“God is present in all the ordinary things of daily human life, loving and redeeming us.” Bishop Alan Hopes’ Installation as Bishop of East Anglia: Page 16
August 2013
The Pilgrim Diocese After many months of preparation and planning, at the end of July hundreds of pilgrims from the Diocese are travelling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and to Lourdes. 50 young people answered the call of the Holy Father to travel to Rio for the largest global youth event, World Youth Day. At the same time over 700 people joined Archbishop Vincent Nichols in Lourdes. At World Youth Day the pilgrims had the opportunity to participate in music, exhibitions, dance, theatre, cinema, hikes, church tours and landmark visits to celebrate their faith and to connect with other young Catholics from across the world. This World Youth Day had a particular energy as it was the first overseas visit of Pope Francis. The return of the first Latin American Pope to the most Catholic continent in the world, with the joy and passion it created, was seen globally as a wonderful moment in the life of the Church. The Diocese of Westminster was particularly honoured as one of its own pilgrims, Kathryn Emmanuel, was selected to serve at a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.
Lourdes flood appeal Over 700 pilgrims joined Archbishop Vincent Nichols in Lourdes from 21-27 July. An emergency appeal was launched just before the diocesan pilgrimage to raise funds for the town, which
Central to the spirit of the event for many young Catholics is the way it informs and enriches their understanding of their faith. Through this experience it equips them with the tools to spread the message of Christ and – in the spirit of World Youth Day – to go and “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). Bishop John Sherrington, who travelled as part of the Diocese’s pilgrimage and led three catechetical sessions with young people from around the world, stressed the importance of communicating the faith to others: “After the resurrection and their encounter or meeting with the Risen Lord, the apostles and disciples of Christ were transformed from being fearful to being courageous, and then sent out by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to go out and tell others that Christ is risen” “Like the first disciples, as we grow in our confidence as Catholics by celebrating WYD, we are called to communicate the joy and enthusiasm of our faith and to be just, truthful and serve others. Many of the young people I spoke with at World Youth Day showed an eagerness to proclaim and serve Christ in their parish and community on their return.” suffered millions of pounds worth of damage in the June floods. Gerald Daly, Assistant Pilgrimage Director, visited Lourdes ten days after the floods. He said: "It really was a scene of total devastation, much worse than last October. It's incredible the damage water and mud can do. The Mediterranée, Alba and Notre Dame hotels were still flooded. But the emergency services and volunteers have been marvellous - working round the clock to clear things up." For the people of Lourdes who rely on visitors for their livelihoods, as well as for farmers and vineyard owners in the surrounding region, the floods have been a catastrophe which will
To read about WYD from a pilgrim’s perspective, as well as to see photographs and video footage, visit: www. wym.rcdow.org.uk take years to recover from. Speaking after the monthly Mass for Lourdes pilgrims at Westminster cathedral, Pilgrimage Director Fr Denis Touw said: "The floods have been a massive disaster for Lourdes. During our visit, we met Eric, manager of the Mediterranée. He was really distraught. For the second time in a few months his hotel has been inundated with mud and water. We must remember them all in our prayers." Donations can be made by cheque payable to WRCDT Lourdes Flood Appeal and sent to: Gerald Daly, Pilgrimage Office, Vaughan House, London, SW1P 1QN.
Editorial
Westminster Record August 2013
Westminster Record – Contact us Editor Bishop John Arnold Archbishop’s House, Ambrosden Avenue, SW1P 1QJ Deputy Editor Jo Siedlecka 020 7267 3616 jsiedlecka@gmail.com Guest Editor Carolyn Wickware communications@rcdow.org.uk Inhouse writer Alexander Balzanella 020 7798 9178 Design Julian Game Proofing Michael Holmes, John Scott Advertising Carol Malpass 01785 662685 To order copies contact Andrea Black 0161 214 1216 or email andrea.black@thecatholicuniverse.com Print Management and distribution by The Universe Media Group Ltd.
September publishing dates Editorial Deadline: 7 August Listings email: communications@rcdow.org.uk News and stories call 020 7267 3616 jsiedlecka@gmail.com Advertising Deadline 9 August To advertise call 01785 662685 Produced by the Diocesan Communications Office of the Diocese of Westminster. News and articles published in Westminster Record do not necessarily represent the views of the Diocese of Westminster, unless specifically stated. Appearance of advertisements does not imply editorial endorsement.
Understanding Our Place in the Church The ordination of eight new priests this year is a great gift to our Diocese. It is the culmination of our response to requests to pray for vocations and to be aware of our need for priests. There may even be a little room for self-congratulation! But the matter does not end there. A priest is not a person in isolation, just ‘set apart’ for ministry where he must just get on with what needs to be done. He needs to have roots in the community and feel welcome to take his place in the wider context of the life of the Church. We all have our own particular role in the life of our Church. As St Paul so brilliantly portrayed the Church as the Body of Christ he gave us the image of the “human body, though it is made up of many parts, all those parts, though many, make up one body. So it is with Christ.” We must all rely on one another to encourage and to sustain our faith. As these new
priests will minister to the people placed in their pastoral care in the parishes to which they are sent, so they need the love of the community to strengthen and sustain them in that ministry. New priests need encouragement. Let us be very careful to recognise our role in assisting others in our community, be they priests, deacons, religious or lay people. Together we make up the Body of Christ and none of us lives our faith in isolation. That self-understanding of the place that each one of us has within the life of our Church is something that the millions of young people gathering in Brazil for World Youth Day will have been experiencing. Young people are growing up in a fast-changing world and one where Faith is certainly not taken for granted and even struggles to find a place. We can celebrate all that has been good for the young people in Rio de Janeiro, and in their meeting with Pope Francis, but we must
Bishop John Arnold
remember that they are all part of the same one Body of Christ and they need us, just as we need them, in the greater family of the Church.
Bishop John Arnold Editor
The View from Rome: Roman Landmarks
by Antonio Pineda, Westminster Seminarian at the Venerable English College, Rome In August, tourists flock to Rome for the city’s world renowned landmarks. From St Peter’s Basilica to the Colosseum, the Eternal City offers some of the most instantly recognisable sights that make it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. For seminarians, however, there are different landmarks – or milestones – that they strive to reach as they discern their calling. These include receiving the ministries of lector and acolyte, or the rite of candidacy, and later, becoming a deacon, and ordination to the priesthood. Over the last couple of months, several of our seminarians in the Venerable English College (VEC) and Page 2
the Pontifical Beda College have reached some of these significant milestones. On 14 June, Shaun Richards was ordained deacon at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls with Cardinal Cormac MurphyO'Connor presiding. A former Anglican minister, Shaun has been studying at the Beda for two years. He is now looking forward to serving in the parish of St George’s in Sudbury from September, and, God willing, his ordination to the priesthood in the not-too-distant future. On 29 June, the Beda College’s Martin Tate was one of the eight Westminster men ordained to the priesthood in Westminster Cathedral. Martin spent four years training at the Beda and now welcomes priesthood’s “invitation to humbly and happily accept the Lord’s offer to serve Him unreservedly, wherever He may lead us”. Most recently, the diocese welcomed another deacon when Archbishop Arthur Roche ordained Stefan Kaminski in a ceremony held at Villa Palazzola, the VEC’s retreat house just outside of Rome. Three more Westminster men reached a milestone in their formation: Adam Dora, Benjamin Woodley and yours truly. We were instituted to the ministry of lector on 30 June, a wonderful way to end our second year at the VEC. Adam, at 21, is currently
Deacon Shaun Richards with Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Conner and Fr Richard Nesbitt
the diocese’s youngest seminarian. He said: “The first two years of my formation have been filled with blessings as well as challenges, and receiving the ministry of lector – to be tasked to spread the Word of God – is definitely one of the biggest blessings.” These landmarks wrap up a wonderful year in Rome for the Diocese. They follow the announcement in June that Mgr Philip Whitmore has been appointed as the new Rector to the English College. Mgr Whitmore, who
currently works at the Secretariat of State for the Holy See in Rome, will take over the important task of overseeing the formation of all the seminarians of the VEC when the new academic year opens in September. Sadly, we have had to say goodbye to Mgr Mark Langham who has returned to England after many years in Rome to start a new ministry as Catholic Chaplain at Cambridge University. Mgr Langham worked for the Vatican Department of Christian Unity and he
has also been “Our Man in Rome” for several years as author of this popular monthly article “The View from Rome”. I am sure that you would like to join me in thanking him for all his excellent postings over these years and wishing him all the best for his new appointment. With the help of my fellow Westminster seminarians here at the VEC and Beda, I will be doing my best in the coming months to keep you posted with more “Views from Rome”.
Westminster Record August 2013
St Alban's pupils return from life-changing trip to Kenya with CAFOD
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Eight New Priests of the Diocese
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Pictured left to right: Martin Tate, Oscar Ardila, Martin Plunkett, Mark Walker, Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Glies Pinnock, Jeffrey Steel, Jeffrey Downie and Fortunato Pantisano Pupils from a St Alban's school have returned from a lifechanging trip with CAFOD to Kenya, where they saw how sport is offering many young Kenyans a lifeline out of violence and poverty. Dan Burke and Sam Griffiths from St Columba’s College in St Albans, Hertfordshire, were involved in their school’s fundraising for CAFOD, which supports programmes in urban and rural communities in Kenya. The students joined a group from Oaklands School in Portsmouth on their visit St John’s Sports Society in Korogocho, a slum town in the Kenyan capital Nairobi which houses 200,000 people in area of less than a square mile. The society offers young people a safe haven where they can take part in activities like netball, football, and boxing clubs. The students also joined in with classes at the local St John’s School, helping some of the younger children with their work. St Columba’s College struck up a relationship with St John’s Sports Society in 2011 when four of their students visited the project. The school has stayed in close contact with the Society ever since, hosting visits last year from Abdi Rauf Dima, one of their young Karate stars, and Fr John Weebotsa, the local priest who runs the club. During their visit, Dan and Sam handed out awards to the Society’s
most promising students at the opening ceremony of a new gym and cultural centre which will be used by St John’s members as well as other Korogocho residents, including a young group of budding classical musicians. Dan said: “The people of Korogocho are so down to earth; they are some of the nicest people I have ever met. It’s both inspiring and encouraging to see that having a safe place to play sport – something we often take for granted in the UK – is making such a big difference to young people in Korogocho. St John’s motto is ‘pamoja tunaweza’ which means ‘together we can’. Organisations like CAFOD show that, if we put our minds together, if we work together, we really can make a difference to people’s lives.” Fr John Weebotsa who runs St John’s Sports Society commented: “The support we’ve received from Oaklands and St Columba’s through CAFOD means the world to this community. Because of this support we have been able to build the new St John’s Sports and Cultural Centre which will offer a space where young people can train, receive counselling, and talk about the difficulties they face in their lives. The whole community will benefit from this space. To CAFOD supporters in England and Wales I would like to say thank you – your help really is changing lives, it really is making a difference.”
On the 29 June 2013 The Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, ordained eight men to the Priesthood in a service at Westminster Cathedral. The ordination took place on the vigil of the solemnity of Ss Peter & Paul. In his homily Archbishop Nichols reflected on the importance of the love of God and its importance for the Priesthood: “Such love in practice is, of course, at the heart of the priest’s life, of these men ordained today. Everything that you do for your people, in all the years of your Priesthood, will be an expression of your love for the Lord. If it is not, then it will soon become a burden and immensely tiring. Stay rooted in the Lord each day, then the work you do will be your strength and joy. Two particular tasks will be at the heart of your priestly ministry: to help keep us all rooted in Christ; and to help keep us all united in Christ.” Archbishop Vincent also stressed the importance of the Priesthood for the Catholic community and the greatness of the commitment which the new priests were undertaking: “You are also to be visible signs of our unity in the person of Christ. You come from such diverse backgrounds and circumstances. Yet today you express that remarkable unity of mind and heart
which is such a gift of our faith. You are as one in the life-long commitment you are about to give: a commitment to the people in service; a commitment to the Church in obedience; a commitment to Jesus in love. In the light of this commitment and your service in the unity of the Church, you know that the imposition of personal preferences has no part in your ministry, just as the fostering of personal favouritism must be avoided. All is for Christ, not for self. All is within obedience to the mind of the Church.”
Mgr Mark O’Toole, Rector of Allen Hall, the Diocese of Westminster’s Seminary, said: “It is with great joy and a deep sense of the generosity of God that we celebrate the Ordination of these eight new priests of the Diocese. We give thanks to God for all those – family, friends and parishioners – who have helped to bring them to this important moment. I know that they will be faithful servants of the Gospel and devoted Shepherds of the people to whom they are sent. May their example and witness encourage many more to follow Christ more deeply and to give themselves whole-heartedly in His service.”
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News
Westminster Record August 2013
CAAPA Summer Gathering in Covent Garden by Jo Siedlecka Members of the Catholic Association for Performing Arts (CAAPA), formerly the Catholic Stage Guild, met for their annual summer gathering in Covent Garden on the evening of 10 July. Mass at Corpus Christi's in Maiden Lane, was celebrated by Fr Alan Robinson, with soloist Breda McKinney accompanied by David Hoyland. Afterwards there was a reception at the Club for Acts and Actors. Several actors were in attendance, including Jonathan Coote, who has recently performed in the West End show ‘The Audience’ with Helen Mirren. Michael Slater and Dutch actress Martha Van Der Bly read two scenes from the play 'And Then They Came for Me - Remembering the World of Anne Frank and Eva Schloss', then Martha gave a talk about her recent tour of South Africa with the play.
Jonathan Coote and Martha Van Der Bly with Michael Slater
Carmel in the City Celebrates Three Lay Professions three were deepening Baptismal commitment.
their
“Carmelites think of Mary as an elder sister in faith who gently leads us along our pilgrimage of faith to encounter her son, Jesus” he said. Commenting on the reading from the Book of Kings, he spoke about Elijah, important in Carmelite spirituality, climbing Mount Carmel to pray for rain after seven years of drought. The ensuing cloud was a sign of Mary and the drought’s end. “She was a cloud of grace who bore Christ, source of life and redemption.”
Sylvia Lucas, convener Carmel in the City, newly professed members of Carmelite Third Order, May Sexton, Julie Marchant, Annie Taylor with Fr Francis Kemsley O.Carm; in front of icon of Our Lady of the City, St Joseph's, Bunhill Row by Amanda C Dickie
Three lay people made their first Professions in the Carmelite Third Order at Carmel in the City, at St Joseph's, Bunhill Row on 6 July. May Sexton, Annie Taylor and Julie Marchant, a reader at Westminster Cathedral, were professed during a votive Mass of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The Mass was celebrated by Carmelite friar, Fr Francis Kemsley from Aylesford Priory. Page 4
Carmelites originated from medieval hermits around Mount Carmel in the Holy Land and were known as the brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Their feast-day is celebrated on 16 July. Fr Kemsley noted that Carmel is a garden and the first community of hermits lived around the well of Elijah – a reminder of the waters of Baptism. In making their profession promises he said that the
Each individual was presented with a scapular as a sign of commitment and service. They were also provided with a copy of the Third Order Rule. The Rule urges a life lived “in allegiance to Jesus Christ” and to meditate upon the Word of God at all times. Carmel in the City was established five years ago as a place of fellowship for those interested in Carmelite spirituality. Meetings are held on the first Saturday of each month. FOR MORE INFORMATION Further details can be obtained from convenor Sylvia Lucas: carmelinthecity@laycarmel.org
Produced by Nic Careem for the Blue Sky Network, 'And Then They Came For Me' tells the story of Eva Schloss, a Holocaust survivor and Anne Frank’s stepsister, both of whom had very similar childhoods. Martha described how Eva, now an energetic 84 year-old, accompanied the tour and took questions after the show. "Eva told me: 'When we came back we wanted to talk but no one wanted to listen. Later when people wanted us to talk we couldn't speak" quoted the actress. After witnessing so many others around the world seeking refuge, Eva felt she had to speak out so that nobody would have to live through an experience like hers at Auschwitz.
Eva has also recently published a book, called 'After Auschwitz', about these experiences. Performing the play in front of multi-racial audiences in South Africa felt particularly poignant, Martha said, because of the themes it deals with. Just a few years earlier, it would not have been possible. Nelson Mandela himself read Anne Frank's diary when he was in prison. Mandela has said the fact that a 13 year-old in such circumstances could write so positively and with such courage helped him to cope. The play was performed in a number of venues in Cape Town, in Port Elisabeth and in the Apartheid Museum and in the Woman’s Gaol on Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. "We had hoped to peform it on Robbin Island” Martha said, “but it was too windy so instead we performed it on the coast." The show has been staged at the Dulwich Prep Theatre with Martha in the lead role, winning excellent reviews. Martha is now working on a documentary film on religious tolerance entitled: 'The Secret of Salone', produced by Rose Rebel Productions Ltd. For more information see: www.sos-thefilm.com Jonathan Coote is now developing a film project based on a PJ Wodehouse comedy, entitled ‘Ranny Gazoo'. FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit www.caapa.org.uk
Westminster Record August 2013
News
Westminster Record September 2011
Competition for innovation in Communicating Christian faith A competition aimed at encouraging innovation in communicating the Christian faith, and promoting new ways to reach people who don’t yet have contact with Christian organisations, was launched this week by Premier Christian Radio in association with the Christian Initiative Trust. The second annual ‘Mustard Seed Awards’ programme offers £50,000 in funding for Christian charities, groups and individuals, including a Gold Award of £15,000, a Silver Award of £12,000, a Bronze Award at £8,000 and three Highly Commended prizes of £5,000 each. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, 27 August 2013 with judging scheduled for October when all winners will be notified. The awards ceremony will be at 1:00pm on Saturday, 9 November to coincide with the Premier New Media Conference at The Brewery, Chiswell Street, London, EC1Y 4SD.
Last year’s Gold Award winner was ventriloquist and puppeteer Marc Griffiths from Sheffield. His project was to develop a teaching tool to communicate identity and meaning to children, using puppets. He has since auditioned for ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ TV show. Peter Kerridge, CEO of Premier Christian Radio, said; “We have high hopes that the 2013 ‘Mustard Seed Awards’ programme will produce some truly life-changing ideas, following the innovations presented by last year’s amazing group of finalists. Our objective is to support grass roots efforts by Christians and Christian bodies to encourage engagement with Christianity.” Sian Edwards, CIT director said: “We believe that great things can come from small beginnings and that, in the hands of ambitious and determined people, our prize money can help to make the world a better place.”
Children from the Our Lady Help of Christians in Kentish Town were one of the great acts that performed in the parish concert recently, to raise funds for SANKTUS - the parish welfare work which provides daily sandwiches, Sunday lunches, clothing and a food bank for hundreds of local people. Altogether they raised almost £2,000.
FOR MORE INFORMATION Entry information can be obtained from www.premier.org.uk/mustardseed.
Garden Party to help Christians in Holy Land by Jo Siedlecka
“Please don’t just pray for us – come and pray with us” - the spirit of these words spoken by Palestinian Christian Laila Asfoura, who lives in Bethlehem, inspired Friends of the Holy Land to host a midsummer garden party to raise funds for their charity. In the grounds of Our Lady of Victories Church in Kensington, a string quartet played as wine and canapés were served and a prize raffle took place. Due to severe political and economic hardships, an estimated 300 Christian families leave the Holy Land each year. Church leaders predict that if this current exodus continues, Christianity could easily cease to exist in the Holy Land within 50 years. As Sir Swinton Thomas, who attended the event, commented: “Friends of the Holy Land’s focus is to keep an Arab Christian presence in the Holy Land. FHL achieves this by adopting a policy to work directly with local people based in Bethlehem - to respond to the most vulnerable families by providing financial support to different areas in the Holy Land”.
FHL has adopted a wide range of projects. In supporting education, they provide primary and secondary educational financial assistance for economically marginalised families, and funding for university tuition for individual students. Other projects include St Martha’s House, which helps elderly women from the Bethlehem area. An FHL factory manufacturing candles for sale in Bethlehem and Jerusalem helps a small, but growing, number of local people. Mgr James Curry, Chairman of FHL Kensington said: “Our work is vital to Christian people in the Holy Land – and it makes a very real difference. Our aim is to train Palestinian Christians to a professional level and provide a means by which they can earn enough to support their families, as well as restoring and safeguarding part of Palestine’s Christian cultural inheritance”. The Midsummer Party raised more than £3,000.
The Harkov String Quartet serenades the Midsummer Party at Our Lady of Victories Parish in Kensington Page 5
Marriage and Family Life
Celebrating the Gospel of Life!
Ed Smith, Founder and Chairman of the Alliance of Pro-Life Students, recounts his visit to Rome to commemorate the encyclical Evangelium Vitae. All opinions expressed in this article are his own and not necessarily, those of the Alliance of Pro-Life Students. 14 – 15 June marked the commemoration of Pope John Paul II’s famous 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae – the Gospel of Life – in which he affirms: “The Church declares that unconditional respect for the right to life of every innocent person – from conception to natural death – is one of the pillars on which every civil society stands”. Cardinal Burke highlighted that the fundamental witness to the truth is upholding the sacred right to life. In a utilitarian, hedonistic and materialistic society the first to be hurt are women, children and the elderly. John Paul II’s teaching is deep and rich. It calls for us to restore a culture of life against the culture of death and states that unity is the key to building this culture. Therefore, through the common ground of moral law and the unity of all human beings, the pro-life message can reach all in society. We must awaken our culture to the injustices it advances: statesanctioned laws permitting the destruction of those whom Pope Benedict XVI called ‘the poorest of the poor’ – the unborn. Blessed John Paul II pointed out the profound contradiction that whilst there is laudable “growing moral sensitivity” to the “value and dignity of every individual in a human being without any distinction of race, nationality, religion, political opinion or social class”, there is continual increase and wide-spread justification of attack on human life. During the Rome event, the Holy Father endorsed the One of Us initiative. It is one of the very first European Citizens’ Initiatives and aims to promote legal protection of the human embryo from the moment of conception. One million signatures will provide the opportunity to present the initiative at a public hearing in the European Parliament and will mandate a formal response from the European Commission. So far the UK has only 18% of its 43,750 target. If you do one thing after reading this article, please add your name by going to www.oneofus.org.uk/signnow. We go forward in the hope that we will advance student societies in their vital work to form the next generation of parents, doctors, lawyers, teachers and politicians who have the utmost respect for the dignity of human life from the moment of fertilisation to natural death. I am sincerely grateful to the Office for Marriage and Family Life for sponsoring my participation at the Evangelium Vitae events. If you wish to know more about the APS go to www.allianceofprolifestudents.org.uk
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Westminster Record August 2013
Annual Pilgrimage of Reparation and Prayer for the Sanctity of Life
On Sunday 22 September pilgrims from our diocese, joined by a thousand others representing dioceses all over England, will gather at Walsingham to pray for an end to abortion and in amends for the millions of abortions carried out already. Open to all who want to come, this annual event will be led by Bishop John Sherrington from the Diocese of Westminster. Fr Jeremy Davies, who established this pilgrimage in 1984 and many other familiar committed defenders of life will be there too, including the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. The pilgrimage begins on the journey to Walsingham with recitation of the Joyful and Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary on board the coaches that pick up from various points in the diocese. To book a place on a coach travelling from your area, contact the local organiser listed here: Aylesbury/ H Hempstead Canning Town Central London Hatfield, Welwyn and Stevenage
Vilma Tavarro Doreen Bannister Padre Pio Bookshop Paul Vooght
From 11am there is an opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation prior to he central part of the day’s programme, the Shrine Mass at midday. As Fr Jeremy Davies explains: “The heart of the pilgrimage is not, of course, simply a pro-life rally but the Mass.” After a break for lunch (bring a picnic) there are Stations of the Cross, Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction. Pilgrims then assemble for the silent walk along the Holy Mile to the Priory grounds in the village. Those unable to walk are taken by coach. There is a small cost for each pilgrim to enter the Priory grounds. The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary are recited during the journey home. For further enquiries (other than coach bookings), contact Christopher and Margaret Langley, Luton Good Counsel 01582 411155 or email lgcluton@yahoo.co.uk. FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit the website www.supergrandparentawards.co.uk/ to find out how to nominate your super grandparent. Closing date is 31 August 2013.
01296 484 908 020 7476 9438 020 7834 5363 01438 359 276
A gathering of married couples met on 29 and 30 June at St Joseph’s Pastoral Centre to take part in a SmartLoving marriage enrichment seminar. Couples are drawn to the seminar for many reasons and at all stages of marriage. Couples reported that SmartLoving is like seeing their marriage and their future in living colour. The seminar draws on insights of the theology of the body and helpful suggestions for a fulfilling relationship. One key insight highlighted the differences between males and females. The seminar aims to open the eyes and hearts of couples, in light of these differences, to empower them with a new sense of a mission to love. “An inspirational course,” said one couple, “teaching the value and sanctity of marriage; reminding us this is a gift from God to be respected, valued and cherished.” In their wedding vows, a couple is called to live with a love that is freely given, total and faithful. Fundamentally, it is all about our capacity as spouses to love authentically. FOR MORE INFORMATION Although it is a Catholic experience, couples of any faith are invited. Bookings are now open for the next seminar in Hendon on 21 and 22 September. Contact the Office for Marriage and Family Life for more information.
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Vocations
Westminster Record August 2013
A Father to His People that I felt that God was calling me to begin a new chapter in my vocation and leave the monastery behind to serve the Eritrean community here.
How do you look back on these last 13 years?
by Fr Richard Nesbitt Fr Ephrem Andom, Chaplain to the Eritrean Catholic GheezRite Chaplaincy in London, reflects on the life of his community and his own journey
How did the Eritrean Chaplaincy begin? During the 1980s many refugees fled to the UK because of the civil war back home. Cardinal Hume responded very generously to this need and invited Fr Kidane Lebasi, who had also arrived from Eritrea at that time, to found the chaplaincy. He in turn found wonderful support from Fr Oliver McTernan whose parish of St Francis of Assisi in Pottery Lane became the home for the chaplaincy. It was really these three men who were instrumental in giving birth to the community.
How and when did you become involved in the chaplaincy? I visited London in 1999 for a short summer holiday while studying in Rome and concelebrated one Mass with Fr Kidane. He was looking for a priest to take over the chaplaincy and so he asked me. I went back to Rome to complete my studies and then came back in July 2000. I was incardinated into the diocese of Westminster in 2002. For me this was also a journey of discernment as I had been a Cistercian monk before this - a calling which I loved and is still very much a part of me. But the need for priestly and pastoral support was so great here
We have all grown together! I love the community and the chaplaincy has become my new monastery. I need them and they need me. I have a strong sense of fatherhood for them - we journey to the Lord together. There are challenges of course - using someone else’s building is not the same as having your own parish. Back in the 1980s it was a very young community - now we have many different generations and our numbers have grown enormously. Indeed since September 2010 we have left our beloved first home of St Francis of Assisi parish and moved to St Aidan’s in East Acton simply because we needed a much bigger church. The priests at St Aidan’s have been very welcoming and it is a great gift for us that we can now all fit into the same building and be as one community for our Sunday 1pm Mass.
the end of the day there are some things which only a priest can do. My hope and prayer is that some of the men from our own community here will offer themselves for the priesthood. It is not easy but God will provide. Now we are also trying to organise people into different areas and deciding who can be the leader figures to watch over and help the community in that area. We are developing a database so that we know who we are and what people’s needs are. We also have an excellent website: www.catholicgheez.org which really does help to unite and instruct people.
me that they pray for me every day and I feel their prayers very much. I love serving my people here and I am very proud of my people. As well as serving the Eritrean community here I am also privileged to be the assistant priest at Our Lady of Fatima parish in White City. These are both extraordinary communities, deeply rooted in the love of the Lord. It is Jesus who inspires us always to want more, always to seek to be more faithful and fervent disciples.
Where do you feel you are now in your own vocational journey? My simple answer is that I am very happy! The greatest thing to happen to me in my life has been becoming a priest. My uncle is a Carthusian (he celebrated his 50th anniversary in June) and another uncle is a Cappuchin - they tell
What are some of the challenges that you and your community face? The biggest challenge is to get priests as there is currently a law in Eritrea which forbids anyone from leaving the country unless they are over 50 and have completed their military service. Before this law was passed, we had many Eritrean priests studying in Rome who came to the UK in the summer to improve their English and serve the community. But now we can’t get a single priest to help out. So the primary need is to find the priestly support needed for our growing communities. We have a very strong pastoral chaplaincy council with wonderful lay support but at
We want your News You can send us your latest news online, just visit our website at: www.rcdow.org.uk/wrecord
Caring for the Capital 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
WESTMINSTER PRIESTS To explore if the Lord is calling YOU to join us contact the Vocations Director Fr Richard Nesbitt: Tel: 020 7349 5624 Email: richardnesbitt@rcdow.org.uk Page 7
School News
Westminster Record August 2013
St Albans pupils accepted into ‘genius organisation’ Mensa
New Senior Prefect Team for St Gregory’s Catholic Science College Some 11 pupils at Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School in St Albans proved they are not just top of the class but top in the country after being accepted into Mensa, the high IQ organisation. The students put themselves to the test by taking a one-hour mental reasoning exam, set by Mensa. Results showed that 11 pupils, from Year 7 to Year 11, qualified to join the organisation by showing an IQ over 148, which puts them in the top 2% of people in the country.
St. Gregory’s Catholic Science College opened a new Sixth Form Centre last September. It was officially opened by the most Reverend Archbishop Vincent Nichols on 4 October 2012 and named St Catherine of Siena Centre. The Sixth Form students have settled into St Catherine Centre and are enjoying being taught in the new learning facilities. This month the school elected our new Senior Prefect Team, Ekow Plange (Head Boy),
Sarah Wallis (Head Girl), Isaiah Registration for year 12 students is Ting and Michael Magpuyo (Deputy on Tuesday 3 September at 10am. Head Boys), Tamara Flynn and Anthonia Ademuyiwa (Deputy Head Girls). The team have some exciting ideas for the Sixth Form and how they will contribute to the main school. We look forward to their term of office and would like to thank Matthew Ong and Emma Daly for their valuable work as Head Girl and Head Boy this year.
‘Outstanding’ for St Thomas More Catholic School
St Francis of Assisi celerates 150 years
St Thomas More Catholic School was found to be ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted following a ‘no notice’ inspection of the Wood Green School. Inspector Daniel Burton noted that teaching, behaviour and leadership were also exceptional.
The pupils are: Rifat Choudhury, Callum Britton, Ewan Wilson, Eilish Saunders, Aoife Cassidy, Kieran Mekota, Dominika Chmurzynska, Amish Jethwa, George Singleton, Robert Hunter and Matthew Hearn. Mrs. Brown, maths teacher at the school, is a member of Mensa and said: “People who join Mensa don’t really wear badges, but they come from all walks of life and from very different backgrounds. I am thrilled that so many of our students at Nicholas Breakspear have proved just how clever they are even though I’m a bit jealous that a few of them got higher scores than me. Well done to them all.”
Cllr Pat Egan, the Chairman of Governors, said: “I doubt there are many schools that have seen such a rapid improvement in such a short time period. This remarkable result is a tribute to a great team effort of all staff within the school as they continue to be passionate about the achievement of our pupils.” To add, Headteacher Martin Tissot, said: “I am so pleased the Ofsted team has endorsed our emphasis on high standards of pupil behaviour and noted how our strong Catholic ethos underpins all aspects of our work. We want to continue our improvement and successfully adapt to a fast changing landscape.” This is the latest piece of encouraging news for the school after being named as one of the top three schools in the country for factoring out educational disadvantage and in June was awarded Investors in People Gold Award.
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St Francis of Assisi Primary School in Notting Hill celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the school on 11 June. The school and the Church was built by Fr Henry Augustus Rawes almost entirely using his own money. Edwin Dooley, Chair of governors, said: “We are very proud of the achievements from our pupils and staff, we have members of staff who have gone from teaching assistants to teachers and on to acting assistant deputy head teacher, we have teacher who have gone on to deputy headships in other schools, we have pupils that have won scholarships to top high schools, our pupils have gone on to university’s including Oxford. We celebrate with pride our international diversity, we have a large number of children who come to us with English as a second language, the SATS results in key stage 2 compared with key stage 1, show a vast improvement. Last, but I believe the most important is our Catholic identity, this is what brings us together in a very unique way, brothers and sisters in Christ, this must always be at the for front of our thoughts.”
Profile
Westminster Record August 2013
Kate Introna - Rediscovering God among the orphans of Nongkai, Thailand by Jo Siedlecka
Kate Introna used to work in London as a nurse/live in carer looking after disabled and elderly mainly in Kingston on Thames, Knightsbridge and East Finchley. For the past ten years she has been working with children orphaned by HIV/AIDS at Sarnelli House in Nongkai, northwest Thailand. The centre offers a caring home, medical and personal support to children orphaned by HIV, many of them born HIV positive themselves. Kate has been on holiday in London recently and talked with the Westminster Record about her faith and work. Kate writes: I grew up as one of a seven children in a Catholic family. We went to Mass as kids every Sunday and practised all the traditions of the Church, which as I was growing up, was something I just accepted as part of our family life. My parent's faith was so much a part of who they were as close, kind and loving people. They taught us that their love as a married couple reflected God's love for the church and for all of us. I saw in their love the strength, humility, the generosity and the joy which has always been my guide on this journey. I know that, through them, I became closer to who I am supposed to be. When I was 18 year old I left home to study nursing, and as I got older I found that I needed to discover for myself what I believed in, and not just to follow blindly in my childhood faith. After much reading and thinking and travelling, I am proud to say my faith is the faith of my father and mother and their fathers and mothers. I love the fact that I stand on the shoulders of the saints and that I am part of something larger than myself. It brings infinitely more meaning than I could ever bring to my own life. When I had finished my first year at
Sarnelli House in 2003, I really experienced love in a most profound way. There were 25 orphans from two years old to 10 years old at the orphanage all with HIV/AIDS and none of them had started on any treatment for their disease. They were all expected to die. I was the first health professional to provide care for them in the orphanage. In that year, and really with the grace of God, we managed to start them on their AntiRetroViral medicine which saved their lives. In those days, the local staff was untrained and there was the stigma and fear of HIV/AIDS, so they didn't provide any physical affection to the children, they didn't seem to get emotionally attached to them probably in part to protect themselves against death and grief. But I fell in love with all 25 of them, little toddlers would respond to a hug or a smile with a desperation that broke my heart. They were craving to be loved, to be held and to respond to love with love.
“As I got older I found that I needed to discover for myself what I believed in, and not just to follow blindly in my childhood faith” I couldn't understand intellectually how I could love 25 kids to bursting point, and how I could know each of their little personalities and recognise each of their coughs and know when they were in pain or sad or joyous. Yet I still had room, so much room to love the other children that turned up on the doorstep afraid, lonely and rejected. I guess I thought that love was finite and that it could only encompass a certain amount. Now I really understood that love has no limits and is unconditional it was a revelation to me, and it meant that if God is love then the love we have for each other is from God. God loves us all infinitely and unconditionally. I learnt this through the children and I discovered the absolute naturalness of love – it is in
Kate and three of the children at Sarnelli House
our nature to love and to be loved. When I reflect back on that year I see the face of God in those children, I see Jesus rejected and alone, I see him though their eyes and all I can do is pour out my love on them as he did for us on the cross, and follow his call -" ... whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25.40. Despite the love the children gave and received it was a hard year - the impossible language, the different culture, missing my family and friends and if I knew now how hard it was going to be back then, I think my courage would have failed me. Trusting in God’s plan encouraged me to try to carry on with love wherever I am and I try to spend quiet time with God. Lucky for me when I don't feel God in my life, I peddle over to the orphanage and then 10 children run up to greet me, a teenager will give me a big hug and then walk away, or a five year old will wrap his arms around my legs and smile up at me. Then I realise God never did leave, and love is everything. If you would like more information about Sarnelli House or would be interested in sponsoring one the the children that Kate looks after see: http://www.thaichildrenstrust.org.uk/ what-we-do/children-withhivaids/sarnelli-house,-nongkhai.aspx )
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In Pictures
Westminster Record August 2013
Agency for Evangelisation’s ‘Year of Faith’ ‘Faith Matters’ Talks Faith Matters biannual talks started in spring 2009. The focus of these talks is Catholic faith in the contemporary world. For the Year of Faith there are 4 series of talks dedicated to the 4 parts of the Catechism. Archbishop Vincent Nichols gave a talk on What is Faith and How do we Believe? Rev Dr Andrew Pinsent spoke on Faith, Science and the Human Person, Prof Ian Linden spoke on Finding God in other Cultures and Religions, Bishop John Arnold spoke on Reconciliation and many more prominent speakers were invited to give talks on important on life in faith topics. So far more than 1300 participants attended the Year of Faith FM talks. All the talks are recorded and reach wide audiences via Christian Radio. All video/audio recordings are available on line. The Lent 2013 series opened on 28 February with a lecture entitled “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: The language of sign and symbol in art and architecture, poetry and music at the service of the liturgy by Archbishop of Cardiff, George Stack.
The Heythrop College singers were at Faith Matters talk
Archbishop Vincent explored the characteristics of faith as presented in the Catechism of Catholic Church Autumn Faith Matters lecture attendees
Photo by Wenson Oo.
Faith Matters: Andrew Carwood focused on ‘A treasure of inestimable value" - music as liturgy and prayer’ on 21 March Page 10
Faith Matters: Fr Michael Kirwan, SJ and explored "The Ten Commandments: do they still matter?" on 30 May
Photo by Wenson Oo.
Faith Matters: Mary Colwell gave a talk, ‘A Catholic Conversation with the Earth’ on 9 May
Westminster Record August 2013
Follow us on Twitter at: twitter.com/RCWestminster
In Pictures Foundation Degree in Pastoral Mission
Adult Faith Formation Adult Faith Formation is a distinct ministry in the Church. The Church teachers us about ‘ a particular need to form adults for lay leadership and additional responsible participation in the Church of the future’ (The Priority of Adult Formation). One of the Agency’s roles is to support parishes in working towards this pastoral priority by forming lay pastoral ministers and offering effective resources such as Catholicism, sessions for parents in sacramental preparation programmes, pastoral planning, etc.
A partnership project of the Diocese of Westminster and Heythrop Coollege closes this year. In the past four years more than 36 parish pastoral ministers had graduated from the programme. They all had involved in their parish pastoral work under the guidance of their parish priest as a mentor. As a result new adult faith formation initiatives sprung up in a number of parishes and parishes will have a number of well-formed lay volunteers and employees.
More than 160 parish adult faith formation leaders from all across the diocese took part in the Adult Faith Formation Conference in October 2012.
AFF leaders and volunteers retreats are held twice per year. In November 2012 Prof Rachel Blass gave a retreat ‘On the Development of Faith relationship: Psychological and religious Perspectives’.
Attendees of the Adult Faith Formation Conference participate in group discussions
For new and exciting on-going AFF leader formation opportunities and parish resources go to rcdow.org.uk/faith/adultformation/welcome/
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CAFOD News
Westminster Record August 2013
Pedalling against Poverty and Hunger! Riders of all ages from across the diocese got on their bikes this June to help raise funds for CAFOD’s work fighting poverty and hunger in the developing world. A record-breaking 204 riders took to the towpaths of Lee Valley Country Park in Hertfordshire as part of the seventh annual Pedal Against Poverty sponsored cycle ride. Riders as young as eight and as old as 79 rode up to 19 miles to raise funds and awareness of CAFOD’s work helping communities in the developing world to overcome poverty. Molly Warren of Welwyn Garden City took part in the ride for the first time this year: “I’ve always been a keen cyclist, but I’m 76 now so it doesn’t get any easier! This is a lovely and fun day out for everyone, raising awareness, and is an active way to raise funds.” As of early July, riders who took part had raised over £3,300, enough to provide 11 rural health
clinics in Latin America with a team of medical professionals. Inspired by the campaign, parishioners at Our Lady Queen of all Creation, Hemel Hempstead held their own “junior” version of Pedal Against Poverty. They cycled to raise money for CAFOD’s work combatting the scandal of global hunger. Stewarded by their parents and siblings, more than 25 children aged between two and six years old rode bicycles, tricycles and scooters around a customised course set up in the church car park. “It was great to see lots of young parents there and all thoroughly enjoyed the event” said organiser Andy McCarthy. “The problem I had in the end was trying to get the children to stop!” So far the children have raised over
Fr Raymond Legge (below) and event organiser Andy McCarthy (above) cheer on young cyclists in Hemel Hempstead
£300 through sponsorship, enough to provide three cows and training in animal husbandry for farmers in Tanzania. If you’re looking for a new challenge, join Team CAFOD for another sponsored event! We’re already accepting applications for the 2014 London Marathon and Brighton Marathon. Get in touch on westminster@cafod.org.uk today!
88 and Counting! CAFOD at Spirit in the City “CAFOD, what is that?” “If it starts with Catholic, then it’s only for Catholics?” These were just few of the questions we received during the Spirit in the City Festival in Leicester Square. CAFOD, along with other organisations, were invited to have a stall in the event, which aims to engage with the general public. The event’s aim parallels CAFOD’s Hungry for Change campaign, which asks people regardless of nationality, gender and ethnicity to take action on their faith by signing the campaign cards. Hungry for Change campaign is CAFOD volunteers Alberto and Alana drum up support for CAFOD’s Hungry for about asking one’s self what it Change Campaign at Spirit in the City means to be a true Christian, to be a true person and to be an specifically for the festival. summer, so it’s not too late to individual making a difference Although each individual has a organise a card signing in your through our actions. different role, we are all parish. To order campaign cards, ambassadors for CAFOD. It is The CAFOD team at the Spirit in posters, and other resources, through our faith, being happy and the City festival was composed of team work that we were able to contact CAFOD Westminster: six individuals representing 0208 449 6970 or different volunteer roles and promote our Hungry for Change campaign to the public, resulting westminster@cafod.org.uk. opportunities. Patricia and James visit Confirmations groups across in eighty-eight cards signed and For registration forms and more various parishes. Alberto is a still counting. School and Youth volunteer while Have you told the Prime Minister information, contact CAFOD Jack is an office volunteer and that you’re Hungry for Change? Westminster: Anne is a student who supports CAFOD’s campaign for a fairer food westminster@cafod.org.uk or and volunteers for CAFOD system continues throughout the 0208 449 6970. Page 12
CAFOD Events this Autumn Be sure to sign up for our Harvest Volunteers Day on Saturday 14 September. We’re happy to welcome Clare Dixon, head of CAFOD’s Latin America team, who as part of the day will be sharing her experience and inspiring stories from CAFOD’s work in Nicaragua and Guatemala. The day will take place at the Benedictine Centre for Spirituality in the Church of Christ the King, Cockfosters, N14 4HE. For further details and to book a place, contact CAFOD Westminster – 0208 449 6970 or westminster@cafod.org.uk. Don’t forget that Harvest Fast Day is Friday 4 October. Please make sure to add the dates for Harvest Fast Day in your and your parish’s diary. It is hoped envelopes can be distributed and a short talk given at Masses during the weekend of 29/30 September, and a retiring collection for CAFOD held during the weekend of 5/6 October. Perhaps you could also arrange to mark the day with a frugal lunch or event in your parish? For more information on all events, contact CAFOD Westminster: 0208 449 6970 or westminster@cafod.org.uk.
Dates for your diary Friday 18 October – CAFOD Pope Paul VI Lecture - CAFOD’s annual lecture will be held at Kings College London at 6:30pm with guest speaker Fr Orobator SJ, Provincial of Eastern Africa Jesuit Province. Saturday 2 November – Campaign Conference – join us for an update on CAFOD’s Hungry for Change campaign, featuring guest speaker Fr Ignatio Blasco from Guatemala - held at Amigo Hall (next to St George’s Cathedral, Southwark).
Justice and Peace
Westminster Record August 2013
And on the Seventh Day, God Rested ACT (For once we are not asking you to take on some weighty issue).
• Stop working so hard, if you can! Take a break, go for a walk, or find a spot where you can sit and gaze at water or greenery.
by Barbara Kentish
• Help children just to look and notice natural surroundings.
SEE
In May we wrote about the signs of climate change around the world. Last month, Westminster Record readers received our environment leaflet outlining why the diocese is committed to caring for Creation. There is no shortage of work to do. But it’s August now, and time for a rest. Like the natural world, we need a change of rhythm. Most of us try to take time off to recharge our batteries. We laze around in the garden or the park, or if we are lucky enough to get away, we relax on a sunny beach, climb mountains, and ‘get away from it all’. City children enjoy a taste of the outdoors. All of this helps us renew our connection with Nature, reminding us that contemplation of God’s world is vital for our peace of mind and wellbeing. The old quote from WH Davey: ‘What is this life, if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?’ reminds us that our pace and busy life can squeeze God out. We cut back on our rest time at our peril. Instead, let us try to incorporate these periods of calm and slowing down into our calendar.
JUDGE
Notice nature and its diversity when you can
• Make a time, perhaps early in the morning, to pray outside, if you don’t do that already. Are there fewer birds than last year, because of the cold winter? Is there more traffic? Notice colour, sound and smell. Cherish the humble, but increasingly scarce sparrow! • Do our Fun quiz: True or False? 1) Human dignity and care for God’s Creation are interrelated issues. 2) The way we use natural resources has a limited impact on whether Creation thrives or suffers. 3) Tropical rain forests contain 6 per cent of the world’s plant and animal species. 4) Many of our life-saving drugs come from complex chemicals found in rain forest animals or plants. 5) The poor and the powerless most directly bear the burden of current environmental carelessness. 6) It is predicted that the earth’s temperatures will rise 2.5 degrees by 2100. 7) The United States has 21% of the world’s population and accordingly, emits 21% of the world’s carbon dioxide. 8) The sinfulness of greed applies only to relationships between human beings but does not apply to a person’s relationship with the earth. 9) Focussing on the long-term benefits of consuming natural resources always harms the earth and people in the short run. 10) Companies resist the costs of environmental stewardship because such stewardship rarely saves money in the long run. Answers to Justice and Peace Environment Quiz 1t,2f, 3f,4t, 5t, 6t,7f, 8f, 9f, 10f
It matters enormously that ‘Nature’ should still be there when we have time to notice it. Fr Sean McDonagh warns: ‘Our profound and wonderful sense of the divine comes to a great extent from the beauty and diversity of the natural world.’ (Ex 19:4). So when we extinguish species we destroy forever the possibilities that those species had for representing in a unique way the mystery of God.’ (To Care for the Earth, Sean McDonagh) Not only do food chains depend on the survival of species, but our very souls and our relationship with God also depend on the health of the natural world. The first interfaith gathering in Assisi convened by Pope John Paul II declared: ‘This earth, so touchingly looked upon in the Hindu view as the Universal Mother, has nurtured humanity up from the slime of the primeval ocean for billions of years. Let us declare our determination to halt the present slide towards destruction, to rediscover the ancient tradition of reverence for all life, and even at this late hour, to reverse the suicidal course upon which we have embarked. Let us recall the ancient Hindu dictum: ‘The Earth is our mother, and we are all her children’.
Take a break and enjoy a walk on the beach!
Fairtrade Update We are steadily moving forward towards Fairtrade status for the Westminster Diocese. Ninety-two parishes have signed up so far. We need over half to do so, that is, around 110. Is your parish signed up? If so, are you still serving Fairtrade tea and coffee? Keep up the good work. By February 2014 we should have something to celebrate.
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Youth
Westminster Record August 2013
Director’s Spotlight The theme for last month’s World supreme pontiff of the Catholic Youth Day in Rio was "Go and Church, Pope Francis spent a time highlighting that if we want to be make disciples of all nations!" good witnesses to the world and Since arriving back from Rio, which grow in our faith, it is important for was my first pilgrimage as Director of us to focus on prayer, to always be Youth Ministry, I have spent time open to sharing our stories and reflecting on those words and have testimonies with those who are ‘lost’, had various discussions with friends, and to spend time with the poor. family and colleagues about what it Therefore, he wants us to make means to be a disciple and to go and disciples through the way we live our make disciples of all nations. lives, which reminds me of a quote While at his first World Youth Day as from St. Francis of Assisi; "Preach the
DATE: AUGUST 2013 Fr David Reilly, Diocesan Youth Chaplain through our young pilgrims, will point many people in the right direction and lead them towards their future, renewed in faith.
Hundreds of young people from the diocese have just taken part in pilgrimage experiences in Rio de Janeiro, Lourdes and ‘WYD@Home’ in Aylesford. These have been amazing, life changing experiences and now, as Pope Francis encouraged us, we are looking forward to sharing our joy and faith with everyone who has supported us and prayer for us. Rio was a truly amazing event, a vast gathering of the universal Church around Francis, the Successor of Peter, who came to confirm and strengthen us in the Catholic faith. World Youth Day was a vivid and living sign of the New Evangelisation in action. The whole world needs the witness of the young people of World Youth Day. In these days since we got back, I am praying that God,
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‘Go make disciples of all nations’ (Matt 28:19). This is the youth theme for 2013 and the theme at the heart of World Youth Day. But isn’t it always, the perennial theme of the Church of Christ? John Paul II, in his great encyclical Redemptoris Missio, reminded us that announcing the Gospel is the first and foremost task entrusted by Jesus to the Church. He said, ‘Faith is strengthened when it is given to others!’ (RM, 2). However you spent your summer, let us begin this great mission anew and begin it together! Let us spread and live the Gospel everywhere, in the best, life giving and life changing ways we can! Fr David Reilly is Diocesan Youth Chaplain
Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words." I experienced World Youth Day to be a joyful time. The setting of Brazil added to the carnival-like atmosphere. I am sure that the many young people who attended the event have flown home with great memories, unforgettable experiences and many new friends. Three of our pilgrims were privileged enough to be on the stage alongside Pope Francis during the Opening Ceremony, which will definitely be a moment they will remember for many years to come. This brings me back to the theme of this year’s World Youth Day and my initial reflections of the event. These big events with the great festivities, the big crowds, meeting new friends and time spent in prayer with the Holy Father are all very good. The problem arises when pilgrims head home to their small parishes and schools and not only realising that all the excitement is over but also that they will have to wait another two three years until the next World Youth Day. Having been surrounded by thousands of young people all from different parts of the world,
once they arrive home they could find themselves amongst only a handful of young people in their parish and have to learn to live out their faith alone. I truly believe that big events such as World Youth Day and Flame Congress which took place in March 2012 are great ways of exposing young people to the universality of the Catholic Church. Yet without effective discipleship programmes at parish level, one will notice many of these enthusiastic young people drift away from the Church and seek a ‘spiritual home’ somewhere else. We at Westminster Youth Ministry hope to harness the energy and experiences of World Youth Day and our trip to Lourdes with the Red Caps by staying in contact with the pilgrims through follow up sessions. We also hope to continue building up our Westminster Youth Leaders Network. We have an abundance of resources at the Centre for Youth Ministry which we hope to utilise and promote amongst youth leaders and catechists so as to start local based discipleship groups and continued formation for our dioceses young people. One must remember that our faith cannot be based on the amount of big events or pilgrimages you have attended, but rather should be based on how you live out our lives on a daily basis. We look forward to seeing you at the Centre for Youth Ministry in the coming months!
Get involved and keep in touch! You can find out more about the Diocesan Youth Service and the experiences of our young people by going to www.rcdow.org.uk/youth The site includes coverage of events, interviews and photos. You can also keep in touch online with the latest youth activities at http://on.fb.me/15fzuXE twitter.com/ RCWestminster or WestminsterWYM See photos of youth events at http://tinyurl.com/5vqohvo If you have a story for the blog or for Westminster Record email us at: communications@rcdow.org.uk
Exciting position available at the Centre for Youth Ministry The Centre for Youth Ministry, based at St Aloysius parish in Somers Town, is home to the Diocesan Youth Support Team. Our principal aim is to develop, facilitate and co-ordinate support for parish based youth ministry. We also aim to promote and develop young adult networks and co-ordinate diocesan youth events.
An exciting new role has arisen for a
Communication, Resources and Events Co-ordinator to join the team. The post holder will be responsible for the development and execution of the Westminster Youth Ministry communications resources and events strategy. S/he will lead the development and execution of the Youth Ministry Communication and Events Strategy and be responsible for the management of the Centre for Youth Ministry’s Resource Library. The successful candidate will possess significant experience in a similar role and will be an excellent communicator with the ability to relate to people of all ages. Applicants should be practising Catholics, committed to the faith formation and maturity of the young people that we seek to serve. For further information about this position please see the diocesan website - www.rcdow.org.uk/ or phone Westminster Youth Ministry directly on 020 7387 1971
Youth
Westminster Record August 2013
We’re going to Walsingham We at the Centre for Youth Ministry are very pleased to announce that we are organising coaches to attend the Youth 2000 summer prayer festival in Walsingham. For those of you unfamiliar with Youth 2000, they are a lay led Catholic charity based at St Mary and the Angels Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Westminster. Youth 2000 UK forms part of the Youth 2000 International network, which has regional offices in America, Ireland, Germany and France among others. Whilst specific details vary from country to country in the Youth 2000 International network, their main focus is increasing awareness and love of Jesus in the Eucharist, through Mass and Eucharistic Adoration. The retreat supports a devotion to Mary as a way of coming closer to Christ, through saying the Rosary. Finally, Youth 2000 aims to encourage young people to read the Bible and get to know Jesus through Scripture. They also promote understanding of and fidelity to official Church teaching.
Who are you listening to?
Youth 2000 UK organise and run a number of retreats for young adults from various parts of England and Wales throughout the year. Their main retreat of the year is their annual summer prayer festival which takes place at the Shrine of our Lady of Walsingham in the Diocese of East Anglia. On average, their summer prayer festival in Walsingham attracts 1,000 young adults, with some coming from as far afield as Germany. The young people sleep in tents or in big marquees. Catering as well as ablution facilities are provided.
The 2013 Youth 2000 summer prayer festival takes place from 22 26 August, this year’s theme being ‘Kingdom Come – Your Will be Done’. There will be Eucharistic Adoration throughout the festival, live Christian worship music performed by the Youth 2000 band, engaging talks with some international speakers, thought provoking workshops, and various fun activities. For further information about this prayer festival and to secure your £20 return trip, please contact alexandramills@rcdow.org.uk
God speaks into our hearts; in listening we understand and are invited to respond. Learning to listen, then, is paramount. That is one of the primary things we are trying to learn and trying to teach here at SPEC. Responding to the deep calls made by God to the depths of our heart. Young people are looking for Christ. They are looking for Christ and desperately trying to swim against a tide that they find unpredictable and overpowering. We offer the young people that come here a chance to grow in their relationship with God, and in doing so, discover themselves and their true calling.
So that we never become a place where the blind lead the blind, volunteer missionaries walk alongside the core community for a year or two. We recognise that a continuous evangelisation of our own hearts is necessary to transform their lives. The missionaries in their turn play their part in transforming the lives of the thousands of young people that walk through our doors. We see the fruit – a change for the better. SPEC is transformational to young people and the missionaries. You don’t have to take my word for it: read what one of our second-year volunteer missionaries wrote: “I have experienced a lot of grace, growth, and fruit in my life over my
past two mission years. I’ve found great joy in being able to talk about the love I have experienced and showing the young people that come how they can have it too. This for me is a unique way of forming into the person God created you to be. Through seeing others live out a Christian life, it encourages me to seek and then deepen my own relationship with God and live through the same spirit God gives them. “ What do we offer? “Dynamic Orthodoxy”? Unashamed Catholicism? Adoration? The Rosary? Yes, all of these but it is easier, and simpler, to say: Jesus. Page 15
Bishop Alan Hopes – Installation
Westminster Record August 2013
New Bishop for Diocese of East Anglia: “We need to encounter the One in whom we believe – then our lives will be transformed” A packed St John the Baptist Cathedral in Norwich celebrated the instillation of the Bishop of East Anglia on 16 July. Bishop Alan Hopes was joined by the Papal Nuncio, Cardinal Cormac MuphyO’Connor, Archbishop Vincent Nichols and many other Bishops from England and Wales. Several ecumenical and civic leaders also attended the Mass. Bishop Alan’s inaugural homily, addressed the new beginnings taking place after a two-year vacancy in the diocese. The new Bishop also gave courage to the congregation in telling us not to be daunted as Christianity comes under attack. We must exhibit obedience and, ultimately, persevere as Mary did to become a witness to our faith. He said; “Through our faith and witness, may the world be given a glimpse of the possibility of a different way of living, a world transformed by faith, hope and love – the world of the one true God – who shares in our human so that we might one day share in his eternal life.” Our Lady is a strong symbol in East Anglia as the diocese is home to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, where thousands of pilgrims will be flocking later this month. Photos ©Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk
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Arts
Westminster Record August 2013
Exhibitions
National Gallery: The Art of Love and Leisure and Saints Alive by Jo Siedlecka Long winter evenings also provided many opportunities to build all kinds of social and professional ties. There are several convivial paintings depicting parties and scenes of domestic harmony.
Step into the Sainsbury's Wing of the National Gallery this summer, and you will be transported to a gentler time, in an exhibition that explores the motif of music in 16th century Dutch painting, with works by Vermeer and his contemporaries, alongside musical instruments and songbooks. For the first time in many years at the gallery, on three days a week, visitors can also experience live music from the period with performances by the Academy of Ancient Music. Forming the centrepiece of Vermeer and Music: The Art of Love and Leisure, are three magnificent paintings by Johannes Vermeer portraying women musicians - brought together for the first time. The National Gallery's own Young Woman Standing at a Virginal and A Young Woman Seated at a Virginal are joined by his The Guitar Player, on loan from Kenwood House, and The Music Lesson, on loan from the Queen.
Songbooks were all the rage during this time, and the exhibition has a number on display. They were printed with little spaces at the front for personal dedications, and small enough to conceal in a pocket or handbag. One handwritten note reads: "go hence lucky book, in those snow white hands/ And in that sweet lap the fairest in the land, Go hence melodiously and let yourself be sung by the one/Who has my heart and senses completely in her power. My favourite painting in the collection is Vermeer’s Guitar Player. The girl is placed far to the left of the picture giving a sense of movement and impending change. With tipped head and a sweet smile, she is listening intently at the same time fixing her gaze on someone just outside of the image. She plays not for us, but for an unseen visitor. Vermeer and Music - The Art of Love and Leisure is at the Sainsbury's Wing of the National Gallery until 8 September. There is an admission charge.
By Amanda C Dickie One of the surprise hits this summer has been Michael Landy's interactive exhibition of kinetic sculptures at the National Gallery. Inspired by Medieval and Renaissance images of martyred saints, the Rootstein Hopkins Associate Artist in residence at the National Gallery has produced seven painted fiberglass
In the 1500s musical culture had flourished in the Netherlands through the vibrant court of the Dukes of Burgundy. The increasingly intricate compositions influenced musical development across Europe. This flowering ended with the Reformation as the new Dutch Republic converted to Calvinism - which associated music with idolatry and Catholic excess. As instrumental music was banned from churches, Carel Fabritius painted A View of Delft with a Musical Instrument Stall, showing a man sitting thoughtfully beside some silent instruments with Delft Cathedral in the background, to express his sadness. The authorities may have suppressed music in church, but it blossomed in the public square, and even more so in the privacy of people's homes. Music and dance lessons were an important part of education for well-to-do young people. Musical competence, for women especially, was considered an attractive virtue. In Jan Steen's 'A Young Woman Playing a Harpsichord to a Young Man' we see a prim young lady, with lowered gaze and upright posture playing a piece entitled 'Solely for the Glory of God' while the gentleman slouching over the instrument staring at her looks like he might have something else on his mind.
Above left: Jan Molenaer (about 1610 - 1668) A Young Man playing a Theorbo and a Young Woman playing a Cittern, probably 1630-2 Oil on canvas 68 x 84 cm The National Gallery, London © The National Gallery, London Above: Johannes Vermeer (1632 - 1675) The Music Lesson, about 1662-3 Oil on canvas 73.3 x 64.5 cm Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2013
sculptures. As one of a group of young British artists who rose to prominence for their use of discarded material, Landy sourced the materials used for the sculptures from flea markets and refuse dumps. Brought to life by a series of pulleys and pedals, the sculptures highlight particular attributes of the Saints. The giant figures of move dramatically when visitors press the pedals. Landy was inspired by depictions of the lives and deaths of the Saints. He was particularly fascinated with Carlo Crivelli’s paintings of St Jerome and St Michael, and Sasseta's ‘Stigmatisation of St Francis’ to name a few. Crivelli’s alter panel of St Peter Mary Claver was the focus for his sculpture entitled; Multi Saint. The head of the Dominican martyr, who was killed by a sword, surmounts this striking composite, which also includes the griddle on which St Lawrence was roasted and St Lucy's eyes on a platter. The armoured legs of Archangel Michael trample a fearsome devil while his hand holds a balance weighing the souls of the dead. The walls are hung with framed paper collages resembling fragments of a religious jigsaw. Many include instruments of martyrdom. St Jerome features in many depictions alongside his symbols of an owl, signifying wisdom as a Doctor of the Church, and a lion, his desert companion after he removed a thorn from its paw. A bust of St Francis holding a crucifix surmounts a collecting box. Every time a donation for the Gallery is placed in the box the crucifix hits the
saint on the forehead, signifying how the wounds of Christ were imprinted on Francis through his life of poverty and charity. Landy sees Francis, who embraced Lady Poverty by giving away all his goods, as an antidote to modern consumerism. Don't miss the video near the entrance explaining Landy's concept. The exhibition is on until 24 November 2013 in the Sunley Room. Admission free. Catalogue £9.99
Page 17
Letters and Saints Calling Catholic Councillors Dear Sir, I am a Catholic councillor, not that unusual, I know of quite a few but the Church does not seem to. This is a shame as we represent one of the best ways for the Church to influence the polices of political parties. I have been complaining about this for a few years and so got caught by the usual response “Why don’t you do something about it?” As a member of the Catholic Union I got put on their executive and given the job of compiling a more exhaustive list. Many Catholic councillors will know I already have their names but I would like to appeal to any who have not been in touch with me to contact me at ian.potts@ealing.gov.uk and also to encourage any fellow Catholic councillors to do likewise. I am composing this on the feast day of our patron Saint Thomas More and so may his blessing be upon us all in striving to remember our faith amongst our politics. Ian M. Potts
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Westminster Record August 2013
August Feast Days
St Maximilian Kolbe 14 August Franciscan priest and martyr. A patron saint of journalists. Maximilian was born near Lodz in Poland, in 1894, He entered the Franciscans in 1910 and studied in Rome. In 1919 he returned to Poland, where, in spite of suffering from tuberculosis, he taught in a seminary and set up a Catholic newspaper. He also established a Franciscan community at Niepokalanow which combined a life of prayer, cheerfulness and poverty, with modern technology. During the 1930s he started another community in Nagasaki, Japan, which also produced publications. He was recalled to Poland in 1936. When the Nazis invaded, Niepokalanow became a refugee camp, housing more than 4,500 Jewish and Polish people.
The newspapers continued, taking an independent line, critical of Hitler's regime. Maximilian was arrested as a 'journalist, publisher and intellectual'. Together with four companions, he was taken to Auszwitz in May 1941. He did forced labour. He continued his ministry, hearing confessions and smuggling in bread and wine for the Eucharist. He was noted for his compassion to those in an even worse state than himself. One day, he swapped places with a man called Franci Gajnowiczek who was going to be executed. He said: "I am a Catholic priest. I wish to die for that man. I am old. He has a wife and children." Maximilian was sent to cell 18 with a group to be starved to death. He prayed with them and recited psalms. After two weeks only four were still alive and he was the only one conscious. He was executed with an injection of phenol and died on this day, aged 47. Maximilian Kolbe was beatified on 1971 and canonised in 1982 by Pope John Paul II, former Archbishop of Krakow, which is near Auschwitz. Francis Gajnowiczek attended the ceremony.
Liturgical Calendar
In Memoriam: August
1 August St Alphonsus Liguori 2 August St Eusebius of Vercelli & St Peter Julian Eymard 6 August Transfiguration of The Lord 8 August St Dominic, Priest 9 August St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, 10 August St Lawrence 12 August St Jane Frances de Chantal, Religious 13 August SS Pontian, Pope & Hippolytus, Priest, Martyrs 15 August Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 16 August St Stephen of Hungary 19 August St John Eudes, Priest 22 August Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary 24 August St Bartholomew 25 August St Louis & St Joseph Calasanz 26 August Blessed Dominic of the Mother of God 27 August St Monica 29 August Beheading of St John the Baptist 30 August SS Margaret Clitherow, Anne Line & Margaret Ward 31 August St Aidan & Sts of Lindisfarne
Fr John Adam (1979) Fr Laurence Allan (1981) Fr Patrick Cassidy (2007) Fr Leslie Cole (1997) Mgr John Coonan (1979) Fr Roderick Cuming (1981) Canon George Davey (1986) Fr Philip Dwerryhouse (1986) Fr Percival Fielden (1990) Fr Joseph Finnegan (2002) Fr Edward Fowler (1973) Fr John Greene (1980) Cardinal Bernard Griffin (1956) Fr James Gunston (1972) Mgr Canon Herbert Haines (2004) Fr Guy Martin Heal (2009) Fr Edward Houghton (2009) Fr Richard Johnson (1992) Fr Peter Keenan (1984) Fr Thomas Kilcoyne (1972) Fr Peter Latham (2005) Fr William Lynagh (1977) Fr Michael Lynam (1984) Fr Joseph McVeigh (1977) Fr John Milne (2001) Fr Bernard Mortimore (1980) Mgr Canon John Mostyn (1981) Fr Desmond Mullin (1988) Canon Maurice O’Leary (1997) Canon Denis O’Sullivan (1983) Fr William Rees (1984) Fr Wilfrid Soggee (1990) Fr Thomas Stack (1984) Fr Ignatius Tonna (1993)
Westminster Record August 2013
Diary
REGULAR EVENTS If you have an event, please email us at communications@rcdow.org.uk SUNDAYS
Taizé at St James’s Piccadilly Every third Sunday 5pm. Call 020 7503 5128 for details. Ceilidh at Camden Irish Centre Real Ceilidh dancing every Sunday from 8pm, with lessons for newcomers until 8.30pm then on with the dance! All are welcome. £4 per session with great music from Tony Kearny. Partners not needed. Contact 020 7272 5815 Tyburn Benedictines Monastic afternoon First Sunday of the month 2pm-5pm Martyrs’ Crypt, Tyburn Convent, Bayswater Road near Marble Arch. Westminster Cathedral Young Adults Young adults meet socially after the 5.30 and 7pm Masses on Sundays. on the steps of the Cathedral, then a pub. Deaf Community Mass First Sunday of the month 4.30pm in Westminster Cathedral Hall Ambrosden Ave. SW1P 1QW
Catholic tours in London Qualified Catholic tour guide leads ‘Saints and Scholars’ walk every Sunday including Mass. Contact Peter on 07913904997 or circlingthesquaretours@ hotmail.co.uk
Young Adults Mass - First Sunday of the month At Mount Street 7pm. Quiet prayer at 7.15pm, Mass at 7.30pm. Social gathering afterward. Contact: organise@ fsplus.info or visit www.fsplus.info. Young Adults Mass - Third Sunday of the month At Mount Street. A quieter version of First Sunday. Contact team@fsplus.info St Francis of Assisi Catholic Ramblers’ Club Every Sunday throughout the year walkers meet for a ramble in the Home Counties. Contact Antoinette 020 8769 3643 or visit www.stfrancisramblers.org.uk.
MONDAYS Mothers’ Prayers at St Dominic’s Priory, Haverstock Hill Every Monday 2.30-3.30pm in the Lourdes chapel. All are welcome. Prayer Event for people in the arts and media Third Monday of each month 6.30pm. For more information see www.artisaninitiatives.org
TUESDAYS Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Tuesdays 6-9pm concluding with Benediction at Newman House, 111 Gower Street. Details 020 7731 3367 Mass at Canary Wharf Tuesdays 12.30pm at 2 Churchill Place E14. Organised by Mgr Vladimir Felzmann, Chaplain to Canary Wharf Communities. Details
www.cwcc.org.uk Prayers for London at the Shrine of Our Lady of Willesden Tuesdays 7.30pm Organised by the Guild of Our Lady of Willesden, Nicholl Road, London NW10 9AX Vocations Prayer Group Second Tuesday of the month 8pm at 47C Gaisford Street, Kentish Town, NW5
WEDNESDAYS Wednesdays on the Wall (WOTW) First Wednesday of the month 6pm. At All Hallows on the Wall 83 London Wall, EC2M 5ND. A short service of prayer and reflection at 6pm, coffee at 6.45pm followed by discussion. Youth 2000 prayer group Wednesdays 7.30pm at Corpus Christi Church, Maiden Lane, Covent Garden.
THURSDAYS
Jesus Christ the Fullness of Life JCFL First Thursday of the month. Young adults from all Christian denominations pray and share a meal. Details www.jcfl.org.uk. Soul Food A Catholic charismatic prayer group for young adults meets from 7 to 9pm at St Charles Borromeo, Ogle Street, W1W 6HS Details www.soulfoodgroup.org info@soulfoodgroup.org
FRIDAYS
Association of Divorced and Separated Catholics Third Friday of the month. All divorced and separated
Catholics, are welcome. Call Frank or Christine 020 8422 1591 Divine Mercy Prayers and Mass First Fridays 2.30-4.30pm at the Church of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, 2 Windsor Road, Ealing. St Albans Fridays at 12 noon. Mass is celebrated every week at St Alban’s Abbey, one of the oldest Christian churches in England. Westminster Cathedral Charismatic Prayer Group 7.30pm Prayer, praise and teaching. First Friday is a healing Mass. Details 020 8748 2632 Vocations Discernment Group 7pm, Hinsley Room, Westminster Cathedral. Meetings for young adults aged 18-38. Visit www.free2become.org or call 01277 373 848
SATURDAYS Aylesford Friary - All night vigils First Saturdays 10pm - 6am. Night vigils take place May-October on the first Saturday of each month. Call Mrs Tugadi 020 7352 4478 or Miss Ogbeni 07847 532199 or 01733 553762. Taizé at Notre Dame Church Leicester Square 7.15pm. Call 020 7437 9363 Catholic Under 35s Catholic Under 35s aims to help young catholic adults in London meet like minded people via regular social events, such as meals and days out. For further info please email Elroy at elroyf@gmail.com or visit our Facebook group: http://catholicunder35s.com
LATIN MASS Sundays Low Mass 9.30am, St James’s Spanish Place, W1 Low Mass 9am, High Altar, the Oratory, Brompton Road, SW7 Sung Mass 10.45, St Bede, Thornton Road, SW12 Low Mass 6pm St Thomas Aquinas, Ham Common, TW3 Mondays Sung Mass 6.30pm Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, WC2 Low Mass 7am, St Bede, Thornton Road, SW12 Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Rd SW7 Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays Low Mass 7am, St Bede, Thornton Road, SW12 Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Rd SW7 Low Mass 12.30pm, St Bede, Thornton Road, SW12 Fridays Low Mass 6pm St Etheldreda, Ely Place EC1 First Fridays only. Low Mass 7am, St Bede, Thornton Road, SW12 Sung Mass 6.30pm St Mary Magdalen, East Hill, SW18 Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Rd SW7 Mass St John the Baptist Church, King Edward's Rd Hackney E9 at 6pm. Every Second Friday Low Mass 6.30pm, Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, WC2 Saturdays Second Saturdays at 4.30pm, Low Mass Side Chapel Westminster Cathedral Low Mass 12.15 St Wilfrid’s Chapel, The Oratory, Brompton Rd SW7
FORTHCOMING EVENTS Kolbe's Gift is a play which tells the story of two men, Fr Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan priest, and Franek Gajowniczec, a Polish soldier, whose lives crossed in Auschwitz concentration camp in 1941. Spanning three decades, Kolbe's Gift will be performed at The Leicester Square Theatre in Central London for between 1-5 October 2013. Tickets can be purchased at http://tententheatre.co.uk/kolbe/
Individual subsription costs include postage and packing and are valid for one year. £10 per annum. Europe - £12 per annum. You can subscribe online at http://bit.ly/cePGGE Otherwise please fill in the coupon below.
Stephen B Whatley at the Cathedral Paintings From Prayer - an exhibition of inspirational art by expressionist painter Stephen B Whatley will run from 8 - 22 August in St Patrick and St Paul's Chapels. Open during cathedral hours. The artist is generously donating 30% of any paintings sold to cathedral funds.
Please send a cheque made payable to 'The Universe Media Group Ltd.' to Andrea Black, Westminster Record, The Universe Media Group Ltd. Alberton House, Ground Floor, St Mary's Parsonage, Manchester M3 2WJ. Alternatively please telephone 0161 214 1216 or email andrea.black@thecatholicuniverse.com
Page 19
Spotlight
Westminster Record August 2013
The Power and the Glory of Photography By Carolyn Wickware Marcin Mazur is fascinated by the power of photographs. As a child in west Poland, Marcin grew up taking photos of his dog, his house and the people around him. Using “an old fashioned, film camera”, which he got for his first communion, he became a hobby photographer. From these simple beginnings, Marcin is now a professional photographer for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. His photographs are widely used in the Catholic media on a daily basis. Originally a student of philosophy, photography began to play a larger role in his life; “I started taking more and more photographs. After finishing my philosophy course, I thought why not study photography? So I got a National Diploma and BA in photography.” When asked why he chose this career, Marcin answered with a metaphor only a philosopher could assemble; “A mountain climber was asked a similar question: ‘Why do you climb the mountain?’ He answered: ‘Because the mountain is there’. I take photographs because it’s there, because I love it. You could write books answering that.”
Photos ©Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk
The Holy Father during a meeting with the media (left) and the colourful congregation in Westminster Cathedral for Mass for Migrants (right)
Spreading the message across Marcin is especially interested in the strength of photography as a medium. “It’s the best medium because it shows the facts of a situation. It’s very good at spreading the message across. If you put up a good photograph on social media it will catch more attention than just text.” Photographs enable the public to experience an event honestly by showing them the facts and allowing them to discover their own interpretation of the situation. “That’s the power of photography. If I take a photograph of something it
Taken as prayers were said during Sede Vacante
Spirit in the City Eucharistic street procession
room with just a few other people To be a good photographer is a big Marcin’s enthusiasm for his work and Pope Benedict XVI said ‘Good challenge, according to Marcin. It in the Catholic media and the morning gentlemen’. It was requires looking at admirable medium its self is evident in the so surreal.” photographs and “not copying, but vibrant photographs he produces. Different celebrations seeing the same event through His next project was the However, he finds it a challenge to different eyes.” Marcin finds it Installation of Bishop Alan Hopes as the Bishop of East Anglia. His choose the most memorable fascinating that several dream, however, would be to moment. “Every year brings different photographers can attend the same produce an award winning celebrations, different meetings and event and can all come away with project, “maybe a world’s best different people to photograph. different photographs of the same photo prize, but that’s a tough Maybe I’m still looking for this one.” people or situation. “You can never competition. It seems impossible.” Any one of these events would top a copy anyone. It’s amazing.” person’s list of ‘greatest experiences’ FOR MORE INFORMATION but his involvement at an event isn’t Everyone can do a similar thing but what you might imagine. “It’s a because of varying perceptions of You can see more of Marcin’s event, the outcomes photos at: www.flickr.com/ completely different experience the photos/catholicism being behind the camera. I can hear are different. everything but I’m focusing on a different subject, so it’s quite tough for me to say what was said at an event afterwards. It’s strange to take One of London’s few Independent Funeral photographs of a person at an event Directors who have served the communities of but then have to read in the paper what they said.” Westminster, Chelsea & Fulham for over a century.
means that was the situation not an interpretation. Photographs have a message and everyone can read something different – there isn’t a spin on the event. A photographer captures a situation The younger sister using his knowledge, ability, of painting experience and approach to the It requires a considerable focus to subject. I try to be the eyes of the take such high quality photographs people unable to attend an event.” and Marcin looks for something out The reality of life of the ordinary to photograph. Marcin has experienced so many Handshakes, says Marcin, are powerful moments from behind the “boring stuff.” He prefers to lens. “I was shocked to take photos photograph action shots. in the Holy Land, in east Jerusalem, “Everything has happened before. and photos of the children. It was Photography is the younger sister of very powerful to see their suffering painting. All the best pictures – I was a witness in the reality of remind us of masterpiece paintings. their lives. Photography is a repetition of what Taking photos of the Holy Father already exists, seen with a new eye. when he visited Archbishop’s House So I try to photograph something was quite nice. We were in a small different.”
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