Gregory Pearson OP explores the Church's hope in Christ as expressed in the liturgy of Advent.

Registration is required to secure your place. Please email livingfaith@rcdow.org.uk or call 020 7931 6078. There is a suggestion donation of £4 per talk.

wonderful opportunity to celebrate the contribution of

members of the consecrated life to the parish and schools.

This month’s Vocations Discernment Group will meet on 27 November at 7pm in the Hinsley Room on Morpeth Terrace near the Cathedral. Br John Bosco of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal will speak.

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Vocations

Westminster Record | November 2015

Five men currently discerning a calling to the priesthood recently visited one of our retired priests of the diocese, Fr Philip Cross. He answers their questions about the priesthood and his own priestly journey.

How long have you been a priest?

I’m 79 and was ordained over 40 years ago. I look back on priesthood and see a thread all the way through it, which I think is the Lord leading me. I had my ups and downs but I became a priest, and thank God for that.

You get a lot of joy out of it, but you also get sadness and sorrow, and you make mistakes. I look back on the mistakes I made and repent, because they can be very damaging to the person you have injured by your bad decision or lack of wisdom. On the other hand I look back at many joyous events or things which happened simply because someone banged on the door with a problem. This is where the bulk of the priest’s work is done and it’s graced by God, he even graces the mistakes.

How did you become a priest?

I was brought up in a Catholic family and when I was about 14 I wanted to know more.

In our house we had a lot of Catholic literature, including St Thomas Aquinas and CTS booklets. One of the threads drawing me forward through life has been the Mass and the mystery of the Eucharist. The wonder of it, the awesomeness and yet it is so ‘homely’.

A new parish opened in Garston where the priest was a very kind man with a deep love for God and I helped him out. I learnt through this the importance of parish. It is where people come together and where we know the Lord in Word and Sacraments.

I decided to become a priest after my parents had died in my mid-20’s and I was then free to leave the family business. I’d had a sense of vocation but I never admitted this until my father died. Finally I talked to my parish priest, after which I cried all the way home with relief and joy. With his encouragement I went to see Cardinal Heenan and his panel of six clerics. They decided to send me to Osterley, after which I went to Allen Hall, then in Hertfordshire.

Where have you served since being ordained?

My first parish was Our Lady of Victories in Kensington, very big, demanding, full of people of different nationalities, including refugees from a variety of countries. We had a school and a hospital, as well as regular visitation. It would go into the newsletter which roads were to be visited, and we would plod round and visit the people.

After five years in Kensington, I was sent to Garston which was my home parish, very different to Kensington, full of big housing estates, with a lot of people selfemployed.

After five years in Garston I was appointed parish priest of Kenton, a very big, busy parish, with a convent, two secondary schools and a primary school.

We also picked up Northwick Park hospital, which was a huge job. I enjoyed my time there very much, but towards the end I was struggling to keep up with the sheer volume of work.

Fortunately the Cardinal asked me to go to St Bede’s in Croxley Green, a much smaller parish.

That was a very happy experience indeed and I look back on those years with great gratitude: it was like a family there.

Weenson Oo/picture-u.net

A Priest Forever Bishop Nicholas Celebrates Mass for Missio

Fr Philip Cross with men discerning to the priesthood and Fr Richard Nesbitt, Vocations Director.

On 13 October, the feast of St Edward the Confessor (and a Solemnity within the City of Westminster), Bishop Nicholas celebrated a Mass for Missio at Westminster Cathedral. Bishop Wenceslao Padilla, the Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia was present at the Mass and preached at Masses at the Cathedral on the following Sunday, World Mission Day.

Do you think of yourself now as a retired priest?

A priest never really retires.

He gives up the ministry in the parish but you don’t retire because you are still faced with the mystery of God. And that is a journey into truth which lasts until your dying breath.

What advice would you give to those discerning a calling to the priesthood?

As Jesus says; ‘Do not be afraid!’ Of course the priesthood has its anxieties and challenges, but as a way of life it is a wonderful privilege. To be so intimate with people, to share their joys and sorrows is a great honour. It all comes together in the Eucharist, it is a great mystery and yet something so real and present. To celebrate Mass is always a matter of awe and surprise.

My final thought is that whatever you do, you must do it with love. That’s what enables you to do it. And pray for the gift of perseverance that once you have placed your hand on the plough you may not give up but may keep on to the end. God bless you all!

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On Saturday 17 October, Bishop Marcus Stock of Leeds celebrated Mass at Allen Hall Seminary for the institution of the Ministry of Acolyte. In total, seven seminarians received this ministry, including four for the Diocese of Westminster: Mike Maguire, Carlos Quito, Julio Albornoz and Rajiv Michael.

The Ministry of Acolyte is received by seminarians during their time of preparation for priesthood.

The responsibilities of an acolyte are to assist the deacon and priest in liturgical celebrations and to distribute communion as a special minister.

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

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Page 15

Marriage and Family Life World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia Edmund Adamus, Director of the Office for Marriage and Family Life, travelled to Philadelphia in September for the World Meeting of Families.

He reports on the experience.

Since its inception by St John Paul II in 1994, the World Meeting has strengthened the bonds of families across the globe. In this time of renewed mission for the Church, families founded upon marriage need to be at its heart and deserve maximum pastoral attention.

Sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Family, the

meeting is the world’s largest Catholic gathering of families.

The theme was ‘Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.’

A beautiful catechesis in preparation for the congress was published (available from the MFL office), emphasising the impact of the love and life of families on our society.

The four-day congress was attended by over 20,000 people hungry to hear many outstanding talks and workshops on offer from cardinals, bishops, and theologians, as well as inspiring

married couple presenters and communicators. The EXPO accompanying the event housed exhibitors displaying examples of dynamic pastoral creativity and resources aimed at building up spouses as the primary agents of evangelisation.

On the day the Pope addressed the US bishops in Philadelphia, it was heartening to hear him say: ‘without the family, there is no Church’. The celebration concluded with the announcement that Dublin had been selected to host the next World Meeting in 2018.

Annual Pilgrimage for Life

On 27 September, pilgrims from throughout the country gathered in Walsingham for the annual pilgrimage of Reparation

Page 16

and Prayer for the Sanctity of Life. Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth led the pilgrimage and celebrated the Mass.

In his homily Bishop Philip thanked the pilgrims for their witness to the sanctity of life and thanked God for the many benefits of living in an ordered society. But he also warned of the consequences of secularism, consumerism, scientism and relativism.

Ultimately he perceived a crisis of faith which undermines our society. He exhorted all present to renew and profess their faith, and to pray that faith, hope and love will be poured out across our land.

Stations of the Cross were led by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, followed by Exposition and Benediction.

Finally, pilgrims gathered around the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham for the recitation of the first three Sorrowful Mysteries before walking the Holy Mile to the Priory in prayerful silence.

Westminster Record | November 2015

International Retrouvaille Gathering Frances and Michael Hyland, leaders of Retrouvaille UK, attended the Retrouvaille gathering in Arizona with 530 couples and priests from all over the globe. All shared the common experience of healing and reconciliation in their marriages, whilst the priests came to minister mercy.

Retrouvaille is a peer ministry designed for couples experiencing distress or separation and divorce.

A residential weekend with follow-up sessions invites couples to understand that the only way to resurrection in their marriages is through the Cross and what that means in practice. Each couple considers changes they can make to their own behaviour to help them move towards unity and love.

Those who gathered in Phoenix have, through commitment and prayer, found a way that is able to reach out to the broken-hearted, offering

fresh hope and reconciliation and are engaged in service, first in their own marriages and family and then beyond, to other couples in need.

This past year Retrouvaille has served a staggering 4,682 couples across the world. On the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, 4 October, Pope Francis spoke of the Church’s mission ‘in charity’. He used the image of a mother ‘conscious of her duty to seek and care for hurting couples with the balm of acceptance and mercy’. The Church, he said, must be a ‘field hospital’ with ‘doors wide open to whoever knocks in search of help and support’, and Retrouvaille mirrors this message of help and hope.

Since 2009, the Office of Marriage and Family Life has supported this urgent work and always welcomes donations towards this important ministry.

Award for Human Trafficking Play Ten Ten Theatre received the award for Best Stage or Film Production dealing with Modern Slavery for their play ‘This is My Body’ at the Anti Slavery Day Media Awards. The award was presented by the Home Secretary, Theresa May. The play is a onewoman story about a woman who was rescued from trafficking and was rehabilitated in a safe house run by a religious sister.

Social Action

Westminster Record | November 2015

Farm Street Walk Camino for Bakhita House

Four pilgrims from Farm Street parish followed in the steps of St Ignatius, with eight days of walking (200km) along his path through Catalunya.

The part of the Ignatian Camino they followed starts at the Shrine of the Jesuit St Peter Claver in Verdù. St Peter was a missionary to Colombia who fought for the civil rights of Africans trapped in the slavery of the time. This was, therefore, a fitting place to reflect on the evils of human trafficking of modern day migrants to Britain.

Here began the walkers’ spiritual journey too, sharing faith along the long and winding road Ignatius himself knew in 1522. He too headed along the same ‘Cami Ral’ towards the great Abbey of the Black Madonna of Montserrat, where he spent three days in prayer before the Madonna and Child.

As the walking targets for each day got longer, so the spiritual theme of personal freedom went deeper. The pilgrims asked the question Ignatius asked on the road: ‘What does it really mean to be a pilgrim?’ Part of it is the actual doing of the journey, of putting in the effort to get there, whether walking or by other means. On one level the reason is raising prayers, awareness and funds for Bakhita House. But there is an inner journey on a pilgrimage which mirrors the journey of life.

Ignatius' own camino through these villages, towns and countryside, getting closer and closer to Montserrat and Manresa, mirrored an inner journey which led him to reflect on how the gift of his personal freedom represented true detachment from worldly concerns and desires, and

Laudato Si’ Workshop In his Encyclical, Laudato Si’, the Pope calls on us to care for the world’s poorest people and for the earth, our common home. CAFOD organised a workshop attended by parish representatives from the diocese.

Tony Sheen gave an explanation as to how best the encyclical might be presented to small groups at parish level.

The study guide itself invites reflection on the key themes of Laudato Si’, the four examples chosen being: 1) creation is a caress; 2) the climate is a common good; 3) humankind is a universal family; 4) we are made for love.

These themes could be studied one by one over a period of four weeks. Sessions could begin with a reading from Laudato Si’, then time given to quiet reflection before

discussion and sharing of insights. There could also be a story from an overseas community shared at each session. The group would then be encouraged to pray and respond in whatever way it thought fit.

Copies of the Laudato Si’ Study Guide and relevant films are available directly from CAFOD online at www.cafod.org.uk or by telephoning 030 0011 5680.

Inspired by Laudato Si’, Westminster Justice and Peace launched the LiveSimply scheme at an event held in Tottenham. Renowned theologian Fr Sean McDonagh give an overview of Laudato Si’ and a practical session on the LiveSimply scheme which was followed by a talk by the Environmental Secretary of Pax Christi France, Christine Lang.

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ultimately his indifference to what life would turn out to be for him in God’s plan.

Finally they headed to Manresa, where Ignatius spent several months composing the Spiritual Exercises. Ffollowing his conversion and handing himself over to Christ at the foot of Our Lady of Montserrat, he wanted to share this experience with the world, guiding us through an experience-led process of reflection and prayer based on our being loved sinners, following Jesus in his human life and ministry in the Gospels, his passion and death, tomb, and new life.

The Ignatian Camino is a treasure still being developed as an apostolic work of the Jesuits worldwide: a new way of doing an Ignatian retreat for individuals and groups. 2016 will be a Jubilee year for the Camino and at Farm Street we hope to continue to help develop this initiative, both for awareness and fundraising projects and to provide new ways to bring Ignatius’ spirituality of inner freedom to those who seek it on life’s journey.

To support Bakhita House, please go to www.jesuit.org.uk and follow the link to the Bakhita House fundraising page.

Apostleship of the Sea Offers Support for Seafarers

Tilbury port chaplain Wojciech Holub, along with the chaplaincy team, recently met a Filipino seafarer called Roger who rang the Seafarers' Centre at the port seeking support.

Roger had just been discharged from hospital after undergoing a minor operation and was staying in a hotel near Tilbury.

‘He was lonely and desperate for human contact, so for a week we picked him up from his hotel and brought him to the centre so he could meet and interact with other visiting seafarers’, said Wojciech.

During this time, the chaplaincy team also arranged scripture sharing sessions in the centre’s chapel with the help of Fr Jeba Marshall, Deacon Joern

Hille from the German Seamen’s chaplain, and port chaplain, Frans.

Together they prayed for Roger and his family back in the Philippines. After a week Roger was well enough to rejoin his ship.

Several weeks later Roger’s ship called at Tilbury again, and Wojciech and Fr Jeba visited the vessel. They were delighted to see Roger on board. He appeared happy and was gradually easing back into work. Needless to say he was pleased to see Wojciech and Fr Jeba again.

Wojciech reflects, ‘Ships arrive and they sail away, but praise God none of our prayers go unheard.’

Largest Ever Sleepout at Kia Oval On 13 October, 100 business leaders slept outside to raise money for three charities tackling poverty and homelessness. Over £100,000 was raised for the Cardinal Hume Centre, Church Urban Fund and Depaul UK. Sleepers included the Cardinal Hume Centre’s Chief Executive, Cathy Corcoran, who said, ‘What we did tonight is an act of solidarity to show that we do care, and that homelessness and poverty should simply not exist in our country, one of the richest in the world. At the Centre in central London we know what poverty and homelessness look like. We also know that, with the help of our staff and volunteers, the people who come to the Centre can, and do, turn their lives around. I’m pleased we’re standing

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alongside Depaul UK and Church Urban Fund, showing a united front against homelessness in the UK.’ Those inspired by the efforts of these sleepers can

pledge money via www.justgiving.com/ceosleepout.

Seminarians and staff from Allen Hall also slept out in Chelsea, to raise money for the homeless charity, Glass Door.

CAFOD Events 4 December - CAFOD Lecture: Given by Cardinal Turkson on ‘Care for Creation - How to protect and sustain our common home’. It will be held at St Mary’s, Wyndham Place, London, W1H 1PQ and chaired by Dr Anna Rolands.

23 January - Understanding CAFOD: Join CAFOD for a talk about their work overseas and how volunteers can support them here in the diocese.

Page 17

Saints & Obituaries St Hugh of Lincoln: 17 November years of leadership. Such success brought further attention from the king, who had asked for Hugh to come to Witham in the first place, and in 1186 he was elected as Bishop of Lincoln. It says much for Hugh’s conscience that he insisted on a second and private election by the canons of Lincoln, away from the pressures of the king’s court.

Thereafter we find Hugh simply being exemplary in performance of his duties, using both charm and diplomacy to achieve his ends. In particular he was strong in defence of Lincoln’s Jewish community against popular hatred and violence. Twice, also, he found himself being sent by successive kings on missions to France.

In this country we have a reminder of the then size of Lincoln diocese in St Giles Church, Oxford. This was dedicated by the saint in 1200 and the St Giles Fair, which takes over all the surrounding roads each September, commemorates the occasion.

That must have been one of Hugh’s last acts, since he died that year; only 20 years later he was canonized. The fragmentary remains of his shrine can be seen at the east end of the northern choir aisle in Lincoln Cathedral, surmounted by an unusual modern work of art.

It may say something about Hugh’s contemplative spirit that he was noted for his easy relationship with animals. In particular he had a tame swan

which accompanied him and which features in artistic representations of the saint. Few of us would be able to sustain the conflicting demands which the Carthusian way and a bishopric imposed. St Hugh, then, is one of the glories of our Church’s history.

Fun Fact: St Hugh began the re-building of Lincoln Cathedral, after it was damaged by an earthquake in 1185.

Although only the Choir was begun in his lifetime, the building was the tallest manmade structure in the world from 1300 until the spire blew down in 1549 (the year of the suppression of the Mass in England and imposition of the Church of England’s first Book of Common Prayer). The original height of the Cathedral was not surpassed until 1890, with the completion of Ulm Minster in Germany, which was six feet higher.

In Memoriam: November 1 Fr Horace Tennant (2000) 2 Mgr Canon George Tomlinson (1985) Fr Terence Brady (1989) 5 Fr Eric Chadwick (1993) 6 Fr Peter Geraerts (1980) 7 Cardinal John Heenan (1975) Canon Charles Carr (1985) Fr Raymond Geraerts (1995) 8 Fr Jeremiah Ryan (2001) 9 Fr George Barringer (1978) Fr James Ethrington (1981) 10 Fr Richard M Sutherland (1974) Fr John Spencer (1980) 11 Fr Gerald Freely (2013) 12 Fr James R Coughlan (1974) Fr Peter Johnson (2000)

© Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P.

St Hugh is one of those saints whose career embraced two apparently opposed ways of life, being both a Carthusian monk and the bishop of a diocese which covered large tracts of this country. Born in France sometime in the late 1130s, he lost his mother at an early age, meaning that his education took place within a monastic environment to which his father, previously a soldier, retired in due course.

Here his progress was swift, becoming a novice at 15, being ordained Deacon at 19 and presumably Priest shortly afterwards, since we find him being sent to another Benedictine monastery as Prior in his early 20s.

But he must have felt a vocation towards a more solitary and contemplative form of religious life, since he soon transferred to the recently established Carthusian house of the Grande Chartreuse, following its famously austere rule, which combines elements both of community and solitary life. Once he had entered we largely lose sight of him, although he did become Procurator of the house.

However, around the age of 40 he was sent to Witham in Somerset, where the first English Charterhouse had been established. Sadly little had been done beyond sending a few monks there, so Hugh’s task was to build a proper house and secure the foundation, in which he was successful during his seven

Westminster Record | November 2015

14 Fr Maurice Ryan (1983) Canon Louis Marteau (2002) 15 Fr James Stephenson (1970) 16 Fr Ian Dommerson (1996) 17 Fr Samuel Steer (1996) 22 Mgr Reginald Butcher (1976)

Free Catholic Tours ‘Saints and Scholars’ walk first Sunday of the month, including Mass.

Contact Peter on 07913 904997 or circlingthesquaretours@ hotmail.co.uk.

Fr Christopher Fullerton (1980) 24 Canon Edmund Hadfield (1982) 25 Fr Joseph Doyle (1978) Canon Joseph Geraerts (1979) Fr John Galvin (2010) 26 Fr James Woodward (1976) Fr William Wood (1986) Fr Anthony John Cooke (2007) 27 Fr Joseph Scally (1995) Fr Peter O’Reilly (2005) 29 Fr Christopher Hamilton-Gray (2012) 30 Canon Arthur Welland (1978)

Fr Pat Lyons RIP Fr Pat Lyons died peacefully on 19 September aged 94 in Orione House Care Home in Hampton Wick. Born in February 1921 in Athlone, County Westmeath in Ireland, Fr Pat trained for the priesthood at St Edmund’s College, Ware, and was ordained by Cardinal Griffin in June 1954.

Fr Pat’s first appointment as an Assistant Priest was to Lincoln’s Inn fields where he remained until 1959. He then went to Shepherds Bush, the parish of The Holy Ghost and St Stephen.

After 10 years Fr Pat was appointed Assistant Priest at Harrow South and then to the parish of St Catherine, West Drayton as Parish Priest in 1972. From there he was appointed to Sacred Heart parish, Teddington in 1983.

He retired as Parish Priest in 1996, nearly twenty years ago. On his 75th birthday, he wrote to Cardinal Hume to offer his resignation as Parish Priest but insisted that he remain of service to the diocese. He wrote, ‘…a switch-off from priestly activity of any kind seems to me an absurd idea. I have no desire for a feetup or SAGA-style type of retirement…I’m available for continuing work as a priest consonant with my new circumstances...’ Fr Pat will be remembered for his kindness, thoughtfulness and his sense of humour.

May he rest in peace.

Page 18

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Events & Calendar

Westminster Record | November 2015

REGULAR EVENTS

Liturgical Calendar - November

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

1 Sun

+ ALL SAINTS

2 Mon

THE COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED (ALL SOUL’S DAY)

3 Tue

feria, Thirty-First Week of Year 1 or St Winifride, Virgin or St Martin de Porres, Religious

4 Wed

St Charle Borromeo, Bishop

5 Thu

feria

6 Fri

feria; Friday Abstinence

7 Sat

feria or St Willibrord, Bishop or Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday

8 Sun

+ 32nd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

9 Mon

+ THE DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA

10 Tue

St Leo the Great, Pope & Doctor

11 Wed

St Martin of Tours, Bishop

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

Call 020 7503 5128 for details.

Tyburn Benedictines Monastic afternoon Every first Sunday 2-5pm Martyrs’ Crypt, Tyburn Convent, 8 Hyde Park Place W2 2LJ. Westminster Cathedral Young Adults meet socially after the 7pm Mass on Sundays and then at the nearby Windsor Castle pub.

For further details please contact: westminsteryoungadults@gmail.com

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

All are welcome.

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

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

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

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

Evangelisation Prayer Group for young adults meets from 7pm on Wednesdays at Notre Dame de France, 5 Leicester Place WC2H 7BX. For further details please contact Armel at apostles.jesus@yahoo.co.uk.

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

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

THURSDAYS

12 Thurs St Josaphat, Bishop & Martyr

Jesus Christ the Fullness of Life Every 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 Thursdays 7-9pm at St Charles Borromeo, Ogle Street W1W 6HS. Details at www.soulfoodgroup.org.

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

13 Fri

feria, Thirty-Second Week of Year 1; Friday Abstinence

14 Sat

feria or Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday

15 Sun 16 Mon

St Edmund of Abingdon, Bishop

FRIDAYS Divine Mercy Prayers and Mass Every first Friday 2.30-4.30pm at Our Lady, Mother of the Church, 2 Windsor Road W5 5PD. Westminster Cathedral Charismatic Prayer Group meet every Friday 7.30pm Prayer, Praise and Teaching.

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

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

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

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

If you know someone who has been thinking about becoming more active in the Catholic Church after a time away, invite them to join Landings London. Landings is an eight week experience that offers ‘a safe place to land’, a place where your voice will be heard and a place for listening, for asking questions, and for reconnecting with your faith as an adult.

To learn more, come to one of the information sessions on 4, 12, 18 and 26 Nov, 6-8pm at Farm Street Church, 114 Mount Street W1K 3AH or contact Ruby Almeida (landings.london@gmail.com) or Fr Dominic Robinson SJ (DominicRobinson@rcdow.org.uk).

Also visit landings.org.uk for more information.

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17 Tue

18 Wed

+ 33rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME feria, Thirty-Third Week of Year 1 or St Hilda, Abbess or St Hugh of Lincoln, Bishop or St Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious feria or The Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts Peter and Paul, Apostles

19 Thu

feria

20 Fri

feria; Friday Abstinence

21 Sat

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

22 Sun

+ OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, King of the Universe

23 Mon

feria, Thirty-Fourth Week of Year 1 or St Clement I, Pope & Martyr or St Columban, Abbot

24 Tue

St Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs

25 Wed

feria or St Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin & Martyr

26 Thu

feria

27 Fri

feria; Friday Abstinence

28 Sat

feria or Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday

29 Sun

+ 1st Sunday of Advent

30 Mon

St ANDREW, Apostle, Patron of Scotland

A Lourdes reunion Mass for all pilgrims and volunteers is held on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:35pm in the Cathedral crypt chapel (entrance via Choir School Gate on Ambrosden Avenue) with a social gathering after Mass at the Windsor Castle.

For further details contact Gerald Daly at the Pilgrimage Office on 020 7798 9173.

Praying with Pope Francis - November 2015 Universal Intention: Dialogue - That we may be open to personal encounter and dialogue with all, even those whose convictions differ from our own.

For Evangelisation: Pastors - That pastors of the Church, with profound love for their flocks, may accompany them and enliven their hope.

At Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Acton, the Queen of Peace prayer group meets every Friday evening after 7pm Mass. The evening consists of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, a homily, recitation of the Holy Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. All welcome.

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The November Virtus Lecture will be given Claire Foster-Gilbert, Director of Westminster Abbey, who will speak on theme of mercy. The lecture will take place on Wednesday 11 November at 7pm at Ealing Abbey.

All are most welcome.

Other regular Masses Deaf Community Mass First Sunday of the month 4.30pm at Westminster Cathedral Hall, Ambrosden Avenue SW1P 1QW. Young Adults Mass Held every Sunday at Church of the Immaculate Conception, 114 Mount Street W1K 3AH. Quiet prayer 7.15pm, Mass 7.30pm.

Social gathering afterwards.

Contact: team@fsplus.info or visit www.fsplus.info.

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

St Albans Abbey Fridays at 12 noon. Mass in the Lady Chapel of St Albans Abbey AL1 1BY. LGBT Catholics Westminster Mass 2nd & 4th Sundays 6.15pm, Church of the Immaculate Conception, 114 Mount Street, W1K 3AH. Contact: lgbtcatholicswestminster@gmail. com EXTRAORDINARY FORM MASSES Sundays: Low Mass 9.30am, St James Spanish Place W1U 3QY. Low Mass 9am, The Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP. Low Mass 5pm, St Bartholomew, St Albans AL1 2PE. Low Mass 5.30pm, Shrine of Our Lady of Willesden, NW10 9AX. Mondays: Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP Mass 6.30pm Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane WC2E 7NB. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays: Low Mass, 8am The Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP. Fridays: Low Mass 7.45am St Mary Moorfields, 4/5 Eldon Street EC2N 7LS. Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP. Low Mass 6pm St Etheldreda, Ely Place EC1N 6RY. First Friday only.

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

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

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

Westminster Cathedral Choir and the English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble, conducted

by Martin Baker, will present Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 at Westminster Cathedral on Wednesday 11 November at 7pm.

Tickets are available from the Cathedral Gift Shop, priced £10-£50, or from www.ticketmaster.co.uk/ 0844 844 0444 Page 19

Spotlight

Westminster Record | November 2015

Mercy Matters: Advent and the Jubilee Year of Mercy

© Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P.

cannot put the world right, or them, or ourselves.

It matters because the mess is too great, and complex and intractable for us, but not for God. God’s love offers a way back to good order, and justice, through mercy, healing and reconciliation.

Mercy enables change. It meets us in our differentiation and in our separation and brings about something new and better than we presently have. Portia, in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, witnesses to that:

by Fr Allen Morris There is a saying familiar to many Catholics: It is the Mass that matters. It is an old saying, and still pertinent.

However, in a world where many people lack even a basic religious formation, the Mass is a puzzle and there is something prior that they first need to engage with. Mercy is proposed as that something: the mercy of God, the love of God in action.

Mercy matters to us all, for we are often sore from our experiences of life, and mercy is a salve to our bruises and wounds, as well as a first taste of salvation.

Pope Francis has called the Church to keep a Jubilee Year of Mercy, beginning on 8 December. It is to be a year for the Church to learn afresh that mercy matters, and to learn this especially by witnessing and working so that the world might better recognise the love and mercy of God. This matters.

It matters because in the world there is much that drains life from us, and mercy restores that life.

It matters because sometimes we are responsible for damage done to the world and to others, and alone we Page 20

‘The quality of mercy is not strained; It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath.

It is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes: ‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown: His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, The attribute to awe and majesty, Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings; But mercy is above this sceptred sway; It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings, It is an attribute to God himself; And earthly power doth then show likest God’s When mercy seasons justice.

Therefore…

Though justice be thy plea, consider this, That, in the course of justice, none of us Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy; And that same prayer doth teach us all to render The deeds of mercy.’

The Jubilee Year gives us the opportunity to know and to enjoy the truth of this more deeply than we do at present: to enjoy the truth of this more deeply than we do at present.

It touches on our identity as Church, for it gives us fresh opportunity to become more effective witnesses to the grace of God. For all mercy begins with God and, when we are open especially to the sharing

of the gift, all mercy leads us to God. The Jubilee is a part of the new evangelisation, to which the Church was called by Pope St John Paul II in the millennium year, and which has been repeated by Pope Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis.

A fundamental resource is Luke’s Gospel, that is used on Sundays during this year, when the Year C cycle of Sunday readings is used, beginning on the first Sunday of Advent.

It is key for a number of reasons. Firstly it is the word of God, in, through and as which Jesus himself speaks with us, guiding us through the year and its experiences, its joys and challenges.

Secondly Luke’s Gospel is the source of so many of the scripture passages that speak to us most clearly of the mercy of God. Here we find the parable of the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost sons. Here we find the stories of the nativity of Jesus, most of what we know from Scripture of Mary and such tender accounts of the Resurrection. Luke writes with an evident interest in the way that the mercy of the Gospel challenges the financial underpinning of many relationships in society, back then and maybe even more so now.

We have the instructions about generous giving (Lk 6.30 and 6.38), the parables of the importunate friend (Lk 11.5ff) of the fool hoarding wealth, of providence and almsgiving (Lk 12.13ff), of the crafty steward and the right use of money (Lk 16.1ff), of the Pharisees’ love of money and the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16.14f and Lk 16.19ff) of the Pharisee and publican (Lk 18.9ff), of the talents (Lk 19.11ff); the stories of the rich aristocrat (Lk 18.18ff) and Zacchaeus (Lk19.1ff), the teaching about paying tribute to Caesar (Lk 20.20ff) and of the widow and her mite (Lk 21.1ff).

In our society when so many decisions regarding money and wealth seem to disadvantage the poor and favour those who already have more than enough, there is surely teaching here about mercy and finance that we need to grapple with.

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And it is to such a fresh grappling that the Year of Mercy, and the Advent of the Church’s new liturgical year call us. We know the stories already, we know the teaching of the Church, at least pretty much. But what is called for is a new conversion, renewal, wholeness.

The Year of Mercy and Advent call all of us who are not yet good, who are not yet holy, to a fresh encounter with Jesus Christ, God’s mercy incarnate. If we long for the world to be changed, we need to be open for wholesome change in ourselves first.

Hear again some of the phrases in the Church’s prayers for use at Mass during Advent: ‘May these mysteries, O Lord, in which we have participated, profit us, we pray, for even now, as we walk amid passing things, you teach us by them to love the things of heaven and hold fast to what endures.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.’

Prayer after Communion (for the first Sunday of Advent)

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There is great reward for us, but is not something we can earn. It is gift, inheritance. It is ours, if it is to be ours, because of what Christ did and does.

Christ who ‘assumed at his first coming the lowliness of human flesh, and so fulfilled the design you formed long ago, and opened for us the way to eternal salvation, that, when he comes again in glory and majesty and all is at last made manifest, we who watch for that day may inherit the great promise in which now we dare to hope….’

Preface I of Advent.

God comes in flesh; mercy lives among us so that we can learn how to be fully human. We achieve that when we most fully imitate Christ, when we learn to live love. The coming months offer us a further privileged opportunity for a new and deeper relationship with Christ, our neighbour and ourselves.

Fr Allen Morris chairs the Liturgy Commission of the Dioceses of Westminster.

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