EASTER EDITION 2026
RECTOR’S EASTER MESSAGE
Canon John O’Leary
This is a golden year for Allen Hall! We are celebrating fifty years in Chelsea following the move from at St Edmund’s College, Ware (our home from 1793 after the College had to leave Douai, where it was founded by William – later Cardinal –Allen in 1568). To mark this jubilee, Cardinal Vincent Nichols kindly celebrated Mass with us last September 27th. He gave a most inspiring homily. The Cardinal remains in our prayers now that his ministry has entered a new phase. Of course, his successor as Archbishop of Westminster, The Most Reverend Richard Moth, is in our prayers too. It was marvellous for our seminarians to assist at his Mass of Installation.
The Feast of the Douai Martyrs, October 26th, offered another opportunity to celebrate the jubilee. What a joy to welcome back about sixty alumni who were formed at Allen Hall’s present location, including Bishop Fredrik Hansen of Oslo! The Saturday before, another alumnus, Bishop James Curry, admitted four seminarians to Candidacy for Ordination. The ordination to the diaconate of René Delos Reyes in February further added shine to our golden year.
A pilgrimage back to St Edmund’s on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross offered an important opportunity to appreciate our roots in order to move forward in hope – and there is good reason to do so! Fifty years after coming to Beaufort Street, Allen Hall thrives. Twenty-three men joined us this year to undertake some aspect of their formation for priesthood here. Please pray that they, and all our seminarians, will meet the goal Pope Leo set each one of them in his meditation at the Jubilee for Seminarians in Rome last June. That is, “to become a joyful man and a joyful priest, a ‘bridge’, not an obstacle, for those who come to you in order to come to Christ. He must increase and we must decrease. In this way, we can be shepherds after his own Heart.” This is the essence of the vocation to the priesthood. For as the Holy Father told the seminarians: “Just as Jesus loved with a human heart, so you are called to love with the Heart of Christ”. Please be assured of our prayers for you. May the Good Shepherd lead you to life everlasting.
YEAR OF PASTORAL THEOLOGY
Farvin Gonsalves (Portsmouth, Second Configuration) offers a few snapshots of his Year of Pastoral Theology.
My parish placement was at St Colman’s and St Paul’s Parish in Cosham and Paulsgrove, in the northern suburbs of Portsmouth. The parish has two churches, a Catholic primary school and also includes the Queen Alexandra Hospital. My role in the parish included serving, reading, and distributing Holy Communion at Mass, greeting people after Mass, participating and leading Lectio Divina and Bible study groups, attending Friendship Club (over-60s group), participating and leading RCIA catechesis, visiting the primary school, bringing Holy Communion to the housebound and the sick in the hospital and care homes, and assisting at the celebration of baptisms and funerals.
Early on in my placement I discovered first-hand that parishes can be very busy places. There were days when I was going from one task to the next. At the end of the day, I realised I had not prayed some of the Liturgy of the Hours or had not stopped to reflect. This alerted me to the importance of protecting times and routines for prayer during busy days. I also learned the importance of reflecting quietly towards the end of the day and of the week on what had happened in my different ministries, who I had encountered and what had touched me.
I learned from the parish priest, Fr. Andrew Wagstaff, the importance of allowing the volunteers and parishioners to independently manage certain tasks. I was always eager to help and support but Fr. Andrew told me that I had to learn to step back and let parishioners take responsibility for certain things. If I kept stepping in to help then I would be taking away from parishioners and volunteers valuable opportunities to come together and work as a group.
One of my greatest joys during the placement was serving at the hospital. For the first few months I observed Fr. Andrew as he went around to visit patients. Occasionally, a patient on his visit list would be listed as Catholic but was not practising and would not want anything from the Chaplaincy. Others, however, would be filled with joy at knowing that a priest had come to see them and having the opportunity to receive Holy Communion. I often found the faith of the patients quite remarkable, and it has inspired me. Sometimes I saw a person only once but praying with them and ministering to them has been a great source of spiritual nourishment for me.
The Easter Triduum was the highlight of my pastoral placement. On Maundy Thursday, we had about 70 people who had their feet washed and washed other people’s feet. On Good Friday we had ecumenical stations of the cross with the Anglican church. It was nice to see the unity within the churches especially on Good Friday. The Veneration of the Cross has always been a deeply moving part of the liturgy. At the Easter Vigil we had 15 children and five adults to be baptised, four adults who were received into the Church and all nine adults were also confirmed. It was an amazing experience, especially as I had journeyed with them during RCIA. On Easter Sunday we had two masses with five more Baptisms for children. I have gained a deeper understanding of hospitality.
Fr. Andrew was very generous sharing his time with me and showed me the importance of being a priest who cares for his parishioners. He cooked many meals for me and I returned the favour as well. The parishioners in the Friendship Club and on the Alpha course instilled in me the significance of being welcoming to others. The Friendship Club was open to everyone in the local community, and there were even nonChristians who attended frequently. Helping on the Alpha course, I learned how little things can matter greatly to people. Even quite simple things like having tablecloths and napkins and setting a table properly could help people feel loved.
Another important aspect of the placement was the significance of leisure and exercise. Fr. Andrew set a good example for me by walking to most places. We also went out to visit the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth and the nearby market town of Romsey amongst other places. As a way of relaxing, we occasionally spent some time in the evenings watching classic British TV series like Doctor Who and Fawlty Towers. These evenings showed me that it is important for a priest to be able to unwind at the end of the day as it can be quite taxing going from a funeral one moment to baptism preparation the next and then attending a school governors’ meeting. I was enriched in various ways during my Year of Pastoral Theology and prepared for my theology studies back at Allen Hall.
WALKING TOGETHER
Marlon Oliveira (Southwark, Second Discipleship) reflects on the role of recreation in formation for priesthood
Life at Allen Hall Seminary is often imagined as a steady rhythm of lectures, prayer, and parish placements. While these are central to priestly formation, an equally important part of seminary life happens beyond the classroom and the chapel. One of the ways this is fostered is through organising regular walks which invite seminarians to step away from their desks and discover formation through shared experience, conversation, and encounter with our Catholic heritage.
These walks are deliberately simple in structure. A typical day includes travelling together, celebrating Mass, sharing a meal, and then walking at an unhurried pace through towns or countryside. This rhythm creates space not only for prayer but also for relaxed companionship. Walking side by side naturally breaks down barriers: conversations unfold easily, friendships deepen, and there is time simply to enjoy one another’s company. This kind of human formation—learning to live well with others, to listen, and to find joy in ordinary moments—is essential for future parish life.
The destinations themselves are carefully chosen and varied. Some walks are rooted in history, such as a journey from Aylesford Priory to Rochester Cathedral, linking places associated with England’s Christian story and figures such as St John Fisher. Others focus on cultural and spiritual heritage, including visits to Beaconsfield, the home town of G. K. Chesterton, whose faith and writings continue to inspire Catholics today.
There are also more explicitly devotional walks. During Lent, for example, seminarians have walked to Tyburn Convent, tracing the footsteps of the martyrs who gave their lives for the faith. These quieter, more reflective journeys offer time for prayer, silence, and meditation, reminding us that walking itself has long been part of Christian pilgrimage.
What unites all these walks is not the distance covered, but what they cultivate. They show that seminarians are formed not only by study and liturgy, but by learning how to rest, relate, and rejoice together. In an age of constant activity, taking time to walk, talk, and pray as a community helps form balanced, grounded men—ready, by God’s grace, to serve others with generosity and humanity.
NEW FACES
FATHER BRIAN O’MAHONY Dean of Studies
Ordained in 2014, I am a Priest of Westminster diocese. I was born in Sutton; the fourth of five children. My childhood was spent in a variety of places including the Wirral and Portsmouth. Emigrating to Australia at twelve, my teenage and young adult years were spent in the city of Brisbane. Postschool I received a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of Queensland, completing a post-graduate year in International Relations specialising in the politics of Maritime South-East Asia.
My working life was in the hospitality industry in various hotel supervisory and management roles. Although I travelled back to the UK initially for only a year, when working in London I responded to a call that had been distilling in me for quite a few years and applied to train for Westminster. Having lived in Allen Hall for the six years of my initial formation, I felt I was not on alien territory when I returned her to live and work.
Three years after ordination in 2014 brought further studies in Fundamental Theology at the Gregorian University in Rome. Back in the diocese I had two very happy years as Parish Priest in Northwood. Four years at Westminster Cathedral as the Sub-Dean then followed. For five years I have been teaching at Allen Hall part-time, with a particular interest in Vatican II. I have taken up the role of Dean of Studies this Academic Year, and it is a distinct privilege to be part of the formation of new priests; an endeavour that needs our prayers.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL
Diocese of Liverpool
My name is Joseph Campbell, I am 23 years old, and a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Liverpool. I began my seminary formation last year in Valladolid, Spain, where I enjoyed a year full of prayer, exploration, and friendship. I arrived at Allen Hall this past September and already find it a place of joy and deeply forming. I look forward to spending the next few years here in the Archdiocese of Westminster where I hope to benefit from the pastoral experience London has to offer. I thank God for all the grace he has given me these past years to assist me in this journey.
BR ELLIOTT CANNON
Order of Discalced Carmelites
I’m 21 years old and from Birmingham. At 16 I worked in a car garage and it was there that I found my faith. While respraying cars in a heated paintshop one of the workers introduced me to the faith through his charismatic and joyful nature. I started going to Mass and fell in love with the Lord. I spent the next few years studying as well as working for the youth service in East Anglia. It was during this time that I felt a real calling for silent prayer and friendship with Christ. It was this desire that led me to join the Discalced Carmelites where I have been for 2 years.
ANTHONY GALLAGHER
Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
I was born in Haywards Heath in West Sussex, my parents hailed from county Mayo in Ireland and moved to the south of England to set up home and raise myself and my two older brothers. I attended Catholic primary and secondary schools before going on to pursue a career in the construction industry as a plasterer and bricklayer.
I believe I had a vocation as a child but I shied away from it. God, however, had other plans and I am now a seminarian for Arundel and Brighton diocese. I did my propaedeutic year at St Albans in Valladolid, Spain, before coming to Allen Hall to continue my formation
BR MATTHEW LANDELLS
Order of Saint Benedict
I am a monk of Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight and am currently in formation for the priesthood at Allen Hall. I have been a member of the Quarr community for five years. I come from a Catholic family and am the youngest of seven children. My vocation journey began when I left graduate office work to take part in Christian theatre productions, where the Gospel came alive for me in a new way. Together with pilgrimages to Medjugorje and Taizé, these experiences helped my faith grow and I gradually recognised a call to dedicate my life fully to God. I find seminary community life similar to monastic life, so the transition has been natural and not too difficult. I usually return to Quarr Abbey on most weekends.
SAMUEL MAPLETOFT
Diocese of Plymouth
I was born in Leicester, and spent 18 years of my life there, with my parents and three brothers. I moved away to study History at Exeter University. Whilst there, I started taking my vocation seriously. This was something that had been at the back of my mind from a young age, but I prayed and discerned more deeply as I grew up.
As I reached the end of my degree, I reached out to the vocations director in Plymouth Diocese, having decided I wanted to stay in the south west. I spent a year gaining pastoral experience in Exeter, before beginning undertaking the propaedeutic year at the Royal English College in Valladolid, Spain. Now I’m at Allen Hall, I am continuing a process of formation, and I feel truly happy at Allen Hall.
ANTHONY NGUYEN QUANG DAI
Diocese of Salford
I am Anthony Nguyen Quang Dai from Vietnam. My journey of vocation began quietly during my high school years, as a gentle question grew in my heart: What is God asking of me? After graduation, I moved far from home to study Economics at the National Economics University in Hanoi. Living independently shaped me deeply, and those years became a time of serious discernment, as I tried to listen, to trust, and to follow the Lord step by step. After graduating with distinction, I returned to my home diocese and sat the entrance examination for the major seminary. At that same moment, Bishop John Arnold of Salford was visiting Vietnam and was present at the examination, seeking vocations for his diocese. Through this unexpected encounter, I found myself saying a firm “yes” to a new chapter. Now at Allen Hall Seminary, I continue this unfinished story with hope, openness, and longing for where God will lead next.
BR JOSEPH NGUYEN VAN HIEP
Order of Discalced Carmelites
My name is Joseph Hiep Nguyen. I come from Vietnam and was raised in a Catholic family. I lived in Belgium for a few years before joining the Carmelites there. It is a great opportunity for me to study at Allen Hall Seminary.
At Allen Hall I get to meet and study with many seminarians from different dioceses around Britain, as well as religious from various congregations. I arrived in the UK only a few months ago, so everything is still quite new to me. Everyone has been very supportive and has helped me greatly in integrating into this new environment and culture.
EMMANUEL OKONKWO UCHENNA
Diocese of
Clifton
My name is Emmanuel Okonkwo Uchenna. I was born in the eastern part of Nigeria, the last of eight brothers. I studied chemistry and moved to the U.K. in 2021. I never imagined being a priest, especially as my elder brother is already one. However, through the selfless service of my parish priest in Bristol, God began to stir my heart. The closer I walked with him, the stronger my desire to serve God and humanity grew. With his encouragement and prayers, I listened more deeply to God’s call, after 2 years of discernment with Clifton Diocese, I was accepted and sent to Allen Hall Seminary, where my formation continues in joy and gratitude.
NATHANIEL PLUMTREE
Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
I am currently 23 years old and in formation for the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. I was born and raised in Hampshire and had a relatively lax religious upbringing, my family stopped regularly going to a Church of England parish when I was still quite young. During my teenage years I became interested in returning to my Anglican faith but found little of substance nearby, but with the help of friends and some of my own research I discovered the Personal Ordinariates established by Pope Benedict XVI and began attending St. Agatha’s in Portsmouth, where I was received in June 2021. I studied history at the University of York, and during that time with the assistance of both Ordinariate priests and the priests of the York Oratory I came to realise that I felt called to the priesthood.
BR EDMUND ROFFEY
Congregation of the Oratory
Born and raised in South London, I attended The John Fisher School in Purley before undertaking studies in Marketing Communications with Public Relations at Bournemouth University in 2017. It was there that I returned to the faith, thanks to the Bournemouth Oratory in Formation, finding a stronger conviction to live out the Catholic faith, gently guided by St Philip Neri’s example of holy joy and perseverance.
After graduating in 2022, I worked as a Marketing Executive in insurance for a year and a half in the City of London, while discerning a vocation to the priesthood with the Bournemouth Oratory. In March 2024, I began my postulancy with the Oratory and was subsequently clothed as a novice in July, taking the name Edmund after St Edmund Campion, the glorious English priest and martyr of the English Reformation.
MATEUSZ SADOWSKI
Diocese of Southwark (Redemptoris Mater House of Formation)
I was born in Warsaw, Poland, the third of six children, and grew up in a Catholic family rooted in the faith. At age seven, my family offered to witness to Christ anywhere in the world, eventually leading us to the west of Ireland. During my university years there, I entered deeper into my faith through my Neocatechumenal community and rediscovered a vocation I first received as a child. Since mission and internationality are core to our charism, I offered my availability to go anywhere, which led me to the Archdiocese of Southwark. Having completed my propaedeutic year, I am now in my first year of Discipleship at Allen Hall. At 23, I enjoy cycling, nature, and history, and I am looking forward to where the Lord will lead me.
JULES SAMUELS
Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
I am in my first year of formation for the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Coming from an AngloFrench background, I have been a practicing Catholic since childhood. I graduated from the University of Bristol in 2022 with a BA in Religion and Theology. After my undergraduate degree, I tested my vocation in Preston with the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest for a year before I began discerning my vocation with the Ordinariate in 2023. I studied for an MA in Theology in 2025. In addition, I am the founder and president of the Savonarola Society.
JAMES
SURRY Diocese of Westminster
I first encountered the Lord Jesus in 2013. I was not a Christian at the time, and had lived a pretty wild life. Two years later he called me into his Church—which came as a surprise to this liberal-minded, antiCatholic North Londoner. I acquiesced, and subsequently spent many years ignoring, wrestling with, and eventually taking seriously the Lord’s invitation to follow him and spread the Gospel in a particular way. Before starting at Allen Hall, I undertook a propaedeutic year in Valladolid, and had also spent a decade practising as a social worker and social work manager in the fields of adult mental health and adult social care.
NOHIL BRAVO D’SOUZA Diocese of Clifton
I grew up in Goa, India and moved to the United Kingdom in 2016. Apart from my time at university, I have always resided in the Diocese of Clifton. It was within this community that I made the decision to place my trust in Jesus and pursue a seminary application. The diocesan priesthood has played a significant role in my life; over the years, witnessing the joyful and heroic example of priests has deepened my love for God and nurtured the calling within my heart. Currently on my year in a parish, each day it becomes real to me that the good Lord has been with me in all my experiences and will always be with me as I carry on my discernment journey.
BR ANDRE KANKWENDA
Salesians of Don Bosco
I am Congolese and a Salesian of Don Bosco. For the last two and a half years, I worked at Savio House, a youth centre in Bollington near Macclesfield, and then at our Salesian school in Liverpool as part of my practical training. I am currently based in Battersea, where I am studying theology at Allen Hall Seminary and St Mary’s University, Twickenham. As a Salesian of Don Bosco, I have always been inspired by our motto, ‘Da mihi animas, caetera tolle’. This phrase is rooted in Genesis 14:21, where the King of Sodom says, ‘Give me the people, but take the goods for yourself’, highlighting the contrast between people and possessions. As an educator of young people, the primary mission is to lead them to Christ, who is the focal point of everything.
BR SAMSON ALISTER RIBEIRO
Salesian of Don Bosco
I grew up in Goa, India, and my path toward religious life began unexpectedly after a serious knee injury forced me to stop playing football, a sport I loved deeply. That difficult period made me aware of my own fragility and of how vulnerable we all are. In the midst of this crisis, I encountered Christ in the Scriptures and the Sacraments in a way I never had before. I came to see that real strength and security could be found only in Him. At the same time, my conviction about the truth of the Catholic faith and the Real Presence in the Eucharist grew, gradually transforming me. During this journey, I felt drawn to Salesian life and the priesthood, convinced that sharing our faith and hope in Christ is one of the greatest gifts we can offer others.
BR KINGSTON AROCKIA SAMY
Salesians of Don Bosco
During my school years in Tamil Nadu, I fell gravely ill at a time when swine flu and an unknown fever were spreading across India, and the latter killed many. Struck by this fever, I was admitted to the hospital and spent three months in the ICU, including fifteen days in a coma. Doctors warned my family that I would not survive beyond three days, yet through God’s providence and the intercession of Mother Mary, I was granted life anew. When I finally met my mother after two months, she told me, “God gave you life; what you do with it is in your hands.” Those words inspired me to dedicate my life to Him. Thus, I entered the Salesian Congregation, embracing Don Bosco’s charism, especially the joy of community life.
BR JEAN-MARC MUKALA
Salesian of Don Bosco
I am Jean-Marc Mukala Kakonge. I was born and raised in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo in a town called Lubumbashi. I joined the Salesians of Don Bosco in 2015 as an aspirant and did my pre-novitiate in Lubumbashi, followed by novitiate in Lusaka in Zambia, and returned to Lubumbashi for my philosophy studies. In 2022, I was sent as a missionary to the Salesian Province of Great Britain where I did my practical training at Thornleigh Salesian College in Bolton and spent two years at Savio House Youth Retreat Centre in Bollington near Macclesfield.Currently, I am in my first year of theology at Allen Hall Seminary and St Mary’s University, Twickenham.
OLIVER ABASOLO
Diocese of
Southwark
Born in the Philippines, I moved to the United Kingdom in 1999 and spent 19 years serving as a nurse in the National Health Service. Alongside my professional work, I remained deeply involved in my local parish and in the work of evangelisation through a church organisation. In 2018, I began my vocation as a Religious with the Montfort Missionaries and was sent to Rome to undertake philosophical and theological studies at the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) and later at the Beda College. During my final year in Rome, I was accepted by the Diocese of Southwark, where I now continue my formation at Allen Hall, following an extended pastoral placement in a parish in Coulsdon. I continue to entrust my vocation to the Lord, the One who calls, confident that he will sustain me with his grace and draw me ever more closely and intimately into his likeness.
CHARLIE BROWN Diocese of Westminster
I am originally from Wolverhampton but have lived in London for all of my adult life. After a long period of work and study, I decided to explore more seriously a sense of vocation that had been present in the background during that time. Allen Hall is currently the place that has given me the opportunity to discern those questions of faith and purpose through prayer, study, and community life, while remaining attentive to where God may eventually lead me. I am especially grateful for the encouragement and support I have received from my home parish and from the parish where I am on placement, both of which have already played such an important part in my discernment journey so far.
DAVID CHILDS Diocese of Brentwood
I was born and brought up in South Essex and am now pursuing theological studies at Allen Hall as a seminarian of the Diocese of Brentwood. Before my reception into the Church at Easter 2024 I was an Anglican priest serving in rural Oxfordshire and urban Essex and latterly in the Mid and South Essex NHS Trust as a healthcare chaplaincy manager. During those 30 years I have also been chaplain to a hospice and different local government organisations. The pandemic was a time of immense challenge in which I was able to experience our Lord’s love and care toward the sick and the bereaved in a new way. This challenged my thinking and my heart and helped me to discern a call to the wholeness and beauty of the Catholic Faith.
IWAN WILLIAMS
Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
Originally from Lincolnshire, I moved to London in 2011 and was received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in 2019. After working for the Dominicans in North London, I moved to Norfolk to work at the Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham. I soon discovered the Ordinariate, and during a Mass said by two visiting priests from the Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter I first started to have concrete notions of a vocation to the priesthood. Many prayers later I am now continuing to discern a vocation to the priesthood here at Allen Hall.
JUBILEE OF SEMINARIANS
Emmet O’Leary (Hexham and Newcastle, First Configuration)
To mark the Jubilee Year “Pilgrims of Hope”, the Allen Hall community was blessed to travel on pilgrimage to Rome, to the threshold of the Apostles, to pray at the tomb of the late Pope Francis, and to hear an address of Pope Leo XIV to seminarians from around the world.
As we stood before the Holy Door at St Peter’s, the Rector, Canon John O’Leary, read from St Paul’s letter to the Romans: “We rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint”. For me, this was the central moment, and the central lesson, of the whole Holy Year: that Christian hope is not blind optimism, nor simple good cheer, but hope won in and through suffering. Our formation at Allen Hall is deeply imbued with a sense of this, as we honour the hope-filled memory of the Douai Martyrs, who rejoiced in suffering for their love of Christ present in the Holy Eucharist.
St Peter’s was filled with thousands of seminarians from all over the world, and the atmosphere was truly awe-inspiring. To see so many seminarians gathered was a sign of real hope that the flame of faith we have received from the Douai Martyrs burns brightly still in the Church. As the Holy Father entered, rapturous applause erupted and the whole assembly began to chant his name. I was struck at once by the dignity and gravity of the papal office, and the humanity of Pope Leo himself. As for the seminarians, I was struck mostly by our simple humanity! This was a group of ordinary young men, united by our desire to put our human gifts, talents and frailty alike at the service of the Gospel. Indeed, in his address the Pope spoke of the need to integrate our humanity and our interior life in our priestly formation. We are each called, the Holy Father said, to love with a human heart, formed after the pattern of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In order to do this, we must nurture affective maturity, make peace with our own sufferings, and recognise our weaknesses and limitations as occasions for grace. We thus discover the richness and beauty of our true, redeemed humanity.
Anyone who has been to Rome will know how packed the itinerary can be. There is simply so much to see, and our pilgrimage was no different. We began by visiting and praying in the Catacombs of St Callixtus, where sixteen popes and fifty martyrs were once buried, and over the course of our pilgrimage visited each of the four major basilicas: St Peter’s, where we met Pope Leo; St John Lateran, seat of the Bishop of Rome and mother church of the world; St Mary Major, home to the icon Salus Populi Romani, and now the tomb of Pope Francis; and St Paul outside
the
of St Paul
to a concert of sacred music. We visited countless other beautiful and spiritually significant churches, including: Sancti Quattro Coronati; Santa Prasssade; San Gregorio Magno al Celio, on the site of the monastery from which St Augustine of Canterbury was sent to England; San Clemente, its excavations providing evidence of first-century Christian worship; San Alfonso, titular church of Cardinal Vincent and shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help; and San Salvatore in Lauro, where we joined other English-speaking seminarians at Mass for the Solemnity of St John the Baptist, at which Cardinal Arthur Roche presided. After Mass, it was a joy to meet with seminarians and formators of all of the seminaries serving England and Wales at a reception held at the Venerable English College. It was particularly moving to pray before the relics of the Martyrs of the Venerable English College and to visit the Martyrs’ Chapel.
So often on pilgrimage, I have found these quiet moments of prayer to be a real spiritual highlight. Perhaps lighting a candle before an unfamiliar shrine, a quiet moment of wonder, or a prayer before the Blessed Sacrament exposed in an unknown side chapel. We receive a glimpse of God, what Cardinal Hume called “a chink of light to warm my heart and enlighten my mind”. We are reminded that we came to this place, and we leave it, not as tourists, but as pilgrims. We carry home not souvenirs, but the grace we need for the mission God has entrusted to us. Certainly, this time of pilgrimage renewed our seminary community, following the Lord more intently as his disciples, and seeking to conform our humanity more readily to Christ’s in our formation for priesthood.
Previous editions available online at issuu.com/rcwestminster or scan the QR code
Editor: Richard Webster
Allen Hall, 28 Beaufort Street, London SW3 5AA
allenhall.org.uk
the Walls, where we were able to pray before
tomb
and listened