Parish Proclaimer
Spring 2017 edition
Cathedral Parish of Our Lady & St. Philip Howard Canon Tim Madeley - Dean Father Stanislaw Mycek - Assistant Priest Rev. Mr. David Clifton - Deacon Louise Sharp - Parish Secretary* Cathedral House, Parsons Hill, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 9AY Tel: 01903 882 297 Fax: 01903 885 335 Email: aruncath1@aol.com
Web: www.arundelcathedral.org * The Parish Office is open 9am – 1pm, Monday – Friday
Mass Times at Arundel Cathedral Sunday
Weekdays
Saturday
9.30am Family Mass on the third Sunday of the month; Children’s Liturgy available other Sundays. 11.15am Cathedral Choir. 10am Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Saturday: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass. 11am Benediction.
Mass Times at the Convent of The Poor Clares, Crossbush, near Arundel Saturday Sunday
Monday Friday
5.30pm 6.15pm 4.30pm 5.30pm
Vespers. Vigil Mass (entry at 6pm). Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Vespers and Benediction.
8.30am Mass
Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturday
Cathedral:
10.30am otherwise by appointment.
Convent :
Before/after the Saturday 6.15pm Mass.
FRONT COVER ‘Our Lady Holding the Christ Child’ stained glass window on the eastern wall of the Sanctuary. Photograph taken by Oliver Hawkins reprinted with his permission.
The Parish Proclaimer is printed by Prontaprint Brighton & Hove - March 2017
WELCOME TO OUR SPRING EDITION Listen to the voice of God! By Deacon David Clifton Christians across the globe are celebrating Lent, the season of preparation before Easter. Starting on Ash Wednesday (1 March this year) the 40-day period sees many Christians take part in a season of moderation, meditation, fasting and repentance. This does not sound much like celebration, and many people don’t look forward to Lent. Childhood memories of giving up sweets or sitting through weekly Stations of the Cross come immediately to mind. Such words like ‘sacrifice,’ ‘discipline,’ and ‘self-denial’ are often used in ways that suggest that Lent is something to be endured rather than enjoyed, a season to be put up with rather than a time of grace and spiritual growth. If this is how it seems to you, try to think of Lent as a yearly second chance? Each year the Church gives us six weeks to take a long, loving look at our lives to see if our values and priorities are in line with God’s desires for us. Since most of us find that we’ve wandered from God’s path, Lent becomes that second chance to ‘return to God with our whole heart.’ In the approach to important competitions athletes stick to a rigid diet, go to bed early, do all kinds of strengthening exercises, practise their technique, make sure their minds are not distracted, but focussed on their goal. They do all this with Continued overleaf +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ARTICLES FOR THE SUMMER EDITION OF THE PARISH PROCLAIMER: Deadline for receipt - Tuesday, 2 May 2017 Please email your written piece and photos to clouter@mac.com or send by post to The Editor, Cathedral House, Parsons Hill, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 9AY including your name/address to enable us to return the photos. 3
eagerness and enthusiasm in the hope of winning an earthly reward. How much more should we enthusiastically take on spiritual training for a spiritual reward. Pope Francis said, ‘Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy.’ And Pope Benedict XVI likens Lent to a long 'retreat' during which we can turn back into ourselves and listen to the voice of God. He says, ‘Lent stimulates us to let the Word of God penetrate our life and in this way to know the fundamental truth: who we are, where we come from, where we must go, what path we must take in life...’ The time-honoured ‘training’ for Lent involves fasting, prayer and almsgiving. Some choose to fast in the traditional way, giving up certain types of foods. Others give up television or radio or Facebook, or some other indulgence. This will leave us some extra time to devote to prayer and Scripture reading. And the Lenten alms collection each Sunday gives an opportunity for almsgiving. The options are endless. The important thing is to be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and to follow that prompting. Whatever you decide to do, remember what the Bible says about our ‘acts of righteousness’. In Chapter 6 of the Gospel of Matthew, we are encouraged to do these things ‘in secret’: Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (Read the whole of Chapter 6 of Matthew’s Gospel.) As you journey through this annual ‘second chance’, remember that each step brings you closer to the welcoming arms of our loving God. Have a joyful Lent.
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A brief insight into my personal journey of faith By Graham Smithson My father was brought up in Liverpool where he experienced a lot of Catholic and Protestant rivalry which I think made him rather sceptical of religion. My mother comes from Thanet in Kent where they met and married after the war. I was baptised and brought up in the Church of England but had only a sporadic attendance at church. We moved to the Brighton area from Deal in Kent in the late 50s and first came into contact with Catholicism through the mother of my best friend at school. I remember very well a visit to the tower at Westminster Cathedral in the early 60s. I decided after a few years of work to become a mature student of architecture in Brighton and at the end of Year 2 met my future wife Pat on an overland trek to Greece and Turkey. We got married after my graduation in 1978 in Westminster Cathedral! We were able to use my mother-in-law's address and I had a mini RCIA type course of 6 weeks prior to our marriage. We were to have four children of whom three were confirmed at Arundel Cathedral. Although I was not that interested in any religion throughout my life up to this point, it was not until Pat and I began visiting Arundel Cathedral more often and Pat's enduring faith that began to sow the seeds of my interest in Catholicism. I also realised that I always had shared common values of the Catholic Church in the sacrament of marriage and my opposition to abortion. In 2009 I took the first step in enquiring about becoming a Catholic and was guided through the RCIA course with Deacon David and Monica Clifton. I was received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil of 2010. It has been a rather slow burning and unexpected journey of faith for me but guided by the Holy Spirit I have since become elected to the Guild of St. Stephen as an altar server and have received the honour of becoming an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. I also serve on the Core Team Committee and have become, with my wife Pat, a Holy Duster. I have become very comfortable with my faith and from the first occasion I served in the Sanctuary I knew I was in the right place! 5
I would like to thank all members of the Clergy, congregation and the wider community of Arundel Cathedral who have continually encouraged and supported me during my amazing journey. You know who you are! I would like to thank my dear wife Pat who has never wavered in her support in my journey of faith.
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The Saeta of Semana Santa By Marion Riley Just in case you need to know who I am... I was born in Limerick city, lived in Manchester for several years before moving to Arundel two years ago to be near my family. I'm still a member of the Manchester Irish Writers and have had several stories and poems published. At the moment I am experiencing writers’ block which I'm putting down to illness and technical problems with the computer (or else its just lethargy and laziness)! For some time I lived and worked in Madrid and the Holy Week processions there left a lasting impression on me. ‘Semana Santa’ is Spanish for ‘Holy Week’ and it’s one of the most celebrated events of the year in Spain. Tourists come from far and near to witness the world famous processions and become themselves as part of the religious atmosphere. During the entire week, the radio and TV broadcasts the sound of marching soldiers and penitents, the ominous beat of the drums and the ‘Saeta’, which, to my Irish ear, sounds like the wail of a banshee. It’s a Lament for the sufferings of Christ and is difficult to describe in words. The Saeta hits the core of one’s being and enters the heart, leaving a void of spiritual yearning. Continued on page 8 6
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Basques from Pamplona and Aragon, the Celts of Galicia, the Castilians and Andalucians, hold their own processions in the regional villages, towns and cities of their province. Andalucians have a reputation for being less serious minded than their Castilian cousins and a procession in Seville is likely to be quite light hearted compared to the spiritual awakening one can experience in Valladolid or Madrid. In Madrid, on Holy Thursday, there’s a sense of anticipation at the close of day and the atmosphere is electric. Streets are overflowing with people of all ages and every balcony is filled to capacity. In the darkness, thousands of candles glow. These are held by penitents dressed in long flowing black robes, only their eyes visible through the slits in their black hoods. They look quite sinister and are led by police mounted on white Arab stallions and soldiers marching the goose step to a single drum beat. Some of the penitents are dressed in pure white robes with red hoods. They have heavy chains around their ankles and others carry wooden crosses on their backs. All penitents are making reparation for their sins. There are several thousand young men and boys who carry gold images of Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin. Hundreds of drums beat out a single sound together and this rhythm continues until a man or woman, often a gypsy, stands out of the line to sing a Saeta. A hush descends on the waiting crowds. There is a moment of complete silence before this is shattered by the first cries of the Keener. The hooded penitents pass quietly by as the Lament rings out loud and clear in the still night air. It tells of the agony and death of Christ, the forgiveness of sin and God’s love for mankind. It renews spiritual values and touches thousands of souls with its sentiments. The procession takes almost five hours to pass, finishing around midnight. Often as one ‘saeta’ is finishing, the strains of another can be heard commencing in the distance. The words of each ‘saeta’ are different but the eternal message of Easter remains the same. It’s vividly brought to life, year after year, during ‘Semana Santa’ in Madrid. 8
Sussex Catholic Parish Churches - 1 St. Michael’s Church, High Salvington by Fr. Christopher Ingle
Welcome to our Parish of St. Michael, Durrington and High Salvington, which is situated to the North West of Worthing at the foot of the South Downs, overlooking the sea some two miles to the South, with beautiful views and a lovely Church set in large spacious grounds. We are a very warm and friendly parish, one of many Catholic parishes in Sussex and Surrey belonging to the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton with Bishop Richard who was appointed by Pope Francis, our fifth Bishop of Arundel & Brighton and was installed on 28 May 2015 in our Cathedral at Arundel. It was under the inspiration of Monsignor Wall, the Parish Priest of St. Mary of the Angels in Worthing, in 1965, and with growing numbers using the Mass Centre nearby in Cotswold Road that our bright and beautifully designed Church by the architects Jones and Kelly and contractors Keith Andrew was built. Work began on St Michael’s in 1965 and was completed a year later at a cost of £60,000. Our Church was designed with the wonderful emphasis on light provided by the beautiful stained glass windows designed by George Walsh of the Irish State Glass Company. On a sunny morning the light radiates a multitude of colours, truly complementing the beautiful Stations of the Cross in the Church painted by the artist David O’Connell. And so it was on 25 April 1966, that the Right Reverend Monsignor David Cashman, then Lord Bishop of Arundel & Brighton, performed the Solemn Opening ceremony of St. Michael Durrington and High Salvington. The Opening Day was celebrated with a wonderful Mass with Bishop Cashman followed by a huge reception in the Assembly Halls in Worthing as a thank you to everyone who helped to support the 9
building of the Church. So welcome to our beautiful church and lovely community in which you will feel and experience the warmth of God's presence, and the spirit of the Lord. We have many young families in the Parish, and these photos of our church above and the previous page celebrate one of the highlights of our year, our First Holy Communion Day. On Sunday 24 April last year we celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the Opening of St. Michael’s, 50 years of the wonderful life of our Church and all that the Lord in his love has worked amongst us and all the ways He has blest us over these many years. Bishop Richard Moth greeted and celebrated with us in a recorded video message. Parishioners and friends joined us for the special Golden Jubilee Mass together with our First Holy Communion children and the 6th Worthing St. Michael’s Air Scouting Groups. A very special welcome was extended to the Mayor and Mayoress, the Youth Mayor and Deputy Youth Mayor who kindly joined us, followed by a Reception and shared lunch in the Hall. As a part of the Jubilee celebrations some of our parishioners went on Pilgrimage to the Holy Land and flew to Amman in Jordan on the 15 May travelling to Petra, south of the Dead Sea, where Moses struck the rock to provide water for his people. We then followed the journey of Moses and his people towards the Holy Land. The coach taking us to Mount Nebo in Jordan where Moses viewed the Promised Land. We continued our journey to the River Jordan and celebrated Mass by the river where Jesus was baptised, then crossing over to travel on to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Early one morning we were so blest to celebrate Mass in the Cave in Bethlehem where Jesus was born, and from there travelled north to the Lake of Galilee where Jesus called the fishermen. We then followed his life and ministry Continued on page 12 10
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through Galilee and among the people, and to Nazareth as He calls us today to follow Him. In early September we welcomed Fr. Peter Ojiambo to St. Michael’s from his parish in Western Kenya for a well-deserved holiday with friends Jan and John Gribben and the parish. We’ve supported Fr. Peter on a number of projects who is now doing inspirational work in his new Parish which is really poor. On Saturday 8 October we celebrated the Golden Wedding Anniversary of Len and Rita Argent, lovely parishioners, with a Papal Blessing from Pope Francis, and then the Wedding of Ben and Michelle on the Sunday afternoon, conscious too at that time of the peoples of Haiti and the United States who were suffering the effects of Hurricane Matthew. We are a very warm and friendly community in which you will feel and experience the warmth of God’s presence and the spirit of the Lord. We have a large body of over 300 regular parishioners and we serve the primary school of English Martyrs and the secondary school of Chatsmore Catholic High School. All children are welcome to our Children's Liturgy every Sunday during the 10.30am Mass. We also have a Saturday evening Mass at 6pm and an early Sunday morning Mass at 8.30am. Both Deacon Mark Woods and myself from St. Michael’s wish you every blessing for 2017 and ask the Lord to bless and inspire us, as we build his Kingdom together, and support all those who need our help. Visit www.stmichaels-worthing.org.uk or call our Parish office: 01903 264770. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A ‘thank you’ and an offer By Alwyn Dow I arrived in Arundel two years ago just before Christmas and made my way to the Cathedral for Midnight Mass. I entered rather early and very timidly but my reservations were soon put at rest by a very friendly tap on the shoulder and the enquiry: “Are you new here and can I help?” I found out later that this was Mike Bloxham and I also found out what a treasure he is on a practical as well as on a social level. When I met Jenny, his wife, later, I
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became aware that she has that same gift and I would like to THANK them both for helping me to feel at home. Of course there are many more that I have met over the years as I have taken on duties in Reading and as Eucharistic Minister, and I would like to THANK them all. I have also had the privilege of working with Canon Tim and Aidan Cantwell on matters of Peace and Justice and this brings me to my OFFER which is simply this. I am a volunteer with CCOS (Chichester City of Sanctuary) and, given that some of our meetings are at St. Richard’s, I have suggested to Canon Tim that I might help to formulate and advance mutual support in matters of Social Justice, and in order to do that perhaps we might form a small group at the Cathedral, working with God’s Grace to address the many issues that beset us here and abroad. Please contact me, Alwyn Dow, via the Parish Office on 01903 882297. PRAYERS FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our fellow men throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them, through their hands, this day their daily bread; and by our true understanding love, give peace and joy. Lord teach me to appreciate the sufferings and distress of the poor and the needy. Let me not just talk, but do something to ease the lives of those less fortunate than myself. Lord Jesus, as the Father sent you into the world, so you send me to show all men your love. Let my hands be your hands, my words be your words, so that I may give your love to everyone I meet, and help to spread this love to the ends of the earth. Give courage, Lord, to all who work to help the hungry and the poor. When obstacles loom large and we have few resources, give faith and hope to help us persevere. Help me, Christ, to give, as well as cash, my love, my time, myself, while helping you in every hungry man. Help me, Lord, to live my life in this world of today in such a way that when I meet 13
you face to face You’ll say to me: “Come, blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom I prepared for you before this world began. For I was hungry and you gave me food, thirsty and you gave me drink, naked and you covered me, a stranger but you welcomed me, in prison and you came to me, a sick man and you cared for me. For when you did it to the least of those who are my brothers, you did it unto me. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2017 Corpus Christi Calling for volunteers to help us please! A new year and a new theme for the design of the Carpet of Flowers.... The centenary of the death of our founder, Henry XV Duke of Norfolk. The daily schedule to celebrate this year’s Corpus Christi: Monday/Tuesday 12-13 June
All day
Preparation and placement of the Carpet of Flowers
Wednesday 14 June
9.30am – 8pm
Corpus Christi Carpet of Flowers on view
Thursday 15 June
9.30am – 5.30pm Corpus Christi Carpet of Flowers on view 5.30pm Mass in the Cathedral 6.30pm approx Procession to the Castle and back to the Cathedral
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It goes without saying that we need assistance from our parish community to help us prepare for Corpus Christi: Monday and Tuesday, 12 - 13 June are the two days where we need volunteers to come forward and help us with the laying of flower heads and foliage down the central aisle. We will also need people to help with cleaning the Cathedral as well as providing much needed refreshment for the workers! Wednesday and Thursday, 14 - 15 June are the public days and we would appreciate the help of volunteers to act as guides to the many visitors coming along, as well assisting with selling our extended range of gifts from the many stalls around the Cathedral and providing refreshments in the Cathedral Centre. Please contact Louise Sharp, Parish Secretary, to confirm that you can help us in any way you can: telephone 01903 882297 or email aruncath1@aol.com +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Father Thomas Merton By Jo Briscoe “The whole problem of our time is the problem of love. How are we going to recover the ability to love ourselves and to love one another? The reason why we hate one another and fear one another is that we secretly or openly hate and fear our own selves. And we hate ourselves because the depths of our being are a chaos of frustration and spiritual misery. Lonely and helpless, we cannot be at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we cannot be at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God… Modern dictatorships display everywhere a deliberate and calculated hatred for human nature as such. The techniques of degradation used in concentration camps and in staged trials are too familiar in our time. They have one purpose: to defile the human person… Passive and despairing, we allow ourselves to sink back into the inert mass of human objects that only exist to be manipulated by dictators, or by the great anonymous powers that rule the world of business… To find God one must first be free… To conquer the forces of death and despair, we must unite ourselves mystically to Christ who has overcome death and who brings us life and hope. This book is not a defence of a doctrine, but a meditation on a sacred mystery.” Words from the Prologue of Thomas Merton’s book The Living Bread. 15
Thomas goes on to relate this situation of reality as follows: “…to find Christ we must not only believe and be baptised in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, thus becoming His members; we must go on to crown our sacramental life in Christ by partaking of the Living Bread of the Eucharist, the supersubstantial Bread which imparts, to those who receive it, everlasting life... In Holy Communion, as we take Him to ourselves in the great sacrificial mystery which is the supreme expression of divine charity, we find that His charity gains possession of our souls and unites us to one another with a love so pure, so spiritual and so intense that it transcends all the powers of man’s natural love for his brother and for his friend. The charity of Christ in the Eucharist, seizing upon the best natural instincts of the human soul, elevates and divinizes them, uniting men to one another in a charity and a peace which this world can never give.” Thomas was born in 1915 in Prades, France. His father, Owen Merton, was an immigrant from New Zealand and his mother, Ruth Jenkins, was an American Quaker; both parents were artists. Thomas had an extremely disjointed young life when his mother died; he was only six years old. Thomas travelled with his father with periodic visits to America to live with his grandparents. During his teenage years, his father enrolled Thomas in private schools in France and England, from which he proceeded to Clare College, Cambridge, following this, on the death of his father, he returned to the US to live with his grandparents, whilst at the same time Continued on page 18 16
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he taught English at Columbia University. My own conversion to Catholicism was lengthy, widespread and multi-faceted! I was baptised and brought-up in the Christian faith within the Church of England. From a very young age our lives, apart from school, were connected to the Church. The Brownies, Cubs, Guides, Scouts, as well as a Youth Club were all under the umbrella of the Church, and, equally the activities of these organisations were centred on our faith within the Church. As I grew up and, indeed, got older, there were many different influences which eventually reassured me of the path to be taken. Latterly, one of the many significant powers was given to me by the writings of Thomas Merton. After a rambunctious youth and adolescence, Thomas converted to Roman Catholicism whilst at Columbia University and in 1941 he entered the Abbey of Gethsemani, a community of monks belonging to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists), the most ascetic Roman Catholic monastic order. His superior, Father Abbot, Dom Frederic Dunne, took note of Thomas’s intellect and talent for writing and encouraged him to follow his passion, saying it was within the will of God. Thomas started translating religious texts and writing biographies of saints for the monastery. Merton wrote more than 70 books, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews. Among Merton’s books is No Man is an Island. ‘It is the book of a monk, who has learned much in the ‘school of the love of God’ and is concerned to pass on to others the fruit of his contemplation. He covers all the salient aspects of the spiritual life, and there is none that he does not illuminate’ (The Tablet). This is the book by Merton that sealed my conversion; his spirituality is so intense, but so freely and personally expressed that there is no question of its depth and guidance. No Man is an Island was the book recommended to me and it was my winner! The title No Man is an Island was adopted by Thomas Merton from the writings of the poet John Donne who lived in the sixteenth - Elizabethan - century. John Donne’s Mother was the great niece of St. Thomas More (who was martyred for his faith when Henry VIII broke his own faith’s connection with Rome). John Donne was born into a recusant Roman Catholic family but because of the Reformation and 18
the illegality of Catholicism at that time, John was baptised into the Church of England and following ordination into the priesthood, he became Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, where he was buried in 1631. John Donne wrote: “The Church is Catholic, universal, so are all her actions, all that she does belongs to all… Who bends not his ear to any bell which upon any occasion rings? But who can remove it from that bell which is passing a piece of himself out of this world?” Thomas continues: “Every Christian is part of my own body, because we are members of Christ… But each one of us remains responsible for his own share in the life of the whole body. Charity cannot be what it is supposed to be as long as I do not see that my life represents my own allotment in the life of a whole supernatural organism to which I belong. Only when this truth is absolutely central do other doctrines fit into their proper context. Solitude, humility, self-denial, action and contemplation, the sacraments, the monastic life, the family, war and peace - none of these make sense except in relation to the central reality which is God’s love living and acting in those whom He has incorporated in His Christ. Nothing at all makes sense, unless we admit, with John Donne, that no man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” What has tethered me to Thomas Merton is his spirituality; he is spiritual within himself but he can inspire and urge his readers to experience their own depths of spirituality. He is able to express his own thoughts and feelings with an amazing reality which is truly difficult, and many people shy away from expressing their spirituality because of this difficulty. Read Merton and he will show you how it is done, whilst underlining your own thoughts and feelings. Done carefully, this is quite beautiful and certainly encouraging and enlightening. Thomas Merton’s writings appear to be talking to his reader personally, as if you are sitting opposite him, sharing a glass of wine... it is so intimate. It is difficult to pick out sections to illustrate the true thinking of Thomas Merton; there is so much in his writing that, in my opinion, in order to really feel his true meaning, it is essential to read each book in its whole. It is expressed that the most enduring works of Thomas Merton is his bestselling autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, which sent scores of World War II veterans, students, and even teenagers flocking to monasteries across the US. Share my experience and read it.
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Thomas Merton was one of four Americans mentioned by Pope Francis in his speech to a joint meeting of the US Congress on 24 September, 2015. Pope Francis said “Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the Church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions”. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My African Adventure By Sr. Margaret, The Poor Clares When Sr. Angela was writing her contribution for the Winter 2016 Parish Proclaimer, Sr. Leo and I were actually in Africa. When we returned, I was ‘volunteered’ to write the next article! I thought I would share with you my own experience of being in Africa for the first time and also a little about the Solemn Profession of Sr. Scolastica Clare. Sr. Leo was preparing to visit our community in Myanga, Kenya, as Abbess, and when she asked for a companion to go with her, my hand shot up! I came to Arundel in January 2010, having been a Poor Clare in Nottingham for many years. Each week we receive an email from the community in Myanga with their week’s ‘news’ and I have often wondered if I would ever meet the Sisters, thinking it very unlikely. So imagine my joy to be heading for Heathrow with Sr. Leo, and our friends Jacquie and Derek who were driving us to the airport, on 5 October on the first part of our journey to Uganda, where we would be spending a few days with the Sisters in Mbarara before travelling to Kenya. The welcome we received from our Sisters in Mbarara was my first experience of African hospitality and I will never forget my time there. In fact, as I write these few words, we have received an email from three of our sisters from Myanga who have just returned home from attending the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Foundation in Mbarara, and the account brought back so many happy memories for Sr. Leo and me. As you read in Sr. Angela’s article, the sisters from Arundel who went to make the foundation in Kenya, first stayed with the community in Mbarara for six months, so Sr. Leo was welcomed with open arms, being part of that first small group of ‘explorers’. We were taken into the enclosure and received a huge VIP welcome from Continued on page 22 20
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the community! Lots of hugs and singing and dancing and drums. They sure know how to make you welcome! I was often reminded of Biblical stories of welcome and hospitality throughout our stay in Mbarara and later in Myanga. During our short stay in Mbarara we had a tour around the monastery and grounds, during which Sr. Leo told me that I would see the influence their time in Mbarara made to the planning of building the house in Myanga, Kenya. I saw bananas growing on trees for the first time! We had bananas with most meals - I didn’t realise that there’s lots of varieties of bananas and that some are cooked as part of a main meal, others for sweet desserts and others for eating raw. The huge pots would come into the refectory at meal times and when the lid was removed I could see banana leaves, which were moved aside to reveal the meal inside. The sisters delighted in my amazement! I then had to have a taste of each new banana meal; I must be the only person who went to Africa and put on weight! We had several recreations with the community and we were entertained like royalty. My most precious memories are of the lovely sisters (34 in the community), their beautiful Liturgy and singing, clapping, drumming, dancing plus the many storms, which were amazing! Sr. Leo had hoped that I would experience an African storm and I had the joy of many. All too soon, we were on our long journey to Kenya. We had a very beautiful send-off as all the sisters gathered around the car and sang us on our way. Mother Emmanuel and Sr. Annunciata made the long journey with us to the Kenyan border, where we were met by Sr. Regginah and Sr. Caroline Clare and a friend. Now I could begin my experience of living with our ‘own’ sisters in Kenya. It was dark as we left the border control area in Kenya, so we drove very slowly once we were off the tarmac road and onto the very bumpy and pot-holed local road. With no street lighting, this was quite scary, but Caroline Clare drove with confidence and we arrived safely to a lovely welcome from our sisters in Myanga at 8pm. I was now getting used to ululating and drums being part of an African welcome! We were so happy to be with our sisters and for the long journey to end. Sr. Leo spent her first day decorating the profession cake! She had received an S.O.S. message the day before to ask if she could decorate the cake. Usually she likes to plan for a few weeks and gather up ingredients, but she had to work with what was available and did her best with what was to hand. It was very colourful and fitted in with African culture. 22
On the Friday all was in preparation for the Solemn Profession of Sr. Scolastica on the Saturday. Decorations were going up in the Chapel and in the community room. Chairs were being moved for the guests, last-minute preparations for the liturgy, the choir were practising. It was all-go! I was to help with the flowers for the Chapel and didn’t realise what a challenge this would be. I picked them the day before, sitting them in a shady place in deep water, but hadn’t really appreciated how hot the Chapel gets in the morning, so although the flowers looked quite impressive on Friday night, by Saturday morning I was disappointed to see some of the flowers looking very sad! I made a mad dash around the garden trying to find flowers to tidy up the arrangements. By the time we were ready to leave Myanga I was quite an expert on what flowers lasted and what didn’t. We later had a very special liturgy with Sr. Scolastica which was prepared by the community. Traditionally when a young woman is being married, the day before the women come together to give her good advice and bring gifts. This was re-enacted for living in the community, and was a beautiful beginning of our celebrations. Another excitement on Friday was that one of the goats gave birth to a beautiful white kid! There’s quite a menagerie of animals in the compound: cows, goats, sheep, chickens, pigeons, turkeys, pigs, cats... with a cow also giving birth to a perfect calf while we were there. I’ve never been so close to nature before! The only blot for me was the cock who insisted on crowing at 4.15am each morning - it’s hard enough to get up at 5am without being called earlier - and the Geckos and mosquito who insisted on sharing my cell with me! The big day arrived... overnight, the caterers had been cooking in the garden and the house was full of activity in the preparations for the celebration. Scola came to look at her cake for the first time and we took some photos of her with Sr. Leo and the cake. The Chapel was quickly filling up and the choir was in full voice. Drums, shakers, voices preparing for the Mass. I’ve been to several Solemn Professions, but nothing quite compares to one in Africa; of course, I was a bit lost with the language, but everything was so exuberant and the children and adults participated fully. All the processions were danced and it was so wonderful to see everyone so happy. It reminded me of the day once a year when the Zimbabwe community come to Arundel to celebrate with Sr. Clare Ruva. Sr. Scolastica was radiant and although she was extremely nervous at the beginning, I will never forget when she received her ring from Sr. Leo and exultantly raised her hand to show it to everyone! 23
I was asked to video the profession, which was quite a challenge, but I imagined myself invisible and did my best. Bishop Norman called me the Camera Sister; at Mass next morning, Fr. Thaddeus the parish priest introduced me as Sr. Margaret, the paparazzi! After the Mass, Sr. Leo went with the Bishop and Fr. Bramwell, the M.C. and Fr. Thaddeus, the P.P. and Fr. Joseph from the parish, to show them the tent where they would be having their meal. In the meantime, I went out to join the sisters and guests for the Giving of Gifts, which was a time for the family and friends to give Scola lots of hugs and their personal gifts. There was singing, dancing and hugging galore! Scola was by now totally covered in garlands of tinsel, as each guest put one around her neck. The guests were sitting around the ground or under the gazebos to keep out of the sun, waiting for their meal. It was such a happy celebration and the day ended with clearing up and eventually falling into an exhausted but contented sleep. At recreation on the Sunday we gave Scola her gifts from the community and from Arundel and Hollington. Each gift had been wrapped up and Scola insisted on carefully removing every single piece of sellotape, so the whole thing took some time! Each gift was danced-in by a sister and it was a very joyful time. Monday was Bride’s Day, which was a free day. Sadly, Scola was by now feeling very unwell and spent most of the week quite poorly with malaria, probably a reaction to all the excitement. The rest of my time in Myanga was spent in being with the sisters and sharing in their day-to-day life. The timetable was quite similar to ours here in Arundel, so I was able to slot in quite easily. I appreciated the gift of water while in Africa, as there it is such hard work to use water with care. Each drop is accounted for. The community clothes-washing took me back to my childhood and my Mum washing for a big family with no washing machine. I’d never washed sheets by hand and put them through a wringer before, so it was all a new experience! I don’t know that I was much help, but I showed willing. The washing dried very quickly in the warm sunshine, though we had to look out for sudden storms and a downpour. Sr. Leo and I came to the end of our time in Kenya and prepared for our long trip back to Arundel. Srs. Reginnah and Caroline Clare were to drive us to Kisumu Airport and we said our goodbyes to the community and were looking forward to a Continued on page 26 24
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relaxing trip to the airport and lunch together. We stopped off at a supermarket to buy some treats for the sisters to take home, but while we were in the supermarket someone broke into the car and stole my backpack, which contained my flight tickets, passport, camera and all the USB sticks with the photos and videos of our time in Africa. We had to spend the night with the Franciscan Friars in Nairobi while we tried to get home. It certainly added to my African adventure! My time in Uganda and Kenya have been a real gift and I hope that I may return some day; perhaps I will be able to sneak into someone’s suitcase! I am really grateful to my community for making this possible and now when I hear our drums here, I remember my time in Africa and want to clap along to the rhythm! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gift Aid It! By Peter Honiball In the 2015/16 tax year we raised £9,620 in Gift Aid alone... a BIG thank you to all our Parishioners who have completed a Gift Aid Declaration. As I write this we have raised £6,564 in Gift Aid for the current (2016/17) tax year, with just over one month to go. If you forget your weekly donation envelope behind or want to Gift Aid a qualifying second collection, please consider completing a Yellow One Off envelope that you can find at the back of the Cathedral. I will pick up your details when I add your donation to the system. Did you know you are able to Gift Aid the following donations to the Parish? - Easter and Christmas offerings - Parish Flowers for Corpus Christi, Christmas and Easter - Mass Stipends - Education of Priests - Cathedral Maintenance - Priest’s Retirement Fund - Any ad-hoc donations to the Cathedral
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You cannot Gift Aid the following donations to: - CAFOD - Missio/World Mission Sunday - Mission to the Seafarers - Apostleship of the Sea - or any third party charity that has their own registered charity number If you have not completed a Gift Aid Declaration may I please ask you to consider completing a declaration so that your donations can be boosted by a extra 25p for every ÂŁ1 you give to the Cathedral. Please contact the Cathedral Office on 01903 882297 or alternativelt email myself on peterhoniball@gmail.com to request a declaration. For more information about Gift Aid, do visit https://www.gov.uk/donating-to-charity/gift-aid Once again thank you for all your support and Gift Aiding your donations. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From Derwent to Arundel By Hilary Caws It may be said that buildings, like humans, have their histories written into the very fabric of their being. Here in Arundel, although our Cathedral church is relatively young in comparison with other Cathedrals, it already bears the marks of significant change. Waiting for the Mass to start you have probably noticed the colourful lancet window, set in the eastern wall of the Sanctuary. It shows Our Lady holding the Christ Child. (The front cover of this Parish Proclaimer features the stained glass window.) This is in fact the central light in a set of five, placed above the 27
Lake and Chapel, Derwent Hall
Ambulatory, the walkway which runs along the curve of the eastern wall. Framed as they are by five pillar arches, you may catch a glimpse them, especially in the early morning sunshine, as you pray before the Blessed Sacrament, the Altar of Our Lady or stroll between the two at the Crossing. Although they do not appear on original drawings by Joseph Hansom in 1871, there are hints in the exterior design which seem to allow for the eventual outcome. Later correspondence from 1902 survives, in which ideas for windows in the apse were mentioned and implemented soon after. These windows were originally located in the domestic chapel of St. Henry at Derwent Hall in Derbyshire, which was the shooting lodge of Henry 15th Duke of Norfolk (1847-1917). It later passed into the ownership of his younger brother, Edmund, Viscount Fitzalan-Howard of Derwent (1855-1947) as his country home. The building of the chapel, dedicated to Henry’s namesake took place between 1878 and 1882 (i) also served the small, local Catholic community. They reflect the devotional life of the family as well as the Victorian sensibilities of the Catholic Church in England at that time, still in the early throes of freedom of worship. Both churches, St. Philip Neri in Arundel and St. Henry in Derwent were built in the Gothic style, fashionable at the time. It is moving to read that Cardinal Vaughan loved to spend time in the chapel at Derwent Hall, using the house and chapel as a welcome retreat from the cares and responsibilities of leadership. Lady Edmund Talbot recounts… ‘’He generally spent an hour before Mass in the chapel…” and later when he was very ill and ageing, “at first he was too weak to say Mass, and had to content himself by sitting in the 28
chapel before the Blessed Sacrament…” (ii) Spending so much time in St. Henry’s Chapel, it is more than likely that he used the events portrayed in the glass as a focus for prayer and meditation. These same windows which provided him with comfort and encouragement, in the north of England, can now do the same for us further south. While the designs may hark back to previous ages, they provide us with the eternal images, ideas and teachings of the Church in an easily accessible form of light and colour. These are supported and surrounded by a host of censing angels. They provide an eclectic mix in a gathering of saints, interspersed with images in the life of Our Lady, motifs eschewing the heavenly virtues and finally representations from the Apocalypse. Each saint is depicted with the motifs, commonly attributed to them. Thus we see St. Henry, Holy Roman Emperor, the Duke’s namesake and a special favourite, with sword and crown, St. James with scallop shell and staff, St. John the Evangelist poised ready for writing and our own Philip Neri to whom Duke Henry had a special devotion, with rosary in hand. Worship at St. Henry’s came to an end when it was decided to flood the valley of the River Derwent, in order to provide clean water for the ever-growing city of Sheffield. Today the structural remnants of many homesteads including Derwent Hall, lie under the waters of the Ladybower Reservoir. This event set in motion a seamless blending of fabric and structure since the windows were installed at the Cathedral. As our shared history continues to unfold here in Arundel perhaps we should take time out to discover and re-discover the vibrant life within its walls. Sources and references (i) www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk/lost_houses/lost-house-derwent-hall (ii) http://archive.thetablet.co.uk/issue/19th-june-1920/20#articles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derwent,_Derbyshire John Martin Robinson, The Dukes of Norfolk, publisher: Phillimore 1983, 1995 Pitkin Guide to Arundel Cathedral (revised 2010, Canon Tim Madeley) Oliver Hawkins, Cornerstone magazine, Winter 2015 issue Francis Steer, The Cathedral Church of Our Lady and St. Philip Arundel, publisher: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1973
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From the book The Cathedral Church of Our Lady & Saint Philip Arundel compiled by Francis W. Steer 30
News from the Cathedral Music Group By Monica Clifton As I write this, it is only just a couple of weeks ago that we put away our Christmas decorations and packed up the crib. The strains of the Christmas Gloria and Alleluia have receded into the background and we are in Ordinary Time. By the time you read this we will be in Lent. There is no Gloria except in the week on an important feast day and under no circumstances will Alleluia be heard again until the Easter Vigil. The vestments are purple and there are no flowers. The organ accompaniment is permitted to assist the singing but no voluntaries at the start or end of Mass except on Laetare Sunday. However some music has been especially composed for the Holy Season of Lent and we will be hearing some pieces at the 9.30am Mass during Holy Communion by J .S. Bach which have their own particular beauty and aid meditation. It is important to make this distinction between high days, holidays the penitential season of Lent and to show that it is not ‘business as usual’. If any of you feel you might be able to join our 9.30am Music Group you would be most welcome. We sing once a month and on some other special occasions and rehearse in the Cathedral at 7.15pm on Wednesday evening prior to the appointed Sunday. Why not give it a try? Please contact me by calling 01903 882968 or email monica.clifton@btinternet.com Our music group is Pat D’Avray. Graham & Pauline Rodmell, Terry Warren, Mike Bloxham, Terri LePine, Sue Hiles, Felicity Hurcomb, Diana Stanley, Betsy Vernon, Hannah Yeates, Bryony Morison, Frances Challen, Veronika Buckwell, Lulu Willis and Henry Whittaker. From Terri LePine... My first contact and involvement with the then Catholic church of Saint Philip Neri, It was in 1962 when I moved to Arundel at the age of 16, with my mother, father and younger sister. We all very quickly became active members of the church, my mother helping with the annual Carpet of Flowers, my sister attending the youth club and my father and I joined the church choir, under the excellent leadership of Phil Taylor and Gerard Johnson, who was the organist.
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I spent the majority of my working life in Kent, and my husband and I moved back to Aldwick, West Sussex, Aldwick, in 2010. I have always thought of the Cathedral, as it now is, my spiritual home, and decided that is where I would worship, although I don’t actually live in Arundel. I was made to feel very welcome from the onset and I was then invited to join the 9.30am Music Group, by Monica Clifton, with whom I had been at school and teachers’ training college, and I feel very privileged to be able to play my flute occasionally, accompanying the singing, when it is appropriate. We celebrate the liturgy on a monthly basis and we have a choir rehearsals on the Wednesday evening before Mass on the Sunday, which is not a huge commitment. This is always very enjoyable and we sing a range of traditional and modern church music. Many of the religious songs and hymns we sing, are written for children, as part of our remit is to support them at their special Masses. New members are always welcome! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Latest DVDs from Mary’s Dowry Productions available from www.marysdowryproductions.org Saint Bernadette of Lourdes and the Holy Rosary In 1858, in a remote village at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains, the blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous. This simple French girl, who later became a nun and a Saint, shows us how simple the way of holiness and happiness is, guided by Our Lady of Lourdes and the beauty of Faith and prayer. The Holy Rosary, endorsed by so many Popes in the history of the Church, was at the forefront of Our Lady’s messages and continues to call us today. Runtime: 30 minutes.
Saint Julian of Norwich 'The Revelations of Divine Love' by St. Julian of Norwich are presented in her own words in this new film from Mary's Dowry Productions. These beautiful, mystical and deeply spiritual insights give a moving encounter with the Passion of Christ, as well as the reassurance from Our Lord that 'all will be well'. As Pope Benedict XVI tells us: "This kindly and devout English woman of the 14th century set down the content of her visions in sixteen showings. Like an ancient anchoress, she decided to live in a cell located near the church called after St Julian, in the city of Norwich. Here is an absorbing, spiritual journey through the writings of one of our great English Saints. Runtime: 40 Minutes.
Hamburg Revisited By Michael Cranfield 1947, two years after the end of the Second World War, saw my father Alec, my mother Madeline and me living in an elegant terraced house in leafy Benedictstrasse, Hamburg in Germany. My father had been posted there as part of the Occupation Force to help the Germans to rebuild the country and in particular the Port devastated by allied bombing, because of his expert knowledge of ship design and berthing. Their house was located close to the Officers’ Mess and was the venue for many joyous and rowdy cocktail parties lasting long into the night, in which my dear Mama revelled! Apparently I ‘crashed’ one such party in my pyjamas, but being only two years’ old then, sadly, I can recollect nothing of my three years in Hamburg. This was one reason for my wanting to return. And so it was that mid-December 2016 saw Lorraine and I setting off on a cruise ship from Tilbury bound for ‘Christmas markets’ in Hamburg and Antwerp.
One pale grey morning, we went outside on the top deck, as our ship slipped quietly down the still and beautiful estuary of the river Elbe into the Port of Hamburg. Later we docked and disembarked to our tour coach, which took us through the city to the Altmarkt and the old Rathaus Christmas market. After enjoying a Gluhwein, we hailed a taxi for the Benedictstrasse. Arriving opposite number 10 and 12 in the twilight, I ask Karl our driver if he would wait for 5 minutes. Then I stand in front for a photo. It is both a strange and wondrous feeling – a privilege - for a 70 years’ old man standing on the spot where 70 years earlier he had played and walked along Continued on page 36 34
CATHEDRAL GIFT SHOP An extensive range of high quality religious gifts and cards for Lent, Easter, baptisms, weddings, funerals, birthdays, special anniversaries and other occasions.
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Sarah-Louise Textiles & Haberdashery Shop Unit 11, The Old Printworks Arcade, Tarrant Street, Arundel, BN18 9JH. 01903 882295 www.sarah-louisedesigns.com Wide Range of wools, yarns, fabric, haberdashery & local crafts. Alteration service. Do come and see us!
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with his parents. A memory I will always cherish when I look at the family photographs above. It was a relaxing and enjoyable experience for us on board the M.V. ‘Magellan’ despite the reputation of the North Sea in winter, which for much of our voyage was a flat calm! Part of our daily routine was to recline in comfy armchairs in one of the Music bars, sipping a cocktail and listening to semi-classical selections from a piano/violin duo, or the resident pianist in the Sinatra bar playing American Musicals. One time, we were in the Sinatra bar where every table was occupied, when a striking Asian woman approached ours asking if we could make space for her and her man. He was sitting, slumped in a wheelchair, obviously severely disabled. We fell into conversation hearing about one another’s lives. He told me that his lady was a practising Buddhist and he a lapsed Catholic; and that he was finding life very difficult in various ways. He was in the final stages of Parkinson’s disease. This triggered a prayer inside me - that he could come to re-discover his prayer life, and that the Lord would lead him back into the fold. I wondered if it might be helpful for him to talk things through with his parish priest. Lorraine also found an opening, talking about the Lourdes Pilgrimage. Finally, the four of us dined together and exchanged email addresses. On our last day, before disembarkation, our friend hailed us, and he said that our meeting them had ‘made the cruise for us’. Since arriving home, we have had a message that he has decided to contact his Parish Priest, and has been in touch with the Lourdes Pilgrimage Office with regard to booking for the July Pilgrimage.
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As has happened more than once in life we, like many other Christians, have experienced a sudden and unexpected Providential twist or turn in one’s journey (or cruise!) and this time for me, two privileged experiences in as many days. Clearly, our friends have very significant challenges to face in their lives. So please join us in praying for them. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
New Year’s Resolution - Part 1 By Adam Vernon
Apparently, most of us will have set and broken our New Year’s resolutions by now! But don’t be disheartened there is still a chance for you to commit and achieve some objectives in great abundance in 2017. About this time last year my friend Nigel Willis (who attends St. Andrew’s C of E church in Steyning) and I decided to set ourselves a challenge for 2016. After some deliberations and discussions with our wives, we ruled out some that were either too easy or pretty unlikely to be achieved and set our sights on walking the Pilgrims Way from Winchester to Canterbury. This ancient route has been trodden by thousands of people over the centuries and of course has some notoriety in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. After some research I discovered that the Pilgrims Way is about 119 miles from end to end and plucking a figure of 30 miles out of the air for each ‘weekend’ walk we calculated it would be achievable in 4 weekends of walking. Our plan was to 37
complete the walk, starting in Winchester and finishing in Canterbury during the better months of the year and definitely before Christmas! The date was set for our first two day stint in March with the agreement that our wives would drop us off at the start of each walk and collect us at the end of the second day, with the rendezvous being confirmed once we knew how far we were likely to get. Nigel and I took it in turns to book the overnight accommodation where we estimated we would get after a day’s walking and as close as possible to the Pilgrims Way so we didn’t waste valuable walking time and energy! We set off in March and picked up our Pilgrims Way passports from Winchester Cathedral. These passports are designed for the pilgrims to collect stamps from churches and other key places with some connection to the famous route as you travel along. I had sourced a small, yet detailed, leaflet from Hampshire Tourist Board, about St. Swithen’s Way, which marks the Pilgrims Way up to Farnham. This leaflet proved invaluable as we left the doors of the Cathedral we realised we had no idea which way to head without the excellent instructions which told us exactly which path and road to walk down to get out of Winchester and on our way. We set off with great enthusiasm and in good spirits wondering how far we could actually walk in a day and whether we would get to our overnight stop booked by Nigel. I had downloaded and tested an App for my mobile phone which would trace our steps by satellite and record how far we walked and paces taken each day. We had both contemplated our footwear for the walk and carried our supplies (food, wet weather gear, plasters) in our backpacks. We had both ended up wearing our well-worn work boots for the walk and believed they would be suitable but experience would prove me wrong! The first day was great and we marched on through some of the most fantastic small, idyllic villages in Hampshire that you would only come across on such a rural walk. Beautiful stone-built, thatched roofs and cottage gardens by the score. Having said this the distance between some settlements was literally miles and when travelling on foot it takes a long time to get anywhere, especially as we are all so used to driving in cars, at speed, from A to B. By late afternoon my feet were suffering badly with rubbing boots and large blisters were forming on my heels and the soles (ball) of my feet. Continued on page 40
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We eventually arrived at Medstead, the village where Nigel had booked our accommodation and it was now getting dark. We walked on by the use of the torches on our mobile phones only to discover the battery goes flat very quickly. Nigel used his phone to ring the B&B before his battery failed and found out that the house was on the other side of the village, some 4 miles away from the Pilgrims Way (this was a lesson for us in future). The landlady was not able to pick us up but told us where the pub was where we could get food, and she would collect us from there after her husband returned from work. Walking on and on, and blisters getting very painful, we eventually found the Castle of Comfort pub which was exactly what it said on the (tin) sign. What a relief to sit down and loosen our boots, before ordering a hearty meal and a Guinness! We had walked an impressive (for us) 21 miles on our first day. If walking the Pilgrims Way is meant to be a penance for a good life, this was certainly a good start for us! Day two started with popped blisters and reinforced plasters and a full English breakfast. The landlady’s son kindly offered to drive us back to the village so we could start the walk where we left the Pilgrims Way the previous evening. On one farm, we walked through some very muddy fields where we were slipping and sliding in every step. The sheep in the fields had no grass and were in poor condition, so much so we witnessed two dead sheep. One had been dead a few days with its eye pecked out and the other was just a carcass which had been eaten by foxes and other predators down to the bone skeleton of ribs. After some 12 miles of brilliant countryside we arrived at Bentley and stopped at the village church for our late lunch, where there were some magnificent yew trees with trunks a metre across. We sat on a bench in the graveyard with the sun beaming down on us and agreed it was time to make the phone call to come and get us. Well, we had done 33 miles on our first weekend and felt very pleased with our fantastic achievement but rather foot sore! Nigel’s feet hadn’t suffered as much and me with different footwear was definitely something to sort for the next mission. In the summer issue of the Parish Proclaimer you will be able to read about Adam’s and Nigel’s next three walks and how it ended with an amazing cake as a treat!
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Parish People - Elizabeth Stratford By Colin Swanton
At the time of her appointment as Organist and Master of the Choristers to the Cathedral in October 2002, Elizabeth was not only the first woman to hold a combined position of this type in this country but also the youngest to hold a senior Cathedral music post. Educated at St. Joseph’s College, a Catholic girls’ grammar school in Bradford, run by the Sisters of the Cross and Passion, Elizabeth was one of the first girl choristers at Leeds Cathedral - one of the first Cathedral choirs in the country to take girls as choristers. Elizabeth was inspired to sing from the age of 13 years; and, all through school and then at Huddersfield University where she went to study music, she was keen to direct a Cathedral choir once she started her working life. During this time, she was invited to be a conducting scholar at New Mill Parish Church in Holmfirth; she shadowed Simon Lindley at Leeds Parish Church (now Leeds Minster) then became Director of Music at St. Paul’s Church, Shipley near Bradford. From Huddersfield, Elizabeth went to Leeds University for a year to study for a Masters degree in Music and Liturgy. She then studied vocal performance at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester under Henry Herford. Whilst working as a dinner lady in a Catholic school, Elizabeth applied for four jobs 41
in Cathedral music and was offered the position at Arundel Cathedral by Canon Jeff Scott, who telephoned her at 8.30am one morning to give her the news. Elizabeth told me that in her search for a permanent position she could either work with an established choir and maintain their work or work with a choir (like Arundel’s) that required development. The Cathedral choir then was mainly adults from the parish. Elizabeth was keen to encourage young people to join the choir as she felt that there was much to offer them and now, fourteen years later, she has some eighteen younger choristers and up to ten adults. Currently, she is studying for a PhD in Liturgy and Music at the University of Surrey. Elizabeth supervised the rebuilding of the Hill organ in 2004-2006, which meant that the loft could not be used during that time. The cost of the refurbishment was about £250,000. Originally, the organ was built in the 1860s and resided in St. John’s Church in Islington. Before it was completed, the then 15th Duke of Norfolk, Henry Fitzalan Howard allegedly saw it and bought it for the Catholic parish church of St. Philip Neri, Arundel (now Arundel Cathedral) then being built at that time. During our discussion, Elizabeth gave me some details of the music that she hopes to use in the Easter services this year though all this is subject to the Imprimatur of Bishop Richard. For Maundy Thursday these include the Ubi Caritas by Durufle and Greater Love, a piece by John Ireland. On Good Friday, the Allegri Miserere, which is famous for a top C (a very high note). Originally, this piece could only be performed at the Vatican but a 9 year-old Mozart went to hear it with his father and wrote the whole piece down (after only hearing it the once) so the world has it today! On Good Friday, Elizabeth hopes to include Bruckner’s Christus Factus Est. For the Easter Vigil Mass, she plans to include Jonathan Dove’s Missa Brevis and This Joyful Eastertide by Charles Wood for Easter Sunday. I asked Elizabeth what her own favourites were, and she told me that her favourite hymn was How shall I sing that Majesty to the tune Coe Fen. Her favourite anthem is Bring us, O Lord God by William H. Harris with the text by John Donne, a special combination of words and music that she finds so moving that she cries every time she hears it! STOP PRESS.., Madaleine Hallam represented Arundel when the Choristers of Britain met last year for a concert in St Paul's Cathedral. This appeared in the summer Parish Proclaimer. She was invited back with the other choristers to record somtracks for the album Jubilate 500. With proceeds going to the Diamond Fund for Choristers you can buy the album by visiting https://decca.lnk.to/stpaulsID,now! 42
Concentus with Voice & Spirit A performance of two choirs on 20 April in the Cathedral A very special event takes place on 20 April at 12 noon, when Eastbourne’s Concentus Choir team up with their “twinned” German counterparts, Voice and Spirit, to join their hearts and voices once again in a visit to Arundel Cathedral. Echoing a similar exchange visit of three years ago when the two choirs sang together in Lubeck’s beautiful St. Mary’s Church, the choristers will be eager to enjoy the splendid surroundings, and no doubt the acoustics, of Arundel Cathedral. Led by Choir mistress Catrin Jacobsen, Voice and Spirit is predominantly a Gospel Choir, hailing from the churches of St. John’s in Appen, and St. Michael’s in Moorrege. The choir has been together for ten years and consists of choral singers from the two churches. They sing at numerous church and community events in their area and are keen to stress that they are all about having fun! Using the universal language of music, there are certainly no barriers to the shared fun and enjoyment. Friends and special memories have been made since the two choirs first teamed up, and they are all looking forward to their day in Arundel!
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Complete Organ Works of Olivier Messiaen Recitals at Arundel Cathedral during June 2017 Olivier Messiaen (10 December 1908 - 27 April 1992) was a French composer and organist as well as a keen ornithologist. He drew on his Catholic faith for his music compositions. He travelled widely and wrote works inspired by diverse influences such as Japanese music, the landscape of Bryce Canyon in Utah and the life of St. Francis of Assisi. He said he perceived colours when he heard certain musical chords (a phenomenon known as synaesthesia in its literal manifestation). He was appointed organist at the Église de la Sainte-Trinité, Paris, in 1931, a post held until his death. He taught at the Schola Cantorum de Paris during the 1930s. On the fall of France in 1940, Messiaen was made a prisoner of war, during which time he composed his Quatuor pour la fin du temps (‘Quartet for the end of time’) for the four available instruments: piano, violin, cello and clarinet. The piece was first performed by Messiaen and fellow prisoners for an audience of inmates and prison guards. He was appointed Professor of Harmony soon after his release in 1941, and Professor of Composition in 1966 at the Paris Conservatoire (where he entered at the age of 11), positions he held until his retirement in 1978. Messiaen’s organ works represent a major cornerstone of his output. A series of recitals took place at Arundel Cathedral performed by Robert Sholl presenting Messiaen’s complete organ works both in concert and as devotional works. These works were performed (with readings), around the religious festivals which inspired them during last year: the Ascension (6 May), Pentecost (20 May), Corpus Christi (3 June), ‘Dedication of a Church’ (4 November) and ‘Christmas’ (16 December). The final two recitals take place at the Cathedral on 9 June (Trinity) and 23 June (Corpus Christi), both at 7pm. Tickets cost £5 per person and you can purchase them by telephone 07971 090724 or email arundelorganrecitals@gmail.com Robert Sholl will be performing on both occasions. As well as teaching at the Royal Academy of Music and the University of West London, Robert is currently preparing two books on Messiaen. The first is a major study of Messiaen’s organ works, and the second, a biography of the composer for Reaktion’s Critical Lives series. Come along on to one or both days in June and enjoy the final 2 works of Messiaen!
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News from St. Philip’s Catholic Primary School By Sydney Bridges, Deputy Headteacher On 30 November, we had our Ofsted inspection. The report was made public during January and is available on the school website. We were delighted that the school was graded as ‘Good and improving’ and were particularly pleased that the Ofsted inspector praised the Catholic Ethos of our school, stating that,‘One of the main strengths of the school is how well it nurtures pupils’ spirituality and sense of awe and wonder’. Many parents of children, who attend St. Philip’s, spoke with passion and enthusiasm. One parent commented that the school has a ‘strong ethos of caring for others and working together to grow as individuals…’ It was gratifying to have the staff at St. Philip’s school recognised as being committed and dedicated to all pupil’s academic and pastoral achievement. We are very fortunate to have the on-going support of many volunteers and parent helpers who aid in nurturing and developing our learning environment. We would like to thank our highly dedicated team of governors who give up their own time to support and strategically challenge the school and it’s leadership. Following an idea suggested by a child in Year 4, all of the children in Key Stage 2 walked 5km around Arundel to raise £400 for CAFOD World Gifts. The aim was to raise enough money to provide a community in Ethiopia with a camel. Camels can provide a family with up to seven litres of milk a day to drink. Breeding camel calves can also produce much needed income for a community and one animal can also help families by carrying weights up to 200kg! This will add to the camels already fundraised for, by the Parish during Advent. The children were visited in assembly by an ambassador from CAFOD. Amazingly the children raised £800 - enough for two camels! And finally, to further nurture our children’s spiritual journey, we are holding an ‘In-school retreat day’ where the children will be given the chance to reflect, pray and share their God-given gifts with the other children in the school. Our Year 6 RE ambassadors will take a lead on guiding the younger children in the school in learning and recognising different ways we can reflect and pray. Some of the activities will include clay creations linked to ‘I am the potter you are the clay’ (Isaiah 64:8) and exploring science through the parable ‘if you have faith as small as mustard seed’ (Matthew 17:20). There will be a carousel of activities that runs throughout the day. We will gather as a school to reflect on our Golden Rule of ‘treat others as you would like to be treated’, teaching the children that this is the foundation for living as Jesus taught us. Please visit www.stphilipsarundel.org.uk to read more about our school and to find out any latest news.
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News from St. Philip Howard Catholic High School By Clare Long, Chaplain At the start of Advent, SPH hosted a special Mission Week, led by a team from Sion Youth. Our Mission Week was a wonderful opportunity for all our community to take the time to reflect on the Gospel and on God’s role in their lives, as well as our own personal response to God. Our team led assemblies each morning, looking at different themes and used drama, mime, music, testimony, teaching and prayer to unpack the themes of Choosing Life, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Alongside the assemblies, the team visited classes to answer questions, led a variety of workshops for each year group, offered personal prayer ministry to both staff and students, and provided opportunities to pray in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament over lunchtime, as well as hosting a social with the staff, running a taster for the Youth Alpha programme and (alongside the efforts of our amazing performing arts department) running a successful showcase evening that was well attended by students, parents, carers, friends, family, staff, parishioners and even the odd member of the clergy joining us for that celebration. We ended our week with liturgies for all students which challenged them to take what they had learnt from the Mission forward into their own lives through personal prayer and fellowship. It’s been great to see so many students engaging with their faith in a new way over the Mission Week and beyond. We’ve continued the opportunity to spend some time in Adoration with Lightfever taking place on Friday lunchtimes and open to all students and staff. The New Year brought the opportunity for some of our older students to take part in voluntary Retreat Days at the Sussex Heritage Centre. Students from Year 10 and 11 reflected on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, whilst those from the Sixth Form looked at being ‘Rooted in Christ’. The students taking part were absolutely wonderful, and the days were filled with fun, laughter, reflection and prayer. We’re now preparing for Lent, which is just around the corner, and for our Year 8 ‘Days of Reflection’ that give us the opportunity to visit the Cathedral and especially the shrine of our patron, St. Philip Howard. Please pray for us that these will be blessed experiences as we pray for all within our local community on a regular basis. Visit www.sphcs.co.uk to read more about St. Philip Howard Catholic High School. In April 2016 Ofsted rated the school as ‘outstanding’ in all categories and our most recent GCSE and A Level results from the summer of 2016 place us in the Top 5% and Top 10% respectively of state schools nationally for progress.
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Parish Diary MARCH Wednesday 22nd Friday 24th
10.00am 7.00pm
Saturday 25th
7.30pm
Sunday 26th
9.30am 10.30am
Friday 31st
11.15am 7.00pm
Mass in the Fitzalan Chapel Stations of the Cross (St. Nicholas’ Church) The Angmering Chorale Concert - for tickets call 01243 554501 or visit www.theangmeringchorale.org.uk Mass Mothering Sunday Breakfast for mothers at the Cathedral Centre Mass including baptism Stations of the Cross (Cathedral)
APRIL Saturday 1st
Friday 7th
7.30pm
10.00am 7.00pm
Sunday 9th 6.15pm 9.30am 11.15am Tuesday 11th Wednesday 12th Thursday 13th
10.00am 6.00pm 8.00pm
11.50pm
Arun Choral Society Concert for tickets call 01243 866469 or email boxoffice@arunchoralsociety.co.uk Mass in the Fitzalan Chapel Stations of the Cross (St. Nicholas’ Church) PALM SUNDAY at the Convent of the Poor Clares, Crossbush (Sat. 8th) Mass in the Cathedral Mass (with Blessing of Palms in the Cathedral Centre) Mass in the Fitzalan Chapel Chrism Mass HOLY THURSDAY Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the Cathedral followed by waiting to midnight at the Altar of Repose. Compline 48
Friday 14th 9.00am 10.00am 3.00pm Saturday 15th 9.00am 8.30pm Sunday 16th 6.15pm
Thursday 20th
9.30am 11.15am 12 noon
Saturday 22nd
12 noon
Sunday 23rd Saturday 29th
3.00pm 10.00am
GOOD FRIDAY Office of Readings and Morning Prayer Stations of the Cross The Lord’s Passion (Collection: Holy Places) HOLY SATURDAY Office of Readings and Morning Prayer The Easter Vigil and First Mass of the Resurrection EASTER SUNDAY at the Convent of the Poor Clares, Crossbush (Sat. 15th) Mass Mass Lunchtime recital by Concentus and Voice & Spirit Choirs (see p.43) Union of Catholic Mothers Annual Mass with Bishop Richard St. George’s Day Scouts’ Service Mass with visiting choir from Mayfield School
MAY Thursday 11th Saturday 13th Sunday 14th Sunday 21st Thursday 25th Friday 26th
2.00pm 7.00pm 3.00pm 9.30am 11.15am 11.30am 7.00pm
Visit of Cathedral Organists Association The Leconfield Singers Concert for tickets visit www.leconfieldsingers.co.uk Worthing Deanery Confirmations First Communion Mass Mass including baptism Weybridge Parish Visit & Mass Ordination Mass of Roy Waters
JUNE Friday 2nd
7.00pm
Saturday 3rd
5.00pm
Arundel Unity Service followed by shared supper Mass for New Catholics
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Friday 9th
7.00pm
Saturday 10th
5.00pm
Sunday 11th
1.00pm onwards all day all day 9.00am 9.30am
Monday 12th Tuesday 13th Wednesday 14th
Thursday 15th
9.30am
Thursday 22nd Friday 23rd
5.30pm 12 noon 9.30am 3.00pm 12 noon 7.00pm
Friday 23rd
10.00am
Friday 16th Sunday 18th
Messiaen Series Organ Recital – Robert Sholl, tickets £5.00 available by calling 07971 090724 or email arundelorganrecitals@gmail.com Diocesan Deacons’ Mass Corpus Christi preparations Corpus Christi preparations Corpus Christi preparations Mass Cathedral open for visitors to see the Carpet of Flowers Cathedral open for visitors to see the Carpet of Flowers Mass & Procession to the Castle/return Visit of St. Philip Howard School, Hatfield First Communion ‘Going Forth’ Mass Cathedral Deanery Confirmations Diocesan Mass for Jubilarian Priests Messiaen Series Organ Recital – Robert Sholl, tickets £5.00 available by calling 07971 090724 or email arundelorganrecitals@gmail.com Mass in the Fitzalan Chapel
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Comedy with the Clergy Fr. James was looking after his nephew, Eddie, one afternoon and was reading aloud a passage from the Bible until he was interrupted by a telephone call, It was a lengthy call and he had to go to his study to find the parish event diary, leaving Eddie alone with the Bible, Eddie began turning over the pages, fascinated by the old looking thin paper and the words he could not yet read. Suddenly, something fell out. He picked it up and found that it was an old leaf that had been pressed flat between the pages. “Uncle, look what I found!” he shouted. Fr. James quickly mumbled his apologies, muted the telephone and rushed into the lounge. “What have you got there, Eddie?” he asked. With astonishment in his voice, Eddie replied, "I think it's Adam's underwear!" 50
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Congratulations & Commemorations Baptisms 4 December -Leonardo Pesiri 11 December - Archie James Edwards 29 December - Sofia Vera Sansone 7 January - Deborah-Leigh Collins 7 January - Karl Collins 8 January - Eleanor Rose McTernan 8 January - Liam Christopher Nesbitt 8 January - Dylan Alexander Douglas 8 January - Jacob Paul Tomlinson 8 January - Tillie Margaret Ellen Tomlinson 8 January - Louie David William 8 January - Elora Betty Williams 8 January - Ralph Joseph Williams 15 January - Lola Yasmin Williams 18 February - Isla Sophia Fricker 26 February - Lawrence Jack Simon Labbett
Marriages 31 December - Liam Francis Vine & Kayleigh Anne Cook
Deaths 30 November - Peter Purdy (65 years) 12 December - Ted Puttock (96 years) 14 December - Peter Bryan (78 years) 7 January - Olive Harrison (102 years) 18 January - Irene Austin (92 years) 20 January - Suzanne Jane Edwards (71 years) 29 January - Stephen Michael Paul Pearson (53 years) 2nd February - Emma Jane Hiles (50 years) 9th February - Patricia Trower (77 years) 26th February - Doreen Katherine Gray Wensley (89 years)
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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 can be registered on our Parish Database.
ALTAR SERVERS NEEDED FOR 9.30/11.15am MASSES Female or male, young or old, all are most welcome to apply as long as you have made your communion or enrolled in the first communion group. We need servers for both Sunday Masses and for other services for the Diocese. Experience is not required as training will be given. If interested please speak to Graham or Ian (Sacristy) or Louise Sharp at the Cathedral Office on 01903 882297 or email aruncath1@aol.com
YOUNG PEOPLE’S HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE 21 - 29 October 2017 for 18-35 year olds Full details are available from the Parish Office.
CORPUS CHRISTI A BIG ASK! Can you commit to a few hours to make this year’s event a success? A lot of time goes into this during 12/13 June to prepare the Carpet of Flowers as well as during 14/15 forCorpus Christi. We do need more help from everyone & ideally more young people to ensure the future success of all we do together.
More details on pages 14-15 inside!
HOUSEBOUND? If you or a family member is unable to come to Mass due to illness or infirmity please call us on 01903 882 297
NOW YOU’VE READ OUR MAGAZINE HOW ABOUT WRITING FOR US? Our Parish Proclaimer is only as good as what’s put into it from people who like to share their faith, thoughts and experiences. We are grateful to receive anything of interest, no article too big or too small. So whether you want to write about a visit to a place of interest, going to a concert or another event, a reflection on an aspect of faith or anything else you would like to share, please send it to the Editor whose contact details you will find on page 3 in this magazine. Thank you in advance!
WELCOME PEOPLE AS THEY ARRIVE FOR MASS! Can you help one Sunday within 9 weeks to welcome parishioners as they arrive for 9.30am or 11.15am Masses? If you can please contact: 9.30am Mass Mike Webster - 01798 812764 leonierowan@btinternet,com 11.15am Mass Jennifer Robinson - 01903 713050 filumenacat@yahoo.co.uk
CHURCH CLEANERS URGENTLY WANTED To join an enthusiastic team of volunteers on Friday mornings or if you prefer another day no problem at all! Please call the Parish Office: 01903 882 297
And finally... All about Saint Peregrine St. Peregrine is known as the patron saint of cancer patients, AIDS victims and others suffering from serious illnesses. Peregrine Laziosi was born in 1260 in Forli, Italy to a wealthy family. Although he was a member of an anti-papal party as a young man, he experienced a profound change of heart, much like St. Paul’s conversion in its intensity. He and some companions showed up one day to heckle and otherwise abuse St. Philip Benizi, the Prior General of the Servants of Mary, who was preaching in Forli. Peregrine went so far as to strike him in the face! St. Philip, seemingly following our Lord’s advice in scripture (Matt. 5:39, Luke 6:29), offered his other cheek in response. This gesture so moved Peregrine that he quickly asked for Philip’s forgiveness and soon thereafter converted to Catholicism, spending much time in prayer at the Chapel of Our Lady at the Cathedral. Mary appeared to him there in a vision asking him to join the Servite Order in Siena. He was received there by St. Philip! Peregrine spent the rest of his life ministering to the poor and the sick, mainly in his hometown of Forli where he established a new house for the Servites. His dedication to the faith was such that, according to tradition, he would stand constantly instead of sitting down, as a form of penance.He underwent a severe trial when he developed a cancerous sore on his leg as well as his feet. Doctors decided upon amputation as treatment. The night before the operation, Peregrine spent the night in prayer before a crucifix in a hospital chapel. He dreamt at one point there that Christ came down from the cross and healed his leg. When he woke up, he and his doctors, made the joyful discovery that he was completely cured. God had truly performed a miracle on this holy man! Peregrine himself performed numerous miracles in his life. After his death in 1345, there were countless others, especially in Spain. The Church attributed to him more than 300 cures of cancer and other illnesses from 1694 to 1726 in one city there alone! After his death in 1345, there were countless others, especially in Spain. His body rests in the Servite church of Forlì where it is greatly honoured by the people. Pope Paul V declared him blessed in 1609 and Pope Benedict XIII canonized him in 1726. Courtesy of www.ourcatholicprayers.com
Please visit http://stperegrine.org
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. The content of the Parish Proclaimer is provided by parishioners and advertisers, published in good faith, without guarantee. The Arundel and Brighton Diocesan Trust is a Registered Charity - Reg. No. 252878 The Editor of the Parish Proclaimer is Alexander R. Clouter, a parishioner who happens to be a writer, proofreader and graphic designer. Email: here@rite4u.biz
Saint Peregrine Patron Saint of those suffering from cancer Feast Day: 2 May
Are you suffering from cancer? Or do you know someone who is? These prayers to St. Peregrine can give you hope! This first one is for those afflicted with this deadly disease: St. Peregrine, whom Holy Mother Church has declared Patron of those suffering from cancer, I confidently turn to you for help in my present sickness. I beg your kind intercession. Ask God to relieve me of this sickness, if it be his Holy Will. Plead with the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Sorrows, whom you loved so tenderly and in union with whom you have suffered the pains of Cancer, that she may help me with her powerful prayers and loving consolation. But if it should be God’s Holy Will that I bear this sickness, obtain for me courage and strength to accept these trials from the loving hand of God with patience and resignation, because he knows what is best for the salvation of my soul. St. Peregrine, be my friend and patron. Help me to imitate you in accepting suffering, and to unite myself with Jesus Crucified and the Mother of Sorrows, as you did. I offer my pains to God with all the love of my heart, for his glory and the salvation of souls, especially my own. Amen. The second of these prayers to St. Peregrine is for others’ intentions: O great St. Peregrine, you have been called "The Mighty," "The Wonder-Worker," because of the numerous miracles which you have obtained from God for those who have had recourse to you. For so many years you bore in your own flesh this cancerous disease that destroys the very fibre of our being, and who had recourse to the source of all grace when the power of man could do no more. You were favoured with the vision of Jesus coming down from His Cross to heal your affliction. Ask of God and Our Lady, the cure of the sick whom we entrust to you. (Pause here and silently recall the names of the sick for whom you are praying) Aided in this way by your powerful intercession, we shall sing to God, now and for all eternity, a song of gratitude for His great goodness and mercy. Amen. You can read more about St. Peregrine on page 54 inside.