Oremus June 2020

June 2020 | Edition Number 259 | FREE

Westminster Cathedral Magazine

St John Fisher was the only English Bishop who refused to recognise Henry VIII’s claim to supremacy over the Church

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Oremus

June 2020

Oremus

Inside Oremus

Cathedral Clergy House 42 Francis Street London SW1P 1QW T 020 7798 9055 E oremus@westminstercathedral.org.uk W www.westminstercathedral.org.uk

Oremus, the magazine of Westminster Cathedral, reflects the life of the Cathedral and the lives of those who make it a place of faith in central London. If you think that you would like to contribute an article or an item of news, please contact the Editor.

Patron The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster Chairman Canon Christopher Tuckwell

CONTENTS Cathedral Life: Past & Present The People have Spoken: Your Favourite Saint Revealed Cathedral History:

by Patrick Rogers Creating the Refreshment Hub

by Linda McHugh Cathedral History in Pictures: The Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue

by Paul Tobin

7 8&9 10 & 11

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Features

Editor Fr John Scott Oremus Team Tony Banks – Distribution Ellen Gomes – Archives Zoe Goodway – Marketing Berenice Roetheli – Proofreading Manel Silva – Subscriptions Design and Art Direction Julian Game Registered Charity Number 233699 ISSN 1366-7203 Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily represent the views of the Editor or the Oremus Team. Neither are they the official views of Westminster Cathedral. The Editor reserves the right to edit all contributions.

Publication of advertisements does not imply any form of recommendation or endorsement.

Unless otherwise stated, photographs are published under a creative commons or similar licence. Every effort is made to credit all images. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

This 1743 print, by Jakub Houbraken of Amsterdam, was included in Thomas Birch’s The heads of illustrious persons of Great Britain : engraved

by Houbraken, and Vertue, with their lives and characters (London; John and Paul Knapton, 17431751). Bishop John Fisher of Rochester (feast day, with St Thomas More, 22 June) is depicted as he was in life, whilst at the bottom right of the print a cherub holds the cardinal’s hat, the award of which was the proximate cause of the bishop’s execution on the orders of King Henry VIII. On the bottom left is the martyr’s severed head.

Photo © Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Book Notice: John Guy’s A Daughter’s Love: Thomas and Margaret More

by Fr John Scott In the Shadow of the Coronavirus

by Fr Michael Garnet Newman on Joy

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Regulars From the Editor St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School In Retrospect Monthly Album Crossword and Poem of the Month

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Join the Companions June 2020 | Edition Number 259 | FREE

Westminster Cathedral Magazine

... and help us to keep publishing Oremus free of charge Although we earn income from the advertising which we carry, Oremus relies on donations from readers to cover its production costs.

St John Fisher was the only English Bishop who refused to recognise Henry VIII’s claim to supremacy over the Church

The Companions of Oremus was established to recognise those who give generously to support us. Open exclusively to individuals, Companions’ names are published in the magazine each month (see page 7). All members are invited to one or more social events during the year and Mass is offered for their intentions from time to time.

If you would like to support us by joining the Companions, please write to Oremus, Cathedral Clergy House, 42 Francis Street, London SW1P 1QW or email oremuscomps@rcdow.org.uk with your contact details, including postcode. Members are asked to give a minimum of £100 annually. Please mention how you would like your name to appear in our membership list and if you are eligible to Gift Aid your donation. Postal subscriptions to Oremus may be purchased through the Cathedral Gift Shop’s website or by using the coupon printed in the magazine.

Thank you for your support.

June 2020

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BOOK NOTICE

A Fearful Father and a Devoted Daughter Fr John Scott A Daughter’s Love: Thomas and Margaret More; John Guy; London, Fourth Estate 2008; pp xix + 378, hardback ISBN 978-0-00-719231-1 (also paperback, available via Amazon) I do not have 12 years’ worth of books waiting to be read, but have only just got round to reading Professor Guy’s account of St Thomas More’s rise and fall, seen within the perspective of his family life and particularly of his relationship with his eldest daughter Margaret. In some ways the book has a conversational tone, which makes one wonder how the author could know what was thought or said on a particular occasion: a foster-child of the family is described as ‘a teenage minx’, who is ‘spotted giggling’. The answer is in 48 pages of Notes and a further 35 of Bibliography; John Guy’s toothcomb is fine indeed.

More, of course, was a lawyer and of necessity space is given to the manifold arranging of marriages and dowries, with the frequent subsequent financial and property disputes.

He was also devoted to his family and its education, in which he was determined that there should be equality of expectation for all. A central part of this was the writing of letters, even on a daily basis, something that was to be of increasing importance when More was taken into the king’s service and found himself away from home for significant periods.

When Margaret was married to William Roper, her father writes to her that: ‘I am delighted that your husband is following the same course of study as yourself … yield in everything to him, except I now give you full leave to strive to surpass him in astronomy’. Which is where the paradox lies; with his enthusiasm for her education, enthusiastically reciprocated by her, he continues to work within societal expectation of women’s likely roles. But Margaret was not to be restrained. She translated Erasmus’ Precatio Dominica, but the book does not appear under her name; it is by ‘a young virtuous and well-learned gentlewoman of xix years of age’. Dealing in part in scriptural translation, the work fell under suspicion in 1526 and was called in for examination by the Bishop of London’s Vicar General. A family connection enabled an appeal to Cardinal Wolsey, and all was well.

However, a lesson about caution had to be learnt in the febrile religious atmosphere of the time.

By 1533 More had resigned the office of Lord Chancellor and the king had acted upon his love for Anne Boleyn.

Conscience was now to the fore. Forms of words might enable More to refrain from explicit condemnation of the king, but more was required of him, a sworn oath of acceptance of the Act of Succession. Taken to the Tower, how was he to be sustained as he became increasingly fearful? Margaret decided to take the oath herself, slipping in the words: ‘as far as will stand with the will of God’. This addition was not especially remarked, but, with the oath taken, she was able to gain a level of access to her father. Guy recounts the subterfuges that were needed for visits and, when these were forbidden, the passing of letters by which Margaret could fulfil the role of guarding his conscience and courage to the end.

It is significant that in his last letter, which is to Margaret, he sends greetings and blessings to members of his family, but without mention of his wife, Lady Alice. To Margaret, finally, he notes: ‘Farewell, my dear child, and pray for me .. I thank you for your great cost’. Only part of the cost had been paid; now Margaret undertook the dangerous task of collecting her father’s letters and papers. Through that work, we now know St Thomas More.

The joint feast of Ss John Fisher and Thomas More, fellow prisoners in the Tower of London, is kept on 22 June.

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June 2020

EDITORIAL

From the Editor When the Israelites are seeking to escape from slavery in Egypt, God assists them by sending down on the Egyptians a series of plagues. Having ourselves been through a sort of plague with all the to-ing and fro-ing over Brexit, we now find ourselves caught in a storm of constantlychanging messages about what we can and cannot do or who we may or may not meet and at what distance.

The only constant, hitherto, is that the Cathedral’s doors have had to remain firmly locked, a source of grief to you and many others, and of frustration to the Chaplains, locked in on the other side.

Westminster Cathedral Cathedral Clergy House 42 Francis Street London SW1P 1QW Telephone 020 7798 9055 Service times 020 7798 9097 Email chreception@rcdow.org.uk www.westminstercathedral.org.uk Cathedral Chaplains Canon Christopher Tuckwell, Administrator Fr Daniel Humphreys, Sub-Administrator Fr Julio Albornoz Fr Michael Donaghy Fr Andrew Gallagher, Precentor Fr Hugh MacKenzie Fr Vincent Mbu’i SVD Fr Rajiv Michael Fr John Scott, Registrar

More skill in the deciphering of smoke signals than I possess is required to announce to you that our liberation is nigh at hand. So much seems to depend on infection statistics, but the suggestion is that both this month and July will see doors opening to the worship of the Lord, privately and then publicly, just as other public and retail activities resume. We are blessed that the Cathedral has size and space, even if we may not be able to use all of it, and we understand that, although it may be your heart’s desire to return to the Cathedral as soon as possible, the situation on public transport may not facilitate this.

Also in residence Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Victories

As I write this, we are preparing for some reorganisation of the seating within the building, and experience when it opens may involve some subsequent rearrangement. It will be hard to accept initially that what comes naturally to us as Catholics – taking holy water as we enter the Cathedral, touching a favourite image as we say our prayers – will not be possible for some time; please understand that we will not be fully at liberty, even in the Lord’s own house.

Estates Manager Neil Fairbairn

Music Department Awaiting appointment, Master of Music Peter Stevens Obl. OSB, Assistant Master of Music Callum Alger, Organ Scholar Cathedral Manager Peter McNulty

Chapel of Ease Sacred Heart Church Horseferry Road SW1P 2EF

More hopefully, however, I sit down now to start work on the summer edition of Oremus for July and August. As an act of faith, I am resolving that it will return to being a full-length printed edition, available from the back of the Cathedral as usual. For these last two months I have held back from including a number of rather longer pieces, of the type and variety to which you are used, so there is material to which to look forward. Thank you for your patience meanwhile.

A word for our postal subscribers: as you have missed out on two printed editions, I am crediting everyone with an extra two months, so do not worry if you do not get a subscription reminder at the usual time; the online editions have been a small bonus in this troubled time.

With best wishes and prayers

June 2020

Oremus

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A VIEW FROM PERU

In the Shadow of Coronavirus Miguel Garnet

When King Solomon consecrated the great temple of Jerusalem he pleaded with the Lord: ‘When there is blight, pestilence, or locusts; when there is calamity and disease, hearken to us’.

So, plagued by the coronavirus, we plead today, like the blind man whom Jesus encountered: ‘Make us see!’

Yes, let us see how we have lived so carelessly, day by day polluting our home, the Blue Planet, exploiting, mining heedlessly, destroying woods and jungles, dumping rubbish left and right, enjoying the macabre dance of death with an excess of food for some and famine for others, with an excess of alcohol, and drugs to flee the reality of a society that couldn’t care less, harassed by corruption and injustice.

Let us see how we have worshipped the gods Moloch and Baal, gods of self-satisfaction, of consuming more and more, without any care for others.

We have shouted: ‘I have the right to do what I please, to sex as I want it! raping, abusing.’

We’ve wanted to be God just as we please, like those who built the Tower of Babel.

We have reached the moon.

We have devoured the fruit of knowledge, and we know plenty about the planets; but we don't know, we are not interested, what the neighbour's heart feels, much less of those others of different colour, of different culture, of different religion.

We can walk in space.

We can travel by jet and communicate at the touch of a key with someone on another continent - even if we don't know how to converse with the person sat next to us.

We know more and more, thanks to technology, but we are not wise.

Now the plague strikes us, and as in the plagues of antiquity and the Middle Ages, there is no lack of those who say: ‘Let us eat, drink and be merry, because tomorrow we die’.

There are not lacking those who take advantage of the need of others and raise food prices, charge more for medicine, and push up the cost of a ticket.

Yes, everything is more expensive and what the philosopher Hobbes said centuries ago is fulfilled: ‘Homo homini lupus - Man is a wolf to his fellow man’.

But also, happily, there are those who offer solidarity and loving care, who help the most vulnerable.

We must thank the doctors and nurses, the police, and the troops who strive to protect the population, without caring about their own lives.

Yes, coronavirus is a time for disaster and also a time of grace; a time of individualism and also a time of solidarity; a time of selfishness and also a time of offering a helping hand; a time to grab for me and also a time to give to others; a time that manifests the worst in human beings and also a time that brings out the best.

Fr Michael is a Westminster priest and published author who has served in Peru for five decades and lives in Cajamarca. This is a translation from the author’s Spanish original.

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Oremus

May 2020

THE TWITTERATI IN LOCKDOWN

The People Have Spoken!

Companions of Oremus

We are grateful to Lorcán Keller for organising a battle (?) of the saints on Twitter.

Mrs Mary Barsh Dr Stuart Blackie Anne Veronica Bond Richard Bremer Francis George Clark Daniel Crowley Ms Georgina Enang Fred Gardiner Connie Gibbes Zoe & Nick Goodway Rosalinda Grimaldo Mrs Valerie Hamblen Bernadette Hau Bernard Adrian Hayes Mrs Cliona Howell Alice M Jones & Jacob F Jones Poppy K Mary Thérèse Kelly Florence M G Koroma Raymund Livesey Alan Lloyd in memoriam Barry Lock Clare and John Lusby Pamela McGrath Linda McHugh Peter McNelly in memoriam Christiana Thérèse Macarthy-Woods James Maple Dionne Marchetti Paul Marsden Mary Maxwell Abundia Toledo Munar Chris Stewart Munro Mrs Brigid Murphy Kate Nealon Cordelia Onodu Cris Ragonton Emel Rochat Berenice Roetheli John Scanlan Mr Luke Simpson Sonja Soper Tessa and Ben Strickland Julia Sutherland Eileen Terry Mr Alex Walker Jacqueline Worth Patricia M Wright

This lays out the basis for the contest

A strong showing by St Monica shows how the voting was going

The nail-biting finale! Congratulations to St Joseph!

June 2020

Oremus

We are very grateful for the support of the following:

and of our anonymous Companions If you would like to become a Companion of Oremus, see page 3

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CATHEDRAL HISTORY

Clayton & Bell versus Bentley Patrick Rogers

The decoration in the Chapel of St Gregory and St Augustine was installed at the same time, and by the same group of mosaicists, as that in the Holy Souls Chapel on the other side of the nave. Yet despite this, it is in complete contrast – the result of having a very different donor, designer, technique and style.

Lord Brampton, the donor, was a distinguished judge and a friend of Cardinal Manning, the second Archbishop of Westminster. He joined the Catholic Church in 1898 and paid £8,500 (perhaps half a million pounds today?) for the decoration of St Gregory and St Augustine’s, which was intended to be both a thanksgiving offering and a chantry chapel for his wife and himself. The theme is the conversion of England from Rome, with the saints who brought this about portrayed in opus sectile above the altar, and those who subsequently kept the Faith alive in this country shown in mosaics on the walls and vault.

He selected Clayton & Bell of Regent Street, a firm renowned for its ecclesiastical stained glass, to design the decoration. For the altarpiece showing St Gregory, St Augustine, his companions and successors, J R Clayton, the firm’s head, chose opus sectile from James Powell & Sons, glassmakers of Whitefriars. In the 1860s Powells had started grinding up waste glass and baking it, to produce panels of opaque material with an eggshell finish which could be cut into suitable shapes and painted. These glass tiles they named opus sectile. Those forming the altarpiece were made in 1901 from Clayton & Bell’s drawings. The panels on either side of the entrance are later: ‘The Just Judge’, Clayton & Bell’s memorial to Lord Brampton, who died in 1907, and ‘Not Angles, but Angels’, given by the Choir School in 1912.

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The opus sectile panel showing the Judgment of Solomon honours Lord Brampton, noted judge and donor of the Chapel’s decoration

J R Clayton believed that any attempt to revive the dead in art was a profound mistake, and he ignored the wishes of the Cathedral Architect, J F Bentley, that the Byzantine (Greek) style should be adopted. Instead his designs were similar to those he produced for Victorian Gothic churches. Full-size coloured drawings for the mosaics were sent over to the Venice and Murano Glass Company in Venice where, using a technique invented there in the mid19th century, the regular, rectangular, coloured glass tesserae were attached to the drawings face down before being dispatched to England. From December 1902 to May 1904, George Bridge’s mosaicists, already working in the Holy Souls Chapel, hammered each section

into place with mallets and flat pieces of boxwood, before removing the drawings to reveal to reveal the mosaics, now face up, below [the Cathedral can hardly have been a haven for quiet prayer whilst all this proceeded over the months – Ed.].

In the Holy Souls Chapel opposite, Bentley and Symons seem to have been given pretty much a free hand by the donors, the Walmsleys, in choosing the designs, though it must be said that the result is more Victorian (Art Nouveau in the case of the representation of Adam) than the Byzantine for which Bentley was striving. After an unsuccessful attempt at prefabrication in the studio, installation of the mosaics was by Oremus

June 2020

CATHEDRAL HISTORY

St John the Baptist and St Augustine of Canterbury are high on the west wall of the Chapel, above the arch leading into the Baptistry

the traditional direct method and the tesserae were inserted individually into oil-based putty on the chapel’s walls and vault. George Bridge had installed the mosaics for the façade of the Horniman Museum in South London in 1900-01, using tesserae he had largely made himself. It can be safely assumed that he also made those for the Holy Souls Chapel, which accounts for their irregular shape and unusually large size.

The Chapel of St Gregory and St Augustine is in complete contrast to that

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of the Holy Souls. Judge Brampton knew exactly what he wanted and chose Clayton & Bell to carry it out.

J R Clayton disregarded Bentley’s instructions to avoid anything Gothic and employed the style he normally used. James Powell & Sons had invented the modern technique of opus sectile and were expert at it. The Venice & Murano Glass Company was equally accomplished at producing mosaics and Antonio Salviati, its previous head, claimed to have

invented the ‘modern Italian method’ in which they were prepared face downwards in the studio – the method employed here.

The Holy Souls Chapel mosaics are sombre, funereal, late Victorian pictorial on a background of silver.

Those of the Chapel of St Gregory and St Augustine are glowing, vibrant late Victorian Gothic on gold. Both are impressive in their own way, but they have little in common.

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THE NEW HOMELESSNESS

In the Pink in Trafalgar Square

SVP Volunteers at the Refreshment station for the Homeless in Trafalgar Square

Linda McHugh

When, in years to come, I look back on the days of the Coronavirus crisis, there are two things that I will remember: one is the absence of live Masses – thank God for the live-stream – and the other is the way I spent two or three mornings a week. It has not been having virtual coffee mornings, participating in Zoom meetings or even queuing two metres apart outside Sainsbury’s in a taste of what life must be like in North Korea. It has been donning rubber gloves, a mask and a virulent pink ‘high vis’ jacket and standing in the empty wastelands of Trafalgar Square handing out drinks, snacks, clothing and other necessities to homeless people.

When I have told friends about this, I have been greeted with the response that there are no homeless people now: the Government or the Mayor of London or Westminster City Council have found places for all of them in hostels and hotels.

That is simply not true. Many people were found places initially but some subsequently lost them, usually because of antisocial behaviour of some kind. Others prefer to sleep rough anyway and, sadly, new people are coming on to the streets all the time when they can no longer pay their rent, because they have been made redundant by their employers. This is particularly true of those who worked in the hospitality sector. Add to them people who have recently arrived in this country and have no recourse to public funds and you can see how it can come about that a significant number of people are homeless in Central London. We are serving, on average, 150 people a day and we are well aware that we are not reaching everyone.

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It was before Easter that Fr Daniel was initially contacted to ask if Westminster Cathedral could help set up and run what was then termed a ‘drinks station’ for the homeless in the Cathedral piazza. Much energy was expended discussing the scope of the project and rounding up suitably-qualified volunteers, but it was halted at the last moment when Westminster City Council – whose idea it had been in the first place! – decided that the residents in the immediate vicinity of the Cathedral were likely to object to a facility that would draw even more homeless people to the area. I have to say that I thought that would be the end of it, but the project - now trendily rebranded as the ‘Refreshment Hub’ - was relocated to Trafalgar Square, where it has been operating since the beginning of May. The Refreshment Hub is run by a group which we have named the Central London Catholic Churches (CLCC), made up of volunteers from Farm Street, Holy Apostles in Pimlico, Our Most Holy Redeemer in Chelsea and Westminster Cathedral, with the Cathedral being represented by Patrick Gormley, Sharon Joseph and myself. We are supported by Caritas and see our name, CLCC, being used as a brand for other activities in the future. Funding has come through donations from individuals and from the SVP Conferences both here at the Cathedral and at Holy Apostles, and we have recently received a grant from the Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal.

There have also been gifts from corporate donors, and it has fallen to Sharon Joseph, calling on her experience of rounding Oremus

June 2020

ST VINCENT DE PAUL PRIMARY SCHOOL up donations for SVP book sales, to bring in all the goods.

As she says: ‘I can be found rummaging through shelves in storerooms or corporate garages collecting vast amounts of drinks, chocolates and snacks and I have even been given donations of cookies by the Dorchester hotel’. Sharon has also been sourcing toiletries, clothes, shoes and special requests, the most unusual of which has been a specific King James Version (KJV) Bible: ‘The guest wanted the one with the “crown of thorns” on the cover – I’m still looking for that’.

As well as handing out drinks and snacks, the team has been arranging for the provision of other services for the guests, notably medical consultations and showers.

The closure of council-owned leisure centres and the day facilities run by organisations such as The Passage and St Martin’s means that there is nowhere for rough sleepers to have a shower or even wash – most Central London public lavatories are closed as well. Fortunately, the Refreshment Hub has established contacts with one or two centres that

are still open – one being the Jesus Centre in Margaret Street – and is referring clients to them.

For Patrick Gormley, who has been actively involved with the Cathedral’s Winter Night Shelter project since its inception, the Refreshment Hub is offering another opportunity to get to know and to help this disadvantaged and deserving group of people. ‘It is very rewarding to be able to offer exactly the help that is needed where and when it is needed. The volunteers are an enthusiastic and committed group of people and we are sufficiently few in number to ensure that everyone is involved in everything.’

He adds: ‘For me, it has been another great experience, so thank you to those at Westminster Cathedral and the other churches who have supported this project both in prayer and practicalities’.

The Refreshment Hub is located behind the ‘Fourth Plinth’ in Trafalgar Square and it is planned that it will remain open until such time as other established facilities are again open for business.

Experiencing Home-Schooling Rachel, Year 6

As soon as the government announced that schools were closing because of the coronavirus, I was quite confused on what I was going to do at home. I did not know how long we were going to be staying at home for, so I wanted to be quite prepared going into this. My teacher told my class not to worry so much and that we should be more helpful at home in these difficult times. I was definitely going to miss all my friends because I did not know when I was going to see them again, but I kept positive hoping that it would be soon before we could all reunite.

Thankfully, weekly emails were sent by my Head Teacher and class teacher updating us about the virus and our new way of home-schooling. It was reassuring to know that if anything new occurred, we would know. Homework was also sent out each week - it was nice to complete it in the comfort of our own home though it does not compare to learning at school and I had to share my learning space with my two siblings and my parents working from home. It has made me a better independent learner and be more considerate of others. Alongside the homework my teacher sends, we were also encouraged to use online learning such as Sumdog, Mathletics, SPAG, Times Table Rockstars and my USO. Every Sunday morning my family and I gather in the living room to watch Mass via the live-stream. We would normally go to Mass on Sunday morning, so it was good to stick to our normal routine. As a family, we have grown closer together through playing games, cooking and the occasional outburst, June 2020

Oremus

but we are hopeful that all things will work together in our world in these difficult times. During lockdown, I have also been using this time as a learning experience to try things I have never done before. I have learned some new hobbies and worked on things I had put off previously: · Learn to play new songs on the piano; · baking and cook food with less help; · helping out with chores more at home; · de-clutter my wardrobe; · a nd I surprisingly enjoyed gaming with my brothers and my friends.

I have been more aware of the news in the media, every day hearing a new story about someone who had been infected by the coronavirus. This was making me quite anxious of not knowing what lies ahead of us. I make an effort to pray a Hail Mary for all those who have been affected and the healthcare workers who have been caring for them and the scientists looking for a cure. This lockdown has taught me a lot of things I needed to realise for the future, most importantly the value of relationships and that you should not take family and friends for granted. That is something our school promotes and I now appreciate more. As a Year 6 student due to leave this year, I have been a bit disappointed that my classmates and I may not share our final year with the whole school and experience the opportunities that other Year 6 classes have had. I hope that soon lockdown will be eased and that we get to see each other before the summer holidays.

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CATHEDRAL HISTORY

CATHEDRAL HISTORY – A PICTORIAL RECORD

The Episcopal Ordination of Mgr Patrick O’Donoghue, Tuesday 29 June 1993 Paul Tobin

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The mitre is imposed on the newly-ordained Bishop Pat

beautifully illuminated manuscript ended on a personal note; it contained an exhortation: ”to put; your trust above all in God” and the prayer: ”that Mary in her kindness may be always be with you”. In his homily directed principally to the Bishopelect, Cardinal Hume emphasised two questions which he would shortly ask him; one concerned seeking lost sheep and the other emphasised the duty: ”to show mercy, in the Lord’s name, to all in need”’. The cantor for the Litany of the Saints was Fr [now Mgr] Mark Langham, who became Cathedral Administrator in 2001.

After the laying-on of hands by Cardinal Hume and the two coconsecrators, Bishops Patrick Casey (1913-1999) and John Crowley (1941-), both previous auxiliaries in the diocese before being appointed subsequently to Brentwood and Middlesborough respectively, all the other bishops present did likewise.

The Cardinal then said the Prayer of Consecration which completed the ‘matter and form’ of the Rite of Ordination. The new bishop’s head was then anointed with the Oil of Chrism and he was presented with the Book of the Gospels. Finally he

© Liam Williams

Many people would have first heard of this appointment whilst listening to First Vespers of the Ascension live on Radio 3 in the afternoon of Wednesday 19 May, when the Bishop-elect was prayed for during the intercessions. This was before the days of 24/7 news that we are now accustomed to receiving.

Unusually, the Ordination Mass did not start until 2pm, but Cathedral was full of bishops, priests and laypeople As the Cathedral Bulletin reported at the time: ‘The presence of so many priests together with more than 20 bishops on a holy day of obligation, when so many would have had other duties, was a tribute to the respect and esteem in which Bishop Pat is held ... After the hymn to the Holy Spirit, the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio, Archbishop Luigi Barbarito, handed to the Chancellor, Fr [now Canon] Danny Cronin, the letter of appointment, given by the Holy Father in May. In formal but evocative language, the

© Liam Williams

At the time, Mgr Pat was the last but one Administrator to progress to the episcopate. The first Administrator, Mgr Patrick Fenton, became an auxiliary to Cardinal Francis Bourne in 1904; in more recent times Mgr Gordon Wheeler became Coadjutor Bishop of Middlesborough in 1964 and two years later was appointed Bishop of Leeds, where he remained until his retirement in 1985. Bishop Pat (or ‘POD’, as he is affectionately known) was to remain in Westminster until 2001, when he was appointed fifth Bishop of Lancaster, where he remained until 2009 and then retired to live in Ireland. His successor as Administrator, Mgr George Stack, also trod a similar path in 1981 when he was appointed as an auxiliary in Westminster, becoming in 2011 Archbishop of Cardiff, the Metropolitan See which he currently holds.

was invested with the ring, mitre and pastoral staff (which happened to be the crozier usually used only by the Archbishop of Westminster). However, as Bishop Pat was being seated (image 1) the mitre slipped off his head, which drew much laughter from all present!

A volume of the Bulley Bible is held by the Deacons over the head of the Bishop-elect during the Prayer of Ordination

The chasuble Cardinal Hume is seen wearing is part of a Byzantine set of red vestments made in 1928 for Cardinal Francis Bourne (Archbishop of Westminster 1910-1935) by A E Grossé of Bruges. The chasuble, decorated with gold flames on velvet bands, is used at Pentecost every year.

To the right (in cotta) is the Master of Ceremonies, Fr Danny Cronin. Bishop Patrick Casey, who also ordained Bishop O’Donoghue to the priesthood in 1967, stands opposite the Cardinal.

In image 2 the two deacons holding the Bulley Bible over the bishop’s head are wearing the dalmatics with diamond pendant moonstones from the same set of vestments.

A New Bishop for Westminster by Jane Milward in the Westminster Cathedral Bulletin, September 1993 Oremus

June 2020

NEWMAN ON JOY

Joy Unspeakable St John Henry Newman

Let us steadily contemplate the mystery, and say whether any consequence is too great to follow from so marvellous a dispensation; any mystery so great, any grace so overpowering, as that which is already manifested in the incarnation and death of the Eternal Son. Were we told that the effect of it would be to make us as Seraphim, that we were to ascend on high as He descended low – would that startle us after the Angel’s news to the shepherds? And this indeed is the effect of it, so far as such words may be spoken without impiety. Men we remain, but not mere men, but gifted with a measure of all those perfections which Christ has in fullness, partaking each in his own degree of His Divine Nature so fully, that the only reason (so to speak) why His saints are not really like Him, is that it is impossible – that He is the Creator, and they His creatures; yet still so, that they are all but Divine, all that they can be made without violating the incommunicable majesty of the Most High.

If all these things be so, surely the lesson of joy which the Incarnation gives us is as impressive as the lesson of humility.

St Paul gives us the one lesson in his Epistle to the Philippians: ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men’: and St Peter gives us the lesson of joyfulness: ‘Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls’. from Parochial and Plain Sermons, Volume VIII, page 18

© Andres Alvarado

Surely in proportion to His glory is His power of glorifying; so that to say that through Him we shall be made all but gods – though it is to say, that we are infinitely below the adorable Creator – still is to say, and truly, that we shall be

higher than every other being in the world; higher than Angels or Archangels, Cherubim or Seraphim – that is, not here, or in ourselves, but in heaven and in Christ – Christ, already the first-fruits of our race, God and man, having ascended high above all creatures, and we through His grace tending to the same high blessedness, having the earnest of His glory given here, and (if we be found faithful) the fullness of it hereafter.

The University church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford, of which Newman was the Vicar, is graced with a baroque south porch.

Above the entrance is a statue of the Virgin holding the Infant Jesus.

It was placed there by William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury 1573-1645, who was much criticised for so doing.

June 2020

Oremus

13

FIFTY AND ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO

In retrospect: from the Cathedral Chronicle Requiem for General Anders Over 5,000 people crammed the Cathedral on Thursday 21 May for the Requiem for General Anders. The Cardinal presided at the Mass, and General Mark Clarke was present as a personal friend and soldier colleague of General Anders.

Many of General Anders’ own men had come to pay their last respects to their leader. This was a remarkable occasion.

Everywhere that the eye travelled there were people to be seen, in all the available nooks and crannies, the young, the old and the middle-aged. The Mass was in Latin and Polish, with two English scripture readings. What made an overwhelming impression was the sense of the ‘gathering together’ of the Polish Community in this country. We quote from the short but stirring address which the Cardinal delivered at the close of the ceremony: ‘In July 1941 the General was released from the Lubianka prison in Moscow where he had been held while the Nazi Soviet friendship lasted. He was acclaimed hero of the Polish people when he led to freedom over 100,000 ragged survivors of Soviet prison camps. From them he formed the celebrated Anders’ Army.

The greatest triumph of his life was to lead this army in the final assault to liberate the monastery of Monte Cassino.

To that monastery it is fitting that his remains will be taken tomorrow. There they will rest in honour, but nevertheless in alien soil. England would have been proud to offer its own alien soil to be his resting place, for this country can never forget the debt it owes to the soldiers and airmen of Poland who fought for our survival. It is sad that the soil of his own homeland has become so inhospitable. The rulers of Poland one day will repent of their treatment of its noble son.

General Anders is symbolic of all rejected heroes. I sometimes think that the Polish people themselves are a symbol. They are a suffering people sustained by imperishable hope. They are a reminder that tyranny eventually fails while the spirit of man remains unconquerable. The Polish people at home give a grudging and sullen obedience to their Communist masters.

They long to enjoy the freedom to which General Anders dedicated his life.’

Trinity Pastoral Letter of Cardinal Heenan A word about public pronouncements. Catholics often ask: ‘Why don’t our bishops speak out more often?’ Let me try to tell you why. Bishops are urged to denounce white cricketers, red choristers, anarchists, humanists and even liturgists and catechists; to condemn pornography, nudity on the stage and violence on television, to make declarations 14

on Vietnam, the Middle East, Rhodesia, Northern Ireland and any country from Cambodia to Kenya, coming into the news. A public statement can sometimes be an act of self-indulgence. It may attract applause, but sometimes more good is done by a private approach. If bishops were to keep making pronouncements, their voices would soon have no effect. Any controversy today is likely to provoke demonstrations. A new spirit of intolerance has appeared in social life. Even in universities, organised groups prevent speakers from expressing opinions with which they disagree. Demonstrations which begin peaceably are almost invariably exploited by the violent. But the victims of violence are never the alleged culprits … Many who organise demonstrations also call for pronouncements from the Church. If people stopped demonstrating for a little while, the voice of the Church might more easily be heard.

Meanwhile bishops are not disposed to issue continual pronouncements … In your prayers, ask God to give us grace to be true shepherds of our flocks. God grant a peaceful summer to all who live in troubled areas. God bless you all. from the June 1970 Westminster Cathedral News Sheet .....

A few days ago a London daily gave great prominence to the announcement that: ‘The financial position of Westminster Abbey is causing serious concern to the Dean and Chapter. The Abbey is suffering in the same way as all possessors of fixed incomes, which have become of less value in the new conditions.

There is first the vital question of the fabric. To keep the vast mass of buildings in a reasonable state of repair, especially the parts exposed to the corroding influence of the London climate is no light matter.

It is probably correct that where an expenditure of £1,000 was sufficient in 1914, the sum of £2,500 would be required at the present time.

There is also the general upkeep of the Abbey, all of which necessitates the provision of a large staff, clerical and lay … The choir, too, cannot be maintained without a large expenditure of money. Choir boys have to be educated and even singers must receive a reasonable stipend …’

All we have to say in reference to the above is that where readers find the word “Abbey”, they should read Cathedral and for “Dean” substitute Administrator. The address of the latter is: Cathedral Clergy House, Francis Street, Westminster SW1. from the June 1920 Westminster Cathedral Chronicle Oremus

June 2020

MONTHLY ALBUM

Ad multos annos!

That is the traditional greeting – To many years! - that is sung when a toast is offered after an Ordination, but it is just as applicable when a significant birthday is celebrated. The residents of the complex gathered in the yard behind Vaughan House for an afternoon party recently, at appropriate social distance, to celebrate the birthday of Fr Jim Mallon, who has reached an age which involves the numbers nought and eight in no particular order. Cardinal Vincent asked us to raise our glasses, and Fr Daniel supervised the cutting of the cakes.

The Paschal Candle In normal years all would have had the opportunity to see the Paschal Candle high and lifted up on the sanctuary during the Easter season, but this year it will have moved to the Baptistry, as it does at Pentecost, without that opportunity of closer inspection. Again we are grateful to Rachel Alem for having painted the Candle.

Just below the top, in gold on a red background, is the text ‘The Word was made flesh’. If you look closely, just below the centre of the Alpha, within the Omega and at the intersection of the arms of the red cross, there are tiny unpainted circles, indicating where the incense grains should be inserted (the full ceremony of preparing the Candle was omitted this year, hence no grains).

The Depiction of the Lord The Risen Lord is shown, with the wounds in his hands, feet and side clearly visible. At his feet, on either side, are the two Marys who went to visit the tomb, so the Candle depicts what St Matthew’s gospel reports: ‘And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus. “Greetings” he said. And the women came up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet’ (28: 9).

June 2020

Oremus

15

CROSSWORD AND POEM

A Birthday Christina Rossetti (1830 1894)

My heart is like a singing bird Whose nest is in a water'd shoot; My heart is like an apple-tree Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit; My heart is like a rainbow shell That paddles in a halcyon sea; My heart is gladder than all these Because my love is come to me.

Alan Frost April 2020 – No. 78

Clues Across 1 Dulce et ------- est, WW1 poem by Wilfred Own, quoted on War Memorial in London Oratory (7) 6 Pagan deity worshipped by Canaanites in Book of Daniel (3) 8 ----- Te devote, Eucharistic hymn written by St Thomas Aquinas (5) 9 ‘Hell’s -------’, US reality TV food show broadcast worldwide (7) 10 Country whose (modern) capital St Paul was travelling to shortly before his conversion (5) 11 In hoc signo ------, ‘In this sign you will conquer’, message in sky above a cross revealed to Constantine (6) 13 Saint of Avila founded the Discalced Carmelites, who have a church in Westminster diocese (6) 15 A Borgia who became a young Cardinal through nepotism and was a model for Machiavelli’s ‘The Prince’ (6) 17 Composition played slowly, such as that ‘For Strings’ by Barber or that by Albinoni (6) 20 Composer of a mighty Requiem and the opera La Traviata (5) 21 One of the sky’s brightest stars, in the Scorpius constellation (7) 23 When the service Compline is prayed (5) 24 Animal associated with the Dominican Order (3) 25 As the priest does at Mass, aided by server at the Postcommunion (7)

Raise me a dais of silk and down; Hang it with vair and purple dyes; Carve it in doves and pomegranates, And peacocks with a hundred eyes; Work it in gold and silver grapes, In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys; Because the birthday of my life Is come, my love is come to me.

ANSWERS

© New York Public Library

Clues Down 1 Top seed who will not be winning Wimbledon this summer (8) 2 Fabric, and Staffordshire village where Fr Faber set up his ‘Wilfridians’ and wrote ‘Faith of Our Fathers’ (6) 3 Saint invoked against pandemics since his curative work and preaching in Italy in the bubonic plague (4) 4 & 19 Down: Document allowing constitutional rights signed by King John in a meadow by the Thames (5,5) 5 Large cask for containing wine, a quarter of a tun (8) 6 Archbishop of Westminster prominent in the revival of Walsingham (6) 7 City with which St Rose is associated, first canonised saint of South America (4) 12 Money people receive for their work (8) 14 St ------- Gonzaga SJ, died only 23 through contracting plague caring for sufferers, feast day 21 June (8) 16 Movement of ‘The Four Seasons’ by Vivaldi, Italian Baroque composer and priest (6) 18 St Thomas ------ SJ, one of the Forty Martyrs, killed at Tyburn in 1608 (6) 19 See 4 Down 20 ‘---- the Impaler’, cruel medieval ruler of Wallachia associated with the Dracula legend (4) 22 Sound of a bell associated with funerals (4) Christina in later life

To submit a poem whether by yourself or another for consideration, please contact the Editor – details on page 3.

Across: 1 Decorum 6 Bel 8 Adoro 9 Kitchen 10 Syria 11 Vinces 13 Teresa 15 Cesare 17 Adagio 20 Verdi 21 Antares 23 Night 24 Dog 25 Ablutes Down: 1 Djokovic 2 Cotton 3 Roch 4 Magna 5 Hogshead 6 Bourne 7 Lima 12 Earnings 14 Aloysius 16 Spring 18 Garnet 19 Carta 20 Vlad 22 Toll