Oremus October 2018

October 2018 | Edition Number 240 | FREE

Westminster Cathedral Magazine

The focal point of St Chad’s Cathedral in Birmingham is the reliquary of the saint, enthroned above the High Altar

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CONTENTS

Inside Oremus

Oremus Cathedral Clergy House 42 Francis Street London SW1P 1QW T 020 7798 9055 E oremus@westminstercathedral.org.uk W www.westminstercathedral.org.uk

Oremus, the magazine of Westminster Cathedral, reflects the life of the Cathedral and the lives of those who make it a place of faith in central London. If you think that you would like to contribute an article or an item of news, please contact one of the editorial team.

Patron The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster Chairman Canon Christopher Tuckwell Editor Fr John Scott Oremus Team Tony Banks – Distribution Zoe Goodway – Marketing Manel Silva – Subscriptions Berenice Roetheli – Proofreading Eucharia Sule – Office Assistant

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Cathedral Life: Past & Present New Cathedral Chaplain: Fr Rajiv Michael

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Adoremus Eucharistic Congress

by Fr Andrew Bowden and Oliver Delargy

12 & 13

The College of Chaplains: Images and Responsibilities

16 & 17

Cathedral History: A Tale of Five Pulpits

by Patrick Rogers

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Cathedral History in Pictures: Centenary Celebrations for the Restoration of the Hierarchy

by Paul Tobin

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Fr Michael Durand 1925-2018

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Design and Art Direction Julian Game

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Registered Charity Number 233699 ISSN 1366-7203

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Features

Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily represent the views of the Editor or the Oremus Team. Neither are they the official views of Westminster Cathedral. The Editor reserves the right to edit all contributions.

Publication of advertisements does not imply any form of recommendation or endorsement.

Unless otherwise stated, photographs are published under a creative commons or similar licence. Every effort is made to credit all images. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

Sponsored by:

Thomas Exchange Global Ltd

Hearing Voices: Homily

by Cardinal Vincent Nichols

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It’s Holy up North – Pilgrimage Report concluded by Louise Sage 8&9 Pact, for Prisoners and Families

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A Bank’s Watercolours

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London Police meet Bl Pope Paul VI

by Patrick Somerville 14 & 15 Something’s Brewing at Mount St Bernard Abbey

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Tyburn Branches Out

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Our Lady of Walsingham on Dowry Tour

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Book Review: Stephen Haskell’s The Pursuit of Holiness

by Fr John Scott

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Regulars 5

From the Chairman

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Monthly Album Cathedral Diary

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Friends of the Cathedral

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Crossword and Poem of the Month

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In Retrospect

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© Weenson Oo

St Chad’s Cathedral in Birmingham was built in 1841 as the first Catholic Cathedral in this country since the Reformation. Designed by Augustus Pugin, it houses many works of art, whilst the relics of St Chad (feast day 26 October) are a precious link with the first millennium of Christianity.

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© James Bradley

Printed by Premier Print Group 020 7987 0604

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A NEW CHAPLAIN

Join the Companions of Oremus ... and help us to continue to publish our magazine free of charge The Companions of Oremus was established in 2016 to recognise those who give generously to support the production of Oremus.

Companions’ names are published in the magazine each month (see page 7) and, from time to time, Mass will be offered for their intentions.

All members will be invited to at least one social event during the year.

If you would like to join the Companions of Oremus please write to Oremus c/o Clergy House, 42 Francis Street, London SW1P 1QW or email oremuscomps@rcdow.org.uk – members are asked to give a minimum of £100 annually. Just mention in your email or letter how you would like your name to be listed and let us know if you can Gift Aid your donation, providing your name and address, including postcode.

Thank you for your support.

Fr Rajiv Michael introduces himself I was ordained in June this year and was surprised, though delighted, to be appointed to the Cathedral. So far, it’s been wonderful, though as of writing this, it has been only one week. I will be joining the team for First Communion, along with some new ministries. The Cathedral was familiar territory, even during formation at Allen Hall, but it is a different experience being here as a priest. The immensity of space, the huge numbers (and variety) of people walking in every day, all make quite an impression. It was a bit overwhelming as I first stood up to preach in this space, to people spread out far and wide.

Very briefly about myself: I’m a cradle Catholic and grew up in Chennai, India, where the rest of my family live 4

– my parents and younger sister. In my previous life I was a software analyst (12 years); about eight of that was in the City, where I first came in 2003, on possibly the longest six-month contract. People usually remark on the ‘radical’ change in career, but in reality, my vocation started much earlier. Faith did not interest me when I was growing up.

An experience of God’s love and his goodness at a retreat centre in Kerala (‘Potta’) when I was about 16, convinced me he was real; along with it came a love for his Word and a conviction that I would find meaning in life only if I preached the gospel. That conviction remained through the many twists and turns in my path to seminary and subsequently to the priesthood.

I love reading and try to find some time for my books during the week. Scripture remains my first love, though over the seminary years I picked up an interest in philosophy. I still dabble in it, though sometimes I am left more perplexed than enlightened. I tend to remedy that by hunting down some friends for conversation, or by indulging in a movie or TV series over a glass of wine.

My other interests in life include travelling; I occasionally play the guitar and try being a bit more regular at the gym.

I very much look forward to my time here and getting to know more of you in the days ahead.

Oremus

October 2018

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

The Administrator writes I had intended writing a few thoughts following my holiday visit to Bulgaria, a beautiful and fascinating country, but recent sad events in the life of the Church pushed those ideas to one side. The seemingly endless stories of sexual abuse and of the inept and even dishonest attempts at cover-up keep on coming and I fear there will be more to come. This is, indeed, a time of trial and testing for the entire Catholic community. The media speak continually about a ‘crisis of faith’ but I don’t believe this to be true.

The large numbers of Irish people who turned out to greet the Holy Father in Dublin, in appalling weather, and the thousands who walked in procession with the Blessed Sacrament in Liverpool, again in dreadful weather, and the 4,000 or so people who come to Mass here Sunday by Sunday, come rain or shine, don’t appear to me to be a crisis of faith.

What we do have, however, is a crisis of trust. Recent revelations have shaken our faith in the institutional church by shaking our faith in some of our bishops and some of our priests and the anger and outrage that certain events have generated is very understandable, particularly when we think of the victims, many so young and vulnerable, and of their families. I do believe, however, that even if worse is still to come, the Good Shepherd will not desert us and will, in time, return us to pastures new. He has promised to be with us at all times and we must believe this if we believe nothing else.

Westminster Cathedral Cathedral Clergy House 42 Francis Street London SW1P 1QW Telephone 020 7798 9055 Service times 020 7798 9097 Email chreception@rcdow.org.uk www.westminstercathedral.org.uk Cathedral Chaplains Canon Christopher Tuckwell, Administrator Fr Daniel Humphreys, Sub-Administrator Fr Julio Albornoz Fr Andrew Bowden Fr Michael Donaghy Fr Andrew Gallagher, Precentor Fr Rajiv Michael Fr Michael Quaicoe Fr John Scott, Registrar Sub-Administrator’s Intern Oliver Delargy Also in residence Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Victories Music Department Martin Baker, Master of Music Peter Stevens Obl. OSB, Assistant Master of Music Jonathan Allsopp, Organ Scholar Cathedral Manager Peter McNulty Estates Manager Neil Fairbairn Chapel of Ease Sacred Heart Church Horseferry Road SW1P 2EF

Let us be united in our common faith and hope and in our prayer for the Church, the Holy Father and for the whole people of God.

With every good wish and blessing.

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A POLISH HOMILY

Voices of Joy and Suffering

Š Syrio

Cardinal Vincent Nichols

Our Lady of Sorrows in the Church of San Rocco, Miola, Trentino South Tyrol

At the end of August, just a few weeks ago, Pope Francis visited Ireland for the World Meeting of Families in Dublin.

I was privileged to share in much of that event. It was remarkable, unlike any other Papal Visit in my knowledge.

As is customary, the days before the arrival of the Holy Father were full of negative reporting in the media, about the problems facing the Church, about the hostility awaiting the Pope, about the fall away from the practice of the faith which characterises Western Europe. In my experience of other papal visits, as with Pope Benedict's visit to the United Kingdom in 2010, these negative voices give way to a positive and warm expression of welcome to the Pope and joy in the faith of the Church.

In Ireland this did not happen. The angry voice of survivors of childhood abuse and cruelty continued to be heard. The media continued its concentration on past wrongs and the criticism of the Church, especially of us bishops, was sustained. The news from Pennsylvania added to the dismay and criticism, as did the unfolding of the events surrounding former Cardinal McCarrick. It was unsettling, to say the least.

Slowly one important truth became clear to me: I was wrong 6

to hope that the voice of joy and welcome would overcome the voices of anger and condemnation. Both voices have to be heard. Both voices must find an echo in our hearts. Both voices are the voice of Jesus, crying out in his Church and in the world today. In a most remarkable way, Pope Francis embraced both voices. Somehow, in his person, he held them together, attending to each, responding to each, being true to each. His was a remarkable witness and a testimony to the deep peace of his soul which surely rests profoundly in the Lord.

For our part, we readily recognise the voice of the Lord in those who proclaim their joy in the gift of faith and in the Church. Their wonderful welcome for the Successor of St Peter, in the person of the Holy Father, is an expression of their faith in Our Blessed Lord, whom they know is always with His Church. In Him they put their trust. Through Him, with Him and in Him, they praise their Heavenly Father and strive to live their faith each day. In all this, the voice of the faithful is always a great witness, not only to the world but also to us their pastors.

Oremus

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A POLISH HOMILY

Companions of Oremus

We are very grateful for the support of the following:

But the second voice must also be heard. It is the voice of suffering, of anger, of condemnation. It is the voice of those who have suffered abuse and mistreatment within the community of the Church, the voice of those whom we, the pastors, have let down, for we have failed to protect them from the wolves in our midst. It is the voice of many who suffer, whose need we recognise and whom in the spirit of solidarity we wish to help. This, too, is the voice of Jesus. If we shy away from this voice, refuse to listen with an open heart, then we are closing our hearts to the Lord himself.

When that voice is truly heard within the family of the Church, we too begin to know that suffering, trying to grasp a little of its burden, and now carrying ourselves the weight of our shame and sorrow.

In all this, and for all who suffer, Mary is our Mother of Sorrows. Today we hear how she stood at the foot of the cross, in that place of enormous sorrow. She did not flinch.

She wanted to be close to Him who was bearing the pain of all sin. She opened her heart which was pierced through.

And, remarkably, it is in this place of such pain and suffering that the Church is born: 'Woman, this is your son.' 'This is your mother!'

Yet John was not the son of Mary; nor Mary his mother.

Not in the order of nature, of flesh and blood. But here, at the foot of the cross, new bonds are being forged, new relationships that go beyond flesh and blood. Now, truly, in Christ, Mary is our mother, and John is our brother.

Indeed, in Jesus we are one family and a family fashioned in pain, in the face of sin, in the overcoming of that evil, a family in which the voice of suffering is heard alongside, mingled with, the voice of joy and gladness. The Letter to the Hebrews, too, takes us to that same place: new life emerging from standing face to face with the evil that has been done, that we have done. There is only one who has power to save us, and He has come into our midst as the Christ, the one who, on our behalf, offers up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears.

Today, on this Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, let us remember all those in our communities, all those in our societies, who cry out in pain, in anger and in frustration.

The list is long. Their dismay intense. But it is neither too long nor too intense for Christ's work of salvation. Today let us resolve to open our hearts not only to the joyful voice of the faithful but also to the pained anger of those who want us to hear, to listen; to hear again, to listen again, with great discernment; to heed and to learn. Then we will know how best to respond. Theirs is the voice of Christ, crying to us out of a wilderness. To you, O Lord, we open our hearts. Let our cry come unto you. Amen.

This homily was preached in Poznań, Poland on Saturday 15 September, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.

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Mrs Mary Barsh Mrs Else Benson Dr Stuart Blackie Mr Denis Board Anne Veronica Bond Richard Bremer Francis George Clark Daniel Crowley Ms Georgina Enang Alfredo Fernandez Fred Gardiner Connie Gibbes Zoe & Nick Goodway Mrs Valerie Hamblen Bernadette Hau Mrs Henry Hely-Hutchinson Mrs Cliona Howell Alice M Jones & Jacob F Jones Poppy K Mary Thérèse Kelly Florence M G Koroma Raymund Livesey Barry Lock Alan Lloyd in memoriam Clare and John Lusby James Maple Dionne Marchetti Mary Maxwell Pamela McGrath Linda McHugh Peter McNelly in memoriam Mrs C Mitchell-Gotell Abundia Toledo Munar Chris Stewart Munro Mrs Brigid Murphy Kate Nealon Raymond O’Sullivan Emel Rochat Berenice Roetheli Patrick Rogers RIP John Scanlan Mr Luke Simpson Sonja Soper Tessa and Ben Strickland Eileen Terry Robin Michael Tinsley Mr Alex Walker Christiana Thérèse Macarthy-Woods Jacqueline Worth Patricia M Wright and of our anonymous Companions

If you would like to become a Companion of Oremus, see page 4

New in Cathedral Gift Shop We are pleased to announce an exquisite addition to the range of gifts available in Westminster Cathedral Gift Shop.

Cross pens are renowned worldwide for their design and quality and we now have for sale a luxury ball-point pen which comes with the Cathedral logo and in its own box.

This will make an excellent gift for a loved one on that special occasion.

Retail Price: £35.00

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A STAYCATION PILGRIMAGE

On the Trail of Northern Saints – concluded Louise Sage On Wednesday morning 11 July we all walked around York city walls to St George’s Church in Peel Street, where we met the Parish Priest, Canon Alan Sheridan, and joined the local community for weekday Mass. St George’s was designed by Joseph and Charles Hansom, designers of the popular Hansom cab, and was opened in 1850 at a cost of £3,550, most of which came from the pennies of the influx of Irish immigrants who moved into the area following the potato famine in their native land. Opposite the church is the cemetery containing the alleged burial place of Dick Turpin, the notorious 18th century highwayman. Following Mass, Fr Alan walked with us to visit the Shrine of St Margaret Clitherow in what is purported to be her house in The Shambles, where he led us in a short prayer service.

Following free time exploring various aspects of the city, we met up in the afternoon for a guided tour of York Minster, a site has been occupied for nearly 2,000 years, with the founding of the great Roman fortress of Eboracum in AD 71. The church is the second largest Gothic Cathedral of Northern Europe, containing the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world. The Great East Window was made between 1405 and 1408 by John Thornton of Coventry, the foremost master glazier of his day, and is considered one of the glories of the Minster. Itself larger than a tennis court , the window contains 117 panels depicting the Seven Days of Creation, events from the Old Testament and a graphic representation of the Book of Revelation. Following the tour we gathered by the screen under the central tower and went through into the Quire for Evensong, beautifully sung by a mixed choir.

Next morning we transferred to Durham, to visit Ushaw College and its 500 acres. Founded as a Catholic Seminary in 1808 and closed in recent years, it has operated since 2011 as a Heritage, Tourism, Culture, Conference and Hospitality venue. Here we were split into two groups for guiding and there was so much to take in: the Chapel of the Douai Martyrs, the Memorial Chapel and Lady Chapel all with Minton floor tiles, the magnificent St Cuthbert’s Chapel, originally designed by Augustus Pugin in 1847 and containing his beautiful brass eagle lectern. Of especial note 8

© Louise Sage

Margaret, the young wife of a butcher, was alleged in 1586 to have hidden Jesuit priests in her house. The authorities decided that she should be put to death for the crime and, on 17 March Margaret, although pregnant at the time, was forced to lie on the floor of the prison with a sharp stone under the small of her back. A door was placed across her chest and eight hundredweight of stones piled upon it until she was crushed to death. In 1970 she was canonised as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales; and she is also known as the Pearl of York. The house is now a chapel in her honour, with Mass celebrated there every Saturday morning.

The west front of York Minster effectively dwarfs mere mortals, its creators.

for us was the fact that Pugin’s choir screen in the Antechapel together with the altar of St Gregory the Great were decorated

by J F Bentley, our own Cathedral architect. Cardinal Wiseman, first Archbishop of Westminster, had been a student at Ushaw until the age of 16 and, as Cardinal, he supported Ushaw and was a frequent visitor. Fr Andrew celebrated Mass in St Cuthbert’s Chapel and, following a good lunch in the Refectory there, we returned to Durham.

Bright and early on Friday morning we climbed the hill to the Cathedral high on its promontory above the River Wear. The present church replaced the 10th century monastic foundation, so as to house the shrine of the bishop St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. We were taken first into the peaceful Galilee Chapel, Norman in style and one of the most exquisite parts of the building. This contains a carved wooden statue of Our Lady by the Polish artist Joseph Pyrz, who has imagined her at the time of the Annunciation, and facially imagined her as ‘Everywoman’. The Chapel also contains the tomb of the St Bede the Venerable (c. 673-735), an English Doctor of the Church known as the ‘Father of English History’.

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A STAYCATION PILGRIMAGE

It is thanks to his writing that we know so much about the Church in England in Anglo-Saxon times; he was the most accomplished scholar of his day. We were all taken aback then to be shown a strip of black marble on the floor across the width of the Cathedral near the font, which marked a boundary which women were forbidden to cross. This was during the period when the church belonged to an all-male Benedictine community. How times have changed!

The shrine of St Cuthbert (c. 634-687) is found immediately behind the high altar screen (as with the shrine of St Aban in St Albans and St Swithin in Winchester cathedrals) and is the emotional and spiritual climax of the building. His body lies under a stark black stone slab that bears his name in Latin: CVTHBERTVS. Here Fr Andrew led us in prayer and we remembered one of England’s most remarkable men. There is so much to see in the cathedral, with a good mixture of ancient and modern: the 18th century Rose Window, the modern stained glass window ‘Daily Bread’; the Durham Miners’ Memorial and the Quire where the monks originally gathered seven times a day to sing the Divine Office. Durham is also famous for having the highest

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known episcopal throne. Depictions of both St Bede and St Cuthbert are to be found on the vault of St Gregory’s and St Augustine’s Chapel here in Westminster; do look out for them. Many of us made our way down to the 14th century Monks’ Dormitory and Great Kitchen. The latter is now a permanent home to the most precious and sacred object in the Cathedral’s collections: the treasures of St. Cuthbert. It was amazing to see the pectoral gold and garnet jewel cross worn by St Cuthbert, which was buried with him in 687 and only discovered hidden in his robes in 1827 - undisturbed for over 1,100 years.

Our last port of call for the day and for the Pilgrimage was St Cuthbert’s Catholic church, home to the University of Durham Catholic Chaplaincy, where we received a warm welcome from the Chaplain, Fr Andrew Downie, and joined a good number of parishioners for the noon Mass. A fitting end to a wonderful week. It was such a pleasure to have spent time in the company of some wonderful people - a big thank you to all who made this trip possible to beautiful countryside where we could breathe fresh clean air. I strongly encourage you to pay a visit to the Yorkshire Dales and Durham.

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CHANGED THE INSIDEBYSTORY LENT

I Was in Prison 16 September 1898 was a special day in prison history, and in the history of Catholic Social Action. It was the first meeting of a charity in Archbishop’s House in Westminster called ‘The Catholic Prisoners’ Aid Society.’

Today it is called Pact (‘Prison Advice and Care Trust’), one of the leading charities working in the justice system, and the pioneer of support services for prisoners’ families. The President is Cardinal Vincent, and the charity is celebrating the 120th Anniversary by telling its story. It’s one of Catholic Social Action, and of quiet, dogged determination. The inspiration for Pact is lost in the mists of time. One man was, however, pivotal, Canon John Cooney. He had an idea: ‘… the necessity of help being given to prisoners on their discharge and to their families while they were in prison, if these unfortunate men were to make a new start in life.’ Today, Pact supports men and women in prison, on release, and their children and families, working within the courts and prisons in the diocese, and at over 60 more prisons across England and Wales. It was a good idea.

Matthew, in which he identifies himself with a prisoner (Mt 25:35). Its services are for people of all faiths and none. Yet we find that Catholics are the largest faith group in prison, outnumbering people who define themselves as Church of England or Muslim. It is clearly an issue affecting our own community.

Prisoners’ Sunday, an initiative first launched by Bishop Guazzelli, is a time to reflect on how we as individuals, as a Church and as a community, respond to the gift of service for those whose lives are entwined with imprisonment. Pact depends on donations. It receives no core government grant, depending on volunteers, people who share its values. If you would like to get involved, or find out more, Pact would love to hear from you. To do so, please visit www.prisonadvice.org.uk, email parish. action@prisonadvice.org.uk or call Pact on 020 7735 9535.

According to the very first set of minutes, the first thing Pact did was to assist a child, who found herself alone due to the imprisonment of her parents. Details are vague. But the story is one of simple care for a little girl who had no-one. All we know today is the child’s surname, ‘Roots’. Pact likes to speak of their ‘Roots’ in a very personal way. This is one of many stories in a new booklet, ‘The Pact Story’, which, thanks to the support of CCLA, offers glimpses into an untold epic of Catholic lay people, priests, and religious coming together to offer care and support to people whom Society has abandoned as unworthy. Whilst the work of Quakers and other groups in prisons is well known, the story of Catholic care for prisoners and their families is only now being told for the first time. Pact hopes that people will be inspired, a message encouraged by the Cardinal, who says in his foreword to the book: ‘I pray that we may never forget that all people, whoever they are and whatever they have done, are loved by God and called to his Kingdom. I commend to you the work of Pact, which in every aspect of its work, goes beyond duty in support of those in need of hope and a fresh start’.

On 14 October this year, people in Catholic parishes across England and Wales will be invited to pray, give and act, on ‘Prisoners’ Sunday’. Many parishes hold second collections, providing essential funding. Some also encourage people to consider whether they might feel called to volunteer. One way in which Pact shows its care is through the provision of Prison Family Visitors Centres, staffed by volunteers, where children and families find respite, information and emotional support. For some, this won’t be the easiest of causes. However, Pact draws our attention to Jesus’ well-known teaching in the Gospel of 10

Oremus

October 2018

NEW AT THE RA

The Watercolours of a Bank The Royal Academy is currently presenting British Watercolours: From the Collection of BNY Mellon in the Tennant Gallery with 25 British watercolours and drawings created in the first hundred years of the Royal Academy’s existence between 1770-1870. The exhibition marks the Royal Academy’s 250th anniversary this year. British Watercolours will focus on prominent Royal Academicians such as Thomas Gainsborough, JMW Turner, John Constable and Sir David Wilkie, whose works will return to London from the United States for the duration of the exhibition.

Highlights will include an 1833 view of Hampstead Heath

by John Constable RA; Italian landscape scenes painted in the 1770s by Thomas Jones and John Robert Cozens; an unfinished Study of a Bedouin Arab, 1840s, by John Frederick Lewis RA; and an expressive depiction of Venice by the critic and artist John Ruskin from 1876.

The collection was largely formed in the 1980s by the Mellon Financial Corporation, artistically to enhance the workplace and to be enjoyed by employees and customers whilst bringing an important cultural and educational asset to Pittsburgh, where the Corporation had its headquarters.

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The collection initially consisted of a small group of British paintings but was carefully augmented in the early 1980s with British watercolours and American landscape paintings, with the intention of developing a group of works that would reveal the transatlantic exchange of ideas that took place during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Open to the public with free admission 10am – 6pm daily from now until Sunday 16 December.

St Mark’s, Venice by John Ruskin (1835)

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ADOREMUS EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS 2018

© Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

Adoremus 2018: A Pilgrim’s Perspective

Inside the arena

Oliver Delargy I was delighted to be able to attend the recent Eucharistic Congress as a delegate from the Cathedral parish. Over the course of the weekend, thousands of fellow Catholics from around the country gathered in Liverpool to reflect on the gift of the Holy Eucharist in the life of the Church in England and Wales. The keynotes presented over the course of the weekend have been well documented in many Catholic publications, but what was the experience of being there personally and nourished by the range of events provided?

Friday 7 September was Symposium day for the Congress, with a series of addresses and workshops presented in the Liverpool Echo Arena. The Rector of St. Mary’s College, Oscott, Canon David Oakley spoke to the heart of why we were gathered there, on the Eucharist in the Life of the Church. He quoted words of Pope Benedict in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est: ‘Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.’ This aptly sums up the atmosphere which permeated the entire Adoremus weekend. In order to be effective apostles to the world in which we live today, we must first allow the Lord to transform us into his friends.

And the most intimate forum in which he does this, we were reminded, is the Holy Eucharist.

This idea of a call and response dynamic between us and God was also picked up by Bishop Robert Barron in his keynote addresses on the Saturday. I was reminded of the many ways in which the Church teaches us that Jesus is present in the Mass. One phrase particularly stood out: ‘the Mass begins before it begins’. This is a profound truth that I too often take for granted; we share an intimate bond as members of the Mystical Body of Christ when we gather together to worship the Lord from the many scattered events of our daily lives. It is there that Jesus’ words ‘when two or three are gathered in my name, I am among them’ most 12

visibly come alive. Many times throughout Mass we pray for each other. How central a gift this is in helping us to grow in holiness, keeping each other in prayer outside the time of Mass. This will certainly stay with me as we gather on future occasions as a parish, accompanying each other in our shared mission.

Pope St John Paul II once wrote that: ‘we are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures. We are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.’ As we stopped on multiple occasions for times of Eucharistic Adoration over the weekend to digest the input we had received, these words kept coming into my mind. Being presented once again with the gift which is Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I was put in mind of the great treasure we have in our Catholic theology. Our belief is that the primacy of God’s grace remains absolute, yet he also delights in our co-operation in bringing about our sanctification. In getting us to see this bigger picture, the speakers were exhorting us over the weekend to embrace that true freedom which is offered to us in living the lives which God has created for us and longs for us to embrace in authentic communion with him.

Returning from Liverpool to London, my thoughts turned to how the Lord might want to use the experience of attending Adoremus in my life at the Cathedral, for we are truly blessed to be nourished by the gift of the Catholic Faith in this beautiful building in the heart of London. Whether dipping our fingers into holy water as we come in, or sitting in the queue for the confessional, or in quiet prayer beneath the Rood, we are witnessing to the fact that God continues to work among us in very intimate and powerful ways. In participating in Adoremus, I was shown once again that it is our privilege and our joy, empowered by the gift of the Holy Eucharist, to be the apostles of Christ’s love for humanity in the wider world.

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ADOREMUS EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS 2018

Showing Jesus to the World Fr Andrew Bowden On Saturday evening, after two days full of stimulating talks and discussion, the vast arena fell into reverent silence for solemn Adoration. Cardinal Vincent gave a moving reflection drawing together many strands of the Congress.

He spoke about how the Holy Spirit works in us, bringing about our holiness as we are formed into the Church, so that the Church is constantly renewed. This renewal is so needed in these days and there was a real sense, in those quiet moments, when representatives of the Catholic Church from all over England and Wales returned to the source, to the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, that that renewal was beginning.

The Cardinal suggested that in this quiet moment Jesus was whispering in our ears: ‘go out and proclaim the good news to all creation’. The Eucharist is surely a dear home and refuge, making of the Church an ark of salvation, but it is all of this so that we who are made one holy people by the Eucharist might give what we have received. Dismissed at the end of Mass, we are sent out so that we might take the mercy, healing, strength and joy which we receive from the Eucharist to the whole world. And so that is why, after the Solemn closing Mass in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, thousands of us walked through the rain with hope in our hearts, not as a show of strength or pride, but in order to show to the world, the Eucharist, the compassionate face of Jesus Christ and to bring his mercy, healing, strength and joy to that world.

I suspect every one of the 10,000 people who attended Adoremus, the National Eucharistic Congress held in Liverpool 7 – 9 September will remember with a wry smile one line especially from the hymn Soul of My Saviour: ‘wash me with water flowing from thy side’. For during the Blessed Sacrament Procession through the streets of Liverpool at the end of the Congress torrential rain soaked us all through. But what might have been thought a disaster or even as a sign of divine disfavour was experienced by us all as a purification and blessing. The sight of so many lay faithful, priests and bishops walking in procession with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of the city was already a powerful witness of the vitality of Catholic faith in these lands, but our dignified persistence despite the inclement weather made that witness all the more powerful and striking. At the end of the procession, returning to the Cathedral which sits high above the city, Cardinal Vincent carried the monstrance up the steps to an altar erected for the purpose in front of the main doors. There in the monstrance was Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament looking out over the whole city and there, the rain having abated, thousands fell to their knees and adored him. It was a truly powerful and memorable moment.

Just as bread and wine are needed for the Church to make the Eucharist, so the Eucharist makes the Church, using the daily lives, the work, the joys and hopes of ordinary people, transformed as they are offered along with bread and wine at the altar. In his welcome address the Archbishop of Liverpool, Malcolm McMahon OP, spoke of the history and people of Liverpool and its Church, of how that city and its Catholics had been and continued to be a place of welcome and refuge, this is the Church made into a Eucharistic community. The welcome extended by Catholic Liverpool to the delegates of the Congress was part of the welcome extended by that Church to many visitors, migrants and refugees; and that is itself an expression of the welcome, the refuge which we find in the Blessed Sacrament: ‘Sweet Sacrament of peace, dear home of every heart’ and ‘Sweet Sacrament of rest, ark from the ocean’s roar’.

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© Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

This moment was really the culmination of the entire Congress, which had been devoted to deepening our appreciation and understanding of the Eucharist and in particular of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Many times over the three days, delegates were reminded that the Eucharist makes the Church. On the Friday morning, a long queue of delegates began to form outside the Liverpool Echo Arena. Clergy and faithful from all over the country introduced themselves to one another, old friends were reunited and sense of common purpose and excitement began to build; the Eucharist was beginning again to make the Church.

The Outdoor Procession, wet but undeterred, pauses on the steps of the Metropolitan Cathedral, with the crowd of the Faithful gathered below

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Bl Pope Paul VI holds up the City of London Police Helmet, behind which is Mgr Canon Cuthbert Collingwood; to the right is Patrick Somerville, holding the Presentation Truncheon.

A Papal Audience with the Police Patrick Somerville QPM In October 1964 members of the Metropolitan and City Catholic Police Guild went to Rome to mark their Golden Jubilee. I was Secretary at the time, whilst Mgr Canon Cuthbert Collingwood, sometime Cathedral Administrator, was the President. With us we took an Illuminated Address, a City of London Police Helmet and a Truncheon as gifts for Pope Paul VI. It was a great moment in the lives of those privileged to be presented and an equally unforgettable experience for all those present in the great Basilica on Wednesday 7 October, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

So eager were we to get to St Peter’s that we left two very indignant ladies at the hotel frantically trying to get a taxi and catch up with the coach. When I saw them alight in St Peter’s Square I was so relieved that they had not missed the Audience. Mgr Collingwood, Eric, Ignatius and I were required to enter the Basilica by a separate entrance to the rest of the group. Our fears that the presentation would be made out of sight of the remainder of the group were soon removed when we saw that, in fact, we were to be but a few feet apart directly in front of the Papal Throne, which stood empty and expectant on the upper step of the high altar, guarded as it were by the four great pillars of Michelangelo’s magnificent baldacchino. Slowly the crowd in the great church grew until it numbered 20,000. At 4.50pm the voice of the announcer 14

echoed through the vast building and intoned the Salve Regina, known internationally and sung with reverence and devotion. Silence descended on the gathering as 5pm approached, until the first sound of applause was heard from the direction of the main doors. Slowly, as it grew louder and louder, excitement mounted in the crowds, necks craned to catch a glimpse of the Pope as he came into sight and could be seen above the altar carried high on the sedia gestatoria.

The Holy Father, radiant in white cassock and skull cap, smiling, waving, and always blessing the vast gathering as he turned to right and left, is to our delight lowered to the ground immediately in front of us. Briskly he steps from the portable throne and quickly mounts the steps to the altar, not to take his place immediately, but to walk round the altar acknowledging the cheers and applause of those who have been less fortunate than we and have positions that will restrict their view of the slight figure when he finally seats himself on the throne. Then he speaks. In Italian he calls the names of the Italian groups present. As each hears its name called they applaud and receive in reply a warm smile and wave from His Holiness and then he reads his address in their language. The whole procedure is repeated again and again as French, Spanish, German and English groups hear their names called by a succession of Monsignori and the Pope Oremus

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THE MET IN ROME reads his message in each language. We wait anxiously for the long and unmistakable name of our Guild to be uttered by the Canadian Monsignor calling the names for the Holy Father.

‘That’s it’. The group went quite mad with applause and cheers. ‘Viva il Papa’ roared Charles Dawson for all of Rome to hear, if they cared to listen, and a warm smile of welcome was received from the Pope. We seemed to make more noise than any other group present, and some of them outnumbered us by three to one. The Holy Father, speaking in laboured English, asked for prayers for the Council [that is, Vatican II, which was still in progress] and implored the faithful to ask Mary, Mother of the Church, to intercede on behalf of the Bishops – ‘Pray to Mary’, he said.

Then he stood and with eyes closed and hands joined he intoned the Papal Blessing – ‘In Nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti ……. So intent was everyone on the actions, words and gestures of the Pontiff, that many failed to notice that there had been placed at ground level in front of the altar another throne to which the Holy Father now proceeded where, taking his place, he prepared to receive the representatives of the groups. Eric, Ignatius and myself dutifully fall in line behind our President to be presented to His Holiness, anxiety filling us for the moment as we doubt whether we are to be allowed to make the presentation.

A whispered word to an attendant and we are given the OK and quickly collect from the nearby table the gifts which have created so much interest among those who are able to see them, not knowing quite what the strange ‘hat’ represents.

Holding the hand of each pilgrim, the Holy Father said it was nice of us to come and see him and he sent his blessing to the Guild and all its members, their families and friends.

‘Goodbye now’, he said in a chatty and informal way, as he offed his episcopal ring and placed his medallion in the palm of the hand of each one he met.

Returning to our places, more than a little overcome by the greatness of the moment, we were again to see him in action. The Pope left his throne and embraced an aged Cardinal who occupied the only armchair in the front row.

Then, as he walked along the row of Bishops, each patiently waiting his turn to meet the Bishop of Rome, he was once more only a yard or so away. Although a slight figure, his face reflected great determination even as he smiled and laughed with the prelates. Then to the surprise of all, the Pope walked to the barrier holding back a vast crowd of people and reaching out his hand among them he brought tears of joy and happiness to those whose unexpected privilege it was to touch, if only for a fleeting second, the hand of the Pope. But before the crowd behind the barrier could become disorderly in its eagerness, he turned and briskly walked towards the sedia gestatoria which had now been brought back into positon. Triumphantly, the throne was raised onto the shoulders of the attendants, the Holy Father waving and blessing again as he was carried round the altar and down the long nave between the stalls of the Council Fathers and out of sight. The Metropolitan and City Catholic Police Guild had truly celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Mgr Collingwood moves forward, firmly gripping the framed loyal address, a blaze of colour, the intricate work of a Carmelite nun, which in its words sums up the loyalty and devotion of the Guild and all its members to the Vicar of Christ on the Golden Jubilee of the Society. There was insufficient time or opportunity to read the whole address to the Holy Father, but Mgr Collingwood explained to him the brief details of its content and, as he indicated to His Holiness where the remainder of the group were, the Pope raised the gift high and turned towards the group to let them see that he had indeed received their gift. This warm and friendly gesture brought forth the greatest burst of cheering and applause that could have been imagined and was not confined to our group, as those around enjoyed the happy spectacle; and there was more to come.

I stepped forward to present the second gift. ‘How lovely’, exclaimed the Holy Father as his eyes beheld the City of London Police Helmet, Truncheon and Armlet, mounted on a polished oak stand and bearing a silver plate suitably inscribed to mark the occasion. He immediately reached forward and taking the truncheon in his right hand, turned and waved it towards the already jubilant group. This was the greatest moment - perhaps never before, and possibly never again, was there going to be an opportunity to see a Pope holding such a symbol of authority. Taking the helmet from its stand the Pope raised this high for all present to see, and indeed for the country and the world to see, because it was this gesture which received world-wide publicity through the medium of the Italian and British national and Catholic Press.

As the applause died down, we were presented individually.

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Westminster Cathedra Cardinal Herbert Vaughan had originally envisaged Westminster Cathedral being served by a monastic community, but decided to set up a College of Chaplains, drawn from the ranks of the diocesan priesthood, and this College was established in 1903. He wrote of the chaplains that their chief motivation should be a desire to serve God as apostles, through a life of prayer and public liturgy. Throughout its life, the centre of the College’s being has been the daily celebration of the Mass and the Prayer of the Church, and it remains so to this day.

The Chaplains meet together each day for Morning Prayer and each chaplain will celebrate one of the regular Masses.

Originally the chaplains lived together with the Archbishop in one house, but later the house was divided into Archbishop’s House and Clergy House. In the early days there were twenty or more chaplains at the Cathedral; our ranks have now been thinned, but we maintain a degree of common life by sharing meals and recreation as well as the liturgical duties. The Administrator oversees the whole life of the Cathedral on behalf of the Archbishop and his duties run from liturgy to maintenance, from staffing to finance, and from catechesis to parish visiting.

The Sub-Administrator looks after the domestic arrangements of Clergy House, the duty rotas by which the daily life of the chaplains is governed, and the day-to-day running of the Cathedral. The Precentor has responsibility for the Cathedral’s liturgy, co-ordinating special services, liaison with the Music Department, and the management of the Cathedral diary. The Registrar maintains all the Cathedral records and documents.

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Canon Christopher Tuckwell Administrator; Chairman, The Friends; Chairman, Oremus; Editor, Weekly Newsletter; Officiating Chaplain to Wellington Barracks

Fr John Scott

Fr Michael Donaghy

Fr Julio Albornoz

Registrar; Editor of Oremus Magazine; Cathedral Communications; Sacred Heart Church; Confirmations at Westminster School

Masses in Residential Homes; Visits to the Sick and Housebound; Legion of Mary; Ecumenical and Interfaith Representative

Chaplain to St Vincent de Paul School; Confirmation Course

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al College of Chaplains Each of the chaplains has a specific pastoral responsibility, either in the cathedral parish or in a wider context, and these include the normal sacramental programmes, the visiting of the sick, the chaplaincies at the Choir School and St Vincent de Paul Primary School, visiting the Passage Day Care Centre, an Officiating Chaplaincy at Wellington Barracks and much else. One of the major works of the Cathedral is the provision of Confessors for the six hours of Confessions heard each day, a very privileged and worthwhile ministry.

Fr Daniel Humphreys

Fr Andrew Gallagher

Sub-Administrator; Rector of the College of Chaplains; Chairman of Safeguarding Committee

Precentor; Prefect of the Sacristy; Chaplain to Westminster Cathedral Choir School; Children’s Liturgy

Fr Rajiv Michael

Fr Michael Quaicoe

Fr Andrew Bowden

First Holy Communion; Mother and Toddler Group

First Holy Communion; Oblates; Guild of St Anthony

Chaplain, Winter Night Shelter; RCIA; Marriage Preparation

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The life of a Cathedral Chaplain is a very rich and diverse one, often quite exhausting, but never dull, and we are all very conscious of the great privilege entrusted to us of serving God and his people in this great Cathedral.

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CATHEDRAL HISTORY

A Tale of Five Pulpits Patrick Rogers One of the most decorative features in the Cathedral, immediately seen by visitors on entering, stands two-thirds of the way down the nave on the right. Sadly, for such an attractive feature which was intended to be occupied several times a day, its use is now restricted to a small number of special and solemn occasions. The first plans for the Cathedral, produced in 1895 by its architect, J F Bentley, show the pulpit on the left of the nave – first of all in the north-east corner , close to the ambo which is now used at Mass, and then against the pier at the northwest corner of the north transept, directly across the nave from the present pulpit. But in 1896 Bentley’s drawings show that he had decided on a position on the right-hand side of the nave, where the present pulpit stands today.

The First Pulpit This was ordered from Rome by Cardinal Vaughan, founder of the Cathedral, and was installed in June 1903.

It was designed by Cavaliere Aristide Leonori, an artist employed by the Vatican who had never seen Westminster Cathedral and admitted the unsuitability of his design when he eventually did. It was made by Ditta Paolo Medici & Figlio in Rome. Bentley had died in March 1902 and had nothing to do with the pulpit which was paid for by Ernest Kennedy, an important benefactor of the Cathedral. The pulpit was large enough to accommodate the Archbishop and two assistants and was one bay further forward than the present pulpit – near the 13th Station of the Cross.

It was 11ft wide and 5ft deep and raised the speaker 4ft above floor level. It was of marble inlaid with red and green porphyry and mosaic in the Cosmati style.

Cardinal Vaughan was destined never to use the pulpit for he died the same month as it was installed. His successor, Archbishop Bourne, became increasingly critical of it, not so much because of its style, for the Cosmati style is closely related to the Byzantine one intended by Vaughan and Bentley for the Cathedral, but, because of its position, inconvenient steps and small size (55 sq ft internally). It also had no sounding board or amplification, resulting in the speaker’s voice being virtually inaudible at the back of the Cathedral. In July 1905 Bentley’s successor, John Marshall, produced an alternative design (H-37) which improved the access and increased the size by replacing the lower panels with four colonettes to support the superstructure. It was to be positioned against one of the main nave piers with a carved and gilt wooden sounding board suspended above, thus improving both the visibility and audibility of the speaker.

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The original, first, pulpit of 1903.

A Visit to Sicily In October 1905 Bourne visited Monreale Cathedral and the Palatine Chapel in Sicily to study the medieval NormanByzantine mosaics there, with a view to adopting the same style for Westminster. Some 700 years earlier the Cosmati craftsmen of Rome had also made the same journey to Sicily and it was the style they observed there that they had adopted. So the style that Bourne so much admired in Sicily and resolved to employ in his Cathedral was very close to that of his existing pulpit. As a result Marshall’s 1905 design for an eminently practical but decidedly unByzantine pulpit, which would have discarded much of the original Cosmati-style deoration, was rejected, and the original pulpit remained in use.

In September 1908 the Cardinal Legate gave the inaugural address at the opening of the Eucharistic Congress from the Cathedral pulpit. Because of its small size the two accompanying Canons and MC had to remain at the foot of the steps. Bourne himself became a cardinal in 1911 and, when preaching from the pulpit, should have been accompanied by his cross-bearer, trainbearer and MC but this also proved impractical. Once more John

Marshall’s 1905 design (H-37) for a replacement, second, pulpit.

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CATHEDRAL HISTORY Marshall’s successor, to reconstruct the first pulpit using as much as possible of its materials. Its lower panels were brought up and eight new colonettes made to bear the weight of the structure. In August 1934, on the Feast of the Assumption, the new pulpit was inaugurated. In this manner the attractive upper central panel of the Lamb of God, the figures of the Evangelists, and almost all the Roman Cosmati-style panels were retained from the original pulpit. Its lower central panel was replaced and an inscription recording the new dedication inserted and an opus sectile panel of painted glass on a slate backing

by John Trinick, portraying Our Lady of Walsingham, was put in place to face the sanctuary. A highly-decorated sounding board was suspended above the speaker, though this was discarded after amplifiers (first used in 1938) were introduced.

Marshall’s (undated but probably 1913) design (H-35) for a temporary, third, pulpit.

Marshall produced a design (H-35), this time for a larger, temporary pulpit which would have left the original one untouched. His design was both practical and attractive with a combination of dark red and green panels supported by four colonettes, with a store cupboard underneath.

But once again it was not in the Byzantine style so it was rejected. Instead, on Good Friday 1914, a much cheaper, severely practical temporary pulpit of unpainted wood, polygonal in plan and 9 ft in diameter, with no stylistic pretensions of any kind, was first used. It was erected one bay further back from the sanctuary and was thus where the present pulpit stands today. It provided an internal area of 64 sq ft and had a sounding board.

The present, fifth, pulpit of 1934 showing the decorated sounding board above.

The wooden temporary, fourth, pulpit of 1914 seen in front of the original pulpit in 1930.

A Masterly Example of Recycling Twenty years went by and in 1934 Cardinal Francis Bourne had served 30 years as Archbishop of Westminster and 50 as a priest. To commemorate both this and the restoration of the pilgrimage in honour of Our Lady of Walsingham in that year he commissioned a permanent new pulpit. The wooden one was taken down but rather than starting afresh Bourne instructed Lawrence Shattock, October 2018

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Even if, as Bourne himself admitted, it was not strictly in the Byzantine style, it was a masterly example of recycling; only the little spiral columns on the front of the first pulpit and a few of its minor marble panels were unused. The 1934 pulpit is 14 ft wide and 7 ft deep. It thus provides the speaker and his assistants with an area of 100 sq ft, almost twice the size of the original, and raises them 5 ft 9 ins above floor level. Each of the eight colonettes supporting the pulpit is surmounted by an attractive carved marble capital. The last, that furthest from the sanctuary, bears the initials EK and FB – Ernest Kennedy and Francis Bourne who, though separated by three decades, together provided the pulpit. For more than 30 years it was in daily use.

With the liturgical changes following the Second Vatican Council, that has ceased, although the pulpit still lends greater solemnity and dignity to the occasions through the year when it is used.

The late Patrick Rogers, who died in 2017, was the Cathedral Historian. He prepared this article for his book Westminster Cathedral – An Illustrated History, published

by Oremus in 2012.

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MONTHLY ALBUM

The Happy Band of Helpers

Cathedral Volunteers hard at work keeping up their strength

Any parish depends on the willingness of volunteers to serve the community and its life, and the Cathedral does so to an extent we could almost call extreme. An immense amount of work is undertaken without expectation of reward and we must never cease to be thankful for such levels of generosity.

At the recent Volunteers’ Party Canon Christopher repeated his policy of just thanking a few different people each year, as a comprehensive listing would be bound to omit someone whose quiet service has gone unnoticed. But to all we say: 'Thank you for all that you do for the Cathedral'.

Maltese Bearing Gifts Malta Day at the Cathedral is not just about Mass. In the preceding days the statue of La Bambina arrives, attracting questions (‘Why does she have blue roses?’) and attention, whilst those lying in on Saturday morning in the Ambrosden Avenue flats awake to the sound of the brass band playing in the road. Flags, Knights of Malta and Maltese in national costume enlivened the look of the Cathedral, although the plan this year was not to have the traditional firework display on the Piazza, which has entertained and deafened passersby on Victoria Street in previous years. The celebrant of the Mass was Archbishop Emeritus Paul Cremona OP who, true to his Dominican vocation as a friar preacher, gave a homily of significant length. Illustrated is Maltese produce which was presented with the offerings of bread and wine at the Mass.

Fruit of the earth, and work of human (Maltese) hands

Venerating the Cross The spiritual welfare of the Choristers is served both by the RE which they study in the Choir School and by Fr Andrew Gallagher’s chaplaincy there. Regular worshippers at the Sunday 10.30 and weekday 5.30 Solemn Masses see them receiving Holy Communion each day, whilst on Wednesday, their non-singing day, they share in the Sung Mass attended by the whole Choir School. On the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, at the end of the Solemn Mass, they all came down with the Master of the Music to venerate the relics of the True Cross which the Cathedral is blessed to have in its possession.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world 20

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St Ignatius (feast day 17 October) became bishop of Antioch in Syria towards the end of the 1st century.

At the beginning of the 2nd century he was arrested for his faith and sent to Rome, to be killed by wild beasts in a public spectacle. Whilst en route there, he wrote a number of Letters which we still have to the churches through which he passed. In them he urges his fellow Christians towards unity and harmony, stressing the importance of the role of the bishop as guardian of Christ’s flock. He also uses remarkable Eucharistic imagery, seeing himself as: 'God's wheat, ground by the teeth of beasts, that I may become the pure bread of Christ’.

The Martyrdom of St Ignatius possibly by

October

Holy Father’s Prayer Intention: Evangelisation: The Mission of Religious That consecrated religious men and woman may bestir themselves, and be present among the poor, the marginalized, and those who have no voice.

Monday 1 October

Ps Week 2 St Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor 9.30am Red Mass

Sunday 7 October

Ps Week 3 27th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Collect: Almighty ever-living God, who in the abundance of your kindness surpass the merits and desires of those who entreat you, pour out your mercy upon us to pardon what conscience dreads and to give what prayer does not dare to ask. Through Christ our Lord.

10.30am Solemn Mass (Full Choir) Tye – Missa Euge bone Tye – Omnes gentes plaudite manibus Organ – Prelude and Fugue in C minor BWV 546 – J S Bach 3.30pm Solemn Vespers and Benediction Bevan – Magnificat septimi toni Schütz – Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen Organ: Apparition de l’église éternelle – Messiaen 4.30pm Deaf Service Mass in Cathedral Hall 4.45pm Organ Recital: Daniel Phillips (King’s College School, Wimbledon)

Schubert – Mass in G Bruckner – Os iusti Organ: Pæan – Howells 2pm Rosary Crusade Procession 4pm Extraordinary Form Mass in the Lady Chapel 6pm Adult Confirmations at Mass – Bishop John Wilson; Victoria Choir sings

Monday 8 October

St Edward depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry

Feria © Yummifruitbat

Tuesday 9 October

The Basilica at Lisieux

Bl John Henry Newman, Priest (St Denis, Bishop, and Companions, Martyrs St John Leonardi, Priest)

Tuesday 2 October

Wednesday 10 October

The Holy Guardian Angels 5.30pm Chapter Mass, with Installation of a Canon

Wednesday 3 October Feria am Masses in the Lady Chapel pm Masses in Cathedral Hal 7.30pm Bach Choir Concert – Britten’s War Requiem

Thursday 4 October St Francis of Assisi

Friday 5 October

Friday Abstinence

Feria (St Paulinus of York, Bishop) 8am-5.30pm NHS Blood Transfusion Service in Cathedral Hall 2.15pm Newman Catholic College Founders Day Mass

Thursday 11 October

St John XXIII, Pope 5pm Joint Evensong at Westminster Abbey 5.30pm Said Mass

Friday 12 October

Feria

Feria (St Wilfrid, Bishop)

Saturday 6 October

Saturday 13 October

Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday (St Bruno, Priest) 2.30pm National Altar Servers’ Mass - Bishop John Sherrington 22

Friday Abstinence

ST EDWARD THE CONFESSOR, Patron of the Diocese and of the City of Westminster 10.30am Solemn Mass (Full Choir)

© Myrabella

The Month of

© Pushkin Museum

DIARY

Sunday 14 October Ps Week 4 28th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Collect: May your grace, O Lord, we pray at all times go before us and follow after and make us always determined to carry out good works. Through Christ our Lord.

9am Family Mass 10.30am Solemn Mass (Full Choir) MacMillan – Westminster Mass Croce – Buccinate in neomenia tuba Organ: Toccata – Preston 2pm Silver Sunday Tea Dance in Cathedral Hall 3.30pm Solemn Vespers and Benediction Palestrina – Magnificat primi toni Croce – Ecce panis angelorum Organ: Prière – Franck 4.45pm Organ Recital: Richard Gowers (Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich) Monday 15 October

St Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor

Tuesday 16 October

Feria (St Hedwig, Religious St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin) Oremus

October 2018

DIARY AND NOTICES Wednesday 17 October

St Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr 7.30pm Concert: Libera

Thursday 18 October

ST LUKE, Evangelist

Monday 22 October

St John Paul II, Pope

Tuesday 23 October

Feria (St John of Capistrano, Priest)

Wednesday 24 October

Feria (St Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop) 7.30pm Grand Organ Festival Recital – Catherine Ennis (London)

Thursday 25 October Feria

Friday 26 October

Friday Abstinence Feria (Ss Chad and Cedd, Bishops)

Saturday 27 October

Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday 2pm Dominica Independence Day Mass 6pm Exonian Choir sings at Mass

© KHM Vienna

Sunday 28 October

St Luke painting Our Lady

Friday 19 October

Friday Abstinence Feria (Ss John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions Martyrs St Paul of the Cross, Priest)

Saturday 20 October

Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday 9.30am – 4.30pm Day with Mary

Sunday 21 October

Ps Week 1 29th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Collect: Almighty ever-living God, grant that we may always conform our will to yours and serve your majesty in sincerity of heart. Through Christ our Lord.

9.30-1.30pm SVP Book Sale in Cathedral Hall 10.30am Solemn Mass (Men’s voices) Lassus – Missa Triste départ Morales – Beati omnes qui timent Dominum Morales – Ecce sic benedicetur Organ: Improvisation no. 7 – SaintSaëns 3.30pm Solemn Vespers and Benediction Suriano – Magnificat octavi toni Lassus – Omnia tempus habent Organ: Cathédrales – Vierne No 4.45pm Organ Recital 5.30pm Ethnic Chaplaincies Mass – Bishop Paul McAleenan October 2018

Oremus

Ps Week 2 30th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Collect: Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise.

Through Christ our Lord.

10.30am Solemn Mass (Full Choir) de Padilla – Missa Ego flos campi Malcolm – Terribilis est locus iste Philips – O quam suavis Organ: Præludium in F sharp minor BuxWV 146 – Buxtehude 3.30pm Solemn Vespers and Benediction Bevan – Magnificat primi toni Elgar – O salutaris hostia in F Organ: Rhapsody no.1 in D flat – Howells 4.45pm Organ Recital: Jonathan Allsopp (Westminster Cathedral)

What Happens and When

Public Services: The Cathedral opens shortly before the first Mass of the day; doors close at 7.00pm, Monday to Saturday, with occasional exceptions.

On Sunday evenings the Cathedral closes after the 7.00pm Mass. On Public and Bank Holidays the Cathedral closes at 5.30pm in the afternoon.

Monday to Friday: Masses: 7.00am; 8.00am; 10.30am (Latin, said); 12.30pm; 1.05pm and 5.30pm (Solemn, sung by the Choir). Morning Prayer (Lady Chapel): 7.40am. Evening Prayer (Latin Vespers* sung by the Lay Clerks in the Lady Chapel): 5.00pm (*except Tuesday when it is sung in English). Rosary is prayed after the 5.30pm Mass.

Saturday: Masses: 8.00am; 9.00am; 10.30am (Solemn Latin, sung by the Choir); and 12.30pm.

Morning Prayer (Lady Chapel): 10.00am. First Evening Prayer of Sunday (Lady Chapel): 5.30pm.

First Mass of Sunday: 6.00pm.

Sunday: Masses: 8.00am; 9.00am; 10.30am (Solemn, sung by the Choir); 12 noon; 5.30pm; and 7.00pm. Morning Prayer (Lady Chapel) 10.00am.

Solemn Vespers and Benediction: 3.30pm. Organ Recital (when scheduled): 4.45pm.

Holy Days of Obligation: As Monday-Friday, Vigil Mass (evening of the previous day) at 5.30pm.

Public Holidays: Masses: 10.30am, 12.30pm, 5.00pm.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: This takes place in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel every Monday to Friday following the 1.05pm Mass, until 4.45pm.

Confessions are heard at the following times: Saturday: 10.30am-6.30pm. Sunday: 11.00am1.00pm; and 4.30-7.00pm. Monday-Friday: 11.30am-6.00pm. Public Holidays: 11.00am1.00pm.

Sacred Heart Church, Horseferry Road SW1P 2EF: Sunday Mass 11.00am, Weekday Mass Thursday 12.30pm Funerals: Enquiries about arranging a funeral at the Cathedral or Sacred Heart Church, Horseferry Road, should be made to a priest at Cathedral Clergy House in the first instance.

Monday 29 October

Throughout the Year

Tuesday 30 October

Mondays: 11.30am: Prayer Group in the Hinsley Room. 6.30pm: Guild of the Blessed Sacrament in the Cathedral Tuesdays: Walsingham Prayer Group in St George’s Chapel 2.30pm on first Tuesday of the month; 6.30pm: The Guild of St Anthony in the Cathedral.

Wednesdays: 12.00pm: First Wednesday Quiet Days on the first Wednesday of every month in the Hinsley Room.

Thursdays: 1.15pm: Padre Pio Prayer Group at Sacred Heart Church. 6.30pm: The Legion of Mary in Clergy House.

Fridays: 5.00pm: Charismatic Prayer Group in the Cathedral Hall – please check in advance for confirmation.

Saturdays: 10.00am: Centering Prayer Group in the Hinsley Room. 2.00pm: Justice and Peace Group in the Hinsley Room on the last of the month.

Blessed Martyrs of Douai College Feria 8am-5.30pm NHS Blood Transfusion Service in Cathedral Hall

Wednesday 31 October

Feria 5.30pm Solemn Vigil Mass – fulfils obligation for All Saints’ Day Key to the Diary: Saints’ days and holy days written in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS denote Sundays and Solemnities, CAPITAL LETTERS denote Feasts, and those not in capitals denote Memorials, whether optional or otherwise. Memorials in brackets are not celebrated liturgically.

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THE FRIENDS OF WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL

A Visit to a Royal City Forthcoming Events

Christina White I had coffee this morning with a friend whose youngest was about to leave home for university. Late September and October is such a time of closure and new beginnings. Friends’ Facebook pages have been full of photographs of young adults embarking on a new adventure – cushioned, it must be said, by the best that IKEA can offer. A friend from school sent a picture of her youngest at Winchester and it reminded me that the Friends have a Winchester trip booked for November: a tour of the Cathedral and Mass, followed by an afternoon at the Winchester Christmas Market. In 2017 we organised a popular visit to Waddesdon Manor Christmas Fair. It draws in the crowds with the house given over to all the excesses of the Christmas season - each room is elaborately and gorgeously decorated - and the Christmas Fair is laid out in the picturesque grounds. Winchester’s Christmas Market has been established for longer and boasts over 100 stalls selling all manner of gifts and food stuffs. The Cathedral needs no festive embellishment.

The template worked well last year: we arrived in time for our tour and then the afternoon was at leisure – a general mooch, interspersed with breaks for coffee and tea, and a fair sampling of the speciality street food on offer. I haven’t attended the Winchester event, but it has the advantage of being in the heart of the historic city, so there are any number 24

of hostelries and restaurants available if a sausage roll in a mittened hand is not your idea of lunch. There is also an ice rink – participation optional.

Winchester, I discover, was the place where Queen Mary married Philip of Spain and the Cathedral has amongst its most historic possessions a chair said to have been used by the Queen for the occasion. The annals tell us that the Cathedral was hung with the most splendid Flemish tapestries – hard now to imagine in the cool, stone quiet of the interior. The Cathedral authorities have kindly given us permission to celebrate Mass following our private tour. We have visited the Cathedral previously – most recently a flying visit for Evensong after a day at Chawton - but this time, our morning focus will be on matters ecclesiastical, not Regency authors.

There are still tickets available for the Curry Quiz on Tuesday 9 October and also the Speaker’s House event on Tuesday 23rd, but you must get your applications in soon. We are, as usual, gearing up for the Cathedral Christmas Fair and praying for gentler weather than the snowstorms of last year. Please do bring donations in advance to Clergy House and not to the Fair. It is really hard to sort items on the day when the helpers have spent so much time and energy setting up the stalls. Thank you for your on-going commitment to the Cathedral and to the Friends.

Tuesday 9 October: Quiz and Curry Night. The curry quiz returns. Please indicate when booking which food option you require: lamb korma, vegetarian biryani or chicken madras.

Poppadoms and dips on the tables.

Maximum table size is eight people. Doors open at 6.30pm and the quiz will commence at 7.00pm.

Ticket price: £18.00 Tuesday 23 October: The Speaker’s House. Full details of this very special event are available from the Friends’ Office. Ticket price £80 for a single ticket, or joint ticket £150. Please call 0207 798 9059 Tuesday 20 November: Private tour of Winchester Cathedral followed by Mass in the Cathedral to be celebrated by Canon Christopher Tuckwell. In the afternoon the Friends will visit the Winchester Christmas Market.

Coach will leave Clergy House at 8.00am. Please note that lunch is not included. Ticket price: £39.00 Sunday 9 December: The Westminster Cathedral Christmas Fair. Please bring donations to Clergy House Reception.

Contact us • Write to: Friends’ Office, 42 Francis Street, London SW1P 1QW • Call: 020 7798 9059 • Email: friends@ westminstercathedral.org.uk Registered Charity number 272899

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October 2018

RAISE YOUR GLASS

From Farming to Fermenting The Trappist Monks of Mount Saint Bernard Mount Saint Bernard Abbey was founded in Leicestershire in 1835 on land provided by Ambrose de Lisle, a convert to Catholicism who was eager to bring monastic life back to England. On Michaelmas Day, a group of monks arrived at a half-ruined cottage in Tynt Meadow, at the heart of the property they had been given. Their leader, Fr Odilo Woolfrey, wrote: ‘Here we are, I with my little company, already established in a little cottage on this land in Charnwood Forest which we’ve named “Mount Saint Bernard”’. A permanent monastery was built with the help of John, the 16th Earl of Shrewsbury. Augustus Welby Pugin, the great architectural force behind the Gothic Revival, offered his services for free, and designed the monastery in the Lancet style. In 1848, Mount Saint Bernard was raised to the status of an Abbey, headed by the first English Abbot since the Reformation.

Members of the community work on carpentry, pottery, bookbinding, and candle making. Others make rosaries and greetings cards, and there is a monastic shop selling our produce and a wide range of artwork and books. But our community’s main work has always been the cultivation of the land. Cistercians have always been farmers. At the beginning of the 21st century, it became increasingly apparent that farming was no longer viable. Developments in modern agriculture, combined with the consistently low price of milk, made it hard to run our dairy farm profitably. In 2013, we reached a point where it seemed irresponsible to continue.

So we began to look for an alternative source of income and common work. We aimed to establish an industry in which many of us could be involved, and brewing met our requirements. After much careful research and community discussion, we decided to revive the Abbey’s beer-making tradition. We know for a fact that beer was brewed here in the 19th century and, contrary to widespread perception, monastic brewing has never been confined only to the Low Countries. Past visitors to our community have left accounts expressing their liking for the monks’ table beer and, though the historic recipe has been lost, we’re certain that the ale we are brewing now is at least as delicious and nurturing.

In 2017-18 we relocated our refectory, kitchen, and laundry to provide space for the installation of a new artisanal brewery. We will keep the volume of production relatively small, just enough to meet our expenses and support our charitable commitments. As of 2018, the brewery is our principal field of labour. All the work, from brewing to bottling and packaging, is done by the monks. Once we had decided to set up a brewery, we began to practise on a October 2018

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small home brewing kit. We experimented with a range of different beers to acquire experience, working towards a final recipe. The monks of Norcia, Saint-Wandrille, and Zundert have taught us a lot, and were generous in sharing their own brewing expertise. We have received invaluable advice from the 11 other Trappist breweries and from the International Trappist Association, and also benefited from the kindness and counsel of several local brewers.

Cistercians esteem the value of simplicity. Simplicity does not stand for a thing done simply, or cheaply, but rather represents a distillation of complexity. It is about processing and ordering a rich, varied reality in such a way that the result seems self-evident: ‘This is how it has to be!’ We see this quality at work in the way the early Cistercians built their churches, composed their music, wrote their sermons and cultivated their land. We hope that you will recognise it, too, in the way we brew our beer. Monks have always been great readers, and sometimes great writers too. The label for Tynt Meadow draws on a 12th-century Cistercian script, subtly developed by Brother Anselm Baker, an early monk of our community who was a noted artist. A quill has also been used to draw our brewery’s logo, a sketch of the lancet windows characteristic of our church. If you get hold of a Tynt Meadow coaster you will notice another design inspired by the simple stroke of a pen.

We are happy to share the work of our hands with you.

We are proud of the ale, have made it with joy and hope you enjoy it. Despite living a life apart, monks are open to the world. We carry the world’s anxieties and hopes in our prayers and are always glad to welcome guests who turn up on our doorstep. The monks of old had a saying: Patet porta, cor magis. ‘The door is open, the heart even more so.’ By inviting you to taste Tynt Meadow, we offer you a taste of our life.

Fr Michael Quaicoe has tasted Tynt Meadow and recommends it to the discerning palates of Oremus readers.

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CATHEDRAL HISTORY

Cathedral History: A Pictorial Record One of the Series of Pontifical High Masses at The Hierarchy Centenary Congress, Wednesday 27 September 1950 Paul Tobin The description written on the back of the photograph states: ‘During one of the Pontifical High Masses in Westminster Cathedral; Celebrant - Archbishop Michael McGrath of Cardiff. His Assistant Priest (to his left in Cope) is Mgr Canon Long of Clifton Chapter. The Cardinal with train is Spellman (of New York) - during the final celebrations of the Restoration of the Hierarchy.

In floor level choir stalls left, first figure nearest the throne is Mgr Cuthbert Collingwood, Cathedral Administrator(1948-1954)’. This Mass was reserved for Religious Sisters, as were other Masses at Westminster and Southwark for Children.

The Deacon and Sub-Deacon of the Mass, who would, normally, have stood in a line behind the celebrant during the Canon of the Mass (Eucharistic Prayer) moved to one side to allow the Cardinal, who presided at the Mass in cappa magna, an uninterrupted view of the celebrant. The Sub-Deacon wears a Humeral Veil, as he would have been holding the Paten from the Offertory until the end of the Pater Noster.

Due to the state of his health at the time, Cardinal Bernard Griffin, Archbishop of Westminster (1943-1956) who had been appointed Papal Legate for the celebrations, attended only one Mass in the Cathedral, namely the Solemn Reception as Legate and presided at the Mass that followed in cappa magna. There is extensive footage of this event that can viewed via Youtube.

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CROSSWORD AND POEM

The Death of Oscar Romero Stones the bread we take out of the ovens Doing this in memory of him Lead the iron entering our souls Parched now in the sunlight of unknowing Spent beyond the bullet’s punctuation Doing this in memory of him Naked under the harsh stars at noon Parched now in the sunlight of unknowing Could the cracked adobe of our hearts Doing this in memory of him Drink such dangerous unconsidered blood Except his body cold as broken stones Parched now in the sunlight of unknowing Blaspheme the grammar of the injured earth Charles Stewart Alan Frost: September 2018

A fragment of Bl Oscar Romero’s alb and his zucchetto are kept as relics in St George’s Cathedral, Southwark and can be venerated there.

To submit a poem whether by yourself or another for consideration, please contact the Editor – details on page 3.

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Clues Across 1 Spanish painter whose many works include Guernica about suffering in the Civil War (7) 6 Spion ---. Boer War Battle giving name to famous football club terrace (3) 8 French composer of a popular Requiem with the remarkable In Paradisum (5) 9 Territory where recipients of two Letters from St Paul lived (7) 10 Priest founder of the London Oratory, his tomb is in its 25 Across chapel (5) 11 ‘------ dorma’, famous tenor aria from Puccini’s Turandot (6) 13 ‘Ships of the desert’, associated with the Journey of the Magi (6) 15 Guard with box in Whitehall (6) 17 It was parted to allow Moses and the Israelites to escape the Egyptian army (3,3) 20 See 24 Across 21 Official record of debates in Westminster Parliament (7) 23 Weapon which pierced Our Lord’s side on Calvary (5) 24 3 Down, 4 Down, 20 Acr: Gesture and statement of one’s Catholic faith (3,4,2,3,5) 25 Bishop Saint, Feast Day 12 Oct., inspiration to the founder of the London Oratory (7) Clues Down 1 Receptacles in walls of sanctuaries for draining away water used to wash sacred vessels (8) 2 See 7 Down 3 See 24 Across 4 See 24 Across 5 The right to send people to Westminster Parliament, achieved by women a hundred years ago [Nov.] (8) 6 St John ------, one of the Forty Martyrs, executed in his native Wales (6) 7 & 2 Down: Order of Franciscan nuns named after their foundress (4,6) 12 ‘Cornish --------’, rebellion by Catholics in 1549 against imposition of Protestant Prayer Book (8) 14 Royal flag or London’s newspaper (8) 16 Soup ingredient that might be served in a pot (6) 18 One enjoying a winter pastime, for whom Waldteufel wrote a

popular Waltz (6) 19 Little creature seen in half of diocese of Bishop Mark Davies! (5) 20 A popular media figure or unorthodox religious belief (4) 22 ‘Little ----‘, Dickensian heroine of London’s ‘Old Curiosity Shop’ (4)

ANSWERS Across: 1 Picasso 6 Kop 8 Faure 9 Corinth 10 Faber 11 Nessun 13 Camels 15 Sentry 17 Red Sea 20 Cross 21 Hansard 23 Lance 24 The 25 Wilfrid Down: 1 Piscinas 2 Clares 3 Sign 4 Of The 5 Suffrage 6 Kemble 7 Poor 12 Uprising 14 Standard 16 Noodle 18 Skater 19 Shrew 20 Cult 22 Nell

Bl Oscar Romero will be canonised by Pope Francis on Saturday 14 October.

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FIFTY AND ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO

In retrospect: from the Cathedral Chronicle I first met Malcolm when he was conducting the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra playing The Messiah. When the concert was over he was, as always on such occasions happy and utterly exhausted. But not too exhausted to receive me courteously and talk with enthusiasm of the strength he drew from choral music. He spoke, I remember, at some length of The Dream of Gerontius which was for him not only an aesthetic but a spiritual experience. As all promenaders know he was far from conservative in his musical taste. It was for him a vocation to introduce both the little-known works of the Masters and the daring compositions of the moderns. For him beauty had no limits of time and place.

Nevertheless, his deepest satisfaction was probably found in what is called sacred music. Despite his cultivated taste and the immense range of his musicology he retained the heart of a choir-boy. It was this zest which bridged the years and enabled him to establish a true communion with young music lovers whom he cherished beyond all others …

I last saw him only a few days before he died. I found him serene and reconciled. He spoke of himself very little but eagerly described his last visit to his beloved promenaders. His doctors had wisely suggested that since they could not hope to cure him he might give himself the consolation of going to the Albert Hall for the last time. The recollection of that last visit carried him happily into eternity.

He asked me to pray with him and to bless him. I said the Lord’s Prayer and on an impulse (which since then I have thought was an inspiration) I recited the Ave Maria. Rarely have I said more fervently its closing words – ‘Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death’. There we may well leave him this morning – a man who loved God, a man who served God and his fellows by the worship of beauty which is another Name for God Himself.

heaps of time on his hands! As a profit-making enterprise it has no chance – it is only a question of how much you might lose. Why, Catholics will not even support lavishly their own Press! I don’t believe ten per cent of a Catholic congregation take a Catholic paper regularly, which speaks for itself’. There certainly is at present little evidence to show that such a scheme would meet with success, at least in the South of England, nor does it seem altogether desirable. What, however, appears not only desirable but urgently necessary, is the appointment of a Board or Committee of Priests and Laymen, to be officially recognised by the cinema world, to advise on the correct rendering of any matters Catholic which it is proposed to portray, and to act as censors of films in which Catholic teaching and practice have been unofficially introduced.

The reference to the apathy of Catholics with regard to their own Press is, we regret to have to admit, not far short of the truth. When it is realised that that the Catholic population of England is just on two millions and that there are considerably over five and a half million Catholics in the United Kingdom, it is difficult to understand why our Catholic Press does not receive much better support than it is apparently getting … Till we have attained strength similar to that of the Catholics of the United States or the vigour animating our brethren in Australia, it would be wiser to put aside all idea of a definitely Catholic Cinema or Catholic daily paper. But we should not rest till we are correctly and well represented in the Cinema and the daily Press. from Varia in the October 1918 Westminster Cathedral Chronicle

from A Tribute to Sir Malcolm Sargent by Cardinal Heenan in the October 1968 Westminster Cathedral News Sheet The question of a Catholic Cinema has been mooted in the Catholic press from time to time since Alderman Gilbert started the idea in a speech at the Catholic Truth Society’s Annual Meeting in April of last year. A series of questions on this subject was put recently to a Cinema proprietor of wide experience, but his answers were not encouraging. One of the questions ran as follows: ‘Has the suggestion that steps should be taken to adopt the Cinema for the purpose of Catholic propaganda a reasonable chance of success?’ The answer was: ‘As a hobby it would be a good pastime for a man with plenty of money and 28

Cardinal Bourne presides over the laying of a foundation-stone of a club for American servicemen in the Cathedral grounds Oremus

October 2018

CO–ED AT LAST / THE DOWRY PILGRIMAGE

Monk Adorers of the Sacred Heart Two priests from Colombia have become the first Tyburn Monks in history, and the newest male religious order in the Catholic Church. The establishment of a male equivalent of the Tyburn Nuns fulfils the wish of Mother Marie-Adèle Garnier, their foundress, who set out her intentions in a document more than a century ago.

Fr Manuel Agudelo Marin, 52, and Fr Hector Nagles Santa, 53, were made postulants during a private ceremony in a chapel at Maison Garnier, birthplace and childhood home of Mother MarieAdèle in Grancey-le-Château, near Dijon, France. The event took place on 16 August, the day after the house was formally opened as a chapel, pilgrimage and retreat centre, and a place of Eucharistic prayer.

The two priests contacted the Tyburn Nuns in 2013 after they discovered themselves strongly attracted to the charism of Mother Adèle to honour the Sacred Heart of Jesus in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. They asked if a male equivalent of the order could be established and their wish was granted when a lost document written

by Mother Adèle, whose Cause for Canonisation was opened in 2016, was discovered in Tyburn Convent at Christmas last year. The 33-page document sets out in detail the vision of the Foundress for an order of Tyburn Monks, living under the Rule of St Benedict and following her charism.

The priests, who each have more than 20 years of experience in parish and

other ministries, have returned to Colombia to open a monastery, where they will become novices within six months and make their final professions after five years.

Fr Hector said: ‘During this time we will be learning more about our commitment to God through the Benedictine Rule with the charism of the Sisters, Eucharistic Adoration as Monk Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, if this be the will of God. In her document the Mother writes about a masculine branch of their community, to be lived by monks. It contains all that we have desired, describing all that we have felt God is calling us to live. And this is why we believe we must forge ahead and bring it to fruition, as being God's holy will for us’.

The Dowry of Mary Pilgrimage Triduum ‘Our society needs to recover a sense of God’s loving presence, and a renewed sense of respect for his will.

Let us learn this from Mary our Mother. In England, the Dowry of Mary, the faithful, for centuries, have made pilgrimage to her shrine at Walsingham. for centuries. Today Walsingham comes to Wembley, and the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham, present here, reminds us it is Mary who will teach us how to be silent, how to listen to the voice of God in the midst of the busy and noisy world. We need to live as Mary did, in the presence of God, raising our minds and hearts to him in our daily activities and worries.’

During the course of 2018 to 2020 the statue of Our Lady from the Slipper Chapel at the Catholic National Shrine in Walsingham will be taken to each Cathedral in England for a three-day Triduum of Prayer, as part of the preparation for the rededication of England as the Dowry of Mary in 2020. Each visit will take place between a Thursday and Saturday, with the final visit being here at Westminster from 19-21 March 2020.

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© Sailko

In 1982 Pope St John Paul II spoke of England as Mary’s Dowry:

The Wilton Diptych in the National Gallery depicts King Richard II offering England, his kingdom, to Our Lady as her Dowry

‘A moment of great promise …. for the Church in this country and for our mission’ Cardinal Vincent For full details of the Tour and to see images of the visits that have already taken place to Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and to the Cathedral of St Mary and St Helen, Brentwood, please visit dowrytour.org.uk 29

OBITUARY

Fr Michael Durand 1925 - 2018

© Weenson Oo

Fr John Scott

Fr Michael Durand, who died peacefully at St Wilfrid’s Care Home, Tite Street in Chelsea on Sunday 19 August 2018, attained the age of 93 and served as a priest for 28 years. The only child of Alan and Iris Durand, he was born in Weston-SuperMare on 13 April 1925, although much of the Fr Michael at the Scripture Study first part of his life was Group to be spent in Wales. He attended King Henry VIII Grammar School in Abergavenny, where his senior years coincided with the outbreak of the Second World War. Having gained a place at New College, Oxford, he went up for a year in 1943 to read Greats, but his education was then disrupted until 1947 by military service in the Royal Signals, where he was a Cipher Sergeant, serving in part on the North-West frontier in India. Returning to Oxford, he completed his degree in 1950 and began his teaching career, offering Latin, Music and French. A series of posts followed as he moved between three small schools run by Religious, although it seems that he may briefly have tested his vocation with the Capuchin Friars after his first few years of teaching.

Spiritual influences came to bear on him not only through the schools being run by Religious, but also through contact with the Carmelite community at Dolgellau, where a teaching colleague from Llanarth Court School became a Sister, and where Fr Michael was to celebrate Mass shortly after his ordination to the priesthood. Also influential was Fr Conrad Pepler OP, for whom, with Frs Henry St John OP and Alan Cheales OP, he records his thanks. Spode House, the former Dominican Conference Centre, had both an intellectual and social life all its own, and lives on in Spode Music Week, which Michael attended in the company of George Malcolm; he remained a Patron of the Music Week to the present time.

Michael’s classical education, coupled with his linguistic awareness and artistic sensitivity, therefore found much beside his studies to occupy his attention when, in 1986, he entered the Beda College in Rome for formation. Ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Hume in Westminster 30

Cathedral on 30 June 1990, he was appointed as full-time Chaplain to the Royal London Hospital, where he served for six and a half years, moving to the Cathedral in 1997 as a member of the College of Chaplains and also, appropriately given his background, as Chaplain to the Choir School. He maintained a theological interest in the Early Church and in the life of the Orthodox Churches whilst, on his retirement from the Cathedral in May 2000, he took up the chaplaincy at the (former) St Anne’s Home. Initially this was combined with co-ordinating HIV/Aids ministry, which he knew from his time at the Royal London, but developments in treatment and in those affected led him to suggest that the work would be done by a younger person.

The redevelopment of St Anne’s led to a return to the Cathedral in 2002, a move anticipated to be temporary, but which lasted until 2014. Here Fr Michael took his full part in the work of the Chaplains, working with the Oblates and running a weekly scripture study group. The choristers had their own reason for naming him ‘Fr Speedy Priest’, as his homilies were not lengthy; but they were well-considered and valued by those who heard them. Towards the end of this period his mobility became more problematic and a circuitous route had to be developed to come down from the altar to give Holy Communion. Yet his voice remained as good as ever and even after his final move to St Wilfrid’s he returned to act as Cantor for Chapter Vespers.

On holiday, usually dressed in clericals, the Divine Office would be recited and colleagues cajoled into concelebration, whilst churches would be visited and stained glass examined with binoculars and explicated before a carefully researched lunch or dinner was taken, with appropriate wine. His sense of European civilisation meant that France and Italy were his chosen destinations, lands of Romance language, which therefore precluded Germany, although the music of Mozart was appreciated, and a Bach Prelude or Fugue after Mass would bring him back to the sanctuary to hear it out.

Finally diagnosed with cancer in late 2017, his decision was to return to St Wilfrid’s and receive palliative care, which kept him comfortable until death.

Colleagues and friends remember a priest of faithful devotion, with wide intellectual and artistic interests, and an abiding interest in and concern for other people, upheld by a spiced sense of humour and an appreciation of a good bottle of wine.

May he rest in peace.

Oremus

October 2018

BOOK REVIEW

The Pursuit of Holiness Fr John Scott

Do not be put off by the thought of over 200 pages to wade through in pursuit of holiness; the book is pocketsize and the print size highly legible. Stephen Haskell bases his text on three Carmelite saints, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and Thérèse of Lisieux. He is anxious to take seriously what they say about the life of prayer and how this leads us to encounter with God, but equally aware that they offer insights which may or may not assist us.

When it comes to other practical considerations about our praying, Haskell is well aware of the various traditions: Ignatian meditation and lectio divina, for example, but reminds us that: ‘it would appear, then, that [the Lord’s Prayer] is sufficient in Jesus’ eyes to cover all our needs and it is worth remembering that Thérèse resorted to saying it slowly when incapable of any other prayer’. Many of us think constantly that we should be praying better, and some may be in a position to devote serious time to prayer; but, says Haskell, ‘at the risk of being prescriptive, I would suggest that 15 minutes per day is quite enough for most people’s needs, and may, in fact, be too long for some’.

But this is not letting us off lightly. Further chapters consider ‘Mortification’ and ‘The Dark Night’, of which John of the Cross writes so insightfully. Haskell notes the changes that we may face in life: unemployment, divorce, bereavement or sickness and concludes that here we may be experiencing our Dark Night and purgation, with demand on our faith: ‘it is likely that the dark night or passive purgation of the lay soul will always be accompanied by one or several of the natural disasters mentioned’.

This book, then, has the merits of being encouraging about the spirituality which is possible in our ordinary lives, whilst drawing on the insights of the great Carmelite saints about how God draws us to himself. It is highly recommended and your money will be well spent.

The Pursuit of Holiness, by Stephen Haskell; St Pauls Publishing, 2016; pb, 223pp; ISBN 978-1-910365-05-2

Of Teresa, for example, he notes that she is always aware of practicality, whereas John of the Cross, when writing of higher mystical prayer, seems to move beyond any concern with outward activity. However, a basic starting point is the awareness that both these saints write in the first place for contemplative religious, those for whom prayer is their primary activity. This is not so for almost all the rest of us, who have the routines and demands of daily life to contend with. Now Thérèse was equally a contemplative religious, and knew and valued the writings of her Carmelite predecessors.

She writes of her ‘Little Way’ of prayer that it is direct, short and new. Unintentionally, perhaps, she offered newness, a spirituality suited to those whose lives do not permit constant dedication to prayer. As to shortness, Haskell notes that: ‘by her total dedication to works of charity she achieved sanctity in a remarkably short time’. Teresa insists on the value of prayer lying in what follows from it and Thérèse relies on her actions to achieve the same aim – direct action.

The Little Way therefore involves constant attention to our present circumstances. Haskell imagines the characters of the Parable of the Good Samaritan as good men who miss what is before their eyes; the priest is deeply concerned for his people and thinking through what he knows to be an important homily, whilst the Levite is tormented by the quarrel he had earlier with his wife and is hurrying home to apologise; yet both fail in the present demands of charity.

This example is given in the chapter entitled ‘Charity: The First Step’, whilst others take us further: ‘Within the Family’, ‘In the Outside World’.

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February 2017