The Parish Proclaimer Lent 2010
Cathedral Parish of Our Lady & St. Philip Howard, Arundel, West Sussex Published in February 2010
All about the Parish
Rev. Canon Tim Madeley - Dean Rev. Mr. David Clifton - Deacon
Rev. Malcolm King - Priest in Residence Mrs Louise Sharp - Parish Secretary*
Cathedral House, Parson’s Hill, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 9AY
Tel: 01903 882 297 Fax: 01903 885 335 Email: aruncath1@aol.com
Web: www.arundelcathedral.org
* Louise works for the Parish: 9am – 12 noon, Monday – Friday Cathedral Mass Times
Sunday
9.30am Family Mass on the third Sunday of the month;
Weekdays
10am
Saturday
11am
Saturday Sunday Thursday
Saturday
11.15am
Children’s Liturgy available other Sundays. Cathedral Choir.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Saturday: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass. Benediction.
Convent of the Poor Clares at Crossbush Mass Times 5.30pm Vespers.
6.15pm Vigil Mass (entry at 6pm). 4pm 5pm
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Vespers and Benediction.
8.30am Mass - for Mass times on other weekdays please call the
Convent the night before on 01903 882 536. Sacrament of Reconciliation
Cathedral: Convent :
10.30am otherwise by appointment.
Before/after the Saturday 6.15pm Mass.
Lent Reflection by
Father Malcolm Hymns have an important place in Christian worship and there is no doubt that people like singing them. However most congregations I fear know little about them: their authorship and background, their content and message. Many hymns - especially those in the older tradition - are devotional treasures, rich in biblical language and allusions, providing excellent material on various aspects of spiritual life. In fact I firmly believe that hymns have a considerable teaching value. This has been recognised in the story of the Christian Church and it has often been suggested that Church people learn more of their theology from the hymn books than from the Bible. At any rate many popular hymns offer a ready-to-hand medium for teaching the cardinal truths of the Christian faith and, for doing so, in a form people can readily grasp and possibly remember. As we enter the Holy Season of Lent and approach Passiontide, I offer one such hymn for your thought and meditation: “When I survey the wondrous Cross.” It is certainly the finest of the six hundred hymns written by the great Doctor Isaac Watts in 1707. The hymn invites us to look at the Cross, not simply to give it a hasty and casual glance, but to survey it. That long steady contemplative look is essential if we are to penetrate the true and real meaning of the Crucifixion. In turning to the hymn we may learn three things about the Cross: what it forbids, what it reveals and what it demands. Please turn to page 4
ARTICLES FOR THE EASTER ISSUE OF THE PROCLAIMER: 12 MARCH 2010 Email to clouter@mac.com or post to Cathedral House, Parson’s Hill, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 9AY
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What the Cross forbids. The Cross at once puts an end to all boasting. It robs us of every bit of self esteem and self satisfaction. When by faith we look at the crucified Son of God and recognise that He died for our sins, we reassess our scale of values. The Cross is the one thing we may boast about, the thing of supreme worth: God’s saving act accomplished once and for all in the death of Christ. All other boasting is forbidden. What the Cross reveals. We take another look at the Cross and what do we see? Within the second stanza some wonderful imagery derived from St. John’s account of the Crucifixion – the sorrow of the Saviour, His sorrow for the sin of the world and His love for sinners. The poet asks, “Did ever such love and sorrow meet?” No, never! And again, “Did ever thorns compose so rich a crown?” It is an astonishing suggestion! In the eyes of the believer, the man of sorrows is the king of love. What the Cross demands. The Cross confronts us with claims of redeeming love and thus demands a response that is both personal and complete. In the Cross we see the measure of our indebtedness to Christ. He gave everything for us. What are we to give to Him? Not the whole realm of nature, for that is not ours to give. In any case such an impersonal offering would be an inadequate return for all that Christ has done for us. There is only one thing we can give and that is ourselves, the whole of ourselves. My soul – what I am as an individual. My life – what I do, my daily work and activities. My all – what I have, my gifts and talents, my wealth and possessions.
This is what the Cross demands and that demand remains whether we respond to it or not. Nothing can alter the fact that Christ died for us or diminish the claims His love makes upon us. The verdict rests with us. Total love demands total surrender. I am grateful to Frank Colquhoun who has so many times offered in his books on hymnology guidance on such thoughts. May St. Richard of Chichester’s prayer invoke us to pray that “Day by day we may know Him more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly” which the richness of such wonderful hymns are an inspirational source by which this prayer may be fulfilled.
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When I survey the wondrous Cross
Words by Doctor Isaac Watts (1707), music by Edward Miller (1790) When I survey the Wondrous Cross On which the Prince of Glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood. See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown? His dying crimson, like a robe, Spreads o’er His body on the tree; Then I am dead to all the globe, And all the globe is dead to me. Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Doctor Isaac Watts
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Saint David and his mother, Saint Non by Mary Corbyn
St. David, depicted in a 19th century stained glass window at Jesus College Chapel, Oxford.
If the Welsh are known for one thing in particular it is surely their music, especially their voices – so rich and powerful and capable of stirring large crowds both to high emotion and to silence. Back in the year 545AD, a gathering of religious tribal chiefs met on the west coast of Wales to consider the teaching of a British theologian named Pelagius who denied the doctrine of original sin and taught that we could reach heaven by our own efforts, unaided by God’s grace. This ‘heresy’ became widespread in the Christian world and was challenged by many of the greatest thinkers of the day. At this gathering – known as the Synod of Brefi – such a clamour broke out that no single speaker could make himself heard (those Welsh voices!) until a young man was brought in from a nearby town to quell the tumult. This young man was David (or Dewi) whose clear, convincing speech quietened the crowds and persuaded them to reject Pelagius and his errors. David’s reputation as teacher and speaker led to his election as bishop, but he maintained rather an austere lifestyle, going about bare-headed and barefoot; he carried a large branch instead of a crozier, and a bell which he named ‘bangu’ (‘dear loud one’). David then travelled south west along the coast and eventually established a monastery at a headland, in the narrow valley of the River Alun where it was protected and hidden from the pirates who continually harassed the villages along the coast. David’s church was built of mud and timber as were the huts for the monks who grew their own food inbetween hours of prayer and reading. Only in the evening, after Vespers, did they gather for a meal of ‘bread and 6
herbs, seasoned with salt and washed down with ale.’ Down the coast, a mile or so from St. David’s Church, now a Cathedral, is a holy place known as St. Non’s; it has two chapels, a shrine and a holy well whose waters are reputed to have healing properties, especially for afflictions of the eyes. St. Non, the virtuous mother of St. David, was thought to have been brought up at a nearby house once owned by St. Patrick of Ireland – ‘Y Ty Gwyn’ – The White House. At the very moment of David’s birth, legend has it that the sun shone with great brilliance in the midst of a terrible storm and a spring of water appeared which became known as the ‘holy well’ visited by many thousands of pilgrims over the centuries, who covered the floor of the well with simple offerings (mainly pins and pebbles) as tokens of their devotion. The mediaeval chapel of St. Non – one of eight such chapels dotted around the headland – was destroyed, finally, in 1810, although the remains of ancient tombs and gravestones were discovered during excavations. On St. David’s Day, 1934, the foundation stone of a new chapel was laid dedicated to Our Lady and St. Non. Mass was celebrated there by the Bishop of Menevia on 2 August of the same year. The two saints, David and Non, are said to have travelled and evangelised in Cornwall and over the sea in Brittany. The ‘new’ Church contains a window showing them arriving in Brittany where St. Non is venerated as healer and peacemaker; her tomb is cherished as a local religious monument in Finistere. St. David is commemorated on 1 March and St. Non on 2 March. It is claimed that David lived for over 100 years, and he died on a Tuesday (1 March). It is generally accepted that this was around 590, making the actual year 589. The monastery is said to have been 'filled with angels as Christ received his soul'. His very last words to his followers were in a sermon on the previous Sunday. Rhygyfarch transcribes these as 'Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed. Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.' 'Do the little things in life' ('Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd') is today a very well-known phrase in Welsh, and has proved an inspiration to many. David was buried at St. David's Cathedral (see photograph on page 8) where his shrine was a popular place of pilgrimage throughout the Middle Ages. His popularity in Wales is shown by the Armes Prydein Vawr c.930, a popular prophetic poem in which the poet prophesied that in the future, when all might seem lost, the Cymry (the Welsh people) would unite to follow David as their leader: A lluman glân Dewi a ddyrchafant (And they will raise the pure banner of Dewi) and defeat the English. 7
Unlike many contemporary 'saints' of Wales, David was officially recognised by Pope Callixtus II in 1120 thanks to the work of Bernard, Bishop of St. David's. Music for his office has been edited by O.T. Edwards in Matins, Lauds and Vespers for St. David’s Day: the Mediaeval Office of the Welsh Patron Saint in National Library of Wales MS 20541 E (Cambridge, 1990). David's life and teachings have inspired a choral work by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins, called “Dewi Sant.” It is a seven-movement work that is best known for the classical crossover series Adiemus, which intersperses movements reflecting the themes of David's last sermon with those drawing from three Psalms. An oratorio by another Welsh composer Arwel Hughes, also entitled "Dewi Sant," was composed in 1950. There is also a Glastonbury connection to St. David. As some background information, Rhygyfarch (sometimes anglicised to Ricemarch), eldest son of Sulien, whom he succeeded in 1088 as Bishop of St. David's, was the author of the standard Life of St. David. The original text was written in Latin but was translated into Welsh later in the Middle Ages as “Buchedd Dewi” and did much to enhance the cult status of St. David in Wales. Rhygyfarch stated that Glastonbury Abbey was amongst the many churches David founded. Around forty years later William of Malmesbury believing the Abbey was older than this, said that David visited Glastonbury intending only to re-dedicate the Abbey, as well as to donate a travelling altar including a great sapphire. He had a vision of Jesus, who said that "the Church had been dedicated long ago by Himself in honour of His Mother, and it was not seemly that it should be re-dedicated by human hands.” So David instead commissioned an extension to be built to the Abbey, east of the Old Church (the dimensions of this extension given by William were archaeologically verified in 1921). One manuscript indicates that a sapphire altar was among the many items King Henry VIII confiscated from the Abbey at its dissolution a thousand years later. There are unverifiable indications that the sapphire may now be among the Crown Jewels.
St. David’s Cathedral, built in its present form 1181.
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Knights of the Holy Sepulchre by John McDermott
Following a Vigil Service, an Investiture Mass was held at St. George’s Cathedral, Southwark, on Saturday 5 December, 2009, when the Reverend Canon Timothy Madeley, Dean of Arundel Cathedral, was invested as a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem by the Grand Prior, Archbishop Kevin McDonald. Present at the ceremony were H.E. Dr. David Smith, Lieutenant of England and Wales, the Governor General Count Augostino Borromeo, the Right Reverend Richard Moth, Bishop to the Forces, Fra. Duncan Gallie, Knight Justice of the Order of Malta, Bro. Joe McNally, Grand President of the Catenian Association and 350 members of the Order. A celebration luncheon followed in the Great Hall at Lincoln’s Inn. The Order dates back to the time of the Crusades in the 11th Century and was resuscitated by Pope Pius IX in 1847 entrusting it with the primary task of supporting the activities of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem. The members of this International Order undertake this responsibility by Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, prayer, direct action and oblation. The main thrust of the Order is to support the Church, the Seminary, Bethlehem University, the schools and housing to help maintain the spiritual and material welfare of the dwindling numbers of Christians, the living stones, who live in the Holy Land. For further information on the Order you are invited to contact John McDermott KC*HS, Section President, telephone 01243 552 109.
Origins of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem courtesy of www.khs.org.uk
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, which then had both ecclesiastical and military aspects, had its origins in the successful conclusion of the First Crusade and the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1099. The ecclesiastical role was evidenced by the Latin Patriarch - an office first founded by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 - and the Regular Canons of the Holy Sepulchre of St. Augustine, who were established by Gibelin of Sabran, Archbishop of Arles and Arnulf de Roher, the Patriarch, in 1114. The military role was initiated by the election as leader of the First Crusade of Godfrey de Bouillon, who led his men to victory in Jerusalem on 15 July 1099. Godfrey accepted the title 9
of Protector of the Holy Sepulchre. He died in July 1100 and he was succeeded by his brother Baudoin, or Baldwin I, as King. This new leader laid the foundations of the kingdom and established its main institutions on the Norman-French pattern as a centralised feudal state. He drew up the first Constitution of the Chivalric Order in 1103, under which the Patriarch appointed Knights in Jerusalem at the direct service of the Crown. The Kingdom existed for 200 years, reaching its zenith under Baldwin III (1143-1162), but suffered defeat at the hands of Saladin in 1187 at the Battle of Hattin and the Knights were finally driven out of the Holy Land at the Siege of Acre in 1291. With the dispersal of the Knights of all the Orders from the Holy Land, the Holy Sepulchre Order of Knighthood declined in strength and struggled to continue. It no longer had a natural leader and the Patriarch was in exile. The Regular Canons of the Holy Sepulchre of St. Augustine fared somewhat better. Priories were established all over Europe - as many as 2000 at one time - and there were convents of Canonesses in Germany, the Low Countries, Spain and England, of which the Canonesses of New Hall in Essex still survive. Pope Pius IX restored the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in 1847. At the same time, with the Bull Nulla Celebrior, the Pope gave new life to the Order by entrusting it with the primary task of supporting the activities of the newly restored Patriarchate. The Statute governing the Order has been modified several times over the years and was approved in 1996 by Pope John Paul II after its latest revision. Its charitable purpose remains unchanged: to provide a regular support of prayer and work for the Christian communities in the Holy Land, a task that has become essential in recent decades as a way to stem the emigration of Palestinian families, particularly among the Christians. At an audience for members of the Order during their Jubilee Pilgrimage to Rome in 2000, Pope John Paul II said, "Your Equestrian Order, which began a few centuries ago as an 'Honour Guard' for the care of Our Lord's Holy Sepulchre, has enjoyed the particular attention of the Roman Pontiffs. It was Pope Pius IX, of venerable memory, who in 1847 reconstituted it in order to encourage the re-establishment of a Catholic faith community in the Holy Land. This great Pope restored your original function but with a significant difference: the custody of Christ's tomb would no longer depend on the force of arms, but on the value of a constant witness and solidarity towards Christians residing in the Holy Places. This is still your task today. May the Holy Year, which is a time for personal and community conversion, see each of you intent on fostering and deepening the three characteristic virtues of the Order: zeal for self-denial in this society of affluence, generous commitment to the weak and defenceless, and a courageous struggle for justice and peace."
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Keep taking THE TABLET!
The Irish Scandal and the New Missal `by Michael Winters
Over the past few weeks, The Tablet has been throbbing on three separate subjects. Unsurprisingly, the first has been the disaster in Haiti. No doubt, we have all agonised over this; but there are no words which I can usefully add apart from gift-aiding... all that most of us can do is to pray. The second subject, and again one which has been very disturbing, relates to the horrific disclosures concerning the physical and sexual abuse of children by the clergy over many years in Ireland. The abuse itself was of course dreadful, but even worse has been the way it was covered up by the bishops. Even the Vatican itself has been criticised for its lack of a decisive response. The heart-dropping question which has to be asked is, ‘Were the upper echelons of the Church more concerned with their own status rather than with the security of the children within their care?’ This question relates not only to the position in Ireland, but in many other areas in the world such as the United States of America and Australia. The discussions in The Tablet have moved onto the structures of the Church from the Curia step-by-step down to the laity. Under the heading ‘Towards a Humble Church’ a former Master of the Dominicans, Timothy Radcliffe, has written a powerful article (in the issue of 2/1/10) in which he says that, “every institution always seeks to preserve and augment its power.” In the case of the Catholic Church, “its stiff clericalism and authoritarianism do not help [it] now to thrive and be a sign of God’s friendship for humanity. And so we need a new culture of authority, from the Vatican to the Parish Council, which lifts people up the mystery of loving equality, which is the life of the Trinity.” In the context of the Irish scandal, he reaches the conclusion that, “the Lord is demolishing our clerical pretensions to glory and grandeur so that the Church may be a place in which we may encounter God and each other more intimately.” Timothy Radcliffe has clearly touched a nerve, and the letters published the following week (9/1/10) from both the clergy and the laity under the general heading ‘Crisis of Clericalism’ were all supportive of this view; indeed some went further. Later again (in the issue of 16/1/10), there was a further major article, this time by Daniel O’Leary, a priest of the Leeds Diocese, concentrating on the growing realisation within the church that, “the clerical model of church authority has drifted too far from the vision of the carpenter’s son.” He is aware that some commentators refer to the idolatrous pull of power, privilege and possessions that subtly infect even the most religious organisation when an isolating clericalism replaces a loving servanthood. He goes on to suggest that the painful 11
and devastating meltdown in Ireland may be one of the reasons why a considered view is emerging that a radical reform of the whole Church is urgently needed. “Maybe a Third Vatican Council is what the Holy Spirit is prompting us to consider. The voice of the faithful the sensus fidelium - needs to find a forum for a structured response.”So what response should we, the Parish of Arundel, make? What strikes me immediately is that both Timothy Radcliffe and Daniel O’Leary take it for granted that our Parish (any Parish) will already have a Parish Council. Whilst the Dean as Parish Priest has the final decision on the matter, the strong guidance from Vatican II, from our current Pope and from the Diocese, is that the laity should readily have a ‘forum’ at which the members of the laity can discuss and hear the views of other laity members. I believe that we too should have both a Parish Council and occasional Parish Meetings. A modest step such as this would result in us (in the words of Timothy Radcliffe) “encountering God and each other more intimately.” I finally come to the introduction of the New Missal, the third subject discussed at length in The Tablet of 16/1/10. Michael Ryan, the Pastor at Seattle Cathedral, has been watching the work of the International Commission on English in preparing a new translation of the basic Latin texts into contemporary English. They had been instructed by the Curia to follow those texts more closely than had been the case in the Missal currently in use. I have had only a brief look at part of the new Missal, but I find it very disappointing. For example, I just do not understand many of the words. I wonder how many people know the meaning of the words oblation, consubstantial and incarnate. As I mentioned in an earlier Proclaimer, nobody in fact knows what “And with your spirit.” (the response to “The Lord be with you.”) means! In a nutshell, a choice has to be made in writing the new English text. Should it be word-forword close to the basic Latin (not the language of the Apostles, nor the language in which Scripture was written) in words not fully nor easily understood by the majority of readers, or should it be able to be understood readily by all English-speaking people and be of a style in which the reader is in a state of prayer, close to his image of God? The Curia have decided (without consultation with the laity) to take the first option. All the letters published in The Tablet are critical of this decision, calling it clericalism in practice. In South Africa (where it has already started to be used), a correspondent writes, “It is an imposition of authority and control with no liturgical merit, and has left priests and people dispirited and resentful.” In fact Michael Ryan has started an Internet petition asking that the new Missal be delayed for a time during which it will be given a ‘trial run’ with selected Parishes and communities. I think that this is a splendid idea, and so do 13,000 other people who have shown that they agree by signing the petition. Logon to www.whatifwejustsaidwait.org to add your name.
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Parish People: Cora Gillies by Colin Swanton
Cora, the third nominated new member of the Parish Core Team, is a PE teacher at Chatsmore Catholic High School at Goring. She comes from a family with a long association of both Arundel and the Cathedral. Cora’s maternal grandfather was organist at the Cathedral and her mother grew up in Arundel. It was also in Arundel where her parents met during the war – Cora’s father was an American soldier stationed locally – and their marriage took place at the Cathedral in 1945. After the war Cora’s father returned to the States, and her mother followed by ship as a GI bride. Cora is one of the seven children born to them in America. The family subsequently moved back to Arundel in 1967, to a house in Maltravers Street, making the move mainly because her parents felt that education for her brother, Duncan, who is deaf, would be better in England. Cora’s father and Duncan travelled here first to modernise and prepare the house, and her mother with the other six children (including Cora) followed on the Queen Elizabeth. Duncan still lives in the house today. Cora went to school at the Holy Family Convent in Littlehampton and finished at college in Nonington, in Kent, where she gained her teaching degree. After a few years’ teaching, Cora moved back to the States for a break and worked in various fields including waitressing, photography and private tuition. During this time, she lived in Boston and in Fort Worth, Texas. After Cora had been away from England for eight years she returned to Arundel to take up a teaching post. As regards her being a Parish Core Team member, Cora said that she had only attended one meeting so far and was still feeling her way. She sees herself as a communicator between the Parish and the Core Team: she has already been approached by parishioners and has taken two of their suggestions forward. She believes she can make a valuable contribution to Parish life and is looking forward to the challenge. Amongst her many interests, Cora loves music, playing the flute and piano as well as enjoying singing. She is also the co-ordinator for her school on the Government initiative “Every Child Matters” which gives her a pastoral role within the school.
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Proclaimer Crossword Puzzle 7 by Chris Dinham
CLUES ACROSS
CLUES DOWN
1 Place in which to lie low (8) 5 Tie; fasten (4) 9 Something hard to climb (5,4) 10 Peculiar (3) 11 Beneath sea and lake (10) 14 Pungent or tart (6) 15 Doze or have a kip (6) 17 North Midlands city (10) 20 Form of transport (3) 21 Neither flexible nor resilient (9) 22 Relaxation; tranquility (4) 23 Supplement (8)
1 Be quiet! (4) 2 Profound; far down (4) 3 Minor hospital surgery (12) 4 Resurrected (6) 6 Taking over; fostering (8) 7 Confirmed; sanctioned (8) 8 Descriptive of high wind (7,1,4) 12 It attaches to ships and rocks (8) 13 “Pie crust� (anag.); look at them! (8) 16 Corresponded; matched (6) 18 Fastener, or a group of animals (4) 19 Waste matter (4)
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Puzzle Solutions from The Advent Proclaimer CROSSWORD PUZZLE 6 Clues Across 1. Pessimism 9. Palace 10. Scapegoat 11. Pier 12. Eros 15. Ferret 17.Cerise 18. Eileen 19. Depths 22. Beer 25. Satisfied 26. Celtic 27. Celebrate Clues Down 2. Excise 3. Sapper 4. Maggot 5. Span 6. Mat 7. Pacifist 8. Fearless 13. Revel 14. Melee 15. Feedback 16. Reliable 19. Device 20. Prefer 21. Honest 24. Mace 25. Sic NATIVITY WORD SCRAMBLE 1. STAR
7. JOSEPH
13. MESSIAH
2. MANGER
8. JESUS
14. BALTHASAR
3. MARY
9. KINGS
15. SHEPHERDS
4. SHEEP
10. STABLE
16. FRANKINCENSE
5. DONKEY
11. GABRIEL
17. MYRRH
6. ANGEL
12. INN KEEPER
18. BETHLEHEM
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St. Philip’s Catholic Primary School News
After a very snowy, icy and disrupted start to the new year, all pupils and staff are now fully settled into the term. Reception class, Year 1 and Year 2 are now immersed in their Spring Term ‘Creative Curriculum’ Topics. Reception class are ‘Down in the Jungle’ researching facts about animals, different layers, weather and the people found in the Amazon Rain Forest. The children received a letter from an explorer in the Rain Forest who asked them to find out about ways that they can help stop deforestation. All pupils are keen to role-play being an explorer and find out more about the animals and people who are being affected by logging. Years 1 and 2 are working together on their exciting theme of ‘Turrets, Tiaras and Talons’. Children have been reading books about dragons, writing stories, decoding secret messages and making ‘dragon eggs’ whilst creating their own ‘story sack’ at home, based on their own dragon story and characters. Their topic leads onto ‘knights and castles’ and will involve a trip to our local castle in Arundel where they can find out more information in a real life setting. At the beginning of the term, we were delighted to send out to parents our recent Religious Education Inspection Report. It reflected our ethos and commitment as a Catholic School to “developing pupils’ academic and personal faith” whilst also nurturing “strong liaison with parents and parishes.” It was noted that Canon Tim “makes a very positive contribution to the prayer life of the school” and “his commitment is greatly valued and appreciated by all members of the school community.” The school was judged as “outstanding, highly effective and distinctly Catholic.”
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St. Philip Howard High School News Our Jubilee Celebrations during last term were a huge success, reuniting both past staff and students from the five decades of the school’s history. Our reunion took place on Saturday 17 October and Mass was held on the feast of St. Philip Howard in Arundel Cathedral followed by a reception in the Castle’s Baron’s Hall. The school reunion buzzed with excited and vivacious conversations and past students toured the school to recall memories of their adolescence; they lingered on long after closing, immersed in reveries and engrossed in personal recollections. The Mass was concelebrated by local priests led by Bishop Kieran with music and dance provided by former and present students. At each event the first Headteacher, Mr Short, was represented by members of his family and we were particularly honoured that Mrs Short was able to attend the Mass at the Cathedral. Mr Kelly and Mr Casey (second and third Headteachers respectively) were in attendance and contributed much to the enjoyment of the celebrations. Mr Kelly wrote afterwards that it was such “a memorable celebration” and he expressed his “..thanks and admiration .. for leaving us with such lasting memories,” and that “the Mass was a great credit to both staff and pupils.” Mr Jones, Headteacher of Bognor Regis Community College, was a guest at the Mass and wrote to thank us, “this event said a great deal about the ethos and values of the school, of which you must be extremely proud.” Our thanks to the committee whose members worked so hard to prepare and participate in the events: Julia Janiec, Maureen Francis, Bob Tebbit, Viv Tebbit, Jacqui Inglis, Frances Bell, Tess Galvin, Linda Coleman, Tom O’Brien, David Fetteroll, Peter McGeady, Ann Careless, Prue Payne, Alison Baker, Pat Anderson and Steve Williams. And to all those who supported and assisted, especially Rita Goodman and the performing arts department. The school continues to grow from strength to strength, guided by the Grace of God and our commemoration allowed us, in the words of Pope John Paul II: “To remember the past with gratitude, to live the present with enthusiasm and to look forward to the future with confidence.”
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From Wintry Worthing to Crusoe’s Island by Jim Starkey
Over 70 parishioners, from infants to the mere young at heart, were willingly swept off to a tropical island, complete with villainous pirates, exotic fish and golden treasure aplenty, as our Cathedral Parish sampled the post-Christmas delights of Worthing’s pantomime season. This time, we set sail with “Robinson Crusoe” at The Connaught Theatre on 29 December, when no amount of blustery rain could dampen the merriment of our group as we raised the rafters when greeted from the stage, in time-honoured pantomime style. An early supper in St Mary’s Hall following the matinée show proved every bit as successful and was again attended by over 70 people, who remained in excellent humour and really good companionship well into the evening. The cheering and applause they gave to the team of fellow parishioners who had stayed behind to prepare food for the hungry theatre-goers showed the group had scarcely left their enthusiasm behind in rainy Worthing. As usual for the meal, the Parish had showed its true colours in generously contributing lots of nibbles, followed by two plentiful main courses of beef-in-beer and chilli-con-carne, all rounded off with a wide variety of delicious puddings to share. On a frosty Sunday morning a month later after Mass, one mother was heard to ask: “Are we doing a pantomime outing and supper again this year? We really must, you know! It’s so welcome, since everyone so much appreciates getting together as a Parish Family between Christmas and New Year!” Well, what can one say in reply except that the date has already been set for this consistently popular event: Wednesday afternoon, 29 December, 2010. Put that date on your calendar now! New helpers for this, and our forthcoming Late Summer Barbecue (date yet to be confirmed), are always needed and wanted. Anne Dunkley is kindly organising an informal evening on Tuesday, 23 February, between 7-8pm. Please call her on 01903 882 547 for more details. 18
Holocaust Day By Brian Parkinson
On 27 January, the Christian community of Arundel came together in the Chapel of the Poor Clares Convent, with members of the Jewish faith, to remember/reflect on the Holocaust. Now established as Holocaust Day, it is a day to remember the millions of European Jews and many others who perished during the 1939 -1945 World War. Clergy from the Baptist Church, St. Nicholas and the Cathedral led this Act of Remembrance: a simple service of music, dance and prayer. The children from the Arundel schools performed with the Sisters from The Poor Clares - a very moving dance. Readings and prayers were read by members from each of the Churches. This was followed by an Act of Commemoration when everyone present lit a candle whilst Peter Adams played his own composition, “The Prayer of the Holocaust Survivor” - a haunting piece so apt for the occasion! The final reading by one of the children was from the writings of Anne Frank – the penultimate entry in her diary: “I somehow feel that everything will change for the better...in the meantime I must hold onto my ideals. Perhaps the day will come when I’ll be able to realise them.” We are grateful to Poor Clares for holding this service and for their hospitality afterwards.
Diocesan Mission and Unity Gathering 27 March 2010
Leading speaker and musician John Bell, from the Iona Community will headline this year’s Mission and Unity Gathering. For more information please contact Sue Fellows, Christian Education Centre, Southgate Drive, Crawley, W. Sussex RH10 6RP Tel: 01293 651 163, Fax: 01293 616 945, Email: sue.fellows@dabnet.org
Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes Our annual pilgrimage to Lourdes will take place from 29 July - 6 August 2010. Application forms are now available in the sacristy or can be downloaded from www.ablourdes.org Pilgrims requiring any level of medical, nursing or carer assistance should contact the Pilgrimage Office on 01903 745 180
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Time for Lent
by Anne Brearley-Smith
I went out, Lord. Men were coming out. They were coming and going, walking and running. Everything was rushing – Bikes, cars, lorries, the street, the whole town. Men were rushing not to waste time – to catch up with time – to gain time! “Goodbye sir - excuse me, I haven’t time. I’ll come back, I can’t wait - I haven’t time. I’d love to help you - but I haven’t the time. I can’t accept (having no time). I can’t think! I can’t read. I’m swamped. I’d like to pray - but I haven’t the time.” Later on… the student has his courses, and so much work! He hasn’t time… Later on…the young man is at his sports. He hasn’t time... Later on...the young married man has his new house; he has to decorate it. He hasn’t time… Later on...the grandparents have their grandchildren. They haven’t time… Later on…they are ill; they have their treatments. They haven’t time… Later on…they are dying. They have no…. Too late………They have no more time! And so all men run after time! They pass through life running, hurried, jostled, overburdened, frantic….. …and they never get there. They haven’t the time. Lord, you must have made a mistake in your calculations!
There is a big mistake somewhere. The hours are too short. The days are too short. Our lives are too short! You, who are beyond time, Lord, you smile to see us fighting it. And you know what you are doing. You make no mistake in your distribution of time to men you give each one time to do what you want him to do. But we must not lose time, waste time, kill time. For time is a gift that you give us: but it is a perishable gift a gift that does not keep. Lord, I have time. I have plenty of time. All the time you give me. The years of my life. The days of my years. The hours of my days. They are all mine; mine to fill - quietly, calmly but to fill completely, up to the brim! I am not asking you today, Lord, for time to do this and then that, but for your grace, to do conscientiously, in the time that you give me, what I ought to do.
Adapted from a prayer by Abbe Quoist, published in his book ‘Prayers of Life’.
20
John Main
by Alex Clouter and Mary Corbyn Dom John Main, O.S.B. (1926–1982), was a Benedictine monk and priest who presented a way of Christian meditation which uses the practice of a prayer-phrase or mantra. In 1975, Dom Main began Christian meditation groups at his monastery in London and, later, in Montreal, Canada. These grew into an ecumenical network of Christian meditation groups called the World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM). There is a meditation group that regularly takes place at the Convent of Poor Clares (see details on page 23) so we thought it would be good for all parishioners to know more about Dom John Main’s life from various information sources on the Internet. In 1926, Dom John Main was born in London as Douglas Main. In the late 1940s he joined the Canons Regular of the Lateran, and studied at the Westminster Diocesan Seminary of St. Edmund's College in Ware (Hertfordshire) before being chosen to pursue Theology Studies at the Pontifical Athenaeum Angelicum in Rome. He then began to doubt his vocation to the priesthood and decided to leave his Order to go to Dublin, Ireland (where his family then lived). In Dublin, he studied law at Trinity College, graduated in 1954, and joined the British Colonial Service. Dom John Main was assigned to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he got to meet the Swami Satyananda, who taught him meditation using a mantra as the means to arrive at meditative stillness. The Swami taught him to meditate by giving him a Christian mantra. In 1956, Dom John Main returned to Dublin, and taught law at Trinity College. In 1959, he decided to join the Benedictines at Ealing Abbey in London. He took the name of John, in honour of St. John the Apostle and was ordained a priest in 1963. In 1970, Dom John Main was appointed the headmaster of St. Anselm's Abbey School (an allboys preparatory school) in Washington D.C. It was here where he began to seriously study the writings of the Desert Father John Cassian for the first time. Dom John Main saw parallels between the spiritual practice taught by Cassian and the meditative practice he had been taught by the Swami in Kuala Lumpur. In 1974, Dom John Main left Saint Anselm's Abbey in Washington D.C. and returned to Ealing Abbey back in London, where he began Christian meditation groups at an old house on the monastery grounds. He was assisted in this work by Bro. (later Fr.) Laurence Freeman, also a monk of Ealing Abbey. In 1977, Dom John Main and Bro. Laurence were sent to establish a new Benedictine monastery in Montreal, Canada. It was here where they also taught Christian meditation groups. In 1982, Dom John Main died of cancer. Fr. Laurence (who, in 1980, had been ordained to the priesthood) continued his work, travelling widely to establish Christian meditation groups across the world. In 1991, these Christian meditation groups were linked together into the 21
World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM). Each year, the WCCM hosts the John Main Seminar that over time has been led by people like Mary McAleese, Huston Smith, the Dalai Lama, Charles Taylor, Bishop William Johnston, Father Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Sister Joan Chittister, O.S.B., Anglican Primate Archbishop Rowan Williams, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Kallistos Ware, Abbot Thomas Keating, Dom Bede Griffiths, O.S.B. Cam., and others. Dom John Main's teaching was very simple: sit still and upright for a minimum of twenty and a maximum of thirty minutes, close your eyes and say your prayer-phrase (mantra). The prayer-phrase is a sacred word or phrase which is repeated continually. Recite your prayerphrase and gently listen to it as you say it. Do not think about anything. As thoughts come, simply keep returning to your prayer-phrase. In this way, one places everything aside: instead of talking to God, one is just being with God, allowing God’s presence to fill his heart, thus transforming his inner being. Dom John Main and Fr. Laurence both recommended using the prayer-phrase Maranatha, which is Aramaic for "Come, Lord," as in I Corinthians 16:22 and Revelation 22:20.
If you are sick or poorly, or indeed have just come out of hospital... If you are frail or housebound... Or if you know of someone else who is any of the above...
Then please call Louise in the Parish Office on 01903 882 297 (Mon – Fri mornings only) who can organise a visit from a member of the Parish Care Team or receive Holy Communion. There are people who are willing to help with things like shopping, writing letters, reading or just sharing a cuppa with and having a chat. 22
Convent of Poor Clares Come and join us for the Easter Tridium Maundy Thursday
Mass of the Lord’s Supper - 6.30pm
Good Friday
Liturgy of the Passion - 3pm Way of the Cross - 5.30pm
Holy Saturday Easter Vigil - 8.30pm
Easter Sunday
Easter Morning Mass - 8.30am
All year round
TaizĂŠ evening: every last Friday of the month, 7.15 -8.15pm John Main Meditation Group: every Tuesday, 7.15pm Exposition: 4pm, Vespers with Benediction: 5pm, every Sunday
Our Guest House...
We have a delightful guest house which has a fully equipped kitchen for self-service breakfast and supper. The main meal is served at 12.30pm and comes from the Community Kitchen. Tea and coffee can be made at any time.
And caravans...
...for those wishing to be independent; these run on a self-catering basis - each caravan has a double bedroom, a sitting room that can accomodate more sleeping space if required, a kitchen, shower and toilet. For more information please contact Sister Gabriel on: poorclarescrossbusharundel@hotmail.co.uk Convent of Poor Clares Crossbush, Arundel West Sussex BN18 9PJ www.poorclaresarundel.org 23
Parish Diary FEBRUARY Wednesday 17
ASH WEDNESDAY Mass at 8.30am at the Convent of the Poor Clares Masses at 10.00am & 8.00pm in the Cathedral
Friday 19
7.00pm
Stations of the Cross
Saturday 20
11.00am 3.00pm
RITE OF ELECTION RITE OF ELECTION
Sunday 21
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT Masses at 9.30am and 11.15am (Vigil Mass Sat. 6.15pm @ Convent)
Thursday 25
10.30am
Friday 26
CAFOD Lent Fast Day 7.00pm Stations of the Cross at St. Nicholas’ Church
Sunday 28
CAFOD Lent Fast Day Collection Masses at 9.30am and 11.15am (Vigil Mass Sat. 6.15pm @ Convent)
Chapter Mass
MARCH Friday 5
7.00pm
Stations of the Cross
Tuesday 9
9.30am
Mass (instead of 10am)
Friday 12
Deadline for contributions to Easter ‘Parish Proclaimer’ magazine 7.00pm
Stations of the Cross at St. Nicholas’ Church
Sunday 13
Masses at 9.30am and 11.15am (Vigil Mass Sat. 6.15pm @ Convent) 7.30pm University of Sussex Symphony Orchestra Concert (to be confirmed)
Friday 19
7.00pm
Stations of the Cross
24
Sunday 21
Collection for Easter Mass Flowers Masses at 9.30am and 11.15am (Vigil Mass Sat. 6.15pm @ Convent)
Monday 22
10.00am
Mass in the Fitzalan Chapel
Friday 26
7.00pm 7.30pm
Stations of the Cross at St. Nicholas’ Church Cathedral Parish Penitential Service
Saturday 27
6.15pm 7.30pm
Vigil Mass @ Convent The Angmering Chorale Concert for tickets see www.theangmeringchorale.org.uk
Sunday 28
PALM SUNDAY Easter ‘Parish Proclaimer’ issued at the Masses 9.30am Mass in the Cathedral 11.15am Mass beginning at St. Mary’s Hall for Blessing of Palms
Wednesday 31
6.00pm
Chrism Mass in the Cathedral with Bishop Kieran Conry
APRIL Thursday 1
HOLY THURSDAY 8.00pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the Cathedral followed by waiting to midnight at the altar of repose. 11.50pm Compline
Friday 2
GOOD FRIDAY Collection: Holy Places in Jerusalem 9.00am Office of Readings & Morning Prayer 10.00am Stations of the Cross 3.00pm Celebration of the Lord’s Passion
Saturday 3
HOLY SATURDAY 9.00am Office of Readings & Morning Prayer 8.30pm The Easter Vigil and First Mass of the Resurrection
Sunday 4
EASTER SUNDAY Masses at 9.30am and 11.15am 25
Parish Notice Board WELCOME! If you are a new parishioner, we hope that you will quickly feel at home with us... Please make sure that you have completed one of the special forms kept at the back of the Cathedral (to the left of where the newspapers are displayed) so that you may be registered on our Parish Database.
WORLD YOUTH DAY 2011 Join hundreds of thousands of young people gathering together in Madrid on 10-23 August 2011. Application forms will be sent out on 1 March 2010 so you need to book now! To register your interest please contact Lucy Jardine on 01293 651162 or lucy.jardine@dabnet.org Also visit www.yaab.co.uk/world-youth-day
ARUNDEL CATHEDRAL GIFTSHOP New in stock... a wide range of First Communion gifts! Visit our shop to see what’s available alongside other religious gifts. Find us in the North Transept by The Shrine to St. Philip Howard. Open Mon - Sat, 10.30am - 12 noon
WOMEN’S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER Friday 5th March 10.45– 11.45am Arundel Baptist Church
The day of prayer has been prepared by the women of Cameroon. Please come along and support this. Both of our local schools will be involved.
QUIET PRAYER An opportunity to experience 45 minutes’ quiet prayer with our church communities.
From the Parish Proclaimer Editor We are really keen to have more features that will be of interest to parishioners. Whether it’s a recent visit to an interesting church (or cathedral) on a trip, your experience at Lourdes or at another religious shrine, or indeed any other interest you’d like to share with the rest of us, please email me! Alex Clouter clouter@mac.com
Every Monday at 2pm at the Baptist Church.
PRIESTHOOD VOCATIONS All welcome! 5-7 March 2010 St. John’s Seminary
LENT GROUPS Please look out for details in your weekly newsletter and Cathedral noticeboard.
27 March 2010 Our Lady of Consolation & St. Francis
Call 01293 603 773 or email vocations@dabnet.org
Congratulations & Commemorations Baptisms 6 December 2009 - Isabella Hélène Perilli-Gardener 6 December 2009 - Henry Joseph Perilli-Gardener 6 December 2009 - Sebastian Alexander Michael Chapman 20 December 2009 - Alexandra Maria Rowe 29 December 2009 - Catrina Gabriella Mary McBride 3 January 2010 - Ralfi Rees
Marriages 4 December 2009 - Toby Jonathan Sykes & Selina Jeetoo
Deaths 26 November 2009 - Philomena Mary Bell-King, aged 79 years 4 December 2009 - Margaret Mary Theresa Rowe, aged 85 years 5 December 2009 - Kieran Comyn Johnston, aged 65 years 8 January 2010 - Phyllis Agnes Schofield, aged 72 years 14 January 2010 - Mary Philomena ‘Maureen’ Bannister, aged 77 years Views expressed in The Parish Proclaimer are not necessarily the views of The Catholic Church, the Catholic Diocese of Arundel & Brighton, its affiliated companies and charities, employees thereof or persons otherwise associated directly or indirectly.
All material is provided by Cathedral parishioners and published in good faith, without guarantee. The Arundel and Brighton Diocesan Trust is a Registered Charity - No. 252878
The Parish Proclaimer has been compiled by Alexander Clouter, a parishioner who happens to be a wordsmith and designer all wrapped into one!
A Prayer for Lent Dear Lord Jesus, by Your Passion and Resurrection You brought life to the world. But the glory of the Resurrection came only after the sufferings of the Passion. You laid down Your life willingly and gave up everything for us. Your body was broken and fastened to a Cross, Your clothing became the prize of soldiers, Your blood ebbed slowly but surely away, and Your Mother was entrusted to the beloved disciple. Stretched out on the Cross, deprived of all earthly possessions and human aid, You cried out to Your Father that the end had come. You had accomplished the work given You, and You committed into His hands, as a perfect gift, the little life that remained to You. Lord, teach me to accept all afflictions after the example You have given. Let me place my death in Yours and my weakness in Your abandonment, Take hold of me with Your love, that same foolish love that knew no limits, and let me offer myself to the Father with You so that I may rise with You to eternal life.