Westminster Record - December 2018/January 2019 by RCWestminster

Westminster Record

December 2018/January 2019| 20p

We Remember

The light of Christ breaking into the darkness

70 years of Religous Profession

Pages 4 & 5

Pages 12 & 13

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November 11 this year marked the centenary of the signing of the Armistice, when we remembered the sacrifices of the First World War. It also marked the centenary of Poland’s independence, an event that was celebrated in style by the Polish community of London. It is no coincidence that these anniversaries are commemorated on the same day, as the history of Polish independence is closely intertwined with the political events that shaped the world before and during the Great War, as Professor Wojciech Roszkowski, economist and politician, explained in a lecture to the congregation gathered for the Mass marking the occasion in Westminster Cathedral on 10th November. In 1914, Poland had been under the partitioned rule of the Prussian, Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires for over a hundred years, and ‘no Pole could have imagined that a mere five years later they would wake up in an independent Poland’.

He recounted how the events of the War and the changing fortunes of these empires during the conflict created the opportunity for the creation of a Polish Republic. Even the peace conference in Paris in June 1919 helped to determine some of the borders of Poland. ‘The memory of 1918 is very different in each European nation,’ he said. ‘France and Great Britain mainly remember the terrible sacrifice of soldiers who lost their lives to secure victory, and the horrors of trench war; whereas in Poland the War Dead are remembered as revered heroes fighting for freedom, the human price of that freedom sometimes forgotten.’ For this reason the Polish community comes together annually to remember the War Dead and to celebrate the country’s independence on the same day, with Mass forming a central part of these celebrations in recognition of the significant role of the Catholic faith in Polish life and culture.

100 Years of Polish Independence

As Archbishop Wojciech Polak, Archbishop of Gniezno and Primate of Poland, who presided, reminded the congregation of the words of St John Paul: ‘Poles wherever they are in the world, generally retain the bond with their homeland through the Church, through the memory of Our Lady of Częstochowa, through

our Patron Saints, through all those religious traditions that have sustained our nation for a thousand years, and are still alive today.’ These words were visually manifest in the banners of Pope St John Paul and Our Lady of Częstochowa that took pride of place at the foot of the sanctuary.

Elements of this culture were also on display in the costumes of the Scouts and young people who attended in traditional dress, the Knights and Dames of the Orders of Holy Sepulchre and of Malta, and in the colourful banners on display during the procession. Continued on page 8

Editorial

Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

At the Gate of the Year God, trod gladly into the night. And he led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.’ The poem read by King George VI during his Christmas broadcast in 1939 struck a chord in a nation that had recently gone to war, whose citizens were unsure of the future and thoughtful about the past. In the year that has passed, we have been commemorating the centenary of an earlier war, causing us to reflect on our contemporary situation and the threats that we face. We wonder how stable our world is, and our way of life. We begin the year as a divided nation, uncertain of our relationship to the rest of the world. The climate-change debate has recently been energised by language of a ‘collapse of civilisation’. In

‘And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.” So I went forth, and finding the Hand of

relations between states, economic interests seem to override moral outrage at acts perpetrated upon individuals and communities. Where does this leave the Christian at the turn of the year? We do not ponder our future alone; we know that God ponders our lives as well. But his pondering is creative; it holds us in being. O Lord, you search me and you know me; you know my resting and my rising. Casting our minds forward to the months ahead, we create a space into which the Lord enters, shaping our assumptions, calming our fears. We may be concerned about the future, but even there your hand would lead me, your right hand hold me fast.

Cardinal awarded Polish Senate honour

At the Mass celebrating the centenary of Polish Independence at Westminster Cathedral on 10th November, Cardinal Vincent was awarded the medal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland. Following the greetings at the end of Mass, including one from the Cardinal, Senator Anna Maria Anders, daughter of General Władysław Anders, also addressed the congregation, speaking of her pride in her father’s contribution to Polish national life, both during and after the Second World War, when he was a prominent member of the Polish government-in-exile. She then paid tribute to Cardinal Vincent and the warm welcome he has always extended to the Polish Catholic community, making them feel at home in the Church and Page 2

especially at Westminster Cathedral. On behalf of the Senate of the Republic of Poland, she presented him with the Senate medal in recognition and gratitude for watching over the Polish Catholic community in the UK over the years. An example of this care and encouragement was evident in the Cardinal’s words following the Smoleńsk tragedy, when a Polish Air Force plane carrying leading members of Polish government, military, clergy and relatives of the victims of the Katyn massacre, crashed near the city of Smoleńsk in 2010. Archbishop Wojciech Polak recalled precisely this response during his homily: ‘At the dramatic moment in our more recent history when, after the Smoleńsk tragedy, we met in prayer here, in Westminster Cathedral, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, present also with us today, referring to our national anthem, told us: “Poland is not lost for as long as you live. You really live, you do. Poland is truly not lost.” Those words comforted us then and gave us hope and strength.’ The Cardinal’s warm feelings were expressed in his greeting to the congregation at the end of the Mass of Independence when he said: ‘Today is a marvellous

occasion and one which illustrates the deep faith at the heart of the people of Poland and their culture. I thank God for that gift and pray that it may be strengthened and purified by all the tests and challenges we face today. ‘May God bless Poland. May the Polish people always be welcomed here in this country, and thanked, too, for the contribution you make to our society and to our Catholic life.’

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Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

A visit of Christian solidarity to Iraq

Bishop Paul visits detention centre Bishop Paul McAleenan, lead Bishop for migration, joined the Detention Outreach team of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) for a visit to the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centres on 22nd November. The Bishop spent time on the wing of Harmondsworth, meeting detainees, some of whom have been in detention for prolonged periods, and seeing the conditions in which they are held. He also observed JRS’ weekly advice drop-in, where detainees can receive practical as well as emotional support to help them cope with the experience. The Bishop spent some time with JRS volunteers as they shared their encounters with people in detention, including with one volunteer who supports young Vietnamese men who are often victims of trafficking. The Bishop concluded the visit by celebrating Mass in the

Chapel, at the end of which the detainees who attended thanked him for his visit, and put before him their fears and concerns as well as their requests for prayer. Beatrice Grasso, JRS Detention Outreach Manager said: ‘We are very grateful to Bishop Paul for joining us on this pastoral visit. His presence in detention and his compassionate listening of the experiences of those we serve will have a lasting impact on the men he met. Having the opportunity to share their fears and hopes with the Bishop allowed them to remember that they are not forgotten, and to feel the love and solidarity of the Catholic community.’ Sarah Teather, Director of JRS UK said ‘Many of the men who talked to Bishop Paul spoke about the agony of being separated from family and partners while in detention and the corrosive impact of uncertainty.’

Cardinal thanks everyone for prayers Following a period of rest after being taken ill at Mass on Remembrance Sunday, Cardinal Vincent is returning gradually to duties. Writing to parishes and priests on Saturday 1st December, the Cardinal said: 'I write to thank you for your prayers for me over these last three weeks. I have been able to take the rest that I needed and now feel much recovered. I have been blessed to have been able to do this at such short notice. 'As Advent begins I am ready to return to duties next week,

although only gradually for now. I thank so many who have graciously accepted postponements of engagements and visits to parishes. I thank especially our Auxiliary Bishops who give me such support and willing service in the Diocese. 'As we begin this lovely season of Advent, let us ask the Lord to come afresh into our hearts. May we offer him our welcome, in all the simplicity and spontaneity that his blessed birth so readily evokes in us. 'Please do keep me in your prayers as I remember you in mine.'

Bishop Paul McAleenan, lead bishop for asylum and migration, was recently invited by Aid to the Church in Need to visit Iraq, to witness the work of reconstruction after the devastation by socalled ISIS, which displaced hundreds of thousands, including 90,000 Christians in northern Iraq. He reflects on his visit. The whole trip was a mixture of inspiration, shock and surprise. To be actually in the place which we hear so much about and to witness the extent of the destruction, not only of entire villages but of cemeteries and churches riddled with bullet holes, was a sobering experience. Those who are now returning to their villages are facing many challenges. First they must identify their homes and, when they have identified them, examine how badly damaged they are. The reconstruction scheme, spearheaded by Aid to the Church in Need, concentrates on restoring the least damaged houses first, then moves on to burnt houses, and then finally to work on the totally demolished houses. Many of the clergy have started schemes to address the psychological trauma that some people have experienced. They are making use of the behavioural sciences and the different psychologies that we are familiar with in the West. There seems to be enormous resilience and, even though the memory of the destruction is still in their minds, people seem to be coping with it very well with the support of the different agencies including in the Church. To stand in Batnaya was an unforgettable experience. It is one town that is totally, utterly and absolutely devastated and flattened. To be in such a town

and to see not only the houses demolished but also the Christian cemeteries devastated and shattered, with sledgehammers presumably, was an unforgettable experience. We went to the local church where the altar had been damaged, and niches, which had housed statues, were riddled with bullet holes, indicating that before the statues were removed, they were actually attacked with rifles. Even though many of the churches were beautifully restored, often one area of the church has been deliberately left as it had been as a reminder. Sometimes that took the form of a broken statue, and other times it took the form of leaving a bullet hole, or some burn damage, as a reminder to the people of what had happened to them and to their community. In one particular church they had actually made a museum of some of the damaged artefacts, which were now housed behind the glass screen so that people, presumably in the future, could come and witness what had taken place. I see this as an ownership by the residents of their history, of what had happened to them as a Christian people, which they don’t want to forget. So often in history we can forget what has happened. Maintaining some of these places in their damaged state, the residents were Follow us on Instagram at: @rcwestminster

ensuring that this will always be in the forefront of their minds. We went to a number of public Masses. Even in late afternoon, the number of people attending Mass was so impressive. The faith is very strong and it does not seem that the events of the last few years have dimmed that faith in any way. In fact, one could say, though I haven’t been there before, it might indeed have strengthened their faith. Personally, the visit brought home to me the reality of the pain that so many people experience in their lives. When we listen to the news or read of war-torn areas and different conflicts, we don’t actually have a full understanding of what is taking place. But to be there and to know this actually happened to real people, that it’s happened in my lifetime to a person to whom I’m speaking is very sobering. I found it inspirational that the Church is leading the drive to rebuild physical buildings and people’s lives. In the absence of any civic structure it is the Church that is in the vanguard of building hospitals, universities, and homes, and the Church there that is present as a teacher and a mother. What can give us great encouragement is how the Church is making a real difference in the lives of people, and it is seen and acknowledged for it. Page 3

Westminster Record |December 2018/January 2019

Honouring those who made the ultimate sacrifice

St George’s Junior Church, Sudbury make a poppy wreath.

October 1915, only a few weeks after St Augustine’s Priory opened on its present site in Hillcrest Road, Ealing. Five girls then stepped forward and recited monologues composed by Caitlin Parry, a pupil in Lower Sixth. Words of a mother, a soldier, a young man rejected for military service, a nurse, a young woman all rang out speaking about their experiences, their loves, their losses.

Mgr Philip Whitmore, Rector of the Venerable English College, and Mgr Phelim Rowland Remembrance commemorations also took place in Rome with Mass at the Church of San Silvestro in Capite. Mgr Phelim Rowland presided, and the liturgy and music were arranged by the Venerable English College, with the Beda College and the Scots College also in attendance. Mgr Phelim, who was previously Principal RC Chaplain to the Army, preached on the meaning and symbolism of memory in our tradition: Page 4

‘Living memory is profoundly significant for us human beings. The past is lived out in the present by celebration, worship and commemoration. Throughout the English countryside, memorials in towns, villages and Churches enshrine the names of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. No jingoism here but raw grief. The Cenotaph in London drew hundreds of thousands when it was unveiled by King George V. A nation trying to make sense of

These pupils were all born this century, miles and years away from the mud of Flanders, but they all stood in remembrance, hearing words composed by one of their own calling back over a century ago, compressing time and calling forth the agony of a long dead war. The monologues over, as the last post sounded, the waiting soldiers and nurses trooped in pairs down through the grounds and out of our lives and into history.

All pupils and staff at St Augustine’s Priory joined together in an act of Remembrance on Thursday 8th November. As the haunting sound of Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ carried over the school grounds girls dressed as ranks of soldiers and nurses stood still against the backdrop of the school. The Bursar read ‘To Germany’ by Charles Hamilton Sorley (1895 – 1915), a young soldier who died on 13th

what happened, traumatised by the loss of children, husbands, relatives and friends. Today at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month the nation pauses and living memory takes form again. ‘The Mass is for us the ultimate memorial, Christ’s sacrifice. He is as present here today as at that last supper and in his own trauma in Gethsemane and Calvary. His memorial, his true presence is so consoling and at the heart of the Mass is that commemoration of the faithful departed. That commemoration today was never more poignant: not countless numbers, but each human life wherever they came from, whatever uniform they wore, created and loved by him who is the source of all things. The silence that we now share is our tribute, our sorrow our memory. With the words of the Mass we pray: Lord Jesus Christ you said to your Apostles, peace I leave you my own peace I give you.’ Follow us on Twitter at: twitter.com/RCWestminster

Pupils and staff from St Gregory’s Catholic Science College in Kenton ‘planted’ a swathe of over 1,300 poppies in the school’s Remembrance

Garden. Every pupil and member of staff in the school made a poppy, onto which they wrote a prayer of remembrance.

Veterans from the Irish Regiment at the annual Requiem Mass of Remembrance at Westminster Cathedral Follow us on Instagram at: @rcwestminster

Westminster Record | Decmber 2018/January 2019

‘In honourable memory of all brave faithful men’

Requiem Mass for Deceased Clergy

On 15th November, clergy from the diocese gathered at Westminster Cathedral to celebrate a Requiem Mass for Canon Egan didn’t himself live to see the completion of the deceased clergy. Bishop John tower. He’d been fundraising for Sherrington was the principal celebrant, along with Bishops it since after the war and, since the original plans for the tower Nicholas Hudson, Paul from decades before couldn’t be McAleenan and John Wilson, the Chapter of Canons, and found, commissioned Sir Giles priests, both in active ministry Gilbert Scott RA to design it. Gilbert Scott was most renowned and retired. In his homily, Bishop John having also designed Liverpool’s thanked God for the clergy Anglican Cathedral, Battersea being remembered and the gifts Power Station and even the they had brought to the life of original red London Telephone the diocese, saying that the Kiosk. ‘fruit of the seeds they sowed A translation of the Latin inscription beneath the tower’s are known only to God’. He also acknowledged the On Remembrance Sunday, in the newsletter of Our Lady of Grace dedication reads: ‘Pray for the effect they had on their brother and St Edward the Confessor Church, Chiswick Fr Michael Dunne soul of Canon Edmund Egan, clergy: ‘our lives are marked by through whose care and labour wrote: them…their witness as priests’. the money of the faithful was Even as our church bell tolls The sheer magnitude of the collected and this tower begun, eleven times this Sunday sacrifice and suffering of the and finally erected by his morning initiating at the First World War must have been successor as rector in the year of Chiswick Cenotaph the two the motivation of Canon Egan, the Lord 1930.’ minutes’ silence enabling us to the Parish Priest at the time, and May he too rest in peace as remember those who gave the parishioners, to complete the we remember him who laboured their lives for our country, we original plan of the 1886 to give honourable memory to might remember too that the (current) church which included the fallen of the Great War. very tower from which we a tower, and to dedicate it to the hear the chiming of the hour glory of God and the honour of was built for and dedicated to the war dead. “the honourable memory” of The inscription is indicative the fallen. The inscription at too of the new sense of social the base of the bell tower on cohesion and inclusiveness to Duke’s Avenue reads: emerge for Catholics after the The Catholic pastors and Great War in that, before people of Chiswick laboured parishioners specifically are to build this tower to the remembered, it is stated that the Members of the Catholic glory of God and in tower is to honour all brave Police Guild (CPG) gathered honourable memory of all faithful men who died for their for the Annual Solemn brave faithful men who died country, in solemn recognition Requiem Mass for deceased for their country during the of the collective solidarity of police officers and staff on 8th Great War especially of their sacrifice. It is entirely right November at Westminster those who were members of that, together with the rest of Cathedral, celebrated by this parish or boys in its the nation and much of the Bishop of Menevia Tom Burns. schools. world, we should remember In attendance was Bell tower plaque commemorating Requiescant in pace. them all on this centenary of Metropolitan Police the Fallen [May they rest in peace.] Armistice Day. Commissioner Cressida Dick, serving and retired officers and Caritas St Joseph’s honours the staff from around the country Fallen with a display of a and cadets from Essex Police. soldier created by the woodwork At the start of Mass, two class and flower arrangements officers processed a helmet and by the floristry class. a bowler hat representing men and women of the force up to the sanctuary and presented them to Bishop Tom. They were placed on the sanctuary for the duration of the Mass as a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by officers in the line of duty. In his homily, Bishop Tom In Uxbridge, parishioners took part in the civic ceremony at the reflected on the importance of war memorial. Fr Nicholas Schofield read prayers and a friendship, camaraderie and parishioner serving in the Canadian Navy laid a wreath on behalf respect in difficult times. He of the parish. said that now police may not

Bishop John went on to say that it is the ‘hope of the resurrection that carries us all through the day’, even though times like these remind us of our fragility. He explained that this hope is especially important in these troubled times for the Church. ‘Only God can transform our lives into what he needs us to be,’ he added. But to do this, we should be like Martha (John 17-37), accepting of Christ and our faith; only then can we ‘receive the gift of peace’. The names of clergy who have died in the past year were read out during the Mass. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.

Remembering Deceased of Catholic Police Guild

only be called to lay down their lives for their friends but also for their enemies, spiritual courage and friendship were more needed than ever. He commended the Guild for offering a safe environment where rank is not important, reflecting the humility of Jesus who came not to be served but to serve. At the end of Mass, to remember those who have died, the Last Post was played, followed by two minutes’ silence. The music was led by the Metropolitan Police Choir, conducted by Richard Fox. Founded in 1914 as the Metropolitan and City Catholic Police Guild, the CPG was formed to provide for the spiritual needs of Catholic police men and women. Its membership now includes Police Officers, Police Staff and Police Community Support Officers from across England and Wales. Page 5

Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

Putting love into practice

Redemption in the form of a knife bin

On 28th October, parishioners and members of the local community gathered together at St Mellitus’ Parish in Tollington Park to remember those who have lost their lives to violent crime on the streets of London in 2018. Parishioners read out the names of those who have died and lit candles to remember them. This event also marked the installation of a new weapons disposal bin in the parish grounds, allowing those who no longer wish to carry knives to dispose of them safely and discreetly. The bin has been installed by the charity Words 4 Weapons, who have helped take 35,000 weapons off the streets of London since they installed their first bin in 2009. St Mellitus has been particularly affected by youth violence, losing two teenage parishioners to knife crime in the last few years. This has driven the Justice and Peace group and parishioners to come together to try and tackle this

problem by raising awareness, organising local knife searches, taking part in the ‘City Safe’ campaign, and most recently by raising funds to install the weapons disposal bin. Funds were raised through donations from local residents and grants from the council, the Cripplegate Foundation and Caritas Westminster. Jessica Plummer, a parishioner who lost her son, Shaquan Sammy-Plummer, to knife crime in 2015 told the gathered crowd: ‘Today we are all here trying to work to create changes, and … we need each and every one of you to help us along.’ Since the death of her son Jessica has dedicated her time to going into schools and warning children and parents about the dangers of knife crime. In the last six months she has spoken to over 3,000 children. A statement from Bishop Nicholas Hudson was read out thanking the parish for installing the bin, and the charities who have supported

World Day of the Poor and Mitzvah Day fall on the same Sunday, and to mark the occasion Caritas Westminster and the organisers of Mitzvah Day engaged six schools in North London in a social action project. The schools, three Jewish (Noam Primary, Tiferes Boys School and Sachs Morasha School) and three Catholic (St Anthony’s Girls School, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Pope Paul School.) collected and donated 350 backpacks filled with school supplies to Mary’s Meals. Many pupils who benefit from Mary’s Meal’s often do not have the right equipment to allow them take part in education, such as pens, rulers and other things that we may take for granted. The backpack

the project. He said ‘I am sure the weapons disposable bin … will contribute significantly to the safety of everyone in the neighbourhood, but particularly to the wellbeing of young people.’ David Lammy, MP for the neighbouring Tottenham constituency, spoke passionately about the work of tackling knife crime: ‘As Christians we gather with hope in our hearts … and we say to our young people who are carrying a knife … that in the form of that bin is redemption, is the opportunity to put down your knife and begin anew. I have no doubt that this initiative will save lives.’

project was chosen as it is a good way of reminding pupils of the differences and similarities with other children around the world. One head teacher said his pupils had ‘spent the week thinking what it would be like not to have school supplies, not even a pencil or pen. It made them really think how difficult it is not to have basic school equipment and to appreciate how much we all have of everything!’ World Day of the Poor is the day when Pope Francis asks us to pray especially for the poorest in our society and to try and do something practical to alleviate poverty. On Mitzvah Day members of the Jewish community are encouraged to give their time to charity and social action. Both days are about putting faith into action for the benefit of others.

If, like St Mellitus, your parish wants to respond to a local issue in your community Caritas Westminster can help you through practical support and seed funding for new initiatives. Visit our website and get in touch with your local Caritas Development Worker to find out more at www.caritaswestminster.org.uk.

#RedWednesday Shines a Light on Christian Persecution

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Buildings across the world were lit up red on Wednesday 28th November to raise awareness of the plight of persecuted Christians around the world, particularly in the Middle East. The campaign, run by Aid to the Church in Need, is called #RedWednesday and culminated in faith leaders, politicians, and people of all faiths and none gathering outside Westminster Cathedral. The crowd heard witness testimonies, music, and

speeches from a variety of people including Anba Angaelos, Coptic Archbishop of London, Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra, Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Great Britain, Fr Dominic Robinson, Parish Priest of Farm Street, and Neville Kyrke-Smith, National Director of Aid to the Church in Need (UK). The Houses of Parliament were also lit up red, as were a number of cathedrals and places of worship around the UK.

Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

Developing confidence through peer RHS winners mentoring at St Thomas More receive VIP visit to school Eco Garden

St Thomas More School, in Wood Green, has been running a peer mentoring programme for the past two years, involving over 50 mentors, who provide younger pupils with support, guidance, friendship and reinforcement. The programme is designed to contribute to the development of both mentors and mentees, and enable them to develop the confidence, self-esteem and skills they need for success in school and in life. One mentor said of the programme: ‘Mentoring helped me to develop my leadership and management skills. I feel that I made a positive impact on my mentee as I encouraged and supported him to build new friendships. Mentoring

has given me the confidence to support others and I feel proud of the impact I’ve made.’ Staff are especially proud of how the mentors have grown into their roles, and the level of responsibility they have all assumed. Feedback from pupils has been overwhelmingly positive and indicates that the programme has been a great success in supporting pupils’ health and wellbeing. As one pupil commented: ‘My mentor has helped me to develop my confidence, communication skills and given me guidance throughout my school year. The scheme has really helped me to settle into a new school and feel a part of the school community.’

Frances Tophill, BBC Gardeners’ World presenter and judge for the RHS’s Campaign for School Gardening, paid a visit to St Gregory’s Catholic Science College to congratulate pupils on their success on winning the RHS School Gardening Team of the Year Competition. Part of the prize for winning this competition was a brand new greenhouse which was installed during the half term holidays. Frances gave pupils plenty of ideas about how to get the most out of this wonderful new growing space.

At the end of the afternoon, Frances said that she was most impressed by the pupils’ gardening knowledge and

Green-fingered school pupils’ community planting project

Learning to build a sustainable future

The Reception classes of St Bernadette’s Catholic Primary School and Nursery in Kenton were recently formally welcomed into the family of the school. Their school jumpers were blessed by Fr Dermot O’Neill of All Saints Parish, Kenton, in a service which was attended by their families. The children were accompanied by their ‘buddies’ from Year 5 who will help and support them through their first two years at school. Follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/diocese.westminster

enthusiasm. She was also full of praise for the ‘wonderful’ and ‘amazing’ Eco Garden and the pupils’ ownership of the space.

St Augustine’s Priory in Ealing has been shortlisted for the Whole-School Community Initiative of the Year award. The school runs an allotment and farm on 13 acres of land. Parents lead the allotment where pupils work under their guidance to grow a variety of crops, from strawberries to cabbages. The farm has several breeds of chicken, micro-pigs and an endangered variety of sheep. Girls become farm managers and, with their parents, they care for the animals, even during weekends and holidays. Visiting primary schools learn about sustainability and St Augustine’s students weave in whatever they are learning. One school brought three

forms over two days to enhance their study of ‘Charlotte’s Web’. They saw students gathering acorns and apples from the orchard for the pigs and selling eggs to buy chicken feed. Students helped to place solar panels on the chicken coop to power the electric door which keeps the chicks safe from foxes, learning about renewable energy sources and energy transfers in the process. Pupils learn to use everything. Sheep are rotated around the grounds, reducing the need for using lawn mowers; pigs’ ‘black gold’ becomes manure for the allotment; and wool from the sheep deters slugs and snails. Pupils are learning that protecting the future begins in the present. Follow us on Instagram at: @rcwestminster

Pupils from St Gregory’s Catholic Science College and Uxendon Manor Primary School in Kenton, joined forces to plant hundreds of daffodil bulbs and crocus corms in Woodcock Park. Veolia, the company which manages Brent’s parks, supplied the daffodil bulbs. The Rotary Club of Northwick Park donated purple crocus corms to raise awareness for their End Polio Now campaign. As well as planting the crocuses in Woodcock Park, pupils also planted them in St Gregory’s Eco Garden. St Gregory’s Headteacher Andrew Prindiville expressed his delight that the pupils were able to assist the Rotary Club in raising awareness of their work to eradicate polio across the world, adding: ‘We also hope that the daffodils and crocuses planted by pupils from St Gregory’s Catholic Science College and Uxendon Manor Primary School bring cheer to users of Woodcock Park next spring.’

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Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

He explained: ‘The freedom and independence of our Homeland that we commemorate today is not limited merely to sovereignty and the independence from external factors, from others. Freedom means love and mercy. Freedom means engagement for the benefit of the common good, caring for the weakest and the destitute who need tangible help and support.’

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formed following Soviet occupation in 1939. She then paid tribute to Cardinal Vincent and on behalf of the Senate of the Republic of Poland presented him with the Senate medal. While the festivities continued throughout London, the Mass had firmly rooted the centenary in the Catholic faith of the Polish community.

The Polish Catholic Mission in London by Fr Nicholas Schofield Diocesan Archivist

The Archbishop firmly placed the commemoration in this context when he declared ‘when we look at regaining our independence a hundred years ago through the prism of faith, we can see that event in the light of the Providence of God.’ However, he noted, ‘by asking for almost “childlike abandonment” to his Providence, God does not relieve us from acting responsibly and bravely. We have a choice about how we live and how we nurture and look after the common good.’ He paid tribute to the ‘human generosity, sacrifice, charity, magnanimity, trust and hope’ of the Poles, both in Poland and in many centres abroad, including London, whose actions helped to bring about independence. Taking a lesson from their actions, he added: ‘perhaps at the same time we begin to discover within us the evangelical truth that there is more happiness in giving of oneself, in offering of oneself what we can, than in receiving.’

Rzegocki, Senator Anna Maria Anders stepped forward unannounced to address the congregation. She remembered with pride her father, General Władysław Anders, who served his country during and after the Second World War, both as a soldier and statesman. General Anders was a prominent member of the Polish government-in-exile, which was

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‘We must acknowledge,’ he said, ‘that the only life that bears fruit is one offered to others, shared with others, capable of compassion, cooperation and solidarity.’ At the end of Mass, Cardinal Vincent Nichols greeted the congregation with the words: ‘I am glad indeed to share this remarkable celebration with you. One hundred years of Polish independence is a worthy moment and a moment for truly thanking God and encouraging one another.’ Acknowledging the ‘deep faith at the heart of the people of Poland and their culture’, the Cardinal added: ‘I thank God for that gift and pray that it may be strengthened and purified by all the tests and challenges we face today’. He asked too for God’s blessing for Poland and expressed his wish that Polish people may ‘always be welcomed here in this country, and thanked, too, for the contribution you make to our society and to our Catholic life’. Following a few words from Polish Ambassador Arkady

2018 sees not only the centenary of the Armistice but also the new political order that emerged in Europe after the collapse of four mighty Empires. The period saw new nations being proclaimed and borders being drawn, and, unsurprisingly, the process could often be violent. This year sees the centenary of ‘modern’ Poland; as the gunfire ceased across Europe, the Second Polish Republic was declared, formed out of parts of Austrian, German and Russian territory. Our parishes are proud to include many people of Polish origin, but many may be surprised at the long history of this community in London. A number of Polish priests worked in nineteenth century London for the pockets of Polish exiles, many of whom spoke little English and lived in great poverty. One of them, Fr Emeryk Podelski, used a chapel in Sutton Street, Soho, and accompanied a hundred of his flock to fight the Russians during the Crimean War (1853-56), most of whom joined the Turkish army (who were allied with Britain and France). Fr Podelski returned from his adventures and was eventually buried at St Mary’s Cemetery, Kensal Green. In 1867, with the support of the Archbishop of Westminster, a committee of Polish exiles acquired a property at 110 Gower Street for a Polish chapel, library and meeting rooms. For the next decade this would act as the first Polish centre in Great Britain. The Polish community attracted much attention after

its chaplain, Fr Bakonowski, was attacked while celebrating Mass at the Italian Church in January 1880. A ‘Swiss anarchist’ fired at him five times as he stood at the altar and when another priest threw himself upon the assailant, he was found to have a revolver and a poisoned dagger on his person. Fortunately, no-one was seriously hurt but the shocking news spread far and wide and caused much sympathy. The number of Polish immigrants continued to grow; in 1886 two older organisations were merged to form the Polish Society in London and by 1890 there were about 1,000 Poles in the capital, many of whom settled in Whitechapel. Appeals were made that a more permanent Polish Catholic Mission be founded. This was formally set up at 313 Mile End Road in 1894, with Fr Antony Lechert of the Missionaries of Divine Love as chaplain. By 1896 an old stable had been purchased on Cambridge Road, Bethnal Green, to be transformed into the Church of St Joseph and St Casimir. Fr Lechert also worked as spiritual director to the Polish Sisters of the Holy Family, who set up a convent in Mile End in 1895 and did much important work with children, the sick and the elderly. These religious women, despite facing many challenges, are seen just as much as the founders of London’s Polish Mission as the chaplains. Over subsequent years, there were many changes in personnel and address. There were tensions within the

community, too, and in 1901 a separate chapel was established for the Lithuanians (for centuries the Poles and the Lithuanians had been united under one Commonwealth but they were both distinct ‘nations’). During the First World War the chaplains had to look after not only the new groups of immigrants but the many Polish prisoners-of-war who were interned at Alexandra Palace, Clay Hill, Feltham, Potters Bar and elsewhere. Poland, let us remember, still did not exist in its own right and so Poles found themselves fighting in the Austrian, German and Russian armies. The declaration of a newlyindependent Poland in 1918 was the cause of much celebration and led many immigrants to return home, where, almost immediately, they had to face the PolishSoviet War (1919-21). Meanwhile in London, progress was slow, especially given the financial instability of the interwar years and the devaluation of the pound. However, in 1928, a redundant Swedenborgian church in Devonia Street, Islington, was put on sale to a Christian denomination at the ‘bargain’ price of £4,000. The Polish Mission was able to complete the purchase and the Church of Our Lady of Częstochowa and St Casimir was consecrated on 12th October 1930 by Cardinal Hlond, Primate of Poland, in the presence of Cardinal Bourne. At last, London’s Polish community had a permanent religious home. Follow us on Instagram at: @rcwestminster

Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

Recognition for St Joseph’s Primary School The Sunday Times School Guide 2019 ranked St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Willesden as the second best state primary school in the country, and the best state Catholic primary school nationally. The whole school community has continued to aspire to excellence despite being located in an area of high deprivation and serious crime, and in the face of challenging circumstances that have resulted from a fire that caused substantial damage to the school in September 2015. More than 500 nursery and primary pupils aged 3 to 11 years old and 65

the parents and the wider community brought strength and determination to ensure the children’s education would not be affected. Reacting to the award, Headteacher Dawn Titus said: ‘It is the children that we are most proud of; their resilience and love for learning is an example to us all at St Joseph's and to their peers nationally. We will continue to ensure that the children's aspirations are not formed by the circumstances around them, but that they will form their future through high expectations and a desire to fulfil their potential, whatever their circumstances.’

staff were evacuated into the playground of St Joseph’s as flames began to tear through the roof and upper floors on the afternoon of 22nd September. Following the fire, the children and staff relocated for eight weeks to Newman Catholic College before returning to temporary classrooms on the school site. They moved back into the school building in September 2018. The three years in temporary classrooms were challenging with restrictions on space for storage and meetings as priority was given to the learning areas for the children. The support of

Overlooking Jerusalem

This year’s Holy Land pilgrimage took place from the 21st to the 29th November, led for the first time by Bishop John Wilson, and with Fr John Farrell OP as Spiritual Director. The first half of the pilgrimage was spent visiting places of significance in the life of Christ, where he was born and baptised, and where he ministered. Couples even had an opportunity to renew their wedding vows in Cana, the site of Jesus’s first miracle. One

The Church of Dominus Flevit

pilgrim said that this chance to connect with the person of Jesus was ‘so special. I really feel we have paid homage.’ The group was welcomed for Sunday Mass by the Palestinian Christian community of the Holy Family Church on the West Bank. The following day they returned to visit the School of Joy, a school for abandoned children some of whom have learning disabilities, and St Martha’s House, a day centre for widows, where they had an opportunity to learn more about the everyday lives of Palestinian Christians. The pilgrims then arrived in Jerusalem, paying homage at the Western Wall before they visited the sites of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the site of Jesus’ burial, and Calvary, where they followed the Way of the Cross.

While in Jerusalem, Sr Helen Costigane SHCJ said that being on the pilgrimage had given her a greater understanding of the geography of the Holy Land and it had ‘changed my perception of what it was like’. On their last full day, at the Garden of Gethsemane, Bishop John pondered that here Jesus prayed not that his will be done, but God’s will be done and this is ‘the prayer of every Christian...we do the Father’s will because in the Father’s will is our peace’. The following morning, the pilgrims celebrated Mass at Emmaus, where the Risen Christ revealed himself in the breaking of the bread to two of his disciples, before their journey home. The pilgrims comprised a mixed group that included those who were on their first ever pilgrimage and returning pilgrims. Bishop John summed up the experience with these words: ‘This has been an incredible pilgrimage. We have deepened our faith in the Lord and our friendship with each other. So many times people have said: “I will never hear the Scriptures in the same way again.” To see the places where Jesus was born, lived, taught, healed and forgave; to walk the way of his passion and death, and to visit the site of his resurrection has been, in the words of one pilgrim, “life-changing”.’

Walking in the footseps of Jesus in the Holy Land

On the Sea of Galilee

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Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

Angels Proclaim

Marriage: Invitation to grow in holiness, mutual respect and personal joy

by Deacon Adrian Cullen Evangelisation Coordinator Angels proclaim the Good News to the shepherds! These heavenly messengers bring into the lives of ordinary people a new age, an age with God. We, like the angels, are also messengers. Through what we say, and how we live our lives we proclaim that same Good News that Jesus Christ is born for each one of us. Through the Christmas period many parishes will be making preparations to give those who are visiting their church messages of hope, to make the Good News sound out loud and clear. What might you do in your parish? Bright lights, a Crib and a Christmas tree. Yes, of course. What else? Invitations going out to those we know and maybe those we don’t. Inviting people to come and hear the Good News for themselves. To make that journey to the Crib, just as the shepherds did, as they went to Bethlehem to find what had been proclaimed to them by the angel was indeed true; there lying in the manger a child who is God made man, come to earth. What else? Maybe some messages of joy and expectation to give out to passers-by in the high street, or to passengers exiting the local railway station, returning home in the dark after a long day’s work; messages written on baubles to hang on their Christmas tree, or on small, rolled parchment-like paper, to be kept close in the

by Deacon Roger Carr-Jones, Marriage and Family Life Co-ordinator wallet or purse. Messages from Scripture that bring the Good News to life: ‘A virgin will bear a son, called Emmanuel!’ ‘A child is born for us, Prince of Peace!’ ‘Glory to God in heaven, and on earth, peace!’ Whatever the message, it will not be heard if it is not proclaimed. And we are to be the proclaimers, the messengers, the earthly angels (for angel means messenger) who bring a heavenly message, the Word, Jesus Christ the Son of God, born at Christmas. And into the New Year, the proclaiming will need to continue. Just as the shepherds returned to their ordinary lives glorifying and praising God, so we too are to take the Good News to all we encounter in our everyday lives, into their everyday lives. Through February and March there are five Proclaim Gatherings across the diocese to help us keep that message going, not just for this year or the next, but into the continuing lives of all in our community, just like the shepherds, who will have never stopped telling everyone they met, even into their old age, of the day the angels came with a message, the day they found Jesus Christ. Further details of the Proclaim Spring Gatherings can be found on the diocesan website https://rcdow.org.uk/faith/pr oclaim-spring-gatherings-2019/

The creation of an Alliance of Catholic Marriage Organisations is a timely reminder that we are at our best when we work in collaboration with one another. In adopting a mutually beneficial approach to nurturing and supporting marriage, each of these groups,

in their different ways, will be better able to support the Church in its promotion of healthy and life-giving marriages. This is a good example for all of us in parish life and especially those who give of their time and talents in the marriage and family life ministry to follow.

Proclaim Spring Gatherings 2019 Forming Missionary Disciples, Building Missionary Parishes Supporting the setting up and development of Parish Evangelisation Teams Saturday 9th February with Bishop Nicholas Hudson, at Our Lady Help of Christians, Kentish Town. Saturday 16th February with Bishop Paul McAleenan, at Nicholas Breakspear School, St Albans. Saturday 23rd February with Bishop Nicholas Hudson, at St Mary and St Michael, Commercial Road. Saturday 16th March with Bishop John Wilson, at St Mark’s School, Hounslow. Saturday 30th March with Bishop John Sherrington, at Niland Centre, Bushey. Time at all venues: 9.30am to 3.00pm Proclaim Spring Gatherings are for laity and clergy from parishes, schools, youth and other chaplaincies who are involved or interested in local evangelisation. The events are free, with coﬀee & tea etc. provided. Please bring your own lunch. To register for a Proclaim Spring Gathering, and for more information please email Warren Brown at catadmin@rcdow.org.uk Telephone contact is 0207 798 9152 Page 10

Working together, in the service of the Lord, is a good counter to those of whom we have read of in the gospels, who, rather than being open to Jesus, spent too much time muttering about what was wrong, or what they did not like. It is always easier to identify what we feel is wrong rather than to respond by prayerfully spending time working for a better and hopefilled outcome. Therefore, St Paul’s words from the Letter to the Philippians should be on our lips as we work in new ways to serve the Lord in this ministry: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always again I will say, Rejoice’ (Phil 4:6). In his 1981 apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio St John Paul II helpfully reminds us that marriage is ‘one of the most precious and most urgent tasks of Christian couples in our time’ (FC20), and then goes further by highlighting that esteeming healthy marriages and families is essential in order that the parallel call of others to celibacy/virginity is also to have its true meaning. For John Paul II, when marriage and ‘human sexuality is not regarded as a great value given by the creator, the renunciation of it for the sake of the kingdom of heaven loses its meaning’ (FC16). This means that sustaining the family of the parish is vital to the health of the Church and key to encouraging marriage and in sustaining those who are married throughout their life-long journey. As we move into another grace-filled year, we have an opportunity to create new alliances with the broad range of marriage providers in this diocese and with our sister parishes to support and promote actively the God-given nature of marriage. Of course, working together will sometimes require us to let go of our own prejudices or preferences, so that we achieve the best outcome for all. If we are not certain how to do so, then St John XXIII gives us a good pointer: ‘See everything, overlook a great deal, correct a little.’ Continued on next page

Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

Continued from previous page

Adoremus: A Priest’s Perspective

If we are passionate about In this third instalment Fr Mark Vickers, reflects on the third day of Adoremus, the Eucharistic the family and the beauty and Pilgrimage and Congress, in Liverpool. joy of marriage, then we can and the sun shone. Having learn from this new Catholic undertaken penance, we were Alliance. For it is only when blessed when we were where we work together that we will we ought to be: kneeling in find innovative solutions to prayer before the Lord. meet the needs of this age. As As the Blessed Sacrament those involved in advertising was returned to the cathedral, will tell us, no matter how Jesuit Media Initiatives and there was a reluctance to good the product you always the Diocese of Westminster disperse. People wished to need to advertise it! Our Marriage and Family Life team continue to hold that moment understanding of the richness have joined forces to produce a in silence. Complete strangers and depth of marriage has series of imaginative grown in the years following came forward to express their contemplations to help the Great Council. gratitude for the blessings of families journey alongside the In Sacrosanctum Concilium we these three days. It had been a Holy Family in prayer this are reminded of the necessity time of joy and hope, they said. Advent. of the faith commitment in Adoremus had exceeded every The series of six imaginative that union (SC59). This aspect expectation. When it had been contemplations, plus an is drawn out well by Richard most needed, we had been introduction, are available to being cleansed. As one of the McBrien in Catholicism where There were two Congress confirmed in our Catholic faith listen to or download from the Masses at the Metropolitan bearers of the platform on he writes: ‘Marriage is more because together we had Jesuits’ spirituality website which the monstrance was than a ceremony: it is an act of Cathedral on the Sunday Pathways to God gathered around Our Lord in morning. Given the almost placed, I thought I would be worship, an expression of (pathwaystogod.org/imagining prayer. When and where would relentless activity of the protected by the canopy. Not a faith, a sign of the Church’s -nativity). Each contemplation the next Eucharistic Congress previous two days, I was glad bit of it; water was soon unity, a mode of Christ’s that we had opted for the later, pouring through the seams, be held? It was a question in all focuses on a person or group presence.’ Marriage is more from the Nativity story: Mary, celebrated at 11.30am by the only in a more concentrated our hearts. than an act between two Joseph, the shepherds and the Cardinal. Arriving, we were manner. With the shafts Some of the prayer and joy baptised Christians; it is a Magi, who will all be very greeted by Arundel and slipping in wet hands, carrying of the three days in Liverpool union between faithful familiar to children. Each Brighton’s diocesan the platform was no easy task. have been captured in the Christians. session will have its own contribution to the Congress: a Our difficulties were minimal, images which can be viewed at suggested storyline and you are Opening up this spiritual magnificent carpet of flowers but they helped focus thoughts https://www.flickr.com/catho truth for those of us who are invited to imagine and reflect sweeping all the way up to the on that procession 2,000 years married and for those seeking licism along with it. earlier which Our Lord had to marry in the Church will be sanctuary, incorporating the undertaken for our sake transformative. We need to be Host and chalice, and the Adoremus motif. through the streets of Jerusalem bold in proclaiming this. As the Congress drew to its to Calvary. So, rather than being close, we gathered as we The seminarians led the way, content with couples seeking should, young and old, from carrying the statue of Our Lady us out to get married, perhaps every background, from every of Walsingham. Then scores of now is the time for us to parish and community across priests and bishops, still in their venture outside our comfort the country, around the altar to white Mass vestments, the zone, to reach out to others meet Christ, to encounter him Cardinal and Our Lord himself. and offer them the Good in the most intimate way Following, singing and praying News, and so evangelise, both were thousands of the faithful. baptised and unbaptised. One imaginable in Holy Communion. Despite the Periodically, we paused as the way may be to hold a morning numbers, Liverpool Cathedral Cardinal charged the thurible exploration of marriage with managed the occasion with and incensed the Blessed the ‘dating-not-yetgreat style and professionalism. Sacrament. Then we were on committed’ and to assess how, The music in particular was a our way again. We were as a parish, we support great outpouring of praise to watched by curious bystanders marriage and the family at all Westminster W estminster t i t r Di Diocesan Pilgrimage Christ present amongst us. and by families devoutly points. The Catholic Alliance 1IH F] Cardinal dinal Vincent Nichols Reflecting during Adoration kneeling amid the puddles to is looking to explore how best Lourdes theme fforr 2019 to reflect more accurately that in the Echo Arena the preceding give honour to their Eucharistic evening, the Cardinal had Lord. It was a profoundly tangn ney “Bl “Blessed d are th h poor”” he marriage is a journey, and, as asked that there was not to be moving experience. Tours s we know with any journey, Pilgrim House, Station Court, 2oth - 26th July one iota of triumphalism or It felt much longer, but it Borough Green, Kent, especially that of faith, being by: air from Stansted, by Train & Coach from London TN15 8AF, UK pride in the Blessed Sacrament could not have been more than married will also involve a www w..tangney-tourrs. s.com//w westminnster - 01732 886666 procession to take place half an hour before we were mixture of joy, sorrow and back at the cathedral steps. The challenge. What we now need through the city streets. It was to be ‘a penitential procession.’ monstrance was processed to to do better is to help our The Cardinal was granted his the altar prepared at the top in couples to say, like St Paul, wish. full view of the crowd which despite challenges ‘Rejoice in As we emerged from the now filled every available space the Lord always again I will Mass, the heavens opened. The below. The atmosphere was say, Rejoice.’ rain was unrelenting as we heavily charged as the Cardinal For further details about wound our way through the gave Benediction over the the alliance, visit Lord’s adoring people. And at rcdow.org.uk/diocese/marria streets around the cathedral. Symbolically, the Church was that moment, the rain stopped ge-and-family-life. Follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/diocese.westminster

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Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

The light of Christ breaking into the darkness

Welcome Back

Giovanni Bellini’s painting ‘Madonna of the Meadow’ (pictured), found in the National Gallery, is disturbing as it reveals the shadows of death breaking into the joy of Christmas. The sleeping Christ Child in the arms of his loving mother appears to be dead. The right hand of the sleeping Child across his chest recalls the pose traditionally adopted for burial and his right leg seems lifeless and stiff. This death anticipates the resurrection. The Christ Child born in Bethlehem and laid in a manager is the light of the world. His light illuminates our lives and gives us hope. As we renew our hope and celebrate our joy this Christmas, we pray for our brothers and sisters suffering for their faith in many parts of the world.

#RedWednesday, marked on miraculous escape. Like St Peter in prison, it was as the last Wednesday of November, raised awareness of though the chains fell from his legs and he walked out the threats to religious into freedom, holding his freedom in many parts of the head high, because his world. The red floodlighting liberation was close at hand. of many buildings, including Many Christians will come Marble Arch, Lambeth Palace, to pray at Midnight Mass the Houses of Parliament and carrying fear in their hearts Westminster Cathedral, for their faith, their families witnessed powerfully to the and the year ahead. They will suffering, persecution and celebrate with joy the light of death of Christians in many the Christ Child breaking into countries. In London many the darkness of that first people joined a candle lit Christmas night. Their hope procession which shed light into a darkened and dangerous will be renewed by his birth in Bethlehem and will give world. A video link with suffering Christians in Aleppo them confidence and joy. They will also know that the brought the message of vestments on 26th December Antoine to the piazza in will be red and the Victoria. Antoine had been martyrdom of St Stephen will held imprisoned by Daesh for be celebrated. 62 days before making a

There is a life-sized image of the Divine Mercy on a wall opposite a church in a town in Northern Iraq. Underneath the picture of Christ with his outstretched arms there are two words, ‘Welcome Back’. It is in a town where Daesh demolished homes and churches during their campaign. I studied this poster for a long time when I visited Iraq at the beginning of November at the invitation of the Nineveh Reconstruction Committee. To whom were those two words addressed? Were the returning Christian refugees expressing their jubilation that a Christian presence had been restored to their town or was it intended to display that Christ was pleased that his people had returned and were beginning to rebuild their church and homes. I still don’t know.

As I wandered through the streets of this still, silent town the only sound that could be heard at first was the sound of tools clinking upon bricks as workmen go about their business of rebuilding and restoring. Then came the sound of children chattering and laughing as the school day ended and they spilled on to roads, excited and curious when they saw these Western visitors. Among the devastation of the towns of Northern Iraq hope is surely returning. I thought of the verse in Psalm 144 when the author expressed his deep-felt longing and desire for the future following the destruction of his city, ‘no ruined wall, no exile, no sound of weeping in our streets’. It is the hope too of our brothers and sisters in Iraq.

Into the chaos of our world with all its pain, Christ the Son of God was born. We give him many titles including the ‘Prince of Peace’. We speak of this season as one of gladness and joy, and with great enthusiasm we stretch out to grasp it; we long for it because we need it. We know from our own experience of life it is the only thing that fulfils us and makes us truly human. The season of Christmas touches us deeply and can heal us so that we too may strive for peace and goodwill among all people. When we gaze on the Christ Child lying in the crib with his arms outstretched, in our churches, and if we have one in our home too, it may be possible, if we spend time with him, for us to hear those words, ‘Welcome back’. Are we speaking to Jesus or is he speaking to us?

by Bishop Paul McAleenan

by Bishop John Sherrington

The Word was made flesh here

Keeping the Human at the Centre

by Bishop John Wilson

by Bishop Nicholas Hudson

Page 12

Some of the earliest Christian thinkers wrote that, in Christ, God entered our humanity so that we might share his divinity. As one Christmas carol puts it,

Jesus is born so we ‘no more may die,’ born to raise the children of earth, born to give us ‘second birth.’ We have a hope in Jesus, a hope for each other, a hope for

our world, a hope of justice, peace and joy. To you and your loved ones every blessing for Christmas and 2019.

A mother holds her baby above the star that marks the birthplace of Jesus in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

I will never forget my visit to the German cemetery at Ypres. It was just before the Armistice centenary. I was with bishops from the 28 member-countries of the European Union to commemorate the dead who lay all around us. Each bishop was invited to identify one grave, lay upon it a white rose and pray for the repose of the soul of that one fallen soldier. As I stood over the grave of Franz Podemski, it occurred to me his grave had possibly never been visited before, let alone prayed over. Having prayed for the fallen Germans, it was powerful then to proceed to Tyne Cot to commemorate all those British and Commonwealth servicemen who had perished similarly at Passchendaele, including two of my own great uncles. There we made the same profound gesture, each laying a rose beneath the headstone of one chosen soldier, praying that his soul enjoy eternal rest. Flanders Fields are very human. You could be tempted to think of them as inhuman, given the destruction of life they witnessed. But they are very human, and these cemeteries

deeply human, in the sense of celebrating the unique cost of every man and boy who lies there. They are human as well in the sense that Pope Francis meant when he called upon the Christians of this continent, in his address to the ‘Re-thinking Europe’ conference to remind Europe ‘that she is not a mass of statistics or institutions but is made up of people.’ Work to maintain a radical spirit of community, he continued; work to create communities which keep the poorest and the most vulnerable at their heart. To illustrate this, he highlighted the extraordinary contribution made in the Middle Ages by St Benedict to the shaping of Europe through the establishment of communities, significant because they placed the human at their centre. To keep the human at the centre: that is why Jesus came, to help us believe that every human is made in the image and likeness of God. Jesus also taught that it is when we reach out to the most vulnerable in society that we reach out to him. So the admonition of St John Chrysostom touches deep chords

within us, especially at this time of year as we deck the halls and load the tables: ‘Do you wish to honour the Body of Christ?’ asks St John. ‘Then do not despise him when he is naked. Do not honour him here in the church building with silks, only to neglect him outside, when he is suffering from cold and from nakedness. For he who said, “This is my body” is the same who said, “You saw me, a hungry man, and you did not give me to eat.” Of what use is it to load the table of Christ? Feed the hungry and then come and decorate the table. You are giving a golden chalice and you do not give a cup of cold water?’ This year saw the canonization of another saintly champion of the poor, one who made the supreme sacrifice to keep the human at the heart of his nation’s concerns: St Oscar Romero. From first to last, it was the human which drove this holy Archbishop, inspired him to risk all by preaching words like those he preached at Midnight Mass the Christmas before he died: ‘If we wish to find the Child Jesus today,’ he said simply, ‘we should not expect to find him in

beautiful crib figures: we should look for him rather among the malnourished children who went to bed tonight with nothing to eat. We should look for him among the poor newspaper boys who will sleep tonight on doorsteps, wrapped in their papers.’ We will find God, Romero is saying, in the human, in the poorest human beings. Soon after we celebrated Romero, I found myself touching these deeply human realities once again in the place where hostilities had ceased a century ago. I had come to Picardy, to the Forest of Compiègne, wherein nestles the railway carriage in which the Armistice was signed.

Martha and Mary. Standing in Capernaum, imagining the synagogue where he prayed and taught. All this, and more, reinforces the radical truth that our God is not distant from us. Our God became human and was born in Bethlehem. A star in the floor signals where Jesus, true God and true man, wriggled and gurgled as a tiny newborn. This baby is Emmanuel, God with us. In the Grotto under the Church of the Annunciation there is an inscription on the altar. It reads: Verbum Caro Hic Factum Est, the Word was made flesh here. Our faith is rooted in an event. The Word taking flesh, God becoming human, happened at a specific time in a specific place. It was not random or haphazard. What had been foretold was fulfilled according to God’s loving plan. This specificity is true for us. We are each created by God. He has a plan for our life. There is a purpose for our existence. We have a unique niche in God’s unfolding of history. We are loved and precious, here and now, in the particular details of our biography.

It was a great blessing for me to lead this year’s Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. At the time of writing, I have been back for just a few days. The sights and experiences are fresh in my mind and heart. Not least among them is the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth which marks where the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to conceive the Son of God. And with it is the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem marking where the Lord Jesus was born. These are especially poignant places as we move through Advent towards Christmas. Since coming home, I have been asked a number of times what struck me most about my visit. Of course, many things stand out. Perhaps, above all, I feel I have a deepened sense of what it means for God to have walked the earth, to have become a human being in Jesus. Sitting by the Galilee shore where Jesus called his first apostles. Visiting Bethany, the home of his friends, Lazarus,

It is surely no coincidence that it was in the same forest, some forty years later, there was born L’Arche, the Ark, when Jean Vanier first welcomed two men with learning disabilities into his home. Jean says he had no idea that he was creating a new world movement. ‘All I knew,’ he says, ‘was that I was doing something irrevocable.’ He knew he was welcoming Christ. And so L’Arche was born; and Christ: Christ the Prince of Peace was born anew in the Forest of Peace, Compiègne, which will be forever the Armistice Wood. My prayer is that he be born again our hearts this Christmas, to make us, each in our own unique way, bearers of his peace.

Bishop Nicholas lays a wreath at Tyne Cot

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Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

The light of Christ breaking into the darkness

Welcome Back

by Bishop Paul McAleenan

by Bishop John Sherrington

The Word was made flesh here

Keeping the Human at the Centre

by Bishop John Wilson

by Bishop Nicholas Hudson

Page 12

Some of the earliest Christian thinkers wrote that, in Christ, God entered our humanity so that we might share his divinity. As one Christmas carol puts it,

Jesus is born so we ‘no more may die,’ born to raise the children of earth, born to give us ‘second birth.’ We have a hope in Jesus, a hope for each other, a hope for

our world, a hope of justice, peace and joy. To you and your loved ones every blessing for Christmas and 2019.

A mother holds her baby above the star that marks the birthplace of Jesus in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

Bishop Nicholas lays a wreath at Tyne Cot

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Westminster Record | Decemeber 2018/January 2019

Youth Director’s Spotlight way the fact that some department stores start selling Christmas goods and decorations as early as July confirms the idea that it is never too late or too early to get ready for welcoming God into our lives. Recently a pupil from a primary school attending a residential retreat at SPEC said that staying at the retreat Andrezj Wdowiak centre was like staying at a Director of Youth Ministry hotel but with God. We assume that children have some idea of We have started Advent and a new liturgical year, so it would God and the Divine but not surprisingly it is not always be appropriate to wish the case. Here at the retreat ourselves a very blessed new centre we are trying to help our year. Coming from a schoolchildren by giving them traditional Catholic family in a chance to be away from the my native Poland I have been busyness of their everyday life slightly perplexed about and have some exposure to the Advent in the western spiritual dimension of life. We hemisphere. Although Advent leave the rest to the mysterious is a time of preparation for the ways that God comes to and birth of Christ, we seem to be works in our lives. Locally celebrating Christmas well SPEC has no exclusivity for before it arrives; and once we actually reach Christmas we are this but it is good to know that our work bears some fruit and pretty much exhausted of celebrating it to the point of supports the case for giving feeling relief that it is finally children and young people the over. Perhaps this is a rather opportunity to attend commercial view of the time residential retreats. when we, as Catholics, are reSimilarly, at the Centre for living the anticipation of God, Youth Ministry we work with our Saviour coming into our youth leaders who engage lives. It almost feels as if all the young people and young peripheral things that distract adults in our parishes in their us from the essence of this preparation for an encounter season have hijacked this with God. As part of our work anticipation. at the end of October over On the other hand, maybe it eighty young adults had the is just a joyful anticipation of opportunity to join Cardinal God living with us and, after all, Vincent in his reflections on the the joy of encountering Christ recent Synod on the role of should not be reserved for young people in the Church. Christmas only. In some strange The meeting was a continuation of the pre-Synod meetings that were held throughout the year. In fact, to acknowledge the value and popularity of such discussions, further meetings have been scheduled for 2019. The first will be in February with Bishop Nicholas Hudson, straight after his return from World Youth Day in Panama. We hope that the Bishop, our Youth Chaplain and 24 pilgrims from the Diocese of Westminster will have a safe, inspiring and meaningful pilgrimage as they join Pope Francis and youth from around the world at the end of January. Finally, let me use this opportunity to thank you all for your prayers and support for Westminster Youth Ministry and wish you a peaceful Christmas and a New Year of encounter with God because indeed God is with us. Page 14

Youth Chaplain’s Corner adults are welcome and details can be found on our website (dowym.com). As we come to the end of another year and a new one begins, we can look forward to see how we can continue to support the young people of

the diocese and be faithful to our mission, always with the Advent spirit of joyful hope for the future and trusting in Christ’s faithfulness to us, as shown in the Christmas mystery. May you all have a blessed Advent season.

Fr Mark Walker, Youth Chaplain Advent is the season of joyful hope and expectation, founded on the truth that Jesus Christ took on our flesh and united it with his divine life in the Incarnation, which we will shortly celebrate at Christmas. This truth reassures us that no matter how much darkness encroaches into our lives and into our world, Christ’s love, expressed in his solidarity with us in the Incarnation, conquers the darkness and is victorious. We can always therefore look forward to next year and to the future with confidence and with joyful expectancy for Christ to return and complete his work of salvation. In the youth service, we are also entering into the Advent spirit of looking forward with hope and confidence! In January, we will have the excitement of being with Pope Francis in Panama for World Youth Day, the Church’s flagship event for young people. World Youth Day is a great reminder for young people that we are part of the universal Church, with millions gathered from around the world. It illustrates how many other young people share our one faith and provides a boost as young people return to their homes reinvigorated. Please do pray that we may have a safe and joyful trip! After World Youth Day we will continue to reflect on the themes of the Synod of Bishops which met in October, and which I’m sure will be reaffirmed by Pope Francis in Panama. At the end of October Cardinal Vincent led a group of eighty or so young adults in reflection on the synod, offering his own thoughts and Bishop Nicholas will continue this reflection with a further meeting in February. All young

Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) Development Director John Green delivered a school assembly on November 15th to Sixth Form pupils from Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School. They were thrilled to learn about the world of seafarers and ships, and how AoS supports seafarers’ spiritual and practical needs.

Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

SEIDs: Dignity in work

The St Vincent de Paul Scoeity are once again distributing 11,500 Vinnie Packs containing cold weather essentials to the homeless and those spending the principal part of their day on the streets this winter. Each pack contains thermal gloves, two pairs of socks, gloves, wet wipes, toothbrush, toothpaste, information sheet and pen. They ask you to consider sponsoring packs at a suggested donation of £3.50 per pack. Donations can be sent to Vinnie Packs, PO Box 72264, London SW1P 9EZ with cheques made out to SVP. Thank you so much for your support.

It is astonishing to realise that the majority of people living in poverty in London (58%) are living in a working family. That’s 1.3 million people living with ‘in-work’ poverty in the capital alone, many working jobs with long hours in unsuitable conditions. One of the best ways to move someone out of poverty is to give them a decent and dignified job that allows development and fulfilment, pays a sustainable London wage, and provides a working environment where people and profit co-exist, rather than one taking precedence over the other. Yet for many Londoners dignified work is not available. As Pope Francis explains: ‘Work is fundamental, it “anoints’ us with dignity, makes us similar to God’. This is why Caritas Westminster and the Diocese of Westminster are working to tackle poverty in many different ways, including the recentlylaunched SEIDs, a family of social enterprises or social businesses that trade for a social good. Decent and dignified work is at the heart of SEIDs. That is why one of our initiatives is Property Services, delivered by properly trained workers and apprentices. Not only do we offer a respectful work environment, we are an accredited London Living Wage Employer, paying 30% more than the national minimum wage. If our hourly rates are higher than other companies’, it is because they reflect the true cost of fairly paid, dignified and decent work in London today. SEIDs Property Services offers painting and decorating, plumbing and all those general repair and maintenance jobs that occur so frequently around a home, parish or business. By using our services to take care of your property needs, you would be supporting the move to dignified and decent work for those normally locked out of a sustainable employment opportunity. For more information please visit https://www.seids.org.uk/pro perty-services.php or contact Pawel Szkolnik on 07706288913 or Andrew Curtis 07513059809.

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Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

Simbang Gabi: Waiting with Mama Mary

by Fr Lawrence Lew OP Over a decade ago I served as a lay missionary in a Dominican parish located amid the slums of Metro-Manila. My first Advent there, I was introduced to Simbang Gabi, which seemed to me, to herald in Christmas with a bang, as the name seemed to imply! At around 4am, I would be woken up by Christmas carols broadcast throughout the neighbourhood on loudspeakers, and as the Gloria was sung, the general festivity would be accompanied by the banging of drums. I tried for the first few mornings to cover my head with a pillow and go back to sleep, but I soon decided to join in the festivities; after all, there were nine mornings of these exuberant Masses which I simply could not ignore! I soon learnt to embrace these unusual Masses, and joined the thousands of people who thronged to church and stood outside in the dark and cool

T H E S A P I E N S P R O G RA M

Ethics: Living the Examined Life Why is my life stuck? What’s missing? How can I grow as a person and flourish? Philosophy can help. Answering practical, down to earth questions with insight from the greatest thinkers of the Western Tradition, The Sapiens Program will help all – of any or no faith – search for wisdom and find fulfilment. Five evenings to live a more examined life. Why not bring a different-minded friend?

Please join us: Where: St Mary Moorfields RC Church, EC2M 7LS When: Thursdays 7:30pm, 17th Jan - 14th Feb 2019 Cost: Suggested donation £10/eve. (inc. hot meal)

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mornings before the crack of dawn. After Mass, street vendors would sell breakfast and sweet delicacies that are only eaten at this time of year, and there was much camaraderie and joy; as we read in the Scriptures, an agape meal was shared by the Christian community after they had gathered for Mass and Holy Communion. The name Simbang Gabi, means, literally ‘night-time church’ because the original intent was to attend church sometime after nightfall. The Spanish missionaries who brought the faith to the Philippines had a custom of praying a novena (nine-days) of devotions dedicated to the pregnant Mother of God, and these took place in the nine evenings before Christmas. However, noticing that the people were tired in the evenings after a whole day’s toil in the fields, the priests began to adapt this custom. Sometime around 1669, they decided instead to have a novena of Masses in the mornings, before daybreak, so that the people could go to work after Mass. The rich and sweet breakfast foods, therefore, gave them energy for their labours. In fact, the missionaries were drawing upon a custom that can be traced to the eighth century. There was a Roman custom of offering a Rorate Mass before dawn on each of the seven days preceding Christmas and, from the 17th century onwards, a novena of these pre-dawn Masses in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the nine months of her pregnancy became popular in Italy. The Simbang Gabi tradition, therefore, is deeply rooted in an ancient Catholic tradition. In many places in nonagrarian societies such as ours in London, the Simbang Gabi Mass is celebrated in the evening, thus returning to its roots as a devotional practice of genuine night-time churchgoing. This novena of Masses remains a special way of accompanying the Blessed

Mother in the last days of her pregnancy, of praying with her, and contemplating the wonder of the Incarnation with her. As such, it is especially fitting that the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary should be the venue for a full nine-day novena of Simbang Gabi Masses. In the Philippines, the Holy See has allowed for special Mass propers for Simbang Gabi, but here in London, the Masses will be celebrated in English, and they will be the proper Advent Masses of the day, beginning on the 15th of December and running nightly until the 23rd of December. Unlike the Philippines version, too, there will not be drums or the singing of the Gloria in anticipation of Christmas. However, a Filipino choir will sing traditional Filipino songs and Mass Ordinaries at each of these Masses, and Filipino priests have been invited to

preach at the weekday Masses. And, importantly, just like in the Philippines, there will be plenty of food available after each of the Masses! It is hoped, therefore, that as in the Philippines so here in London a great multitude will throng with joy and devotion to Mama Mary’s Shrine for these Simbang Gabi Masses! Novena of Simbang Gabi Masses at the Rosary Shrine: the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and St Dominic, Southampton Road, London NW5 4LB (near Belsize Park or Chalk Farm): Masses on weekends (15, 16, 22, and 23 Dec) start at 6pm. Masses on weekdays (17-21 Dec inclusive) start at 7:30pm, with Filipino priests. During these nine days the official replica statue of Our Lady of Manaoag (pictured) will be displayed on the sanctuary of the church for veneration and the offering of prayer intentions.

Justice & Peace Coordinator

The Diocese of Westminster seeks to appoint a practising Roman Catholic to serve the Westminster Justice & Peace Commission in coordinating Justice and Peace endeavours across the Diocese.

The successful applicant will have pastoral experience in education, parish, youth and/or community work and be familiar with common IT software for databases, spreadsheets and social media.

This role requires strong motivation, effective self-organising skills and a high standard of English, both oral and written. The successful candidate will be educated to degree level or equivalent with managerial experience in a voluntary or paid capacity. A commitment to and practise in the Catholic Faith, with a deep understanding of Catholic Social Teaching is essential.

This post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) Hours of work: 35 hours per week Monday to Friday 9-5 with some weekends and evenings

Salary: £30,000 Location: Victoria & West Green Parish Closing date: Friday 4th of January 2018 Interview date: Tuesday 15th of January 2018 To apply for this vacancy, please visit http://rcdow.org.uk/diocese/jobs/ Please be advised that we do NOT accept CVs. Please download, complete and submit a job application to the humanresources@rcdow.org.uk.

Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

A stained glass treasure discovered in Letchworth by Carolyn Albon The Parish of St Hugh of Lincoln, Letchworth Garden City, has recently discovered a connection with Margaret Agnes Rope, a stained glass artist from the early decades of the 20th century, who is becoming better known and appreciated. A recent edition in the Catholic Universe featured an article about the unveiling of a plaque on Margaret Rope’s family home in Shrewsbury. Margaret, or Marga as she was known in the family, was born in Shrewsbury in 1882 and educated at home. During her late teens she followed her mother and most of her family in converting to Catholicism. Being drawn to the creative arts, at 18 Margaret went to study art, including the design and creation of stained glass, at Birmingham Municipal School of Art, where she excelled and won many awards. Whilst only in her twenties, she was commissioned to produce the first of seven stained glass windows which she made for the Catholic Cathedral in Shrewsbury. In 1911 Margaret joined a community of stained glass artists at the Glass House in Fulham, sometimes working with her cousin, confusingly

also a Margaret Rope, but known professionally as M.E. Aldrich Rope. Marga was very independently minded; she used to smoke and ride a motorbike. In fact, there’s a story that whilst travelling across the country to visit relatives on that mode of transport, during WW1, she and her sister were briefly arrested, as the authorities couldn’t believe that young ladies could be riding across Suffolk on motorbikes unless they were spies. Whilst working in Fulham, at the Glass House, Margaret designed and produced many beautiful windows for churches around Britain and abroad. Her windows show great skill in glass painting and an intensity of colour and religious feeling. Always a devout Catholic, in her early forties Margaret felt called to the religious life. She entered a Carmelite Monastery in Woodbridge, Suffolk, though continuing to design stained glass which was sent to Fulham to be made up for her. In 1948 the Carmelite sisters moved to Quidenham in Norfolk, but Margaret’s health gradually deteriorated and she passed away in December 1953, leaving a wonderful legacy of stained glass throughout

Britain and around the world, including the windows for the Tyburn Convent, commemorating the Tyburn Martyrs. Margaret Rope’s connection to St Hugh’s Church in Letchworth comes through a small stained glass panel depicting St Francis of Assisi preaching to the birds. Crafted with great skill and artistry, it shows the saint surrounded by beautifully drawn birds, with an Italian hill village, presumably intended to represent Assisi, in the background. The panel originally came from the first Catholic church in the Garden City, completed in 1908, now the parish hall. It was brought into the new church in the 1960s and since then had been sitting on a rather obscure window sill. A couple of years ago, there was some research done to try and discover the artist responsible for such a fine work of art. An exhibition of Margaret Agnes Rope’s stained glass, in 2016, at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, provided the opportunity to contact them, to see if there was any possibility that the panel of St Francis could be by Margaret Rope. The parish was put in touch with Arthur Rope, a relative and great authority on

Margaret’s life and work and he, amazingly, found a black and white image of the same St Francis panel in Margaret Rope’s archive of drawings and papers. Arthur Rope came to Letchworth to view the stained glass panel and contacted Peter Cormack, a leading expert on British stained glass, especially of the Arts and Crafts Movement, who also confirmed the panel of St Francis to be by Margaret Agnes Rope. It is believed to be Margaret’s first commission for a church, before her work on the windows for Shrewsbury Cathedral. In order to provide the panel of St Francis, by such an illustrious artist, with the prominence it deserves, Fr James Garvey, the Parish Priest of St Hugh of Lincoln, has arranged for it to be placed within a window in the Baptistery, where it can now be more clearly seen and fully appreciated.

Book Review This story for children about Oswald the Giant is an imaginative explanation about how cross country skiing might have been invented in the Tyrol. We meet Oswald, a gentle and spiritual giant who has interesting conversations with God and lives in the mountains in Tyrol. He loves nature and looking after the forests, lakes and animals. He also enjoys baking huge apple strudels. When it snows it is because Oswald is dusting his cakes with icing sugar. Discovering the extent of God’s love for humans, he decides to invite them to live in the forest. Ever so thoughtful, he makes tracks so that they do

not get lost. Imitating the way Oswald walks with rhythm along these tracks, the children discover cross country skiing. In the process, the humans also learn important life lessons from Oswald. The author was inspired by her Catholic faith and love for cross country skiing in the Tyrol. Her original book launch plans were cancelled two weeks before the date by the host venue, who objected to the story’s mention of God and asking that it be changed to ‘supreme being’. She notes that it is ‘interesting that Oswald has already faced discrimination for being a Christian and having conversations with God!’

Oswald the Giant Written and illustrated by Marcela Alatorre-Shirazi 36 pages Ages 5-7 The book is available to purchase at the Brompton Oratory, Farm Street Church, Tyburn Convent and Blackwell’s in Oxford.

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Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

Praying with the Pope in December by Fr David Stewart SJ The Morning Offering, to the Heart of Christ, has been at the heart of the spirituality of the Prayer Network for all of its existence of nearly 175 years. Generations of Catholic Christians, and many other followers of Jesus, have made this daily offering, faithfully. From the earliest moment of the Apostleship of Prayer, in 1844, this prayer was missionary; oriented to the mission of all Christians. When we now make that Morning Offering, we are expressing a desire to unite that offering with the Pope’s Intention for the month. We want to train our hearts to be more like Christ’s. The deeper, larger meaning is that we want to pray with the whole Church, all of us invited to consider and pray for a particular Intention by the Holy Father. The mission of this Network, the world’s largest, is to spread the word of the Pope’s Intention for the challenges that face humanity and the mission of the church. By uniting our prayerful self-offering to the concerns that are in the Pope’s heart, we are in fact drawing together in prayer with the whole church, the whole people of God. In this month of December, he asks us to turn to the service of the transmission of faith; that people who are involved in the service and transmission of faith, may find, in their dialogue with culture, a language suited to the conditions of the present time. In this Intention, the Holy Father recognises the need to adapt our language and all of our means of communicating the message, the Good News, which itself will never change. This is not only an invitation to enter into dialogue with the culture but to think about the language we use to do so. This is why the Pope’s Prayer Network now presents various ways of participation in its mission, such as our Click-to-Pray digital platform and the Pope Video monthly broadcasts. The traditional Morning Offering prayer is still used by many and so too are the newer forms, such as the daily morning offering on Click-to-Pray. Page 18

It is unhelpful to use language that the culture, the world does not understand because so many people in our times are not hearing the proclamation of the Word. There are many for whom the language and idioms of Christian spirituality, to say nothing of our liturgy, are meaningless. That is not their fault; it does not make them bad people. We need to be honest, asking ourselves if we have made the necessary changes to how we transmit what we believe so that others may hear. Again, we can do so without tarnishing the truth that we have received; but that takes great care and sensitivity. This month’s intention invites us all to think about these things. Jesuit retreat director Philip Fogarty SJ reminds us, in this month’s Living Prayer booklet, that faith is much more than proclaimed doctrines and dogmas. If it is not a lived experience it can’t be transmitted. Fr Philip suggests that the ‘language of the Church and of the Bible can often seem foreign and so has to be “translated” in a way that speaks to the heart as well as the mind’. The language we use needs to be ‘suited to the conditions of the present time’. For we are certain, in faith, that the message it communicates is suited to all time, to all of humanity across all of history. THREE INVITATIONS, or CHALLENGES, FOR DECEMBER 1: Reflect: during this month, dedicate a time to reflect on the ways in which faith is transmitted in your community, the language and methods used and in particular how it is received by younger people. 2: Accept the challenge of helping others in your family, and parish community, to prepare for Christmas, meditating on the Word of God, devoting time to prayer and to the central theme of this liturgical time; how can you adapt your language to touch them with the good news that does not change?

3: Make a point of spending time with family and friends to talk and reflect about the meaning of Christmas, the meaning of the manger and the presence of Jesus in everyone’s life, especially at home. It can so easily get lost in the rush of these December weeks. PRAYER MOMENT FOR DECEMBER A suggested daily offering prayer for this month, for yourself or your family, or prayer-group: Lord Jesus, you sent your disciples to announce the Good News to all the places of the world, in different languages, in different times and to different cultures. Through your Spirit, you inspired many people to transmit the faith so that everyone can understand it and embrace it. Today, Lord, I/we pray, with the Holy Father, for all those who are given the task and mission of proclaiming the Gospel in their own communities. May they, through their words and gestures, be witnesses of your love. Our Father... IGNATIAN REFLECTION MOMENT As St Ignatius suggested, let’s take a few moments to try Follow us on Twitter at: twitter.com/RCWestminster

to be silent, or at least a little more calm in our hearts. Imagine the Trinity gazing on you now, and gazing on the whole world. See what the Three Divine Persons see: so much anger, so much violence, yet good souls too, trying to bring peace to a troubled world. God’s messenger approaches one good person with a unique mission: she is asked to bear the Son of God, as the Trinity is moved by compassion and love for the troubled world. Speak to Mary in your own heart; let her tell you of these things. And be with her nine months or so later, shut out in the cold as a refugee with Joseph and her infant Son. Let her ask you if you would like to hold this little baby, as mothers do. Let whatever prayer arises in your heart to come freely and with passion. DOWNLOAD Log on to our website www.click-to-pray.org and download the app. (on App Store, iTunes and Google Play) to pray with the Pope, and hundreds of thousands of Christians around the world. This app connects you with all who pray with the Pope in a quick, easy and creative way. Each day, the app offers a different set of short and accessible prayers. The first is

to start off the day, as we pray to make ourselves available for Christ’s mission; a second one, very brief and focused, is for at least once during the day, to help us recall the offering we made. And in the evening, following the advice we get from St Ignatius of Loyola, the Ignatian review of the day helps you to notice God’s presence in your day, to recognise where the Good Spirit has been prompting you and offering you opportunities to practice the language of dialogue and love. It involves a moment of repentance if we realise we have followed a less loving path and invites us to begin to pray for the next day, that we offer ourselves anew and become more open the Giver of all good gifts. PURCHASE: Our Living Prayer 2019 booklets are now in-stock and available to order (UK nations only) for £1.75 + £1.20 P&P from our London office. A special twin-pack, including the 2019 Sacred Heart wall calendar (A4), usually £2.20, and a selection of prayer-cards, are available for only £3 plus £1.50 P&P while stocks last: a lovely Christmas present, perhaps? Order with your delivery details from prayernetwork@jesuit.org.uk or by text to 074 3259 1117.

Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

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Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

Signing key to opening up gifts of Deaf community The Deaf Community have a great deal to offer and there is much we can learn from them. Sign language at Mass is essential for those profoundly Deaf people who use sign language to communicate so that they are included and are able to share their gifts and talents with the wider Catholic community. We are blessed in Westminster that there are eight priests whom we can call upon and who have learned to sign Mass and provide the Deaf community with access to the sacraments. Recently the majority of the group met together for a training day led by Pat Chandler, a Deaf woman trained as a sign language tutor. On this occasion we concentrated on the sign language required visiting a Deaf person in hospital and administrating the sacrament of the sick. For many Deaf people

hospital is a very lonely and difficult place to be. Interpreters are not always provided even for complicated medical issues, and the pastoral support Deaf people receive in hospital can be vary greatly. Ministry with the Deaf community is very rewarding and sign language, as well as being the language for the Deaf community, can add to the prayerful focus of the Mass. We are looking for more priests and deacons to join this group, to learn sign language and to help this ministry to grow. For more information please contact Shell Roca, Caritas Deaf Service at shellroca@rcdow.org.uk or on 07779 341136. Bishop Paul McAleenan and Canon Shaun Lennard also sign Mass regularly for the Deaf community and support us in many ways but were unable to join us on the day.

Supporting CAFOD at home and abroad A parishioner from St George’s, Sudbury and CAFOD campaigner volunteer was in Poland in early December to join thousands of people calling for world leaders to take action on climate change at a major UN conference. Keith Routledge travelled to Katowice, Poland on 5th December for the 24th Conference of the Parties, known as COP24. He joined campaigners from across Europe to share ideas for bringing about action back home in London to live more simply and sustainably. Keith, who supports renewable projects through his background as an engineer, said: ‘Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing humanity... If we do not act decisively now, we are facing human suffering on a global scale.’

You don’t have to travel to Poland to support CAFOD however. Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St George, Enfield held their annual Fairtrade fair last month. The Little Sisters of Jesus, talented parishioners,

CAFOD and Pax Christi all had stalls selling Christmas goods, cakes, pastries and plants raising money for people all over the world including those affected by war in Yemen.

Gifts, Service and Faith

A day of reflection for healthcare and mental health professionals Pictured are Fr Jonathan Stogdon, Fr Norbert Fernandes, Fr Paulo Bagini, Fr Keith Stoakes, Pat Chandler, the sign language tutor, Fr Robin Ellwood and Fr Willie Skehan.

12 January 2019, 10am-3.15pm The Royal Foundation of St Katharine, 2 Butcher Row, Limehouse, London E14 8DS

The vocation of working in healthcare or mental health care is a calling from God to use the gifts he has given to care for and look after the sick and needy. The aim of this Day of Reflection is to better understand how we can use our gifts in the service to others, as well as using our gifts to care for ourselves and improve our own spiritual health and wellbeing. This is a Day of Reflection for healthcare and mental health professionals and practitioners, led by Bishop Paul Mason (Catholic Bishop for Healthcare) and Bishop Richard Moth (Catholic Bishop for Mental Health). The day will consist of Mass, reflective sessions and prayer. The Day of Reflection is free of charge. Lunch will be provided. Website: http://cbcew.org.uk/CBCEW-Home/Departments/ChristianResponsibility-and-Citizenship/Healthcare/Gifts-Service-and-Faith Registration:

To register, please email Stephanie MacGillivray stephanie.macgillivray@cbcew.org.uk with the following details: Name Contact details Profession Any Dietary requirements Any Access requirements

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Registration closes on 20 December 2018 Follow us on Instagram at: @rcwestminster

Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

Inside the hospice Bethlehem: A reality TV series all of its own

Giving thanks for Sr Joyce’s 70 years of faithful ministry

by Fr Peter-Michael Scott I am not a fan of reality television. I have never watched a programme which features Essex, Chelsea or Miami. However, I am partial to the reality which happened in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. The angels, Mary and Joseph, did not have the opportunity to invite a television crew into their temporary home, but they did encourage a gallery of strangers made up of wise men and shepherds to see their new addition. As with reality TV, it was an invitation. In the same way that we can choose not to watch or to turn over to another channel, the shepherds and wise men could have ignored the modern day trailers or ‘spoilers’ as the star or angels might have been considered, and stayed where they were or gone back to sleep. Instead, they could not resist finding out what the ‘good news’ was. Our manger scenes in churches, or interpretations depicted on Christmas cards are invitations to place ourselves with the shepherds and wise men and to visit Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus. If we want to, we can accept that invitation and shut our eyes and imagine the rustle of straw, the swish of the cow’s tail, the night sky full of stars, and Mary and Joseph adoring our helpless God. In this beautiful imaginary prayer (and God gave us the gift of imagination to help us pray), I would appeal that you do not enter the stable alone, but that you bring with you the community of St Joseph’s Hospice. That you sit at the edge of the stable marvelling at the Baby Jesus and you imagine beside you a hospice patient and their family, or a nurse or a doctor, or a ward clerk or a healthcare assistant or a precious volunteer and that you ask our gentle and vulnerable God to bless them and you. Please pray for the patients, staff and volunteers of St Joseph’s Hospice.

Pictured with Sr Joyce and Bishop John are: (left to right) Frs John Warnaby, Andrew Gallagher, Philip Dyer-Perry, Mehall Lowry; Canons Roger Taylor and Shaun Lennard. St Monica’s Palmers Green was packed to capacity as Bishop John Sherrington joined priests past and present to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for the 70th Anniversary of Profession of Sr Joyce Dionne, Parish Sister for 22 years. Sr Joyce, a Daughter of Providence, was born and raised in Canada, and taught for many years at St

Angela’s and Holy Family (now St Anne’s High School for Girls). She has worked full time in the parish since her retirement from teaching. After Mass there was a party, where Bishop John gave thanks to God for her faithful ministry thus far and prayed for blessings on her continuing service to the community.

For the third year in a row Caritas Westminster is working with PACT to provide Christmas presents for children whose parents are in prison. PACT provides a list of names and ages of children which are then distributed among all of the parishes and groups taking part, allowing each participant in the scheme to buy a more personalised gift for ‘their’ child. The presents are then collected by PACT and taken to prisons to be wrapped and distributed at family days. This year the project has already exceeded last year’s total, with around 1,300 presents being donated, the majority coming from parishes in the diocese. The aim of this project is to ensure that children with parents in prison are not left out of the celebration and are able to share some Christmas giving with their family despite the difficult circumstances.

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Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

Saint of the Month: Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara

Kuriakose Elias Chavara was born on 10th February 1805 to Iko Chavara and Mariam Thoppil at Kainakary, Kerala. From age 5 to 10, he attended the village school to study languages, different dialects, and elementary sciences. Fr Thomas Palackal, the Rector of the seminary at Pallipuram invited Kuriakose to the seminary. As he was too young, Kuriakose spent two years in the parish rectory under the care of the Parish Priest. In 1818, at the age of 13, he joined the seminary. During this time there was an epidemic in Kainakary. Kuriakose lost his parents and only brother to this epidemic. He was now the only heir to the family and relatives convinced him discontinue to seminary life, albeit reluctantly. He soon arranged the family affairs in such a way that he could return to his priestly formation. In 1829, at the age of 24, he was ordained a priest at St Andrew’s Basilica, Arthunkal. After ordination he was engaged for some time in pastoral ministry; however, he soon returned to teach at the seminary, burning with a desire to found a religious institute. He was welcomed by Fr Thomas Palackal and Fr Thomas Porukara who shared a similar vision for religious community life. His trust in the providence of God and the ardent desire to lead a more radical way of Christian discipleship led him to found the Congregation of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), the first congregation for men in the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. For the spiritual renewal of the people Fr Chavara is known to have held 40 Hours’ Adoration. He started several seminaries, introducing annual retreats for priests and people Page 22

while giving special attention to catechumens. He is also credited with opening a house for the dying and the destitute, as well as schools for general education. He was appointed the first Vicar General of SyroMalabar Catholics in 1861. It is said that the Church was able to withstand many threats of that time to ecclesial unity owing to his leadership. Fr Kuriakose was convinced that if he did his part the Lord would take care of the rest. He was once told about a man suffering with smallpox who wished to receive the Sacrament of the Sick. Many warned him against visiting this man, but Fr Kuriakose said, ‘Now it is my duty to take care of this person. God will take care of me.’ He would visit places of dispute and peace would be restored. When he became ill, he retired to a monastery in Koonammavu for treatment. Disputes and quarrels were taking place in the Parish of Anackal and parish elders came to beg Fr Kuriakose to return with them: ‘It is enough if you just come for peace to be restored’. He went with them and indeed the dispute was sorted. Fr Kuriakose was known to love even his enemies. A man called Mathen unjustly appropriated the land of Mannanam Monastery and filed cases against Fr Kuriakose in court. In spite of this, Fr Kuriakose still loved him, and in his last testament instructed the members of his community to do good to Mathen. He was guided by the conviction that ‘days on which you have not rendered any good to others, will not be reckoned in the book of your life’. St Kuriakose spent his last days at Koonamavu. In October 1870, he became very ill and lost complete sight for three months. During this time he fixed a little note on the door asking visitors to speak to him only of spiritual matters. He died on 3rd January 1871. He was canonized by Pope Francis at St Peter’s Square on 23rd November 2014. In our diocese, St Joseph’s in Wembley is under the pastoral care of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), the order he had founded.

Fr Charles Michael Reddan SDS RIP Fr Charles Michael Reddan SDS died on 26th October. Fr Charles was born in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare, on February 3rd 1929. He entered the Salvatorian novitiate in Christleton Hall, Chester on 10th October 1950 and professed his religious vows on 11th October 1951. He remained in Christleton Hall for his priestly studies and was ordained on 29th June 1956 by Bishop John Murphy of Shrewsbury. Fr Charles was then sent to the Salvatorian mission in Tanzania where he spent the first six years of his ministry. He served as Assistant Priest in Wealdstone for almost 20 years prior to his retirement in Thornbury, Bristol. Fr Charles always had a great love for Wealdstone parish and would often say his happiest times were in St Joseph’s. He will be remembered fondly by young and old for his laughter, good humour and love of the Church he served so well as a priest and religious. A priest with so much love for the people, he was recently described as both ‘a legend’ and ‘one of the best’. May he rest in peace.

In Memoriam December

January

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1 Cardinal Francis Bourne (1935) Fr Brendan Soane (2000) 2 Fr Sidney Dommersen (1970) Fr Alexander Wells (1970) Fr Cyril Wilson (1988) 3 Fr Donald Campbell (1985) Fr Denis Cantwell (1995) 4 Fr Bernard Canham (1990) Fr William Brown (2001) 6 Fr Thomas Anderson (1974) Fr Thomas McNamara (1976) Mgr Graham Leonard (2010) Mgr Ralph Brown (2014) 7 Fr John T Carberry (1988) 8 Fr John Kearsey (2004) 10 Mgr Ernest T Bassett (1990) Fr William Kahle (1993) Fr Patrick Nolan (2014) 11 Mgr Eustace Bernard (1972) Fr Mark Coningsby (2014) 12 Fr Arthur P Mintern (1993) 14 Cardinal Henry Manning (1892) Fr Peter Lyons (1998) 15 Canon James Hathway (1976) Fr Anthony Busuttil (2013) 16 Fr Edward Hinsley (1976) Canon Frederick Smyth (2007) 17 Fr Edward Dering Leicester (1977) Fr George O’Connor (1989) 18 Fr Gerry Ennis (2000) Fr Robin Whitney (2012) 19 Fr Oldrich Trnka (2003) 20 Mgr George Leonard (1993) Fr Thomas Gardner (1995) Fr Stephen Bartlett (2012) 21 Preb Ronald Pilkington (1975) 22 Cardinal William Godfrey (1963) 23 Fr Derek Jennings (1995) 25 Fr Bernard Fisher (1990) 26 Bishop Patrick Casey (1999) 29 Fr Frederick Vincent (1973) 30 Fr Joseph Fehrenbach (1985) Fr Patrick Howard (2000) Fr Philip Dayer (2005)

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Sister Ellen Corbett RIP Sister Ellen Corbett lived in St Ursula’s Convent, Stamford Hill, London for 17 years and taught in St Monica’s School, Hoxton, where she was devoted to and interested in the progress and development of the nursery children. Sr Ellen also spent 16 years in the Convent in Bethune Road, London. Sr Ellen had a real passion for Justice and Peace and was involved in the Justice and Peace Group in St Ignatius Parish and was a member of the North London Justice and Peace Network. Buying Fair Trade products was high on her list and she would ask supermarkets to carry Fair Trade goods. After so many years of giving herself unstintingly Sr Ellen needed care which she so lovingly received from the sisters and nursing staff in Stella Maris, Swansea. She died on 8th October 2018. May she rest in peace.

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Fr Harold Purney (1983) Fr John Simcox (1972) Fr Peter Allen (1978) Mgr Wilfrid Purney (1987) Fr Benedict Westbrook (1989) Fr John Harper-Hill (1998) Mgr Alexander Groves (1998) Fr Dalton Haughey (1991) Fr Laurence Kingseller (1975) Fr Jeremiah Daly (1974) Deacon Michael Bykar (2008) Fr Francis Donovan (1983) Mgr George Tancred (2002) Fr John Donlan (2006) Canon Bernard George (1980) Canon John Shaw (1981) Fr Edward Gwilliams (1981) Fr Edward Scanlan (1992) Fr William Campling (1996) Canon John McDonald (2016) Fr Clive Godwin (1974) Fr Ian Dickie (2012) Fr Manoel Gomes (1989) Deacon Ron Saunders (2007) Canon Charles Acton (2016) Fr Alan O’Connor (1992) Fr Bernard Lavin (1999) Fr Andrew Morley (1993) Mgr Canon Joseph Collings (1978) Fr Gerard Mulvaney (1996) Fr Robert Bradley (1976) Canon Alexander Stewart (1976) Fr Wilfrid Trotman (1976) Fr Stephen Rigby (1978) Fr George Swanton (1979) Fr Dennis Skelly (1996) Fr Michael Ware (1998)

Fr Michael Lambert AA RIP Fr Michael Lambert AA died on 3rd December. Fr Michael was born in 1939. He was ordained as a priest of the Augustinians of the Assumption in 1966. He served in Rickmansworth, Bethnal Green and Hitchin, in parishes in Brockley and Charlton in Southwark, and in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Fr Michael was appointed Parish Priest in Hitchin in 2000, and also served Knebworth until 2005. He retired in 2016, but continued to serve the community at Hitchin. At various times, he also served as a chaplain at the

Lister Hospital, and as governor at Our Lady Primary School and the John Henry Newman School for many years. Fr Michael was a great supporter of Churches Together in Hitchin. Fr Michael was known and loved by many in Hitchin who mourn his loss. May he rest in peace. Correction: Canon Louis Thomas’s name was inadvertently omitted from the In Memoriam list in the November edition. Our sincere apologies for this error.

Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

Liturgical Calendar December/ January

rEGuLar EVENTs

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

1 Sat 2 Sun 3 Mon 4 Tue

Prayer Groups suNdays Adoration at Holy Ghost & St Stephen, Shepherd’s Bush on Sunday 16th December, 5pm to 6pm Taizé at St James, Piccadilly W1J 9LL every third Sunday 5pm. Call 020 7503 5128 for details. Tyburn Benedictines Monastic afternoon Every first Sunday 2-5pm Martyrs’ Crypt, Tyburn Convent, 8 Hyde Park Place W2 2LJ. Westminster Cathedral young adults meet socially after the 7pm Mass on Sundays and then at the nearby Windsor Castle pub. For further details please contact: westminsteryoungadults@gmail.com

MoNdays Mothers’ Prayers at st dominic’s Priory, haverstock hill NW5 4LB Mondays 2.30-3.30pm in the Lourdes Chapel. All are welcome.

TuEsdays adoration of the Blessed sacrament Tuesdays 6-9pm concluding with Benediction at Newman House, 111 Gower Street WC1E 6AR. Details 020 7387 6370. Prayers for London at the shrine of our Lady of Willesden Tuesdays 7.30pm. Organised by the Guild of Our Lady of Willesden, Nicoll Road NW10 9AX. our Lady of Walsingham Prayer Group First Tuesday of the month 2.30pm to 4.15pm in the Chapel of St George and the English Martyrs in Westminster Cathedral. Details: antonia@walsingham.org.uk Vocations Prayer Group Second Tuesday of the month 8pm at 47C Gaisford Street NW5 2EB. Taizé at St James’, Spanish Place W1V 3QY every first Tuesday of the month at 7pm. Email: penny28hb@aol.com or just come along. NFG Prayer Group weekly at 8pm for praise & worship followed by a social. Held in St Mark’s Room, Christ the King Church, Cockfosters N14 4HE. Contact Fr Christophe: christophe.brunet@cheminneuf.org.

WEdNEsdays Corpus Christi Contemplative Prayer Group for young adults Wednesdays from 7pm at Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane WC2E 7NB. Contact corpuschristipg@yahoogroups. co.uk Our Lady, Untier of Knots, Prayer Group of Intercession every third Wednesday at St Anselm & St Cecilia, Lincoln’s Inn Fields WC2A 3JA. Mass at 6pm followed by Prayer Group. Rosary, Adoration, silent prayer and Divine Mercy Chaplet. Email Antonia antonia4161@gmail.com. Gregorian Chant Explore the riches of the Gregorian chant tradition

every Wednesday 6.30pm to 8pm, Bulbeck room, Ealing Abbey parish centre. New members welcome. For details, email gregorianchantealing@gmail.com

Thursdays Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for young professionals at St Thomas More, Swiss Cottage. Begins at 7.30pm, with Confession from 7pm to 8.30pm. The next date is 24th January. sodality of the Blessed sacrament first Thursday of the month, Mass 6:30pm at Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane WC2E 7NB followed by Adoration and Benediction. www.sodality.co.uk Jesus Christ the Fullness of Life (JCFL) provides a space for Christians of different traditions to join together in prayer and friendship. For further details please visit www.jcfl.org.uk. soul Food A Catholic charismatic prayer group for young adults Thursdays 7-9pm at St Charles Borromeo, Ogle Street W1W 6HS. Details www.soulfoodgroup.org. st John Paul II Prayer Group Every second Thursday of the month 7-8pm, Mass, Adoration and prayer at Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane WC2E 7NB

5 Wed 6 Thu 7 Fri 8 Sat 9 Sun 10 Mon 11 Tue 12 Wed 13 Thu 14 Fri 15 Sat 16 Sun 17 Mon 18 Tue 19 Wed 20 Thu 21 Fri 22 Sat 23 Sun 24 Mon 25 Tue 26 Wed 27 Thu 28 Fri 29 Sat

saTurdays Taizé at Notre dame de France 5 Leicester Place WC2H 7BX at 7.15pm. Call 020 7437 9363. Carmelite spirituality Group meet first Saturday at St Joseph’s Church, Bunhill Row EC1Y 8LE. 11.30-15.30 for prayer and reflection. Enquiries: Sylvia Lucas 07889436165. holy Cross, Parsons Green first Saturday of every month. Mass at 9.30am followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for one hour concluding with Benediction.

Feria or Blessed Virgin Mary + 1st SUNDAY OF ADVENT St Francis Xavier, Priest Advent feria, First Week of Advent or St John Damascene, Priest & Doctor Advent feria Advent feria or St Nicholas, Bishop St Ambrose, Bishop & Doctor; Friday abstinence IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, Patron of the Diocese + 2nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT Advent feria, Second Week of Advent Advent feria or St Damasus I, Pope Advent feria or Our Lady of Guadalupe St Lucy, Virgin & Martyr St John of the Cross, Priest & Doctor; Friday abstinence Advent feria + 3rd SUNDAY OF ADVENT Advent feria Advent feria Advent feria Advent feria Advent feria (St Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor); Friday Abstinence Advent feria + 4th SUNDAY OF ADVENT Advent feria + NATIVITY OF THE LORD (CHRISTMAS) ST STEPHEN, First Martyr ST JOHN, Apostle & Evangelist HOLY INNOCENTS, Martyrs; No Friday abstinence ST THOMAS BECKET, Bishop & Martyr, Patron of the Parish Clergy

30 Sun 31 Mon 1 Tue 2 Wed

+ HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH 7th DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD Ss Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops & Doctors

3 Thu 4 Fri 5 Sat 6 Sun 7 Mon 8 Tue 9 Wed 10 Thu 11 Fri 12 Sat 13 Sun 14 Mon 15 Tue 16 Wed 17 Thu 18 Fri 19 Sat 20 Sun 21 Mon 22 Tue 23 Wed 24 Thu 25 Fri

Christmas feria or Most Holy Name of Jesus Christmas feria; Friday abstinence Christmas feria + EPIPHANY OF THE LORD Christmas feria Christmas feria Christmas feria Christmas feria Christmas feria; Friday abstinence Christmas feria or St Aelred of Rievaulx + BAPTISM OF THE LORD Feria, First Week of Year 1 Feria Feria St Anthony, Abbot Feria; Friday abstinence Feria or St Wulstan, Bishop or Blessed Virgin Mary + 2nd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME St Agnes, Virgin & Martyr Feria, Second Week of Year 1 or St Vincent, Deacon & Martyr Feria St Francis de Sales, Bishop & Doctor CONVERSION OF ST PAUL THE APOSTLE; Friday abstinence Ss Timothy and Titus, Bishops + 3rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME St Thomas Aquinas, Priest & Doctor Feria, Third Week of Year Feria St John Bosco, Priest

FrIdays divine Mercy Prayers and Mass Every first Friday 2.30-4.30pm at Our Lady, Mother of the Church, 2 Windsor Road W5 5PD Westminster Cathedral Charismatic Prayer Group Friday 7.30pm Prayer, praise and teaching. First Friday is a healing call 020 8748 2632. Queen of Peace Prayer Group at Our Lady of Lourdes, Acton W3 8AA. After 7pm Mass, Exposition, a homily, Holy Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Friday prayer meeting 1:30pm to 3pm with Adoration in St Matthew's Hall, Northwood, Middx HA6 1DW except 1st Friday. Summer break- August. Contact Patricia 07918128248

other regular Masses

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deaf Community Mass First Sunday of the month 4.30pm at Westminster Cathedral Hall, Ambrosden Avenue young adults Mass with an Ignatian twist Every Sunday at 7pm. Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street Contact: yam@mountstreet.info or visit www.pathwaystogood.org Mass at Canary Wharf Held Tuesdays at 12.30pm at 2 Churchill Place E14 5RB. Organised by Mgr Vladimir Felzmann, Chaplain to Canary Wharf Communities. Details at www.cwcc.org.uk. st alban’s abbey Fridays at 12 noon. Mass in the Lady Chapel of St Albans Abbey AL1 1BY. Members of the Westminster LGBT Catholic Community are specially welcomed on 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month for Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church, Farm Street at 5.30pm, and invited to the parish hall afterwards for tea/coffee, where there is anopportunity to learn of pastoral help available. EXTraordINary ForM MassEs sundays: Low Mass 9.30am, St James Spanish Place W1U 3QY. Low Mass 9am, The Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP. Low Mass 5pm, St Bartholomew, St Albans AL1 2PE. Low Mass 5.30pm, Shrine of Our Lady of Willesden, NW10 9AX. Mondays: Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP Mass 6.30pm Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane WC2E 7NB. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays: Low Mass, 8am The Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP. Fridays: Low Mass 8am The Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP. Low Mass 6pm St Etheldreda, Ely Place EC1N 6RY. First Friday only. Low Mass 6pm St John the Baptist Church, King Edward's Road E9 7SF. First Friday only. Low Mass 6.30pm Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane WC2E 7NB. Second Friday only. saturdays: Low Mass 12.15pm, St Wilfrid’s Chapel, The Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP. Low Mass 4pm, Lady Chapel, Westminster Cathedral SW1P 1QW. Second Saturday only.

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Westminster Record | December 2018/January 2019

At the Stroke of Midnight by Fr Nicholas Schofield We all become like children on Christmas Eve. Despite the pressures and expectations, it is hard not to revert to a state of excited anticipation. Rather like Holy Saturday, the day is completely orientated to the one that follows: a time of last minute preparations, whether it be in the shopping centre, the kitchen or the sacristy. But as the clock ticks towards midnight, there is a tangible sense that we are entering ‘sacred time’. As midnight approaches, there are all sorts of customs and traditions that are observed in honour of the Incarnation. In many cultures, Christmas Eve is taken up with decorating the tree and giving presents to loved ones. Traditionally it was a time of fasting and abstinence, preparing body and soul for the great feast. In Eastern Europe a meatless ‘Holy Meal’ is eaten, once the first star in the night sky is spotted. A candle is placed on the table to Page 24

represent Christ and the presence of hay serves as a reminder of the manger. In Italy there is the famous ‘Vigilia’ meal, sometimes called the ‘Feast of the Seven Fishes’. As the shadows lengthened the Yule Log was customarily lit in many fireplaces, ideally kindled from the previous year’s log. If circumstances allowed, this was left burning through the Twelve Days of Christmas and it was considered to bring both warmth and good luck to the house. In our age of central heating, the most common log to be found in people’s homes is much smaller and made of chocolate. There are some wonderful traditions connected with the midnight hour. Churches would ring their bells as the moment of Christ’s birth approaches. Dewsbury Minster in Yorkshire takes this one step further by ringing the tenor bell for each year that has passed Anno Domini (therefore it will

be 2,018 times this year). The ringing, which is completed by midnight, is meant to constitute the ‘Devil’s Knell’, for his cause was decisively defeated on this holy night. The bell concerned was given in the fifteenth century by Thomas de Soothill in reparation for murdering a servant. My favourite Christmas Eve customs concern the animal world. As a child I was told that Ashley, our tortoiseshell cat, would go down the garden to the place where Stripe the rabbit lived in his hutch. Together they would kneel down at the stroke of midnight. We, of course, were conveniently at Mass and, besides, Ashley was a rather superior creature and would certainly not make this little act of piety if she was being watched. My mother based this story on the tradition that cattle turned east and knelt in the fields on Christmas night, remembering what their ancestors had done at

Bethlehem. In Herefordshire, we are told, the only cattle that knelt were aged seven years, for that was the age of the animals that warmed the crib. Thomas Hardy was familiar with this folk belief, referring to it in ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’. One night an old fiddler, William Dewy, was returning from a wedding celebration and took a short cut across a field. He found himself confronted by an angry bull, which he tried to calm by playing his fiddle. However, every time he stopped playing in order to climb the hedge, the animal became aggressive once again. Then the old man devised a cunning plan: ‘Well, then he called to mind how he’d seen the cattle kneel o’ Christmas Eves in the dead o’ night. It was not Christmas Eve then, but it came into his head to play a trick upon the bull. So he broke into the ’Tivity Hymn, just as at Christmas carol-singing; when, lo and behold, down went the

bull on his bended knees, in his ignorance, just as if ’twere the true ’Tivity night and hour. As soon as his horned friend were down, William turned, clinked off like a long-dog, and jumped safe over hedge, before the praying bull had got on his feet again to take after him.’ It is also said that at midnight animals talk among themselves and that bees hum the Hundredth Psalm in their hives. We may be tempted to dismiss these beliefs as picturesque superstitions belonging to a past age but they express a beautiful truth. Just as the Fall of Adam left a scar on the whole of creation, so the coming of the New Adam decisively turned things round. In the words of Romanos the Melodist, ‘the Virgin…brings into the world the Eternal and the earth offers a cave to the Inaccessible’. No wonder even the bees and cattle, each in their own way, give thanks and praise to the Infant King!