Westminster Record Lent 2020

Westminster Record

Lent 2020 | 20p

Bishop Challoner at the BBC

Lourdes Mass

Caritas in Calais

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Pages 12 & 13

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Listening with Mary to the God Who Speaks

by Deacon Adrian Cullen, Evangelisation Coordinator ‘The God Who Speaks’ was the message proclaimed loud and clear at the Scripture Road Show in Westminster Cathedral at the end of January, launching the Year of the Word 2020 in the Diocese of Westminster. This was the first leg of the Road Show, which is travelling to dioceses across England and Wales throughout 2020.

Over three days, from Thursday 30th January to Saturday 1st February, an

estimated 500 visitors explored the ‘Tents of Meeting’ set up in six of the cathedral’s chapels. Each tent highlighted a different theme based on the Word of God. The themes included, ‘Exploring the Word’, ‘Living the Word’, ‘Mary and the Word’, ‘Receiving the Word’, ‘Seeing the Word’ and ‘Sharing the Word’. Different organisations, including Pax Christi, Walsingham Shrine, Mount Street Spiritual Centre,

Verbum Dei and Prayer and Life Workshops, brought the tents to life with prayer, Lectio Divina, and practical activities for visitors of all ages to take part in. There was also a range of information and resources to inspire individuals, parishes and schools as they celebrate, live and share the Word of God throughout the coming year.

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Editorial

Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Mary’s special role in our nation

The notion of the dowry is outdated in our culture: the idea of a bride bringing a sum of money or valuables to her husband in marriage is seen by some as obsolete, and of no relevance to the modern age.

Yet in times gone by, a dowry was also an expression of trust and empowerment. Wives had

some independence because of their dowry, partly because the dowry expressed the status of the bride, and partly because it ensured a secure financial future in the event of widowhood. A dowry was thus a gift betokening the important and particular role of a wife and mother.

What we are doing when we rededicate England as the Dowry of Mary is not recalling a custom that subordinated women, but rather celebrating Mary’s special role in our nation. When the image of Our Lady of Walsingham was brought into Westminster Abbey last year, and set down among kings and statesmen, the gesture expressed the traditional place of Mary at the heart of our nation, one to whom, in previous centuries, even the mightiest in the land

would defer, one whose prayers and intercession guided the highest counsels of state. That is why kings would visit her shrine in Walsingham, kneeling before the image of Mary, donating costly gifts to her.

The notion of England as Mary’s Dowry encompasses both these elements. Firstly, it identifies England as the gift we entrust to her, who stands before the throne of God, that she may present this nation to the Almighty, bringing us all into the presence of the Most High. Secondly, we call upon her to stand once again at the heart of this nation, and to pray for all its needs, that her powerful presence may again guide the hearts of those who have governance of this land.

Westminster Record – Contact us Editor Mgr Mark Langham Vaughan House, 46 Francis Street, SW1P 1QN Editorial Team Anna Dixon, Marie Saba Photos Marcin Mazur, Simeon Elderfield Design Julian Game For distribution queries contact Michelle Jones 0161 820 5722 or email michelle.jones@thecatholicuniverse.com Print management and distribution by The Universe Media Group Ltd.

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To advertise contact Andrea Black andrea.black@thecatholicuniverse.com 0161 820 5772 Produced by the Communications Office of the Diocese of Westminster. News and articles published in the Westminster Record do not necessarily represent the views of the Diocese of Westminster, unless specifically stated otherwise.

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Cardinal celebrates 50 years of priesthood

On Saturday 21st December, 2019, Cardinal Vincent celebrated his Golden Jubilee with a thanksgiving Mass for 50 years of priestly ministry in Westminster Cathedral surrounded by clergy and people of the diocese. Among the concelebrants were Nuncio Archbishop Edward Adams; Auxiliary Bishops John Page 2

Sherrigton, Nicholas Hudson and Paul McAleenan; Bishop Marcus Stock of Leeds, Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham David McGough, Emeritus Bishop of Lancaster Michael Campbell OSA, and Emeritus Bishop of Menevia Mark Jabale OSB. Reflecting on these years, he said: 'I am humbled to think,

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even fleetingly, of all I have received during them, most of all for the love and support that has been a constant gift to me throughout these years. It is my privilege to serve the Lord, in and through you, the Church, the living Body of Christ for all this time, and, please God, for the years to come.'

In his homily, he said: 'A jubilee is but a staging post, a moment to reflect on a journey thus far, to try to grasp its gifts, its lessons. It is also a time in which to take a glimpse of all that lies ahead.'

He noted that a constant theme throughout his years of ministry for him and for everyone of faith is encountering Jesus: 'Every time we come to meet him, we are flooded with the life and love which only he can give.'

During Advent, he added, 'we come to meet him afresh, especially if we are burdened with too much to do, or with a sense of how unfair life is, or that too much is expected of us.

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Bishop John presented the him there, always coming to Cardinal with a gift from the meet us, to greet us and again clergy and people of the fill us with his life.' diocese (pictured, left), which, At the end of Mass, Bishop John Sherrington congratulated in accordance with the Cardinal's wishes, will be used the Cardinal on behalf of the bishops, clergy and parishioners 'for the good of others'.

Cardinal Vincent then of the diocese, thanking him for remarked further on the his 'devoted and dedicated centrality of the Eucharist in service of priestly and episcopal the life of faith, when he told ministry'. all who were gathered that the He continued: 'We see your relentless energy which enables chalice used in this Mass was made in 1529 during the reign you to fulfil your many of Henry VIII, a 500-year-old responsibilities and your witness to faith in this country. courage in proclaiming the Taken in this context, 50 years Gospel of Christ in both good of priestly ministry is but a and difficult times. Your witness small part of centuries of of prayer and concerns for the worship, attesting to the weakest encourages us in our resilience of our faith. own ministries.'

Noting that the Eucharist is 'at the heart of the priesthood' and 'life of service', he urged: 'May these words from the ordination rite encourage and support you for many years: "Accept from the holy people of God the gifts to be offered to him. Know what you are doing, and imitate the mystery you celebrate: model your life on the Young Fr Vincent Nichols administers mystery of the Lord's cross."'

Holy Communion.

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Northampton, in succession to Bishop Peter Doyle. Bishop Peter will be much missed; Bishop David will be warmly welcomed.'

Cardinal Vincent will celebrate the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop-elect David Oakley in Northampton Cathedral at 11am on the Solemnity of St Joseph, 19th March 2020.

Speaking at a welcome ceremony in Northampton Cathedral, Bishop-elect David Oakley said: ‘I’m asking Our Lady and St Joseph to give me the courage and inspiration I need [as a new bishop]. I look forward to working closely with the priests of the diocese, some of whom were my school friends!

‘On this particular day lots of names and faces come to mind, my family, friends, parishioners and bishops. They have given me courage … It’s not easy to be a person of faith today but we need to concentrate on God’s grace and I’m going to rely on this now.’

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Mgr Canon Philip Moger is to become the next Rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk. He will take up his new responsibilities in September 2020.

Mgr Moger’s appointment follows the end of the five year term of office of the current

Pope releases Querida Amazonia

Rector of the Shrine, Mgr John Armitage.

Mgr Moger is a priest of the Diocese of Leeds and is currently the Parish Priest of St John Vianney in Leeds.

In a message announcing the appointment, Bishop Marcus Stock of Leeds said: ‘As Mgr Moger’s bishop, I am reluctant to see him leave us to minister outside of this diocese, albeit for a limited term of office; as a member of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales though, I am delighted that we have a priest of such talent and ability leading one of the Catholic Church’s important national institutions.

‘I know that Mgr Moger will be sorry to leave the parish of St John Vianney in Leeds, only a year after having taken up

Settlement Scheme for EU citizens

Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, Bishop Paul McAleenan, Lead Bishop for Migration and Asylum for the Bishops’ Conference in England and Wales, has spoken about the Settlement Scheme for European citizens The Holy Father, Pope Francis, who have made their homes in has released the post-Synodal the UK and wish to remain here.

Apostolic Exhortation Querida All EU, EEA and Swiss Amazonia, Beloved Amazonia. citizens living in the UK are The document traces new required by the government to paths of evangelisation and apply by 30th June 2021 through care for the environment and the Settlement Scheme to the poor. Pope Francis hopes continue living, working and for a new missionary thrust, accessing services here. To be and encourages the role of the eligible, people must be living laity within the ecclesial here by 31st December 2020. community.

Given the very large proportion of European citizens The exhortation is enriched who are Catholic, this situation with references to documents of the Episcopal Conferences of affects many of our parishioners. While a significant the countries that make up the number of people have already Amazon region, as well as completed the process, 25% of poetry written by poets European citizens have not yet connected to the Amazon. applied, leaving them at risk of Pope Francis emphasises that losing their rights to live and he desires ‘to offer my own work here or access important response’ that the Synod services. evoked in him, and explains ‘We are particularly that he does not intend to concerned about older and substitute or duplicate the Final vulnerable people who may Document which he invites us struggle to navigate the process, to read ‘in full’. Pope Francis require assistance with the prays that the entire Church online application or not even might allow itself to be know that their status is at risk,’ ‘enriched and challenged’ by said Bishop Paul. ‘In many cases it and that the Church in the their main point of access with Amazon might strive ‘to society will be through the apply it’.

Church.’

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appointment there last summer.

Mgr Moger can be confident that he will take up his new appointment with the assurance of our prayers, affection, friendship and support.

‘Please pray for Mgr Moger as he continues to provide the pastoral leadership and spiritual care for his current parish until the summer, and as he prepares for this important national ministry.’

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Cardinal Vincent has welcomed Pope Francis’ appointment of Canon David Oakley as the thirteenth Bishop of Northampton.

Canon David Oakley is a priest of the Archdiocese of Birmingham and has served as Rector at St Mary’s College, Oscott since 2013. He succeeds Bishop Peter Doyle.

Responding to the appointment, Cardinal Vincent said: 'I assure Bishop-elect David Oakley of my most sincere prayers and total support as he prepares to take up his appointment as Bishop of

New Rector for the National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham

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Cardinal welcomes new Bishop of Northampton

He added that ‘the Catholic Church in England and Wales stands in solidarity with all European citizens who have made their homes here. They are a valued part of our parishes, schools and communities.’

He encourages everyone to bring this to the attention of friends, family members and fellow parishioners who may need to apply.

Details and links to the application process can be found at gov.uk/eusettledstatus Information or assistance for those who may have difficulty applying is available at gov.uk/help-eu-settlementscheme

Coronavirus guidance Advice for parishes, schools and Catholic organisations has been issued by the Bishops' Conference of England regarding coronavirus.

At this time, risk to individuals is low.

Information on practical steps to limit the spread of the virus can be found at bit.ly/coronavirusrcdow

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

New Vocationist deacon ordained in Heston

On Sunday 8th December, the second Sunday of Advent, Bishop John Sherrington presided at the diaconate ordination Mass of Br Ritche Podador SDV, which was celebrated at Our Lady Queen of Apostles, Heston. Rev Ritche is a member of the Society of Divine Vocations and is now in his last year of formation at St Mary’s College, Oscott. He has been a member of the Vocationists’ UK Mission since 2014, when he moved from his native Philippines to continue his studies at the formation house of Walsall, in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

In his homily, Bishop John reminded Rev Ritche that the role of a deacon is threefold: ‘the proclamation of the Word, service at the altar and the service of charity’.

Bishop John also invited Rev Ritche to embrace the Vocationist tradition in his ministry as a deacon.

‘As a Vocationist, inflame the hearts of young people with the message of Christ so that you can help them to search for God in their lives, form them, instruct them in the faith, and especially reach out to the Page 4

poorest of the young people who feel called by God to religious life and priesthood.

Always help them to discover God’s plan for their lives.

‘Reflect on your own call as a deacon and that of the service you will bring to others so that they may know the gifts of God, discover the call to some definite service, and recognise that there is a mystery in God’s

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L to R, front row, Peter Jones, Bishop Paul, David Lawrence.

Back row Brendan Day, Rolly Leon, Anthony Cecile.

Future permanent deacons celebrate milestones On Gaudete Sunday, 15th December 2019, at the parish of St Lawrence in Feltham, Bishop Paul McAleenan conferred the ministry of Lector on Brendan Day from St Albans and candidacy on Anthony Cecile (Burnt Oak), Peter Jones (Enfield), David Lawrence (Golders Green) and Rolly Leon (Feltham).

Men receive candidacy when they commence their first year of formation towards being ordained as deacons at the end of the third year. They receive Lector at the end of the first year and Acolyte at the end of the second year. In Westminster diocese, there are three men in third year, three in second year (Brendan Day missed the ceremony midyear), and four in first year. The parish priest of Feltham, Fr John Byrne, made the wives and families of the men very welcome with a reception in the parish hall afterwards.

Bishop Paul invites readers to pray for these men as they continue in their formation towards the permanent diaconate. © Mazur/CBCEW.org.uk

© Mazur/CBCEW.org.uk

choice and calling. Part of this mystery is service in the celibate state as a sign that your first love is Jesus Christ who is the meaning of your life.’

Br Ritche’s was the first diaconate ordination to be celebrated at Heston since that of the late Rev James Richards, who served as permanent deacon in the parish until his death. The joyful occasion comes amid a time of wider celebration for the Vocationists, who are marking their centenary in 2020.

Fr Luigi Morrone SDV, Parish Priest at Our Lady Queen of Apostles, said: ‘The ordination was a moment of great joy for both the order and the congregation at Heston who had come to know Rev Ritche during his time spent in the parish over weekends. The parish welcomed the Vocationists from the communities of Holywell, Walsall and Stechford, together with parishioners of St Mary’s The Mount, Walsall and relatives of Rev Ritche who had come to share in his joy.

‘Vocationists, by their own charism and spirituality, are called to help people discern their vocation, to foster these vocations but above all help everyone to achieve their ultimate and common vocation which is a vocation to holiness.’

For his Golden Jubilee of priesthood, Fr Desmond Baker celebrated a Mass of thanksgiving at St Mary Magdalene Church in Bexhill-on-Sea on 17th January. Bishop Paul preached the homily. Also in attendance was Bishop of Arundel and Brighton Richad Moth.

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Diocese of Westminster were in attendance.

Looking at the example of Simeon and Anna in the day’s Gospel reading, he explained in his homily that, like Simeon and Anna, those in consecrated life ‘live more explicitly “for the sake of the kingdom”. It is at the heart of our consecration.’

He examined more closely two aspects of this witness. The first is the ‘calling to live the

© Fr John Scott, Oremus

On Saturday 1st February, Cardinal Vincent celebrated the annual Mass for Consecrated Life at Westminster Cathedral ahead of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

In addition to concelebrating religious order priests, men and women from a number of religious congregations and in consecrated life present in the

On 21st January, St Paul’s Cathedral Choir sang Evensong at Westminster Cathedral to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Three days later, on 24th January, Westminster Cathedral Choir sang Vespers at St Paul’s Cathedral.

virtue of chastity in a celibate way of life,’ explaining that ‘it only makes sense if our eyes are set on the fulfilment of life in the Kingdom that is still to come.’

‘This is a witness that is rich both in tradition and in promise,’ he added. ‘It is a way of life that draws us closer to [Christ] and gives us the joy that only he can instil in our hearts.’

The second aspect ‘is the way we understand and approach the inescapable reality of bodily death’.

‘We see death as an approaching new life,’ he affirmed.

‘We pray for a death filled with light,’ he said. ‘We accompany others in their moments of dying with this same spirit. We seek to love and pray them into the light. We try to witness to this light in our daily living.’

The Mass took place on the last day of the Scripture Road Show, taking place in the cathedral as part of the ‘The Year of the Word’. Many took the opportunity to visit the Tents of Meeting after Mass.

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Living ‘for the sake of the kingdom’ is at heart of consecrated life

On 12th February, Bishop Nicholas Hudson and Archbishop Mario Delpini of Milan celebrated Mass with the clergy of the Archdiocese of Milan at Westminster Cathedral.

St Ignatius College celebrates 125 years On 24th January, students and staff from St Ignatius College, Enfield, gathered in Westminster Cathedral to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the school.

Bishop John Sherrington presided at the Mass of Thanksgiving, which was attended by the whole school.

The homily was delivered by Bishop Peter Doyle, Bishop of Northampton, a former pupil of St Ignatius College.

St Ignatius College has provided a Catholic education in the Jesuit tradition for boys aged 11 to 18 years since 1894 and for girls in the Sixth Form since 2014.

The College was originally founded in Stamford Hill to serve young men in north east London. It has been based at its

current site in Enfield since 1968.

Students from St Ignatius College were involved in many aspects of the celebratory Mass, including the Liturgy of the Word and the music. After Communion, the St Ignatius College Gospel choir assembled

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on the sanctuary to sing ‘Hallelujah salvation and glory’, by Jeffrey LaValley, accompanied by a piano. The school choir led the congregation throughout the Mass in singing the hymns, closing the Mass with the traditional College Hymn.

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Cardinal dedicates new altar and sanctuary at Sudbury dedication, the Cardinal performed the rites of anointing, incensing, covering, and lighting the altar. Anointing the altar with oil makes the altar a symbol of Christ. The burning of incense is a sign that Christ’s sacrifice ascends to God as an odour of sweetness. The covering of the altar indicates that the Christian altar is the altar of the Eucharistic sacrifice and the table of the Lord.

The lighting of the altar teaches us that Christ is ‘a light to enlighten the nations’.

St George’s was built in 1928 Southworth. The aperture was On Sunday 19th January 2020, for a small Catholic community then closed by a stonemason.

Cardinal Vincent celebrated as the suburbs in north London The rite of placing relics Mass at the RC Church of St beneath an altar signifies that all developed. Fr Clement Russell George, Sudbury, and presided remained Parish Priest from its who have been baptised in the at the dedication ceremony for death of Christ share in Christ’s building until the mid-1960s and the church’s new altar and imposed his particular character sanctuary. After the Litany of the passion. and style upon the parish that The Cardinal then offerred a Saints, the dedication ceremony lasted many years. began with the depositing of the special prayer of dedication, a By the late twentieth century, sign of the intention to dedicate relics of four saints in the the parish congregation had the altar to the Lord for all times aperture in the altar: Pope St outgrown the building. and a petition for his blessing.

Clement I, Pope St Urban I, Between 1989 and 1994 the Following the prayer of Pope St Pontian and St John parish embarked on a major reordering scheme which initially included the extension of the VINCENT CARDINAL NICHOLS church westwards towards the

BY THE GRACE OF GOD Harrow Road. Such a project AND FAVOUR OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE ARCHBISHOP OF WESTMINSTER proved too expensive; instead, the side chapels and sacristy DECREE were removed and redeveloped in order to provide additional Concerning the Parish of Hemel East seating. It was at this point that with the Churches of Our Lady, Queen of All Creation the sanctuary was also reand The Church of the Resurrection ordered. Almost all the original Having heard Father Kim Addison, the Parish Priest of the Parish of Hemel furnishings and statues were East, I am pleased to formally designate Our Lady, Queen of All Creation as the removed. At the behest of Parish Church of the Parish of Hemel East. The Parish of Hemel East shall have English heritage, some of the only one Sacramental Register from the date of this decree forward. This oak panelling was preserved. St Sacramental Register shall serve for the recording of Sacraments bestowed in George’s was listed as a Grade both Our Lady, Queen of All Creation and in The Church of the Resurrection.

II building in 1994, primarily in The Sacramental Register is to be kept at the Parish Church. order to prevent further alterations. A novel Given this 14th day of January 2020. interpretation of the norms given in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal for church appointments concluded in a VINCENT CARDINAL NICHOLS ‘linear sanctuary’ with claims to

BY THE GRACE OF GOD fourth century models.

AND FAVOUR OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE In the last decade, the parish ARCHBISHOP OF WESTMINSTER has seen a swift and increasing DECREE demographic change with the congregation becoming Concerning the Parish of Hemel West representative of the new with the Churches of Catholic communities from SriSt Mary & St Joseph and St Mark Lanka, India and Poland. Today, the Mass count is around 1,600 Having heard Father Brian McMahon, the Parish Priest of the Parish of Hemel to 1,700 on an average Sunday, West, I am pleased to formally designate St Mary & St Joseph as the Parish Church with five Sunday Masses of the Parish of Hemel West. The Parish of Hemel West shall have only one celebrated. There are two fullSacramental Register from the date of this decree forward. This Sacramental Register shall serve for the recording of Sacraments bestowed in both St Mary time diocesan priests and a full& St Joseph and St Mark. The Sacramental Register is to be kept at the Parish Church. time catechetical co-ordinator.

The parish has a wellGiven this 14th day of January 2020. supported, two-class-entry primary school.

Given the practical challenges posed by the linear design and small hexagonal altar, the parish recently decided to revisit the preservation project. A plan for a new sanctuary, drawn up by the architectural firm of Colin Smart, was scrutinised and approved by the Historic Churches Commission. The parish was offered the stone and altar from the R H Benson chapel at Hare Street House, which has now been remodelled for the new sanctuary. The donated altar is a more appropriate size for the

liturgies. The project involved the widening and shortening of the current sanctuary, creating a generous space for weddings and funerals to take place.

Particular importance was given to the placement of the four major features: tabernacle, altar, lectern and chair as well as the spatial element of the sanctuary.

Chairs and a lectern have been placed in front of the altar, and a screen has been placed before the steps to the Blessed Sacrament, creating a ‘chapel’ behind the altar.

Sixty years of worship at St Mellitus, Tollington Park On 8th December 2019, Bishop Nicholas Hudson presided at a Mass at St Mellitus, Tollington Park to mark 60 years of Catholic faith in the church building.

The parish community at Tollington Park moved from a makeshift chapel on Everleigh Street to its present location in 1959 to cater to the growing number of Catholics in the area.

In his homily, Bishop Nicholas spoke about the history of the church, and invited the congregation to consider the many baptisms which have taken place over 60 years.

‘Sixty years on the one site really is an achievement to savour. There will be some people in the congregation who can tell me they’ve received all the sacraments here: Baptism, First Holy Communion, Confirmation, Marriage.

‘Your roots go back to 1925.

But, by the 1950s, you had got too big for the old church in Everleigh Street.

‘Your Parish Priest, Fr Groves, hadn’t been idle, though. He’d observed that the large Congregational church at the corner of Evershot Road was no longer in use. Fully convinced it would serve ideally the expanding Catholic community, he put his leg over the low boundary wall and placed one foot inside the grounds. He then said a prayer, asking God that the church would pass into the hands of the Catholics. His prayers were answered. He was given permission by the diocese to buy the church for £50,000.

‘The first Mass was celebrated on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 8th December 1959, by Cardinal William Godfrey, Archbishop of Westminster.

‘Today is an appropriate day to let your minds wander back over the parish’s glorious past, not least all the baptisms that have taken place here.

Because today we hear in the readings about John the Baptist, cousin of the Lord who prepared the way for him. As Jesus himself affirms, John preached a baptism of repentance. As we hear of John’s appearance, we might ask ourselves how often we think about our own baptism.

‘I remember once seeing Pope John Paul II giving a rare television interview. “Holy Father”, the interviewer asked, “what was the most important moment in your life?” Without a moment’s hesitation, he replied, “My baptism” ‘Soon after he became Pope, St John Paul returned to the place of his baptism. I saw a photo of him kneeling at the font. I said to myself, “I know where I was baptised; I could do that too.” And so I do. I return from time to time to the place of my baptism; I kneel there; and recommit myself to him. You might like to do this too. Even if the font isn’t the same as you were baptised in; or even if it has moved its location in the church, you can still return to the place of your baptism and recommit yourself to him.’

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Ecumenism alive and well in City of London

by Martin Pendergast, Secretary, St Joseph’s Pastoral Council What has happened to the energy of ecumenical commitment that marked so much of the Church’s life following the Second Vatican Council and the National Pastoral Congress of England and Wales in the 1980s? Well, an ecumenical winter might have frozen many parts of the Church, but not on the edge of the City of London.

St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Bunhill Row, close to the Barbican Centre and Old Street’s Silicon Roundabout holds ecumenical activity at the heart of its life and ministry.

‘Doing together what we do not need to do separately’ is not just an empty cliché. For over 15 years St Joseph’s has enjoyed the warmest of relationships with three local churches.

In 2002, the then priest-incharge, Fr Bruno Healy, cemented relations with neighbouring churches by inviting clergy from St Giles’ Cripplegate Parish Church and the Methodist Wesley’s Chapel and Leysian Mission to take part in the dedication of a Quiet Garden in memory of Cardinal Basil Hume. St Joseph’s Church is also proud of two icons, in contemporary Ethiopian style, Joseph-of-the-House-of-David and Mary-Mother-of-the-City, by the renowned artist, Stéphane René. These were dedicated in an inter-faith celebration on 25th March 2005.

Before Fr Bruno was given permission to become a hermit, praying for the diocese, he ensured that an ecumenical witness was embodied in St Joseph’s Pastoral Council. For many years, St Joseph’s was probably the only Catholic Parish Council in the country to have a Methodist Minister as one of its members.

Times change, people move on, understandings develop and grow, but the spirit of fundamental unity is strengthened. The first of four ecumenical pilgrimages took place in January 2009 when over 40 Anglicans, Catholics, Lutherans, and Methodists, with local clergy including Canon Peter Newby, journeyed to Rome for the Year of St Paul.

Later pilgrimages have been made to Latvia, led jointly by the first woman to serve as a Lutheran Bishop in the UK, Jāna Jēruma-Grīnberga, and local clergy colleagues.

Pilgrimages have also taken place to Portugal and Spain, with a fifth pilgrimage to Oberammergau planned for October 2020.

Growth and nurturing in the common elements of Christian faith have been key elements in fostering our sense of unity, including a shared Anglican and Catholic weekend retreat at the Othona Community and sixth-century Chapel of St Cedd, on the Essex coast.

Autumn and Lent programmes of reflection and discussion moving around Jewin Welsh Church, St Giles’ Cripplegate, St. Joseph’s, and Wesley’s Chapel, attract congregation members from across and beyond the local neighbourhoods. We gather again on the Saturdays in Lent, 7th to 28th March, to reflect on the Psalms, using a booklet by the Archbishop-elect of York Stephen Cottrell.

Mindful that the work for Christian unity is not simply a matter for clergy, and to ensure that the commitment is embedded within each church community so as to endure beyond the moves of church ministers, the four local

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churches signed an Ecumenical Partnership Agreement on 23rd January 2020 during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Fr Chris Vipers signed it on behalf of St Joseph’s and a handinscribed copy will hang in each church. This will then be read out every year as a renewal of each church’s pledge ‘that all may be one’.

Bishop Nicholas Hudson, in a message for the unity service, said: ‘I am deeply encouraged to hear of this milestone event at Wesley’s Chapel. I know this agreement is the fruit of long years of friendship and partnership. You have grown together in your knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus, and it must surely be the Lord who has brought you to this day. To him be the glory today. As you gather, you might perhaps ask what the Lord is saying to you today, what word he waits for you to hear. In praying together, in sharing your stories, in searching the Word of God, and in your reaching out, listen out for him, and when you do, “Do not be afraid!” (Mt. 14:27).’

Cardinal vists Newman House for Candlemas On 2nd February, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Cardinal Vincent celebrated Mass at Newman House, with Fr Stephen Wang, Senior Catholic Chaplain to the universities in the Diocese of Westminster, concelebrating.

It was the first time the Cardinal had visited Newman House since the chaplaincy celebrated its 50th Anniversary Mass in 2017.

During Mass, the Cardinal blessed the candles of over 200 students and staff who filled the chapel to overflowing.

Chris Castell, Pastoral Associate at Newman House, conducted the choir and soloists. After Mass, the Cardinal spent time greeting the students of the various university Catholic societies.

Newman House is the main Chaplaincy Centre for university students and staff in central London and beyond, there to support students and staff in their journey of faith. If you are a student looking for a university chaplaincy, visit universitycatholic.net.

St Brigid’s Day at Irish Chaplaincy

On 31st January, the vigil of St Brigid’s feast day, Bishop Paul McAleenan attended, ‘A Celebration of Irish music, poetry and dancing’ at St James’ Church, Piccadilly, a concert hosted by the Irish Chaplaincy. The London Celtic Youth Orchestra opened the show and soon had the audience of several hundred clapping their hands and tapping their feet. They were followed by a host of talented musicians and poets.

The first half was brought to a close by the ever-popular Irish Pensioners’ Choir, who had the audience enthusiastically singing along to ‘Mountains of Mourne’.

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The second half of the concert began with the Luckpenny Ceílí band, who performed a set of traditional Irish airs, and there was more dancing and more singing, which included a moving tribute to Mary Black, performed by Rev Lucy Winkett, Rector of St James and a former professional soprano.

Eddie Gilmore, CEO of the Irish Chaplaincy, closed the varied, uplifting and memorable evening with one of his own songs, ‘Fare Ye Well’ and thanked the audience for their support.

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The concert was attended by the Irish Ambassador, Adrian O’Neill, and Councillor Richard Cotton, ex-mayor of Camden, where the Chaplaincy is based.

The Irish Chaplaincy supports Irish people in Britain, especially those most in need, including prisoners, Travellers and seniors.

In its outreach to isolated, elderly Irish people in London, the Irish Chaplaincy Seniors’ Project works especially closely with Caritas Westminster. For more information, go to: www.irishchaplaincy.org.uk.

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

the school’s Eco Warriors club, school council and even Headtecher Mr Gloag, rolling up their sleeves to support Site Manager Mr Clark and complete the project this term.

The green wall is part of a year-long celebration to mark 70 years since the school was founded by the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1949.

The co-educational prep school in St John’s Wood has marked its 70th anniversary with a number of creative and ambitious events this year. These included building and launching its own spacecraft, filming a full school aerial video at Primrose Hill, the launch of a new Robotics STEM initiative, and the eco initiative that has accompanied the new green wall.

On Friday 6th December, Saint Christina’s were delighted to welcome the Lord Mayor for a tour of the school, the unveiling of the green wall and to join them for their anniversary Mass, which the whole school and many parents attended. She commented, ‘I have walked around the school and I have seen many lovely things, and children who are cared for and loved.’

The Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Ruth Bush, visited Saint Christina’s School in St John’s Wood to unveil their recently completed green wall. The living wall creates a barrier between the school’s playground and Avenue Road, improving the quality of air the children breathe, as well as educating them about air pollution and climate change. The school community worked hard to finish planting the wall, with

Education Secretary and Ofsted Chief Inspector visit St Agnes School On 9th January, St Agnes Catholic Primary School in Cricklewood welcomed the Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson and Ofsted Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman to the school. The two distinguished guests congratulated Headteacher Susan O’Reilly and Deputy Head Jennifer Hourihan for the school’s recent Ofsted inspection report, in which the school achieved an ‘outstanding’ rating. Gavin and Amanda visited a number of classes and observed the high standard of teaching taking place in a variety of subjects and age groups.

The two guests then sat down with seven pupils from Year 6 for a Question and Answer session.

The pupils posed a number of thought-provoking questions, including asking Gavin and Amanda about their own primary school experiences and

what changes they would like to see in primary education. The guests were also offered the opportunity to ask their own questions to the pupils. Gavin asked the pupils about the sports they play at school (netball, football and basketball) and what they would like to be when they are older (answers ranged from journalist to artist). The guests closed the session by wishing the pupils well in the next step of their educational journey, as they wait to hear which secondary school they will attend from September 2020.

St Gregory’s ‘eco warriors’ transform local park

A group of passionate environmentalists from St Gregory’s Catholic Science College in Brent were granted £56,000 in funding to transform an area of Woodcock Park which had fallen into disrepair.

Pupils gained almost 250 signatures from members of the local community for a petition they created to support their funding bid to the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy.

Pupils worked with Brent Council to bring their ideas to fruition. As a result, a large area of treacherous tarmac has been resurfaced and will soon be marked out with football, netball and rounders courts. In addition, an all-weather permeable surface has been laid for the installation of picnic benches.

On 5th February, the St Gregory’s team invited pupils from Uxendon Manor Primary School and representatives from the Friends of Woodcock Park to help them plant trees in the newly refurbished space.

Staff from Veolia, which manages Woodcock Park, were on site to support pupils plant the trees, which the young environmentalists hope will help improve biodiversity as well as add much needed shade to the area.

St Gregory’s Eco Warrior, Augustine Charles, 14, expressed his sense of achievement, saying, ‘I feel really proud, because without us I don’t think this project would ever have happened.

The improvements help people be more active as there is a nicer and safer environment to play in. There are not that many benches in the park so adding benches here gives the community more of an opportunity to come together and adding new trees helps the

environment even more.’

Fellow pupil, Kamil Ziolkowski, also 14, added, ‘I feel proud because we’ve had a big

impact on our local environment.’

St Gregory’s Headteacher, Andrew Prindiville said, ‘This is a fantastic example of how our young people have made a positive impact on their local community. I am extremely proud of the passion and determination shown by these pupils to make a difference to the world around them.’

St Gregory’s Catholic Science College has held an Eco Schools Green Flag for six years and in 2018, pupils won the Royal Horticultural Society’s School Gardening Team of the Year.

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School builds green wall to celebrate 70 years

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

© Johnston/Bishop Challoner

Challoner students helped produce on BBC news programme

Students at Bishop Challoner Catholic Federation of Schools recently took part in a new, innovative BBC programme for young audiences, called My World. The weekly half-hour show draws on BBC World Service reporting and aims to instil media literacy in children aged 13+. It explains the stories behind the news, providing facts and information, allowing them to make up their own minds about international events and issues.

The filming took place last term over two days, one at school and one at BBC Broadcasting House, and involved students from Year 9 to Year 12.

The first day of filming took place in the school Library with presenters Radzi Chinyanganya and Nomia Iqbal and a large crew. Throughout the day the

students spoke about the global issues that are most important to them, before attempting to decide what the most pressing global issue for young people is.

Climate change and gender equality were the two most popular issues, with climate change eventually coming out on top. During a long day of filming all of the students remained professional and upbeat and were a credit to their school.

The second day of filming took place at Broadcasting House in central London. This was a particularly memorable day as students were filming with Oscar-winning actor and international humanitarian Angelina Jolie, a co-producer on the programme. The BBC cameras followed Angelina and the nine students as they walked around Broadcasting House

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talking about the global issues that young people are most concerned about. She asked them about the news that they consume and how current affairs programmes could be more relevant to them. They were also joined by broadcaster and newsreader Reeta Chakrabarty who spoke about her career and her experiences.

‘Meeting Angelina Jolie was amazing,’ said Keira, one of the students involved in the filming.

‘Filming for this programme gave me a real insight into different generational views of the way the news is portrayed. I study politics and this experience gave me the chance to discuss some of the global issues we learn about as part of the course.’

‘It broadened my horizons on a range of controversial issues’, added Nirban, another student.

‘It’s great that this programme has given young people the opportunity to voice their opinions on issues that they may not usually be asked about.’

James Johnston, Student Leadership Co-ordinator said: ‘We could not be prouder of our young people for their intelligent, eloquent and insightful contributions to this fantastic new programme. It was an unforgettable experience and provided them with a global platform to speak about the global issues that matter to them the most.’

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Sharing ‘Women in Work’ workshop with partner schools

This February, St Augustine’s Priory held a Wellness Week focusing on the wholeness of the human being. The theme of the week was, ‘Women’s Rights: Taking Action’.

One of the major events of the week was a workshop on ‘Women in Work’, run by Faith Hagerty, Deputy Head CoCurriculum, Community and Development at St Augustine’s Priory.

Not only did she deliver the workshop to Year 7 pupils at St Augustine’s Priory, she also took it to the Year 7s at Sacred Heart High School and the

Cardinal Wiseman School, two of St Augustine’s Priory’s partners in the Emmaus Catholic Schools’ Partnership.

She examined the impact that things such as posture, body language, eye contact, and assertiveness have on how women are perceived in the workplace. She also focused on negotiation and relationships within the workplace and spoke about money and the gender pay gap.

The workshop involved some exciting role play and forum theatre.

Ms Hagerty said: ‘I am delighted to be investigating issues affecting women and to work with the pupils in Year 7 at St Augustine’s Priory, Sacred Heart High School and the Cardinal Wiseman School. I aim to raise awareness of the gender pay gap and how things work now and examine why women feel that they cannot negotiate in terms of contracts and pay.’

UK Space Design final for St Augustine’s students Three sixth form students from St Augustine’s Priory, Ealing, have reached the national final of the UK Space Design Competition, a prestigious annual national science and engineering schools’ competition designed as a simulation of life in industry.

Open to students from Years 10 to 13, it aims to enable students to experience the vast potential and valuable opportunities available through future study, or even a career, in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).

The three pupils, Angela Shan, Kat Dorn and Naomi Jeffries worked to an extremely demanding brief and produced a video which showed how they would design a transport system on Mercury. The three girls worked closely, sharing their different cross-curricular skills to bring the project to fruition.

Their expertise in mathematical computations, physics and design enabled them to produce a video which has

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gained them a place in the national finals to be held at Imperial College on 14th and 15th March, together with four other video competition winners plus the regional heat winners. All together around 200 students will descend on Imperial College to compete over a whole weekend.

Head of Mathematics Mrs Bennet said : ‘We are all so delighted that Angela, Kat and Naomi have reached the finals of the UK Space Design Competition; they have greatly benefited from participating in this project and are so looking forward to meeting the other competitors in March.’

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Ealing’s architecture inspires young artists Children from four primary schools in Ealing came together to attend an art workshop at St Benedict’s School on 5th February.

Young artists in Year 5 at North Ealing, Christ the Saviour, Selborne and Holy Family enjoyed a morning of printmaking in St Benedict’s Art department. The workshop focused on Ealing’s architecture, taking the colours and textures of

bricks, tiles and slates as inspiration. Each young artist created one half of a semidetached house, adding patterns and textures using a variety of objects and shapes, and filling in detail and finer texture using pen.

The workshop, which was led

by St Benedict’s art teacher Kate Linton, was an opportunity for children to meet Year 5 pupils from other schools, to take a closer look at the architectural detail of Ealing’s houses, and to spend a whole morning working on an art project. It was the latest event in St Benedict’s community outreach programme.

St Dominic’s student wins public speaking competition

St Dominic’s Sixth Form College, Harrow on the Hill, recently hosted the regional final of the Catenian Public Speaking Competition. Thirteen students from local Catholic schools and colleges were represented. Topics included, ‘Education makes us what we Page 10

are’ and, ‘Autocracy is better than Democracy’. The judging panel was led by Dame Mary Richardson, a former chair of the English Speaking Union.

After a lengthy deliberation, the judges selected Jeea Chadha from St Dominic's as the winning speaker. In a powerful

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On 12th February, Bishop Nicholas Hudson visited pupils at St John Evangelist Catholic Primary School.

talk, Jeea spoke on the topic, ‘If I ruled the world’, arguing passionately for an end to gender inequality and discrimination. Jeea will now go on to represent the region in the national final which will take place in Manchester in the summer.

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Youth Director’s Spotlight

by Andrezj Wdowiak, Director of Youth Ministry We are in the liturgical season of Lent and this is the time for us as Catholics to reflect, refresh our faith and get ready for the greatest event in the history of humankind, the Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. As we prepare for Easter, it may be helpful to share with you some of the experiences we encounter here at SPEC retreat centre in Pinner.

During the Reconciliation service on our residential Confirmation retreat, we encourage the young people to take the opportunity to go to Confession. A member of the retreat team shares their experience of the sacrament, the Chaplain reminds the young people how to make a Confession and we have different prayer stations set up to help them prepare for and reflect on their Confession.

Even with all this provided, some young people can still find it daunting to approach the sacrament.

On a recent retreat, one of the retreat leaders noticed a candidate looking nervous, but hovering around the Confession station. When he asked her about it, she said she wasn’t brave enough to open the door. He encouraged her and opened the door and she sheepishly went in. Not long after, she came up to him and said, ‘That was amazing! I feel so free! Thank you for opening the door.’ All the nervousness and worry had drained away from her face and she was beaming and cheerful.

It felt like such a small thing for him to open the door, but for her it was a huge obstacle. Her cheerfulness and gratitude was a reminder of how God moves in people’s lives when we play our part, no matter how simple or small it seems to us.

Similarly, we can see the same reaction from young people participating in parish or deanery summits supported

by Westminster Youth Ministry outreach team. The Summit is a chance for young people in the diocese to socialise, share a meal together, learn more about their faith and be introduced to a deeper level of prayer and adoration. The evenings often include input from speakers, live music, prayer, Eucharistic adoration and, increasingly, the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

These are two examples of how we, as Youth Ministry, support young people.

Perhaps during the season of Lent this may inspire you to give a helping hand to our young parishioners.

More information about Westminster Youth Ministry events can be found at dowym.com.

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Youth Chaplain’s Corner

by Fr Mark Walker, Youth Chaplain When young people visit the SPEC retreat centre in Pinner at this time of year, it’s always fun asking them what they have given up for Lent. You inevitably get the tried and trusted litany of sweets, chocolate and video games. It’s often the same for us adults. I remember past Lents in which I’ve given up a ‘big-ticket item’.

When I was at university I once gave up alcohol for the whole of Lent; a penance indeed! I often also ask the young people whether they are going to have a big blow out on whatever they have given up on Easter Sunday.

They tend to say ‘yes’ and I’m sure that’s often the same for adults too. A few years ago, however, I thought, ‘what’s the point?’

Although I’m sure there are many of you with greater willpower than me, who can endure solid Lenten fasting with a cheery exterior (and far be it for me to dissuade you from doing otherwise), I decided instead to find a few smaller things that I wanted to change in my life, an extra spiritual moment in the day, a good habit to cultivate, an extra work of charity, that I would keep up with after Lent. Not only have I found this more achievable but I come out of Lent with a sense of having done some genuine, long-lasting ‘conversion’, which is what ‘penance’, and therefore the season of Lent, is all about.

Admittedly, I’ve sometimes fallen back into bad habits. But I like to think that if I can change something little each Lent, those ‘incremental improvements’ will add up to something over the course of my life.

I’ve offered this advice to the young people at SPEC, but, being filled with youthful ambition, they tend to prefer giving up something big and having an Easter Sunday blow out!

Regardless of one’s approach, I hope this Lent is a grace-filled season for you and a new opportunity to come closer to the Lord through whatever penance you choose.

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The prayer of our Mass today expresses the desire of our faith: that God’s grace will create in us ‘hearts that are true and just’ which can be ‘a dwelling pleasing to you’. We pray that our way of life will be marked by an unaffected truthfulness and a lasting sense of justice. We pray, too, that we may be comforted, in all circumstances, by an enduring sense of God’s presence. Soon we will be entering the season of Lent, a time when we seek spiritual renewal in our lives.

Step by step we will look into ourselves and pinpoint the ways in which we are neither truthful nor just, and the ways in which we close our hearts to the promptings of God. Today’s Gospel (Matt 5.17-37) already points to some aspects of that self-examination: no place for anger, for self-indulgence and betrayal, especially within sexual intimacy and the commitments we have given. Rather, we seek wisdom and find happiness in following God’s law. This is our project.

A few days ago, I was privileged to meet Pope Francis.

At my request, he blessed a new icon dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham (see opposite page).

He did so because he knows that during this Lent, on 29th March, all are invited to make a personal Act of Dedication of our country to Our Blessed Lady. In doing so we repeat the dedication made in 1381 by Richard II of England who promised this land and its people as the Dowry of Mary.

There is much for us to learn about being the Dowry of Mary and the love which is expressed in that title. It is rich in history even if not contemporary in language.

I hope we can use these coming weeks to deepen our knowledge of this ancient and lovely devotion.

This fits well into our Lenten journey. Mary will always lead us

to her Son. She will take us to him so that he can show us his love and mercy.

There are two special occasions during which we can invite Mary to lead our Lenten journey.

The first is the three-day period from 19th to 22nd March when the Statue of Our Lady of Walsingham will come to Westminster Cathedral. There will be three days of devotion and renewal. Please do come if you can.

The second occasion is the three days from 26th to 28th March, leading up to the National Day of Rededication on 29th March. I hope that all of us can observe these days of prayer, asking Mary to embrace this country of ours, to instil in us a truthfulness and a love of justice, so that we may experience, as she herself did, the joy of the Lord’s presence.

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We all know well the title of Mary as our ‘sorrowful Mother’.

We turn to her in our sorrows. Yet there is another tribute to her, even more deeply rooted in our tradition. It is that of the Joys of Mary. These Joys, often numbered as seven, include the coming of the Angel Gabriel to Mary at the Annunciation and the wondrous birth of her Son, our Blessed Saviour and her glorious entry into the happiness of heaven. We share in them for they are the great joy of our faith. Indeed, we are called to be heralds of this joy in a world often in need of joyfulness. May Mary help us to know and share her joy as we live and proclaim our faith.

May God bless us and guide us throughout this coming Lent.

Given as Cardinal Vincent’s pastoral letter for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 16th February 2020.

Sick given pride of place at Lourdes Mass

On 8th February, Cardinal Vincent presided at the annual Mass in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes, celebrated at Westminster Cathedral.

During the Mass, which coincided with the World Day of Prayer for the Sick, the Sacrament of the Sick was administered to those who wished to receive it. The celebration was open to all, with a special invitation extended to the sick and infirm, hospital chaplains, doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants and all who work in healthcare. Bishops John Sherrington and Paul McAleenan concelebrated.

The Mass was also attended by current and former

volunteers and pilgrims involved with the annual diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes, which this year takes place from the 25th to the 31st of July. Young volunteers for the upcoming pilgrimage (known as Redcaps on account of their red tabards) took part in the entrance procession, carrying a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and the diocesan pilgrimage banners along the cathedral nave.

In his homily, Cardinal Vincent spoke about joy; the joy of the occasion, the Joys of Mary and the theme of joy as it appears in the Gospel story of the Wedding at Cana.

‘Today we gather under the patronage of Our Lady of

Lourdes. This is, therefore, a joyful occasion, as we honour her, sing our hymns to her, and bring to her our burdens, especially the burden of ill health. That is the gift of Lourdes, the great shrine for the sick. Indeed, our experience tells us that no one who visits Lourdes is likely to come away unchanged.

‘In Lourdes, the sick are given pride of place. And that is so here, in the cathedral today.

‘Today’s Gospel is one of the most familiar: the Wedding at Cana in Galilee. We can well imagine the range of emotions running through the scene: anticipation and excitement, a moment of panic, but then of relief that the embarrassment of running out of wine had been averted. The thread that runs through the Gospel passage is one of joy. Joy at a wedding; joy at, somehow, having the best of wine to enjoy; joy, above all in the presence of Our Lord and Our Blessed Lady.

‘This sense of joy also links us to Our Blessed Lady and to our English heritage of Walsingham. The Joys of Mary, often seven in number, were important to medieval English Catholic devotion: the Annunciation, the birth of Our Lord, his miracles, the wonder of his death, the crowning of

Mary in heaven and others.

Her Joys are at the heart of the story of our faith. They are our Joys too.’

The Cardinal also highlighted three distinct titles for Mary: Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Walsingham and Our Lady of Westminster.

‘Today I want to put alongside this great title of Our Lady of Lourdes another wonderful title we give to her, for we can learn from both.

‘Over by the confessionals is the statue of Our Lady of Westminster. It was probably carved in the mid fifteenth century, just a few decades after the reign of King Richard II. It was he who, in 1381, dedicated England to Our Lady in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Next month, we shall

dedicate England afresh, as the Dowry of Mary.

‘On 29th March, when we rededicate England as the Dowry of Mary, Our Lady doesn’t need us to be building her houses, or writing her cheques. No – this is a dedication rooted in the faith of Catholics, her children, in our land. What we can offer to contribute to that ‘dowry’ will be different for each of us. For those of us who are sick, it might be our patience, our dependency on God and on our brothers and sisters. For healthcare workers, it may be your expertise … For all of us, this rededication is an occasion to offer faithful commitment to walk a Christian path, in ways

© Mazur/CBCEW.org.uk

Mary always leads us to her Son

Pope blesses painting of Our Lady of Walsingham On Wednesday 12th February, after his weekly audience, Pope Francis blessed the ‘Dowry Painting’ of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Present at the blessing were Cardinal Vincent, Mgr John Armitage, Rector of the Walsingham Shrine, and Amanda de Pulford, painter of the Dowry Painting. The painting will be at Walsingham for the Rededication of England as Mary’s Dowry on 29th March 2020, after which it will begin a journey to every Catholic parish in England.

Cardinal Vincent said: ‘The blessing of the icon of Our lady of Walsingham by Pope Francis is a great encouragement to us all as we prepare for 29th March Follow us on Instagram at: @rcwestminster

and our act of Rededication. I assured our Holy Father of our prayers and affection and thanked him for his blessing.’

Speaking of the meeting with Pope Francis, Mgr Armitage said: ‘Yesterday was a truly blessed day, when the Holy Father blessed the new Dowry Painting. The painting, which will visit every Catholic Church in England, was then taken to the tomb of St Gregory the Great in St Peters Basilica, the Pope who sent St Augustine to evangelise the people of England. Before his tomb we prayed for his intercession to strengthen our faith to continue this mission to the people of England.’

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© EWTN Vatican

would say that any connection with Mary has long been lost by our modern society. However, if Central to the Road Show we think of our modern was the art work, ‘The God institutions, such as the social Who Speaks’, by artist Pete care provided to those in need, Codling, specially the education systems that have commissioned for the Year of raised children over the the Word. Against the centuries and the health service background of the cathedral’s of which we are so proud, own mosaics, the dazzling perhaps we might also consider polyptych, or multi-panelled, Byzantine-style mosaic, invited where these self-giving services have their origins. the viewer to reflect on how We might like to reflect on God speaks to all people the example Mary has given us through all ages. The mosaic, in her life: as she hurries to see with its front and back panels, her aged cousin who is with captured the visitors’ attention child; as she guides her young as it combines the traditional son as he explores the wisdom use of smalti-glass tiles, or tesserae, with a modern twist to of the elders in the temple, yet needs to learn how to balance present familiar themes from that with respect for the wishes scripture. The front panel of his parents; and how Mary depicts the Holy Trinity with three heads; the thorn-crowned holds Jesus as a baby after he is born, stands close to him as he Christ in the centre, the Father in gold tiles on the left, and the dies, and holds her dead son in Holy Spirit in mirrored tiles on her caring arms. Such loving care continues to be emulated the right. This opens up to present the main panel showing in the public services of our country. scenes from the New Testament, with Christ’s Nativity at the centre. On the side panels we see an interpretation of the Annunciation, a bold image of the Angel Gabriel speaking across to an equally striking image of Mary. One side of Mary’s face shows her listening to the angel speaking, while the other half of her face shows The rededication is not a Mary contemplating the words from God she has just received. political statement, as it might once have been, but a personal Mary’s listening is the consecration of oneself, which essence of the Scripture Road Show, for as God speaks, so we we are all invited to take part in. It is a willingness to stand are to listen. And the listening with Mary and to listen with of Mary is also at the heart of her to the God Who Speaks. the rededication of England as Mary’s Dowry, which is to take And just as each individual tessara, each small and place on 29th March 2020. A seemingly insignificant tile, dowry, a gift, or something set apart, is a title which goes back combines to make a mosaic that to medieval times, reflecting the is a dazzling image of beauty, so we too can be filled with the deep devotion of the people of England to Mary. Mary listened vibrancy of colour that is the Word of God, and bring about, to the call of the Holy Spirit in her heart and listens to our cries in time, a dazzling with compassion, leading us to transformation of our country, and the world beyond. her son, Jesus.

The dedication of England For more information about The as Mary’s Dowry was Year of the Word 2020 and the formalised in 1381 by King rededication go to Richard II. Having previously rcdow.org.uk/faith. sought, through prayer, the assistance of Mary as he set out to resolve the country’s political turmoil, he returned to Westminster Abbey where, in gratitude, he dedicated England as a country set apart from among the nations, to be a gift to Mary.

It seems that political turmoil is not new, but many

© Mazur/CBCEW.org.uk

continued from page 1

Westminster Record | Lent 2020

© Mazur/CBCEW.org.uk

Westminster Record | Lent 2020

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The prayer of our Mass today expresses the desire of our faith: that God’s grace will create in us ‘hearts that are true and just’ which can be ‘a dwelling pleasing to you’. We pray that our way of life will be marked by an unaffected truthfulness and a lasting sense of justice. We pray, too, that we may be comforted, in all circumstances, by an enduring sense of God’s presence. Soon we will be entering the season of Lent, a time when we seek spiritual renewal in our lives.

Step by step we will look into ourselves and pinpoint the ways in which we are neither truthful nor just, and the ways in which we close our hearts to the promptings of God. Today’s Gospel (Matt 5.17-37) already points to some aspects of that self-examination: no place for anger, for self-indulgence and betrayal, especially within sexual intimacy and the commitments we have given. Rather, we seek wisdom and find happiness in following God’s law. This is our project.

A few days ago, I was privileged to meet Pope Francis.

At my request, he blessed a new icon dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham (see opposite page).

He did so because he knows that during this Lent, on 29th March, all are invited to make a personal Act of Dedication of our country to Our Blessed Lady. In doing so we repeat the dedication made in 1381 by Richard II of England who promised this land and its people as the Dowry of Mary.

There is much for us to learn about being the Dowry of Mary and the love which is expressed in that title. It is rich in history even if not contemporary in language.

I hope we can use these coming weeks to deepen our knowledge of this ancient and lovely devotion.

This fits well into our Lenten journey. Mary will always lead us

to her Son. She will take us to him so that he can show us his love and mercy.

There are two special occasions during which we can invite Mary to lead our Lenten journey.

The first is the three-day period from 19th to 22nd March when the Statue of Our Lady of Walsingham will come to Westminster Cathedral. There will be three days of devotion and renewal. Please do come if you can.

The second occasion is the three days from 26th to 28th March, leading up to the National Day of Rededication on 29th March. I hope that all of us can observe these days of prayer, asking Mary to embrace this country of ours, to instil in us a truthfulness and a love of justice, so that we may experience, as she herself did, the joy of the Lord’s presence.

Follow us on Twitter at: twitter.com/RCWestminster

We all know well the title of Mary as our ‘sorrowful Mother’.

We turn to her in our sorrows. Yet there is another tribute to her, even more deeply rooted in our tradition. It is that of the Joys of Mary. These Joys, often numbered as seven, include the coming of the Angel Gabriel to Mary at the Annunciation and the wondrous birth of her Son, our Blessed Saviour and her glorious entry into the happiness of heaven. We share in them for they are the great joy of our faith. Indeed, we are called to be heralds of this joy in a world often in need of joyfulness. May Mary help us to know and share her joy as we live and proclaim our faith.

May God bless us and guide us throughout this coming Lent.

Given as Cardinal Vincent’s pastoral letter for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 16th February 2020.

Sick given pride of place at Lourdes Mass

On 8th February, Cardinal Vincent presided at the annual Mass in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes, celebrated at Westminster Cathedral.

During the Mass, which coincided with the World Day of Prayer for the Sick, the Sacrament of the Sick was administered to those who wished to receive it. The celebration was open to all, with a special invitation extended to the sick and infirm, hospital chaplains, doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants and all who work in healthcare. Bishops John Sherrington and Paul McAleenan concelebrated.

The Mass was also attended by current and former

volunteers and pilgrims involved with the annual diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes, which this year takes place from the 25th to the 31st of July. Young volunteers for the upcoming pilgrimage (known as Redcaps on account of their red tabards) took part in the entrance procession, carrying a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and the diocesan pilgrimage banners along the cathedral nave.

In his homily, Cardinal Vincent spoke about joy; the joy of the occasion, the Joys of Mary and the theme of joy as it appears in the Gospel story of the Wedding at Cana.

‘Today we gather under the patronage of Our Lady of

Lourdes. This is, therefore, a joyful occasion, as we honour her, sing our hymns to her, and bring to her our burdens, especially the burden of ill health. That is the gift of Lourdes, the great shrine for the sick. Indeed, our experience tells us that no one who visits Lourdes is likely to come away unchanged.

‘In Lourdes, the sick are given pride of place. And that is so here, in the cathedral today.

‘Today’s Gospel is one of the most familiar: the Wedding at Cana in Galilee. We can well imagine the range of emotions running through the scene: anticipation and excitement, a moment of panic, but then of relief that the embarrassment of running out of wine had been averted. The thread that runs through the Gospel passage is one of joy. Joy at a wedding; joy at, somehow, having the best of wine to enjoy; joy, above all in the presence of Our Lord and Our Blessed Lady.

‘This sense of joy also links us to Our Blessed Lady and to our English heritage of Walsingham. The Joys of Mary, often seven in number, were important to medieval English Catholic devotion: the Annunciation, the birth of Our Lord, his miracles, the wonder of his death, the crowning of

Mary in heaven and others.

Her Joys are at the heart of the story of our faith. They are our Joys too.’

The Cardinal also highlighted three distinct titles for Mary: Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Walsingham and Our Lady of Westminster.

‘Today I want to put alongside this great title of Our Lady of Lourdes another wonderful title we give to her, for we can learn from both.

‘Over by the confessionals is the statue of Our Lady of Westminster. It was probably carved in the mid fifteenth century, just a few decades after the reign of King Richard II. It was he who, in 1381, dedicated England to Our Lady in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Next month, we shall

dedicate England afresh, as the Dowry of Mary.

‘On 29th March, when we rededicate England as the Dowry of Mary, Our Lady doesn’t need us to be building her houses, or writing her cheques. No – this is a dedication rooted in the faith of Catholics, her children, in our land. What we can offer to contribute to that ‘dowry’ will be different for each of us. For those of us who are sick, it might be our patience, our dependency on God and on our brothers and sisters. For healthcare workers, it may be your expertise … For all of us, this rededication is an occasion to offer faithful commitment to walk a Christian path, in ways

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Mary always leads us to her Son

Pope blesses painting of Our Lady of Walsingham On Wednesday 12th February, after his weekly audience, Pope Francis blessed the ‘Dowry Painting’ of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Present at the blessing were Cardinal Vincent, Mgr John Armitage, Rector of the Walsingham Shrine, and Amanda de Pulford, painter of the Dowry Painting. The painting will be at Walsingham for the Rededication of England as Mary’s Dowry on 29th March 2020, after which it will begin a journey to every Catholic parish in England.

Cardinal Vincent said: ‘The blessing of the icon of Our lady of Walsingham by Pope Francis is a great encouragement to us all as we prepare for 29th March Follow us on Instagram at: @rcwestminster

and our act of Rededication. I assured our Holy Father of our prayers and affection and thanked him for his blessing.’

Speaking of the meeting with Pope Francis, Mgr Armitage said: ‘Yesterday was a truly blessed day, when the Holy Father blessed the new Dowry Painting. The painting, which will visit every Catholic Church in England, was then taken to the tomb of St Gregory the Great in St Peters Basilica, the Pope who sent St Augustine to evangelise the people of England. Before his tomb we prayed for his intercession to strengthen our faith to continue this mission to the people of England.’

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© EWTN Vatican

would say that any connection with Mary has long been lost by our modern society. However, if Central to the Road Show we think of our modern was the art work, ‘The God institutions, such as the social Who Speaks’, by artist Pete care provided to those in need, Codling, specially the education systems that have commissioned for the Year of raised children over the the Word. Against the centuries and the health service background of the cathedral’s of which we are so proud, own mosaics, the dazzling perhaps we might also consider polyptych, or multi-panelled, Byzantine-style mosaic, invited where these self-giving services have their origins. the viewer to reflect on how We might like to reflect on God speaks to all people the example Mary has given us through all ages. The mosaic, in her life: as she hurries to see with its front and back panels, her aged cousin who is with captured the visitors’ attention child; as she guides her young as it combines the traditional son as he explores the wisdom use of smalti-glass tiles, or tesserae, with a modern twist to of the elders in the temple, yet needs to learn how to balance present familiar themes from that with respect for the wishes scripture. The front panel of his parents; and how Mary depicts the Holy Trinity with three heads; the thorn-crowned holds Jesus as a baby after he is born, stands close to him as he Christ in the centre, the Father in gold tiles on the left, and the dies, and holds her dead son in Holy Spirit in mirrored tiles on her caring arms. Such loving care continues to be emulated the right. This opens up to present the main panel showing in the public services of our country. scenes from the New Testament, with Christ’s Nativity at the centre. On the side panels we see an interpretation of the Annunciation, a bold image of the Angel Gabriel speaking across to an equally striking image of Mary. One side of Mary’s face shows her listening to the angel speaking, while the other half of her face shows The rededication is not a Mary contemplating the words from God she has just received. political statement, as it might once have been, but a personal Mary’s listening is the consecration of oneself, which essence of the Scripture Road Show, for as God speaks, so we we are all invited to take part in. It is a willingness to stand are to listen. And the listening with Mary and to listen with of Mary is also at the heart of her to the God Who Speaks. the rededication of England as Mary’s Dowry, which is to take And just as each individual tessara, each small and place on 29th March 2020. A seemingly insignificant tile, dowry, a gift, or something set apart, is a title which goes back combines to make a mosaic that to medieval times, reflecting the is a dazzling image of beauty, so we too can be filled with the deep devotion of the people of England to Mary. Mary listened vibrancy of colour that is the Word of God, and bring about, to the call of the Holy Spirit in her heart and listens to our cries in time, a dazzling with compassion, leading us to transformation of our country, and the world beyond. her son, Jesus.

The dedication of England For more information about The as Mary’s Dowry was Year of the Word 2020 and the formalised in 1381 by King rededication go to Richard II. Having previously rcdow.org.uk/faith. sought, through prayer, the assistance of Mary as he set out to resolve the country’s political turmoil, he returned to Westminster Abbey where, in gratitude, he dedicated England as a country set apart from among the nations, to be a gift to Mary.

It seems that political turmoil is not new, but many

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continued from page 1

Westminster Record | Lent 2020

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Serving dignity of those caught in poverty

by Cardinal Vincent Nichols We care about the poor. This, in itself, is worthy of note. Care about the poor would not have been present in most of the European civilisations that have shaped this continent and its Middle Eastern neighbours.

For Persian, Babylonian and Roman leaders, the fact that many lived in poverty was a matter of indifference, or rather a fact to be exploited by the wealthy and powerful.

But we have been formed in a different culture, one that views poverty as a shameful aspect of society and one to be eradicated. The culture of which we are a part has its roots, in much of the world, in the JudeoChristian faith. It rests on three strong principal beliefs expressed in that faith tradition.

The first is that every person has an innate dignity arising from the fact that every life is ultimately a gift of the Creator and every life bears a likeness to that Creator. In this perspective, the respect that is due to each person does not depend on status, wealth, effectiveness or influence. Rather, there is a fundamental equality shared by all before God. The second insistence is at the core of the Christian faith and is even more radical: since the Creator chose to become

visible in the person of Jesus, the Christ, and chose to do so in poverty, then the poor are, in a very particular way, close to him and therefore occupy a special place in our concern. This is the root of the ‘option for the poor’ to which the Christian Gospel leads us.

The third insistence is also deeply rooted. It was the Church that first insisted that individual men and women had the right to enter marriage according to their choice and not according to the will of their parents, tribe, clan or dynasty. This hardfought principle shifted the basis of society away from feudal power structures, and to the family, consisting essentially of husband, wife, and children.

Put these three together and we know why we are here: to serve the dignity of those caught in poverty by understanding and responding to their situation and needs; to strengthen the family as the foundation of a stable community; and to enable families, in their turn, to be sources of well-being and help for others.

When my mother’s sister was a young woman, in about 1930, she joined a religious order of nuns and became Sister Thomas More: new name, new

identity, new life. It was radical stuff. When she died, the plaque on her coffin read: Sister Thomas More, professed 1935: died 1966.

You could say that Peggy Russell, for that was her family name, simply joined a workforce, even if a pretty special workforce. But in some ways, all workforces are a bit like the one she joined: come on in, put on the uniform, be one of us, get stuck in and kindly leave your troubles, and your personal strong convictions, at the door. That will be best for all of us.

But the divided self does not work so well. This realisation is growing across many enterprises. Of course, commercial enterprises are not in the business of creating bonds of personal friendship but work settings that are impersonal seem to become hampered by so many undercurrents of dissatisfaction, distress, and lack of focus as to be quite dysfunctional. Personal circumstances matter. They make a difference and cannot simply be ignored. And this includes in-work poverty.

Let me go back to my sources. In the book of the beginnings, the Book of Genesis, there is the figure of Adam, formed from the dust of the

earth. In fact, that is what his name means ‘adamah’, the soil, the dust, in which, with wisdom, we know our lives are rooted. Remembering Adam helps us not to get above ourselves and not to be surprised when we face disruption, corruption, and that touch of futility which never seems far away. But Genesis also depicts the beginnings of human life as the action of God taking this dust into his own hands, giving it shape and breathing the very breath of God into that dust of the earth. This too explains our experience of ourselves. Yes, we unequivocally belong to the earth, yet we also soar above it, we dream, create, with a spirit that can never ultimately be contained. In a phrase, we are dust made for glory.

This is true of every person: the bright spark who is the fount of ideas, the artist who sees colours and venture everywhere, and the poorest of the poor, who never ultimately loses the capacity to imagine and long for a better life and

show a depth of resilience from which we can all learn.

Working to eradicate in-work poverty is about giving every person a better chance to find something of the glory for which they have been created.

Ultimately that final glory comes as a gift of God. But in the meantime, everyone who steps across the threshold has that capacity, that instinct, for something greater. We can help each of them take a step in that direction, out of the in-work poverty which stifles the dream and into a further realisation of the dignity that is theirs and towards the hopes that they always entertain.

Combating in-work poverty is about making a difference, about strengthening each other, about building a society, about business having a clearer sense of its own purpose and a deeper satisfaction in its achievements.

This is an abridged version of the address given by the Cardinal at the Financial Inclusion Summit, at the Guildhall, Gresham St, London on 30th January 2020.

50,000 lives changed, restored, renewed and inspired Five years ago, we launched the first ever Cardinal’s Appeal. The response has been incredible, and gifts both large and small have enabled three vital pillars of the Church, Marriage and Family Life, Youth and Evangelisation, and Service in Society, to be supported and sustained.

Over 11,000 nights’ accommodation has been provided in Southall parish to the most vulnerable street homeless, with over 100 referrals to NHS and local support services.

10,000 young people have deepened their faith through Youth Ministry in schools and parishes.

100 children with special educational needs now have a new wellness centre, used by hundreds of others in the local community at weekends.

4,000 secondary school pupils attended marriage workshops presented by married couples.

150 couples have received marriage counselling.

8,600 people living in poverty have received food parcels, and hundreds of families have learned new skills at holiday clubs.

These are just a few examples of the extraordinary work being done around the diocese through the Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal. Now, in the

sixth year of the Appeal, there is sadly no doubt that poverty in our community is deepening, and is engulfing even more children and families. This Lent we want to reach out again together to the most vulnerable in our society who are being pushed to the margins. Will you help?

To donate, send a cheque made out to WRCDTCardinal’s Appeal and send it to Cardinal’s Appeal, Vaughan House, 46 Francis Street, London SW1P 1QN. Or go online at www.CardinalsLentenAppeal. org.uk

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Praying with emulsion

Inside the Parish: The ‘book of instructions’

by Roger Roger Carr-Jones, Marriage and Family Life Coordinator

by Fr Peter Michael Scott, Parish Priest at St Mary’s, Finchley

In Ignatian spirituality we can learn to pray through art.

However, learning to pray when painting our home with a pot of emulsion feels very different. Yet with every sweep of the brush, or glide of the roller, a new landscape appears before our eyes. Provided the surface is sound the paint adheres and a new sense of light and colour enters our home. Marriage and family life can be compared to looking after a home. Both need ongoing maintenance, periodic refits and every so often a deeper form of loving restoration. The key difference is that one also requires being aware of emotions, hopes and needs.

For the past few weeks as a family we have been living in exile, whilst our home undergoes a major restoration.

Whilst it is a comfortable form of exile, it is not our home. Instead we have moved into a liminal space that is neither being on holiday nor a break from routine.

Packing up our home required us to decide what was important to us moving forward, which possessions to keep and which to let go. As each box was packed it also meant sorting through memories. Each object or photo stirred up moments of joy, laughter and sometimes pain. This process brought unresolved and unhealed memories into our temporary home, offering us an opportunity to talk about them.

Being in our temporary home is not unlike being on retreat. It has provided a neutral space to reflect back on our shared journey and to determine the ways in which we will re-enter ‘our space’ in a new and dynamic way. The restoration of a home is not unlike the restoration of a marriage. All too often we see what is wrong, tired and worn without noticing that, perhaps, the foundations remain sound.

At the beginning of a New Year there is often an upsurge in divorce and separation as the sense of Christmas goodwill begins to evaporate and the demands of daily living reassert themselves. In married life we can all find ourselves in this

place, when communication lines are frayed. This is part of learning to grow together, as we adapt and change to new circumstances and need to discover a new language.

Sometimes the distancing between us is just for a brief moment and unity is quickly restored, but at other times there is a downward spiral as the lines of communication stutter and then stop. The Marriage and Family Life ministry is one that is intended to be with a couple at all points of the journey, sharing in the joys and being an ear or signpost in times of difficulty and change.

As I surveyed our home after the builders had left, there was indeed a large amount of rubble in the skips, but also the realisation that most of the structure was sound and not the nightmare feared. Without their expertise and knowledge, it would have been easy to despair, sell up and seek a new nest. This would have been a mistake. It is our home.

When a marriage is struggling, we only see what is wrong. There are a number of Catholic organisations and others that seek to provide their insights and expertise to help restore marriages that on the

surface seem fractured and broken. Each with their different charisms, these organisations provide the space for a couple to reevaluate the nature of their relationship, learn new ways to communicate and sometimes to discover the real roots of their disconnection.

If our home was in need of work we could either put up with things, or we could find the trades on the internet. Similarly, with marriage, we could investigate groups such as Retrouvaille UK with their weekend retreats, SmartLoving with their Breakthrough programme, and Marriage Care who provide qualified and trained marriage counsellors in emotionally-focused therapy.

Our budget did not extent to redecorating our house, so we are painting it together. It is an opportunity, as we do so, to sift through memories of the past, express our hopes for the future and also to say sorry for the times when our relationship entered choppy waters. If at those times we had not sought guidance, we would not have learnt new skills with which to move forward. As we settle back into our home, we remember that in both the joys and the sorrows, Christ is always with us.

When I was baptised my grandad gave me a music box.

No ordinary music box; it came with a book of instructions. Until I was seven the music box sat on a shelf gathering dust, then my father and I sat down and read how to activate it. I will always remember finding the secret key stored in a hidden drawer, winding up the mechanism and finally hearing a beautiful rendition of ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’.

In this Year of the Word, the Bible is like the book of instructions. For us to activate the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to us at Baptism and Confirmation we need to read the Bible to identify the beautiful sounds of God working in and through us.

Like all good instruction manuals you may need someone to help decipher the directions, but every parish has a catechist or priest happy to help.

‘The God Who Speaks: The Year of the Word’ initiative gives us the perfect excuse to sit down with the Bible and do a bit of exploring. As you know, the Bible is made up of 73 books, produced over 1,500 years. Hundreds of authors

were at work over the centuries. They came from many different backgrounds and cultures, very different from ours, and wrote as a people of their time. Yet, they had one thing in common; they wrote under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit in order to lead us to God. The Bible is a collection of adventures, poems, laws, biographies and letters; it is a treasure trove of instructions!

At St Mary’s, in East Finchley, we have been celebrating God’s word in many different ways. During Advent the church was decorated with an illustrated Jesse Tree and after Christmas, children were invited to create their favourite Bible scene using Lego bricks. Recently, parishioners took part in a scriptural quiz, competing for a hamper comprising biblical foods; apples, fish, figs, grapes, lamb and wine.

The Year of the Word is a wonderful opportunity to let the ‘God Who Speaks’ instruct us in loving ourselves and each other, which is the best sort of music to God. Please pray for all those who work or volunteer in your parish.

Church and the wider society since 1946. This image of the family, with all its joys and messiness, defines the heart of this organisation as it prepares couples for marriage and heals those who are hurting.

Then in January 2018, I was drawn to an advert for the position of the Marriage & Family Life Coordinator for the Diocese of Westminster. So began yet another new, daunting yet exciting journey in a ministry which is central to the life of the parish and society. It is also central to my life and a joy to see the ways in which so many give of their time and talents to this ministry of service.

Now, in 2020, I find myself surprised again by God as I become the next Chair of Marriage Care, which reflects the image and purpose of its wonderful community of

volunteers. As a husband to Jackie, the father of five and grandfather to three little ones, I am conscious of the graces received in marriage and family life.

As a husband, I have discovered that love changes and becomes richer. As a parent, I am now more aware of recognising the joys and knowing that insecurities and conflict are part of this rich tapestry of love. As a grandparent, I have discovered how to be a better parent and have learnt to walk alongside their parents.

The weather might be gloomy but the anticipation of spring is in the air. I now look forward with joy to serve and guide Marriage Care as it enters the next phase of its exciting and worthwhile ministry.

New Chair for Marriage Care The Diocese of Westminster is pleased to announce that our Marriage and Family Life Coordinator, Deacon Roger CarrJones, has been named as the new Chairman of Trustees of Marriage Care. He reflects on what this appointment means to him.

This January marks a moment of change as my predecessor Kit Dollard hands on the baton of responsibility to serve as Chair of Marriage Care.

Saying ‘goodbye’ is both a bittersweet moment as a friend moves on and the opportunity to look back with gratitude for all that Kit has achieved in the last six years. Kit is an inspirational leader: witty, affirming and, above all, kind. His blend of talents are the result of his faith, his marriage to Caroline and their family life, plus a career that encompassed the army, City,

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property and Church. It is therefore fitting that we raise a glass of Ampleforth Cider or tipple of choice in thanks.

January is both a time for looking back to reflect on the past and to look forward, in anticipation, for new surprises.

When we look back, we should try to do so with gratitude so that we can address what we felt could have been better and to see the ways that God is drawing us into new adventures at his behest.

Back in January 2015 I found, to my surprise, that I was drawn to an advert for the post of Head of Centre for Marriage Care Bournemouth. It was to prove a defining moment and took me onto a new pathway in life through a deeper involvement in the marriage and family ministry.

I also became part of a new family that has been serving the

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Churches open doors as London homelessness rises volunteers. Those who stay at the shelter report feeling emotionally stronger, more confident and more resilient, ready to work with agencies on their move off the streets.

Moving people off the streets is the ultimate aim of the night shelters. Each shelter, or circuit of shelters, has case workers who can support individuals. Grants may be available for those who are ready to move into accommodation and people are spirits up in such difficult Night shelters could not told about other agencies they happen without the hundreds circumstances. I heard firstcan go to for help. hand what I had known only in One of the biggest circuits in of committed volunteers who help out night after night. It theory, such as how easy it is to the capital, Glass Door, runs the but work hard be might slip into homelessness when around 30 night shelters. Last numerous. are rewards your circumstances change, winter (2019-2019), they has who volunteer, One often beyond your control. welcomed 700 guests aged Chiswick, in shelter a at helped ‘One of the guests had a between 17 and 83. By the end time the valued she that us told disability. He brought learning of the season, more than 200 of and guests, the with chatting into the room laughter of lot a these had moved into housing them. know to getting to play how me taught and and 59 had found employment. is closed down for the day, when difference a makes ‘It card favourite his “UNO”, opening the following night at a Glass Door, like many other by someone greet can you game. winter shelter providers, runs nearby church of a different name when they walk in. It ‘The best thing was when drop in centres throughout the denomination, or at a are they guests the shows learn that a guest would you year for on-going support. synagogue or mosque. as valued and recognised be coming because longer no Our Lady Help of Christians Some shelters remain at the as seen not and individuals, off the streets. Every were they in Kentish Town, runs a project same venue and most open for person. homeless another just are a number of there year, called SanKTus which offers a just a few months in winter, from heard I stories ‘The are helped through who guests Sunday afternoon drop in whilst others are year-round. enlightening were guests our projects to shelter night the centre including bathing All shelters provide warmth, was I eye-opening. and a better to back way a find facilities and clothes. This food, and safety. And all of one that out find to shocked place. group also organised an provide a non-judgemental the men was actually working ‘Three of the guests I met welcome, a sense of community, enormous Christmas dinner for and still found himself found a place to live and have over 100 guests. Anyone lonely, and a respect for the dignity of is this Unfortunately, homeless. off the streets. officially are isolated or homeless was all who are in need of help. is but case, unique a not guest is back former Another welcome and the response of James Coeur-de-Lion helps common.’ more becoming but efforts parents, his with the parishioners in giving their to organise the Westminster she volunteered, she Before see if he to made being are time or their money is amazing.

Night Shelter Circuit, which end to expected had she said sort of some for qualify might Caritas Westminster works rotates around 13 faith venues, depressed, feeling night each another yet And care. assisted with parishes to help them including Westminster former guest now has an enhance their social outreach. If but instead was uplifted.

Cathedral. He says, ‘The went and lot a laughed ‘I immigration solicitor and they you would like to volunteer, as fundamental part of being deep of sense a with home are working to get his visa an individual or as part of a present in the night shelter is to to opportunity the for gratitude reinstated. He has started a parish, school or community have an encounter with the guests our with time spend window washing business group, please contact guests. This encounter begins their keep to manage who which is doing well so far.’ caritasvol@rcdow.org.uk. with recognising that in every human being there we see our brother, our sister. When each of the volunteers encounters the guests in this way, they are able Three churches in the Diocese of Westminster have responded to the problem of knife crime to communicate at a far deeper by placing knife bins outside their premises. The initiative aims to encourage young people to and more meaningful level give up their weapons and take a step away from the dangers of violent crime. The bins were where heart speaks to heart.’ installed by the charity Words4 eapons and funded by Caritas Westminster. At Our Lady of Winter night shelters are an Lourdes and St Vincent De Paul, Harrow Road, 32 knives or bladed items were collected in the important part of the overall bin. Camara Fearon, the manager of Word4Weapons said, ‘We are really encouraged to see this solution. They free up beds in successful first collection from this knife bin. For us, “one knife is potentially one life saved”, shelters run by homelessness so we are pleased to see the amount and range of knives.’ charities for those with more If you would like to find out more about what your parish can do to fight knife crime, Caritas complex needs. Guests benefit and Words4Weapons will be hosting an event on Friday 28th February 2020, from 1pm to 3pm, at from the loving care, Our Lady and St Joseph, 100A Balls Pond Road, London, N1 4AG. Register online at conversation and friendships eventbrite.co.uk (search ‘caritas knife bins February’) or call 020 7931 6077. offered by the community

Working in a night shelter: one volunteer’s story

According to the charity Shelter, 170,000 people are homeless in London today.

Most of these individuals will live in hostels or be sofa surfing, but many have nowhere else to go but the streets. Figures collected by the Greater London Authority, using data from homelessness charities, suggest that the total number of people sleeping rough between October and December 2019 was 3,637. This is an 11% increase on the total figure for October to December 2018.

The problem is growing, but so is the response of the Catholic community, encouraged and supported by Caritas Westminster.

Many Catholic communities open their doors to rough sleepers by providing winter night shelters. Records held by Caritas Westminster indicate that one in seven of the churches across the Diocese of Westminster is involved with supporting a night shelter, usually as part of a local network of churches and faith communities.

A typical night shelter transforms a church hall into a hostel for 12 hours, opening at 8pm and offering a hot meal and a camp bed to a dozen or so homeless people. A breakfast such as porridge might then be served at 7am before the centre Page 16

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Three churches tackle knife crime

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Caritas team visits projects helping migrants in Calais On Saturday 11th January, a team of seven volunteers travelled from London to Calais, led by Sr Christine Frost FCJ MBE from ‘Neighbours in Poplar’. Sr Christine crosses the Channel regularly to help migrants and refugees in Calais.

Among the group were two development workers from Caritas Westminster, Rosa Lewis and Inès Ignasse, who were keen to gain direct experience of a social action project in Calais.

The experience will help them share knowledge with Catholics in their hubs about the issues prevalent in Calais. They were also joined by two students, Oma and Nikita.

There are still thousands of migrants in Calais waiting for an opportunity to cross the Channel, including hundreds of unaccompanied children. There are also many volunteers, French and English, who work with the refugees in Calais. The team from the Diocese of Westminster visited some of them. They first met Janie, the founder of Refugee Community Kitchen, which distributes almost 2000 meals in Calais, Dunkirk and Brussels. The Calais kitchen is in a large warehouse, unremarkable from the outside, but inside, a hive of activity and friendliness, with loud lively music to keep the volunteers going. Rosa, Inès and the others got to work chopping aubergines for the next day’s distribution. At 12 noon, a gong sounded, all activity ceased and the volunteers sat down to a hearty meal, the leftovers from the previous day’s distribution.

In the afternoon, the team visited a warehouse owned by Care4Calais, where they delivered brand new clothing

that had been donated to Sr Christine. There is a major need during the current winter months for sturdy waterproof boots and shoes. According to Care4Calais, ‘there are young boys wearing flip flops or sandals in the freezing mud.

They walk miles every day to get to food distributions or find places to sleep. In the wet conditions we see many cases of foot rot.’

The final stop of the day was at Maria Skobtsova House, also known fondly as ‘the Little House’, which provides beds for up to 16 of the most vulnerable people and a place to rest, shower, wash clothes and charge phones for any number of people who visit.

Inès was particularly impressed by the community feel of the house, where people from countries as far afield as Russia, Eritrea, and Mexico were living together. ‘The atmosphere felt special as we received such a warm and embracing welcome’.

One-hundred-year-old Ron Palmer has volunteered at St Joseph’s Pastoral Centre for 35 years. He recently had his contribution recognised at the Jewish Volunteer Network (JVN) Celebration of Volunteering Awards 2019, This welcome was where he was honoured with a expressed by the sharing of an Lifetime Achievement Award.

Eritrean feast of Injera bread, Ron joined Caritas St spicy lentils, and potato cakes. Joseph’s in 1984 when the staff Everybody gathered around consisted of one director and the table to eat together, telling one nun. They called on Ron to stories and making each other help with the book-keeping and laugh. After helping with the he has been doing it, five days a washing up, it was time to week, ever since. head back to London.

Ron modestly says he is not The Westminster team, who very good at change, but he has travelled to Calais for one day, successfully managed the were amazed at how many introduction of modern, volunteers stay there long-term computerised book-keeping and dedicate their lives to methods and seen many staff serving these destitute people. and other volunteers come and Nikita, a drama therapy go over the years. ‘The people student, said, ‘I learnt how are very, very nice’, he says. critical the living situation is in Calais. I was most surprised at the number of volunteers who came along and gave their time to cook and sort donations.

They were some of the warmest people, trying to do something good by treating the migrants with dignity and respect.’

Oma, a student of human rights and international law, said the whole day of volunteering had been a good experience. ‘Seeing so many people helping made me happy for the refugees, happy that they are not alone.’

Care4Calais, the Refugee Kitchen and Maria Skobtsova House are always in need of volunteers and donations of clothes and money.

For more information visit care4calais.org, refugeecommunitykitchen.com and mariaskobtsova.org or email caritasvol@rcdow.org.uk.

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Centenarian honoured for volunteer work

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Perhaps this is one reason why he has stayed there for so long.

Ron received his award on 4th December 2019 at a ceremony organised by the JVN, an organisation which has supported Caritas Westminster in promoting volunteering.

Ron’s award was presented just one week after Caritas St Joseph’s was similarly honoured with a London Faith and Belief Community Award.

The award recognised the centre for its contribution to the health and wellbeing of its students.

Ron’s invaluable contribution in the ‘back office’ is one example of how volunteers can serve the community.

Caritas Volunteer Service provides information for anyone who would like to live out their faith more actively through volunteering.

Information can be found at www.caritaswestminster.org.uk.

This February half term, Caritas Food Collective, part of Caritas Westminster, organised seven holiday clubs across the diocese. Cartias worked with volunteers in schools and parishes to welcome families for an afternoon of food and fun.

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Page 17

Westminster Record | Lent 2020

of Mary celebrates The Church which goes forth Legion 90th anniversary

by Bishop Nicholas Hudson ‘The Church which goes forth’ was an inspired name for the international meeting convened in Rome, in November 2019, to deepen our perspective on the Pope’s remarkable encyclical Evangelii Gaudium, published six years ago.

Pope Francis joined us at the end of the meeting and captured instantly the heart of Evangelii Gaudium when he told us, ‘I would like to say very simply: the joy of the Gospel springs from the encounter with Jesus. It is when we encounter the Lord that we are flooded with that love of which he alone is capable.’ He went on to say, ‘the need to proclaim the Gospel arises spontaneously and becomes irrepressible.’ What you proclaim is that ‘to live you need the love of God.’ Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop of Manila and President of Caritas Internationalis, was at pains to remind us that, in order to be evangelisers, we need to be evangelised ourselves. He presented the appeal to us to seek missionary encounters through pilgrimage. All humans, he suggested, are pilgrims on this earth.

Pilgrimage speaks of hope. As Christians, we walk a path trodden with deep hope by generations before us; and what we are called to proclaim is hope in Christ.

This seemed to find an echo in the presentation by Matthew Kelly, founder of Dynamic Catholic. ‘Are we tourists or pilgrims?’ he asked. Matthew seemed to be taking us naturally to a vision of Church as a stream of pilgrims stretching back and forth across millennia. ‘We could easily think the Church is something we have inherited’, he suggested, ‘but the truth is the Church is something on loan to us from future generations.’

The Pope pointed out that the first Christians, who were persecuted for their faith, should be our guide. We should not be saddened, said the Holy Father, by struggle, by misunderstanding: they are small things in the face of ‘the sublimity of the knowledge of Christ Jesus Our Lord.’

Page 18

What unites us, they both seemed to be saying, is that, in every generation, we share the same relationship with the Lord Jesus and with the Holy Spirit.

Communicating that loving relationship with God is the essence of what we are about.

Two other themes will stay with me. The first is God’s tender loving mercy. My perspective on this was deepened through a fine workshop led by Fr Gerry Whelan SJ. We heard how Pope Francis had recently described the cross as the seal of divine tenderness. This was explained as the way Christ gives himself for us on Calvary in spite of our hurting him. This extraordinary generosity is amplified by his tender preaching that it is the poorest and most vulnerable for whom we should make a place at the heart of our communities.

Pope Francis seemed to affirm this when he told us ‘our poverties are not obstacles but precious instruments because God’s grace loves to manifest itself in weakness.’ When we give centre stage to the poorest, the weakest, most especially those who have a disability, then we are effecting a Revolution of Tenderness. For, as St Paul put it, ‘God has chosen what is foolish in the eyes of the world to confound the wise.’ (1 Cor 1.27). That is the revolution. I heard here also a word of encouragement: to believe that, even if we feel too poor ourselves, God will use our weakness to make us strong in bearing witness to him (cf 2 Cor 12.9).

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The second theme: culture or, better, inculturation. This insight was a further gift of Cardinal Tagle. Everyone is part of a culture, he told us: we tell our stories in culturally different ways; popular piety is inculturation; it shows how faith is passed on within a culture. Jesus breached cultural limits in order to proclaim mercy: to touch the diseased, to call God ‘Abba’, to wash disciples’ feet. Cardinal Tagle said there are a number of cultures we need to accompany, in order to evangelise them: the cultures of indigenous peoples; the culture of the digital revolution; the cultures of people with disabilities, who require us to learn a new language and increased sensibilities; the culture of forced migration. He suggested that to walk with migrants requires learning from a different culture because it requires us to identify with the stranger. The arrival of the Gospel was a cultural event but, of its nature, culture-breaching; the call to us as the Church in the 21st century is to be both culturesteeped and culture-breaching.

I came away with a deepened sense that ours is a Church which must indeed ‘go forth’. Key words of Cardinal Bergoglio on the eve of his election as Pope Francis were often cited: ‘When the Church does not go out of herself to evangelise, she becomes selfreferential.’ What we are called to be is anything but selfreferential.

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It was in Hammersmith in 1929 that the Legion of Mary was first established in England.

Bishop Nicholas Hudson celebrated a special service at St Augustine’s Church on 7th December 2019 to commemorate the Legion’s 90th anniversary. Congratulating the Legion, he said, ‘We give thanks in today’s celebration for all those who had the courage of their convictions to initiate the Legion here in Hammersmith.

We pray for the repose of their souls, as we pray for the repose of the souls of all who followed.

And we ask Our Lord and his Blessed Mother to grant the Legion increasing flourishing.’

The Legion of Mary had been born just eight years earlier in Dublin. Its members were inspired by the spirituality and witness of the Society of St Vincent de Paul to do similar work under the banner of Our Lady. With a special care for the poor, they began visiting, always in pairs, first the poor in hospital, then in their homes. By 1932, the Legion had spread to five continents.

Today, the Legion of Mary is to be found in some 170 countries and numbers more than three million members, with many more auxiliary members. It is believed to be one of the largest lay apostolate organisations in the Church.

The Legion was the inspiration of Frank Duff, who guided its worldwide extension until his death in 1980. At the invitation of Pope Paul VI, he served as a lay observer at the Second Vatican Council. The cause for his canonisation was introduced in 1996.

Bishop Nicholas urged members to have daily recourse to Our Lady: ‘She waits to accompany each one of us as we make our unique journey through life. Not for nothing do we say, “Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.”

Because Mary waits to give us strength whenever we ask this of her. The work of the Legion is a marvellous testament to the power of intercession to her and of her intercession for us. And we should have daily and frequent recourse to her.’

contact: romerotrust@gmail.com website: www.romerotrust.org.uk

Archbishop Romero Trust registered charity no:1110069

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Review: ‘A Hidden Life’, the story of Franz Jägerstätter Recently I was invited to a private viewing of A Hidden Life. This deeply moving film, directed by Terence Malick, presents the struggle of Blessed Franz Jägerstätter to live his decision in conscience and refuse to take the military oath to Hitler. Franz Jägerstätter was born on 20th May 1907 in St Radegund, Upper Austria in the Diocese of Linz. This is a graphically powerful film which focuses on the intensity of the love between Franz and his wife Franziska, the hard work and beauty of the village life, and the brutality and oppression of the Nazi regime in Austria. In the midst of this we see the struggle of Blessed Franz to be true to his religious views and his view that it is incompatible to give allegiance to God and Hitler.

Not only in prayer but also by a dream is this conviction intensified. He dreams of a train hurtling along railway tracks and is convinced that this train is racing towards hell. People must jump off in order to be saved. He understands the train as a symbol of the Nazi tyranny which he must oppose and from which he must stand apart.

From the outset Franz is convinced that he cannot serve two masters, God and the Nazi regime. He struggles in his conscience about what to do. He prays, he broods, he is silent, yet from the depths he comes to the conviction that, ‘I will not do what I know to be wrong.’

Many of the parish and village oppose him, the bishop he consults tells him that he must care for his wife and fight for his country. As Franz becomes clearer in his conviction, he meets more opposition from his fellow villagers.

Three times he is called up for conscription. On the first two occasions the authorities in his home village save him and manage to bring him home exempted from military service on the grounds of being a land worker. As the Nazi tyranny grows harsher, Franz is more isolated. The daily postman cycling down the path towards

Reiner Bajo © 2019 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

by Bishop John Sherrington

© Lexi Cinema

Film friendship: the church and the cinema his house becomes an ominous sign: will he be called up or not?

The third time he is taken to military service there is no return.

Blessed Franz came to his decision in prayer. Although not a part of the film, it is important to recognise that there was much opposition to the Nazis in the Diocese of Linz. The former Bishop of Linz, Bishop Johannes Maria Gföllner (1915-1941), had spoken out strongly against the Nazis and refused to meet Hitler in 1938. He asked for Pope Pius XI’s encyclical Mit Brennender Sorge to be read from the pulpits of his diocese in 1937. He argued against the popular vote following the Anschluss. Fr Josef Karobath, the priest of St Radegund, was arrested in 1940 having spoken against the regime and became a witness at that time for the village. However later attitudes changed. From the Diocese of Linz, about 40 priests were sent to concentration camps, where 11 died. (11% were imprisoned at one time or another.) From Blessed Franz’s deanery, eight out of 10 or 11 priests were arrested. As well as the dream and in his prayer, these voices also helped to educate and form Blessed Franz’s conscience.

With courage he came to the decision that he could not be both a Nazi and a Catholic and so refused to take the military oath to Hitler.

Franz was beatified in 2007.

Pope Benedict said at the Angelus in 28th October 2007 that the example of Franz Jägerstätter ‘testifies that Baptism commits Christians to participating courageously in

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the spreading of the Kingdom of God, if need be cooperating with the sacrifice of life itself’.

At the Second Vatican Council, through the influence of Archbishop Thomas Roberts SJ of Bombay, the Council said, ‘It seems right that laws make humane provisions for the case of those who for reasons of conscience refuse to bear arms, provided however, that they agree to serve the human community in some other way.’

(Gaudium et Spes 79). This was achieved through the witness of Blessed Franz Jägerstätter and other martyrs.

The challenge to each one of us is to sharpen our conscience to the call of God in particular situations, humbly to allow the teaching of Christ and his Church to shape us, to free ourselves from complicity in evil and to witness to others inspired by the example of Blessed Franz Jägerstätter.

Respect for human persons is paramount: the dignity of unborn life, avoiding buying goods that abuse workers who are subject to human trafficking or modern slavery, caring for creation, and desiring step by step to be nonviolent in a violent world.

Diocese of Linz has pages in English dedicated to Blessed Franz Jägerstätter.

‘Hundreds of Austrian priests were incarcerated and put into concentration camps, many perished or were executed. About 1500 Austrian priests were banned from preaching or teaching. In addition to Jägerstätter, three more Austrian victims of Nazism were beatified since 1945, the Jesuit Jakob Gapp, the priest Otto Neururer and the nun Restituta Kafka.’ (from St Mellitus parish website)

300 metres down the road from the Roman Catholic Church of the Transfiguration, Kensal Rise, is another community hub with a mission to serve the residents of north west London; the Lexi Cinema. Beneath ‘The Lexi’ sign, there are large, white letters painted on the brick building: I AM A CINEMA. LOVE ME. In the words of Kensal Rise parishioner, Susan Carberry, ‘Yes, it is a cinema; a vibrant, community-led and charitable hub for the Kensal Rise community; and, yes, it is loved.’

Susan Carberry worked as the voluntary administrator at the Church of the Transfiguration, Kensal Rise, for 23 years. During this time, she built up a friendly relationship with the church’s neighbours, the Lexi cinema. The cinema contacted Susan whenever they were screening a film with a Christian or religious focus.

Susan shared the film in her own parish newsletter and notified other churches in the local area.

In addition to supporting the cinema with regular visits, Susan cemented the neighbourhood relationship by welcoming Lexi cinema team members Sally Wilton, Teresa Graham and Rosie Greatorex to the parish Tuesday Club for one of its morning meetings, where they delivered a talk about the charitable work funded by the cinema. The Lexi cinema donates 100% of its profits to a charity called the Sustainability Institute, a sustainable living and learning centre based in Lynedoch Village in rural Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Today, many parishioners are members of the Lexi, and the parish community continues to provide a source of volunteers and moviegoers for the cinema.

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Susan was so impressed by the ethos of the Lexi, that, after retiring from the parish office, she volunteered for the Nomad Cinema, the pop-up arm of the Lexi. Part of that ethos was the cinema’s willingness to screen films covering religious topics.

‘The Lexi has always been willing to show films of a religious nature. In recent years, these have included No Greater Love, the beautifully crafted documentary on the Carmelites in Ladbroke Grove, Of Gods and Men, the tragedy of the Trappist monks murdered in Algeria and Into the Great Silence, an intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse, a monastery high in the French Alps. Each of these films was well-supported and most enlightening.’

On Thursday 6th February, the Lexi cinema screened the London premiere of Outside the City, a feature documentary about the monks of Leicestershire’s Mount St Bernard Abbey. The film follows the aging community of 25 men, as the monks work to produce the first UK-brewed Trappist beer. The premiere was attended by the film’s Director, Nick Hamer, who also sat down for a live Q&A with the audience.

Susan summed up the impact of the cinema with the following: ‘In the past 10 years the Lexi has become an integral part of the local community, offering a diverse programme of events including black history studies, a women-only refugee film club, a neighbourhood film school and screenings for LGBT, seniors, carers and the hard of hearing.

The energy and enthusiasm of 50 local volunteers from all walks of life is its powerhouse.’

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Page 19

Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Staying siLENT with Million Minutes What are you reading?

Each Lent, Million Minutes, a national Catholic youth charity, runs siLENT, a sponsored silence which encourages individuals, parishes, schools and communities to set aside a period of time to give up the things that fill their life with noise and restlessness. By staying silent, participants are standing in solidarity with young people who don’t have a voice.

Each minute of silence is sponsored, with all of the money raised going to youthled social action projects that help young people change their lives and their local communities. During siLENT

Book review Domestic Monastery

By Fr Ron Rolheiser Darton, Longman & Todd 112 pages The Church encourages us to devote more time to prayer in all its forms during Lent.

Yet in this fastmoving world with its hectic demands, many find it a challenge to carve out time to pray, let alone to be more contemplative. Domestic Monastery by Fr Ron Rolheiser offers a way to apply the lessons of the monastery to everyday life.

Fr Rolheiser makes the point that it’s not appropriate for everyone to withdraw to a monastery, but that we can all strive for contemplation in our diverse vocations in a frenetic world.

Certain vocations, he says, ‘offer a perfect setting for living a contemplative life. They provide a desert for reflection, a real monastery.’ It is this desert which stretches our hearts and helps us to grow spiritually.

Indeed, it is this stretching of the Page 20

2019, 347,056 minutes of silence were created. The charity is hoping to build on this total in 2020.

Last year, Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School and the parish of Ss Peter and Paul, Northfields, created 21,000 minutes of silence between them. Anna, a catechist from Ss Peter and Paul, said: ‘For our young people, choosing a charitable focus as part of their catechism training was really important. They wanted to help a charity in the UK and Million Minutes was a perfect fit. Our young people created 1,000 minutes of silence. As difficult as it was for a group of 50 teenagers to stay silent for 20 minutes, they knew they were doing it for a worthwhile cause.’

These minutes of silence help young people like Elliot, who faces prejudice and challenge every day. siLENT is supporting him and his fellow students with learning difficulties at St John Vianney

SEN school. They are dedicating themselves to helping refugee families seeking a new home in Manchester. Elliot and the other pupils have built an allotment from scratch and are tending it weekly. They grow vegetables, which are then donated to refugees and asylum seekers in their local area. Elliot explains: ‘I love working with and meeting with the families. I love to support other people and motivate them when they really need it. I am a motivator.’

The young people also hope that the project will inspire others to see the need to care for the earth and see how small spaces can be a hub of growing activity.

Danny Curtin, CEO of Million Minutes, urged: ‘Let’s speak up with silence. Instead of simply cutting out sugar or chocolate, take time to give up the things that fill life with noise and restlessness.’

To sign up for siLENT visit www.millionminutes.org/silent

heart at every phase of life ‘to love ever wider and wider’ that is asked of us.

He defines a monastery as ‘a place set apart’ and explains that it is ‘a place to learn the value of powerlessness and a place to learn that time is not ours, but God’s’. When the monastic bell goes, monks are required to drop what they are doing and proceed immediately to the activity they are being summoned to, ‘not because you want to, but because it’s time for that task and time isn’t your time, it’s God’s time’.

In the same way, when the alarm goes off in the morning, we are called to respond, knowing it’s God’s time.

‘Response to duty can be monastic prayer, a needy hand can be a monastic bell, and working without status or power can constitute a withdrawal into a monastery where God can meet us.’

Contemplatives understand that their cell will teach them everything they need to know.

For the rest of us, our ‘cell refers to duty, vocation and commitment’.

‘Be faithful to your commitments, and what you are ultimately looking for will be found here’, he tells us. He encourages the reader to learn ‘what your cell is teaching you

without constantly looking for life elsewhere and without constantly believing that God is elsewhere’.

For those who struggle with prayer, he explains that, ‘love and prayer can only be sustained through ritual, routine and rhythm’.

Prayer is a long-term relationship. ‘Relating to anyone long-term has its ups and downs.’ A regular rhythm ‘incarnates the commitment’. The most important rule in prayer is to be present, to ‘show up’.

A healthy spirituality needs balancing a tension between opposites along many dimensions. He challenges us to think about where the tensions may lie for each of us through a series of helpful questions that can serve as a personal diagnostic reflection.

Fr Rolheiser encourages us to develop the right perspective on the demands placed on us in everyday living. We are better for having these demands on our time, he says, to remind us of our humanity. What matters is how we respond.

This slender volume is full of gentle encouragement to help us on our prayer journey this Lent.

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In the first in a series, Mgr Mark Langham tells us a little about the book he’s currently reading.

THE HOUSE OF ULLOA I’m reading The House of Ulloa, by the nineteenthcentury Spanish author

Countess Emilia Pardo Bazán.

A tale of social manners, high comedy, but eventually overwhelming tragedy, it follows the hapless Father Julián Alvarez who is sent to a remote and crumbling mansion in Galicia. There the last of the ancient family of Ulloa brings the innocent and unworldly priest into conflict with deceitful country folk, feuding local politicians, and the Marquis himself, a roisterous libertine, whose good qualities are clouded by his weakness and irresponsible behaviour.

Place, characters and gothic setting are richly described, while comical, even farcical, scenes never quite conceal the sinister undercurrent.

Like the best novels, The House of Ulloa has much to say about the human condition, its greatness and its pettiness, and how ordinary people react when caught up in extraordinary events.

UNLEAVING, Kidnapped and Lost at Sea a novel by Fr Bernard Scholes. All proceeds from the sale go to HCPT, taking special needs children to Lourdes. Available from bernardscholes@aol.com, www.saffirepress.com and amazon.co uk Follow us on Instagram at: @rcwestminster

Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Fr Bernard James Crowe RIP It has been said that ‘you can take the man out of the Redemptorists but you cannot take the Redemptorists out of the man.’ That has been said of Fr Bernard James Crowe who was ordained as a Redemptorist priest but who later requested, and was accepted for, incardination as a priest of the Diocese of Westminster. St Alphonsus Liguori, who lived from 16961787, founded The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the Redemptorists, in Italy in 1732 with the purpose of spreading the Gospel through parish missions and service of the poor by priests living in community with an apostolic life rooted in prayer. This was Bernard’s vocation, and after studies at the Redemptorist novitiate in Perth and their seminary at Hawkstone Park, Bernard returned to the northeast to be ordained at St Benet’s, Sunderland on 13 March 1955 by Bishop Joseph McCormack.

Bernard Crowe was the youngest of eleven children born to Leo and Mary Emma, formerly Robson, Crowe. Born on 8th October 1930 and educated at local primary and secondary schools in Sunderland, Bernard went from secondary school to the Redemptorist novitiate in 1947.

His first appointment after ordination was to Erdington Abbey in Birmingham, to teach in the junior seminary. In 1964 he was appointed Parish Priest at Erdington Abbey, where he remained until 1970. He then spent time with the Welsh Travelling Mission until he was appointed to the Redemptorist parish of St Joseph and the English Martyrs, Bishop’s Stortford in 1971 as Assistant Priest and then Parish Priest. He was popular with the parishioners and a regular visitor to peoples’ homes. He

Mgr Charles John Klyberg RIP

formed enduring friendships, helped by his charm and humour, and his ability to relate to the concerns of family life and the desire of parents to bring up their children in the Catholic faith.

In June 1981 Fr Bernard wrote to Cardinal Hume letting the Cardinal know that he had been discerning his future in conversations with Bishop Christopher Butler OSB. He wrote, ‘…I felt my vocation was to be a parish priest and, at the same time and perhaps because of it, I had a growing dissatisfaction with community life. Father Provincial was not too surprised…I would like to join the Westminster Diocese if you can find me an appointment for a few years while I pray over and think about my religious vocation…’

In reply, Cardinal Hume was characteristically gracious: ‘…I express my willingness for you to exercise your priestly ministry in this diocese. We know and respect you well enough...’ Fr Bernard took up an appointment as Assistant Priest at the Church of The Blessed Sacrament, Copenhagen Street for a year of vocational discernment, working with Fr Reginald Fuller who was Parish Priest. All went well, and in September 1982 Fr Bernard was appointed Parish Priest at St Paul the Apostle, Wood Green where he remained until 1986. It was during this time that he formally left the Redemptorists, with a decree from the Superior General in Rome, and joined the diocese. He was then appointed Parish Priest at St Erconwald’s, Wembley and remained there until 2001 when he retired to the parish of St Richard of Chichester, Buntingford to live in the presbytery and give assistance to the Parish Priest, Fr Michael Roberts. In June 2002 Fr Bernard moved to the Carmelite Monastery in Ware, Hertfordshire to serve as Chaplain to the Sisters. The Sisters welcomed Fr Bernard, having known him when he was Vicar for Religious in Hertfordshire from 1974-1981 while a Redemptorist priest in Bishop’s Stortford. He was pleased to be with the Sisters, describing the community as a ‘joyful and happy group of Carmelites’ and writing ‘It is marvellous to be here, the Sisters are an inspiration and I

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am going through a spiritual renewal – long overdue!’ In 2008 Fr Bernard wrote to Cardinal Cormac MurphyO’Connor to let him know of health issues that required surgery with up to six months’ convalescence. In 2011 it had become evident that Fr Bernard’s health concerns had increased. In August he had major surgery at Basildon University Hospital. After a period of convalescence, he returned to Ware Carmel.

Fr Bernard endeavoured to celebrate Mass and to preach at every Mass for as long as his heath permitted. He was faithful to his promise to pray the Prayer of the Church several times during each day. His gentleness and serenity endeared him to many other priests, Religious and lay people. Sunderland Football Club remained close to his heart, as did his family. He enjoyed many family holidays with his brothers and their wives, and later with their children, driving in Europe to pilgrimage destinations and tourist locations taking in the scenery and enjoying the local produce. Fr Bernard – Uncle Bernard – became the focal point of the family, with his faith and dedication at the centre.

By the end of 2016 Fr Bernard’s need for care necessitated periods of time in hospital and living in care homes, finally Nazareth House, Finchley from April 2019. Even though unable to say Mass, Fr Bernard remained a man of prayer with his breviary by his side, along with books written

by Redemptorists. His desire was to return to Bishop’s Stortford when the time came.

He died on 19th December at the Whittington Hospital; his Funeral Mass and burial will be at his beloved Bishop’s Stortford. Fr Bernard would have known this prayer by St Alphonsus Liguori: ‘Let us then fix our minds in the ways of God. Let us resolve to meditate each day on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us resign ourselves in peace to God’s plan for us. Let us endeavour, in the time remaining to us, to give all to God. Jesus has given himself to us; may God help us to give ourselves to him.’

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Every Catholic priest has also been ordained to the Diaconate, thus richly blessed with two ordinations. Mgr Charles John Klyberg, known as Mgr John Klyberg, was blessed with five ordinations!

He had been ordained deacon, priest and bishop as an Anglican before being received as a Catholic and becoming a Catholic priest on 16th December 1996. He was honoured with the title Monsignor by Pope Saint John Paul II in August 2000, along with Graham Leonard, former Bishop of London.

John Klyberg was the son of Captain Charles Augustine and Lilian Klyberg. He was born at Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex on 29th July 1931 and educated at Eastbourne College. He remained profoundly grateful for the education he received.

National Service was with the Buffs, the Royal East Kent Regiment, based in Canterbury.

John was commissioned as a second lieutenant and promoted to lieutenant in 1955 when serving in the Territorial Army. He served in Kenya during the period of the Mau Mau Rebellion in the 1950s.

The traumas of this period remained with John, as they did for many who were involved in different ways, and he carried the memories with courage. When he returned home John began formation for ministry in the Church of England at Lincoln Theological College. Theological studies were complemented with pastoral visits to the local hospital and prison.

As an Anglican priest, ordained in 1960, Fr John ministered at St John’s, East Dulwich, before returning to Africa for ministry as Rector of Fort Jameson in Zambia until 1967. His next appointment was to Christ Church, Battersea as Vicar until 1977. He then returned to Africa, to serve as Dean of Holy Cross Cathedral in Lusaka, Zambia where he remained until 1985. When back in England he was ordained a bishop in 1985 and served as Bishop of Fulham until his retirement in 1996, aged 65. He did not approve of the decision of the Church of England to ordain women to the priesthood, believing that the Church of England lacked the authority for this departure from tradition. He became a Follow us on Instagram at: @rcwestminster

Catholic and was ordained in the Private Chapel at Archbishop’s House, Westminster by Cardinal Basil Hume on 16th December 1996.

Fr John’s home was in Hythe, Kent. He made himself available to assist in the local Catholic parish, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Hythe, celebrating Mass and hearing confessions. On a visit to Italy in 1998, Fr John concelebrated Mass with the Holy Father, ‘an unforgettable privilege’, he wrote in a letter to Cardinal Hume. When given the title Monsignor in 2000 and made a Prelate of Honour, he expressed surprise at being honoured in this way, given in recognition of his dedication to Christian life in England over many years.

Mgr John enjoyed life as a retired priest living in Hythe, close to the sea. From his bungalow he observed shipping on the Channel with his telescope. He continued to enjoy driving, but journeys became shorter as the years advanced. He responded to requests for ministry locally.

His ministry was characterised by an endearing genial robustness. His style was ‘prayer and care’. With the advancing years health issues were inevitable. In 2017 he reported that he had various difficulties including occasional falls due to loss of balance, and his walking became ‘more of a shuffle’. As a retired priest he was supported by the Diocese of Westminster, and made known his wish to remain in his home in Hythe. ‘I hope to die here’, he wrote. In July 2019 he went to live in a local nursing home due to his increased need of care. He died peacefully at the age of 88, on 16th January 2020, shortly after returning from hospital treatment in Canterbury. Many people, Anglican and Catholic, ordained and lay, will have their memories of John Klyberg, and will be grateful for their experience of God’s love through his ministry. Not everything can, or should, be recounted in a long life such as Mgr John Klyberg’s, with 60 years of ministry, and in the best of Catholic traditions we pray that he will be given a merciful judgement, that he may rest in peace.

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Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Mgr Anthony George Stark RIP ‘I look on all the world as my parish’, said John Wesley, the eighteen century founder of Methodism. The sentiment expressed could be applied to Mgr Anthony Stark, who maintained a broad vision of the Church throughout his ministry as a priest, a vision never restricted to the confines of parish. He was not particularly well known to many of his fellow diocesan priests in Westminster, but his reputation was, and to many beyond the confines of the diocese. One of the few Monsignori to be a Protonotary Apostolic, a Prelate given special honour by the Pope, Mgr Stark was also a Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Master of the Guild of Our Lady of Ramson, Fellow of the Royal Philharmonic Society, a member of the Oriental Club, a Knight Chaplain of the Honourable and Ancient Society of Knights of the Round Table, a member of the Old Brotherhood of the English Secular Clergy, founder member and Chairman of the Friends of Cardinal Newman and Postulator of the Newman Cause for Canonisation. Mgr Stark lived to see the canonisation of Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890) on 13th October 2019, but he was unable to travel to Rome for an event that was a cause of joy for him and for the universal Church.

Travel had been one of Mgr Stark’s passions, as were music and cooking. He gave supply ministry in the Falklands, went on pilgrimages to the Holy Land and took holidays in Ireland. He was a man accustomed to exercising leadership and to giving orders where fitting to the occasion and the company; the Walsingham Walk is a memorable example for many fellow walkers. He was also good company, able to relax and share interests, stories and banter with characteristic good humour.

Always ready with an anecdote, he could entertain and be entertained. While his interests were wide-ranging, Mgr Stark was a priest through and through. He loved the Church and had a pastoral heart. Easy in the company of fellow priests, he readily adapted to the manner and habits of brother priests. He had been used to short term stays in presbyteries up and down the country while making appeals for the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom, raising money to be Page 22

used for the support of poor parishes. Whether a soup and sandwich lunch in a draughty presbytery, or the tasting menu with wine pairings, preceded by a gin and tonic, at a smart London club, Mgr Stark was ‘at home’ and good company. When celebrating Mass his personal devotion was evident; he was sincere and attentive but never fussy. He had a strong devotion to and love for Our Lady, and for the Rosary and Benediction. He studied the lives, and was inspired by the example, of the English Martyrs.

Born on 21st April 1932 in Hall Green, Birmingham, Anthony Stark was the eldest of two sons born to Bernard Francis and Cecilia Dorothy Stark.

Throughout his life he enjoyed sharing a birthday with the Queen, and the annual display of flags and celebration in recognition! Anthony was educated at the local Catholic primary school in Yardley Wood, then St Philip’s Grammar School in Edgbaston, Birmingham and then Durham University to study History. He left university after a year to pursue his sense of vocation with the Missionary Society of St Joseph, the Mill Hill Missionaries. With them he studied in Holland and in Mill Hill, north London. It became evident that his ministry would be at home rather than overseas and he joined the Oblates of St Charles. He was ordained to the priesthood, on 26th May 1956, in Westminster Cathedral by Cardinal Griffin and assigned to parishes in the Oblates’ care: Bayswater from 1956-62, then Notting Hill until 1964 when he was appointed Parish Priest at Paddington where he served for two years. In 1966 Cardinal Heenan invited Fr Anthony to work with the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom. After two years he was appointed Master of the Guild, a post he was to have for 44 years, until 2012. In 1975 he was given the title Monsignor.

During his years in parish ministry Mgr Stark was closely involved with schools as chaplain

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In Memoriam and governor, and as the diocesan representative on the local authority youth committee.

He was also chaplain to the local members of the Young Christian Workers. For twenty-five years he supported the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School as a governor.

Mgr Stark lived in and worked from a house on Southdown Road, Wimbledon as Master of the Guild while pursuing other types of clerical and social engagement. The domestic space was supplemented with an office and private chapel, and housed his two Siamese cats, named Romulus and Remus after the alleged founders of Rome. He entrusted care of his beloved cats to neighbours when he was away at weekends, making appeals around the country. At the age of 87 Mgr Stark’s needs necessitated moving from his home to Nazareth House in Finchley. He died peacefully on 8th January 2020 at the Whittington Hospital.

The Guild of Our Lady of Ransom has its own prayer, well known to Mgr Stark not only as a prayer but a personal ‘manifesto’ and expression of hope for his eternal destiny: ‘O blissful Maiden Mother of God, so loved in England and Wales of old and again so loved today; sinful we come to thee who art sinless, poor to thee who art rich, weak to thee who art strong. O pitiful Maiden Mother, teach us, thy children, better to know and love thy dear Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ; for his sweet sake to love and comfort one another, to be sorry for our sins, to hunger and thirst after justice. O sorrowful Maiden Mother of God, by the memory of the Five Wounds of Our Crucified Saviour pray to him for mercy on our country which was and is thy Dowry, that we may all, under the Successor of the Blessed Peter, be gathered into the one fold of the One Shepherd, so to be happy with him and with thee now upon earth and afterward for ever in our true heavenly home.’ May the soul of Mgr Anthony Stark rest in peace for all eternity. Amen.

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Mgr Frederick Row (1974) Mgr Canon Clement Parsons (1980) Fr Geoffrey Webb (2014) Fr Timothy McCarthy (2018) Fr Henry Dodd (1992) Fr Harold Riley (2003) Fr Thomas Nobbs (1977) Fr Paul Lenihan (1992) Fr Patrick English (1971) Bishop David Cashman (1971) Canon Jeremiah Galvin (1973) Fr Reginald Watt (1975) Fr Walter Donovan (1981) Cardinal Arthur Hinsley (1943) Fr Michael Buckley (1993) Fr Lionel Keane (1997) Fr Charles Connor (2005) Canon Digby Samuels (2018) Fr John Nelson-Turner (2015) Canon Desmond Swan (1995) Fr Edward Bushey (1996) Fr Nicholas Kavanagh (2018) Fr Gerard Burke (2019) Fr James de Felice (1978) Fr Edward Higgs (1988) Fr Peter Day (2006) Fr John Gill (1985) Fr Pat Heekin (2006) Mgr Richard Kenefeck (1982) Fr Cormac Rigby (2007) Fr James Brand (2013) Fr William Hutchinson (1984)

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Fr Francis Kenney (1987) Fr Peter Dunn (1974) Fr Robert Holmes-Walker (2010) Fr Albert Parisotti (1970) Fr David Evans (1989) Fr John Keep (2002) Fr Ronald Cox (1994) Fr Thomas Hookham (1998) Fr James Wooloughan (2003) Fr Gerard Meaney (2010) Mgr Canon John MT Barton (1977) Fr Brian Laycock (2004) Fr John Bebb (1975) Bishop James O’Brien (2007) Fr John Mills (1975) Fr Anton Cowan (2016) Fr Albert Davey (1987) Fr Michael Hendry (1994) Fr Clement Tigar (1976) Mgr Canon Lancelot Long (1978) Fr Bernard McGuinness (1978) Canon Lionel Dove (1971) Fr Joseph McEntee (1978) Canon Harold Winstone (1987) Fr Patrick Smyth (1978) Canon Reginald Fuller (2011) Fr Herbert Crees (1974) Fr Robert Tollemach (1998) Fr John Robson (2000) Canon Frank Martin (2002) Canon Clement Rochford (1978) Fr Derek McClughen (1991) Canon Francis Hegarty (2004) Fr Stanley Harrison (1973) Mgr John F McDonald (1992) Canon John Longstaff (1986) Fr Michael Moriarty (1996)

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Events & Calendar

Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Liturgical Calendar – March, April

rEGuLar EVENtS

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

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

Call 020 7503 5128 for details. tyburn Benedictines Monastic afternoon Every first Sunday 2-5pm Martyrs’ Crypt, Tyburn Convent, 8 Hyde Park Place W2 2LJ. Westminster Cathedral young adults meet socially after the 7pm Mass on Sundays and then at the nearby Windsor Castle pub.

For further details please contact: westminsteryoungadults@gmail.com

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

All are welcome.

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

Prayers for London at the Shrine of our Lady of Willesden Tuesdays 7.30pm. Organised by the Guild of Our Lady of Willesden, Nicoll Road NW10 9AX. 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.

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 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.

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.

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

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 every Friday 7.30pm Prayer, Praise and Teaching. First Friday is a healing Mass. For details, 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

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.

Share My Joy To celebrate the rededication of England as the Dowry of Mary, Signs of Life (in collaboration with the National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham) is hosting a one-day conference inspired by the message of Walsingham: ‘Share my Joy’.

Saturday 27th June 2020 Venue: The Light, Friends Meeting House, Euston Early bird tickets available until 29th March For more information and to book, visit sharemyjoy.co.uk

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1 Sun 2 Mon 3 Tue 4 Wed 5 Thu 6 Fri 7 Sat 8 Sun 9 Mon 10 Tue 11 Wed 12 Thu 13 Fri 14 Sat 15 Sun 16 Mon 17 Tue 18 Wed 19 Thu 20 Fri 21 Sat 22 Sun 23 Mon 24 Tue 25 Wed 26 Thu 27 Fri 28 Sat 29 Sun 30 Mon 31 Tue

+ 1st SUNDAY OF LENT Lent feria, First Week of Lent Lent feria Lent feria (St Casimir) Lent feria Lent feria; Friday abstinence Lent feria (Ss Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs) + 2nd SUNDAY OF LENT Lent feria, Second Week of Lent (St Frances of Rome) Lent feria Lent feria Lent feria Lent feria; Friday abstinence Lent feria + 3rd SUNDAY OF LENT Lent feria, Third Week of Lent ST PATRICK, Bishop, Patron of Ireland Lent feria (St Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor) St JoSEPH, Spouse of the BVM, Patron of the diocese Lent feria; Friday Abstinence Lent feria + 4th SUNDAY OF LENT (Laetare Sunday) Lent feria (St Turibius of Mogrovejo, Bishop) Lent feria + tHE aNNuNCIatIoN oF tHE Lord Lent feria Lent feria; Friday abstinence Lent feria +5th SUNDAY OF LENT Lent feria, Fifth Week of Lent Lent feria

other regular Masses 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.

APRIL

EXtraordINary ForM MaSSES 1 Wed Lent feria Sundays: Low Mass 9am, The 2 Thu Lent feria (St Francis of Paola, Hermit) Oratory, Brompton Road SW7 2RP. 3 Fri Lent feria 4 Sat Lent feria (St Isidore, Bishop and Doctor) Low Mass 9.30am, 5 Sun + PaLM SuNday oF tHE PaSSIoN oF tHE Lord St James Spanish Place W1U 3QY. 6 Mon MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK Dominican Rite Missa Contata 7 Tue TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK 4.00pm, Rosary Shrine, St Dominic’s Priory NW5 4LB. 8 Wed WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK Low Mass 5pm, St Bartholomew, 9 Thu MauNdy tHurSday St Albans AL1 2PE. 10 Fri Good FrIday; Fast and abstinence Low Mass 5.30pm, Shrine of Our 11 Sat HoLy Saturday Lady of Willesden, NW10 9AX. 12 Sun + EaStEr SuNday oF tHE rESurrECtIoN Mondays: Low Mass 8am, 13 Mon MoNday WItHIN tHE oCtaVE oF EaStEr The Oratory, Brompton Road 14 Tue tuESday WItHIN tHE oCtaVE oF EaStEr SW7 2RP. (St Joseph’s Altar.)

15 Wed WEdNESday WItHIN tHE oCtaVE oF EaStEr Sung Mass 6.30pm, Corpus Christi, 16 Thu tHurSday WItHIN tHE oCtaVE oF EaStEr Maiden Lane WC2E 7NB. 17 Fri FrIday WItHIN tHE oCtaVE oF EaStEr; tuesdays, Wednesdays and No Friday abstinence thursdays: Low Mass 8am, The 18 Sat Saturday WItHIN tHE oCtaVE oF EaStEr Oratory, Brompton Road 19 Sun + SECoNd SuNday oF EaStEr (or Divine Mercy Sunday) SW7 2RP. (St Joseph’s Altar.)

20 Mon Easter feria, Second Week of Easter Fridays: 21 Tue Easter feria or St Anselm, Bishop and Doctor Low Mass 8am, The Oratory, 22 Wed Easter feria Brompton Road SW7 2RP. (St 23 Thu St GEorGE, Martyr, Patron of England Joseph’s Altar.)

24 Fri Ss Erkenwald and Mellitus, Bishops; Friday abstinence Low Mass 6pm, St Etheldreda, 25 Sat ST MARK, Evangelist Ely Place EC1N 6RY. First Friday 26 Sun + 3rd SUNDAY OF EASTER only.

27 Mon Easter feria, Third Week of Easter Low Mass 6pm, St John the Baptist 28 Tue Easter feria or St Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr or St Louis Church, King Edward's Road Grignion de Montford, Priest E9 7SF. First and third Fridays only.

29 Wed ST CATHERINE OF SIENA, Virgin and Doctor Low Mass 6.30pm, Corpus Christi, 30 Thu Easter feria Maiden Lane WC2E 7NB. Second Friday only.

Beginning Experience Weekend Saturdays: Low Mass 8am, St Wilfrid’s Chapel, The Oratory, A healing weekend for men and women who are separated, divorced or widowed will be held from 3rd to 5th April 2020 at Brompton Road SW7 2RP. Low Mass 4pm, Lady Chapel, the Domus Mariae Centre, Chigwell, Essex.

Westminster Cathedral For details please contact Freda 01322-838415 or Maura SW1P 1QW. First Saturday only (from January 2020).

01322-551503 or email johnabrotherton@hotmail.co.uk

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Page 23

Westminster Record | Lent 2020

Pope’s prayer intention for March: The Church in China

by Fr David Stewart SJ The Pope’s prayer intention for March, shared through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, coincides with the 40th anniversary this month of the assassination of Saint Oscar Romero. It comes also as we suffer with the people of China, devastated by the outbreak of coronavirus. Pope Francis asks us to pray this month ‘that the Church in China may persevere in its faithfulness to the Gospel and to grow in unity’. This unity and faithfulness extends to all of us as we practice solidarity, an essential component of Catholic social teaching, with those who suffer anywhere in the world. Forty years ago, the people of God and, indeed, the great mass of the populace in El Salvador, suffered under state oppression. In our time, the faithful in China suffer in a similar way and now have the added horror of this awful epidemic.

Prayer is at the heart of our mission In 2019, Pope Francis reminded us that ‘the heart of the church’s mission is prayer’.

When we pray with the Holy Father, we are opening our own hearts to mission, to discipleship, not merely making Page 24

a resolution to do this or that good action. St Oscar Romero once preached: ‘people shine brightest when they are the Lord’s light, when they make their work a way of serving humanity, when they are lamps that are consumed as they give out light’. He was speaking of people who were putting prayer at the heart of their mission.

The Salvadorian people found their champion in Oscar, and in his Jesuit companion and mentor Rutilio Grande SJ, both men martyred for refusing to compromise with state oppression. The Holy Father invites each of us to partake in no less important a mission this month: praying in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in China. Few of us will be asked to give our blood, or indeed our lives, in solidarity with them; but by opening our hearts to their situation, we can unleash the power of prayer that motivates us towards discipleship, that forms our hearts.

Catholics in China Most experts estimate China’s Catholics to number around 12 million. Some are members of the government-

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backed Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, over which the Vatican has no authority. Others belong to an underground church loyal to the Holy See. It is the latter group that have experienced persecution. Underground priests and parishioners are frequently detained and harassed. Part of the prayer intention this month is that the Chinese church may ‘grow in unity’. Jesus, of course, prayed to the Father, ‘that they may all be one’. Pope Francis, who constantly promotes dialogue, recently reached an agreement with the Chinese state to recognise state-appointed bishops. This was a controversial decision, harshly criticised in some quarters.

The Holy Father’s view is that reconciliation and mercy, what Oscar Romero called ‘the violence of love’, ought always to be our guiding principle.

This conviction underlies the Pope’s approach to the difficult issue of Catholic Christians in China.

St Oscar Romero and Fr Rutilio Grande SJ Perhaps our prayer for the church in China might include a prayer to St Oscar Romero for his intercession for these suffering people. We might also pray for the beatification of Oscar’s trusted companion and mentor, Fr Rutilio Grande SJ. This Jesuit priest became for Oscar an example of what his own mission and destiny would be. Rutilio worked tirelessly for the poor of El Salvador and was eventually assassinated, along with two of his parishioners. St Oscar knew that this would be his mission too, and his fate. From that moment onwards the shy Archbishop Oscar Romero became a true leader of all his people. Three years later, he followed his friend and mentor to martyrdom. Let us pray for all who are oppressed anywhere in our troubled world and let us remember all those in China affected and bereaved by the coronavirus epidemic.

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