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New Beacon Issue 8, Autumn 2006 CONTENTS Editorial After 22 years…….. 
A Catholic in the Yemen.Issoudun…….a place of grace and peace Home to Rome Lourdes Thank God we are alive! Searching……………………………. How green is my parish? Deus Caritas Est in a Nutshell Part 2 An invitation for you! An open letter to Archbishop Rowan Williams Biblical plants Ascent news The Catholic Women's League A mini crossword puzzle Liturgy, music and authority The gardeners’ hymn Organisation of parish groups by PPC Parish team wins the double New Beacon Cover Page Memories of the K Club See if you can spot Christ on the Even
God enjoys a good laugh!
cross, and .... can you
work out the barcode?
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EDITORIAL Welcome to the latest issue of the New Beacon. Inside we have the usual mix of articles, news and reflections from all over the parish. Thanks are due to all who contributed to making this a very meaty issue! Travel articles inside include a lovely story of a school trip to Lourdes, a dramatic encounter with fire on a family’s Greek trip, a Dartmoor letterbox treasure hunt, a cycling trip from St Albans to Rome, and a short piece on what being a Catholic is like in Yemen. On a more intellectual theme, we have some impassioned thoughts on Rowan Williams’ recent views on Creationism, and on Intelligent Design in general, followed by part 2 of our summary of “Deus Caritas Est”. Liturgically we have some observations on Latin and the current liturgy in the church interspersed with thoughts on recent papal instructions on these subjects. We also have a renewed invitation for everyone to an hour a week’s prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. From the clergy, there is a reminiscence from Fr Tom on 22 years in South Africa, and Fr Jerry’s memories of the Ryder Cup (what a victory that was!). Continuing on a sporting theme, an account of when and how the parish football team won the “double”. News about parish events and organisations include some news on the celebrations for the centenary of the Catholic Women’s league, some snippets of a couple of events the Ascent Group have run recently, and a description of the new stained glass window at St Columba’s college and the events associated with its installation. On a lighter note there is some evidence included that God likes a good laugh. We have a story of biological warfare between plants and another story describes an object you could trade for your husband! Those of you with green fingers should like the Gardeners Poem, and more seriously an article asking us to consider how green we should be in our home/parish life. The editorial team hope that you find something to enjoy in this issue. We certainly did! |
After 22 years…….. Fr Tom Hewitt On 27th August 1984, I offered Mass at Maryland and then headed for South Africa. I now want to tell you about some of the things that have happened to me since then. I had thought long and hard about travelling overseas, but once my decision was made I felt relieved and happy. I remember driving down the rough track leading to Ofcolaco (acronym for ‘Officers Colonial Land Company’) singing 'There'll always be an England! I only needed a pith helmet to make me a real missionary! The honeymoon period was wonderful. Everywhere was so green, so beautiful. Travelling into the bush to celebrate Mass under a Maroela tree fitted in with all my missionary dreams. My main task at Ofcolaco was helping to train future MSCs. It seems incredible to me now that I was setting out so blithely on a completely new type of work – and it was with people of whose culture I knew almost nothing. I gradually began to realise that there was much more to it than teaching them a bit of English and some Christian doctrine! In trying to accompany them on their journey I became more aware of what was happening on my own journey. Perhaps my experience was not untypical of most would-be missionaries: they arrive thinking that they have a lot to give, and leave understanding that they have received much more than they have given. It was a sad day for me when I left Ofcolaco, but perhaps I was a bit wiser than when I arrived. 
My next big assignment
was at the Midrand Parish, midway between Johannesburg and Pretoria. The
people there were (and are) enormously varied: rich and poor, "conservative"
and 'liberal', all nationalities and colours. I wanted to unite everyone.
I hope we made some progress, but the process is still continuing. We had
an exciting parish mission and we tried to build on that experience by forming
and strengthening prayer groups, and by sending out people in pairs to share
their faith. One Lent the evangelising team decided to visit an area of the
Midrand called Voma Valley. By Easter we felt we had certainly done our penance:
our words seemed to have fallen on stony ground; tangible results were few.
Shortly after that, community building gave way to building in bricks and
mortar. We planned a parish house next to the new church that my predecessor,
Fr. Richard O'Rourke, MSC, had built. A friendly Dominie said that it was
just as well that I believed in the Devil, because I would certainly know
he was around before the house was finished! We duly went through all the
trauma that everyone who builds must suffer – with a few extra for good measure.
Around the same time I visited a handful of people who were illegally squatting
at a site earmarked for business development. I was present on the happy
day when they were assigned small plots of land in a place that became known
as Ivory Park. It was hard to foresee in June 1990 what huge developments
would take place there. On Christmas day Fr. Martin Momssey MSC and I concelebrated
the first Mass in Ivory Park, outside Shack 1107. Next year, on 15 December
1993, Dick Broderick MSC offered Mass in the First Church a wood and zinc
structure put up on the site we had acquired in May. I have never felt more
"inadequate" than when I visited Ivory Park. My language skills were minimal;
I could offer no material help because giving to one family would make all
the others jealous. Despite all this I invested lots of time and energy to
working there – perhaps too much. With the Bishop's encouragement 1 set an
appeal to the P.M.A.S. (the red mission box organization). After a long wait
a big cheque came through. I found it hard to cope with everything I was trying to do in the Midrand and in Ivory Park. Fortunately I made sure of some stress-free time each week: the sacred DAY OFF! Most Thursdays would find me walking in my beloved Suikerbos Rand, a nature reserve south of Jo’ burg. Sitting by the stream there I decided that now was the time for a sabbatical. I spent the last few months of the sabbatical year back in St. Albans, renewing all the friendships I had made here. On 28th May 1994, I returned to South Africa to add another small piece to the jigsaw of my experiences there. I worked for a short time in the Cape, at Goodwood. St Joseph's Parish is large and active: the fruit of many years of MSC effort. When my Mum died I looked for a job near Rugby where my Dad lived. Eventually I arrived in Tamworth, where I soon settled down very well. Dad did not survive Mum for very long, but it was long enough for me to feel at home once more in England. The last five years in Tamworth, with Fr. Joe McGee, MSC, and Br. Donal Hallissey, MSC, were particularly happy ones for me. In 2002, I started taking courses with the Open University. These have been hard work, but very enjoyable. Most summers see me catching the train to Scotland where I have had some marvellous walking holidays. I was in danger of taking permanent root in Tamworth until something seemed to stir in me when I hit 60! I didn't have to be a rocket scientist to realise that St Albans was a very good option for a move. I look back on the past 22 years with some regrets, but with a great deal of thanksgiving. A fortress-like Church, built by my successor, Fr. Adrian McHugh, MSC, now stands in Ivory Park. My most moving goodbye to South Africa was there, where I had nothing to offer except myself. My farewell to Tamworth, a joint celebration between Joe and me, was also very moving: the community there made us feel much beloved. |
A Catholic in the YemenJim Naisbitt As some parishioners may know, Jim Naisbitt has spent 6 months of the last year working in the Yemen, as a Supervising Engineer for rehabilitation of Water Supply and Sewerage systems in the city of Taiz (population 600,000). He started work there in October last year and came home briefly in January, returning for a second spell in Yemen until Easter this year, after which the following notes were compiled for New Beacon. My first arrival was during the fasting month of Ramadan, when working hours are reduced and which is followed by the first of the two major Moslem holidays, so Sheila came out with me and stayed for almost a month. I was disappointed that I could not get home for Christmas, but my family managed to send me cards and various seasonal items including a very small Christmas pudding. In fact, it was a very special Christmas, spent with the small (expatriate) Catholic community in Taiz. On a previous posting to Saudi-Arabia, we had experienced life as Christians in another totally Moslem society where our Christian activities had to be kept private. Strangely, these experiences seemed to make us stronger in our Faith. After the January break for the other major Moslem holiday, construction work restarted, as did the usual problems, including notably kidnapping of contractors’ staff. This was not a very serious matter as kidnapping is more-or-less the national sport in Yemen! It is rare for anyone to come to any harm. More importantly, Taiz (1000 m above sea level) is very rocky and is dominated by Yemen’s highest mountain, Jebel Saber (3606 m Above Sea Level) so trench excavation is hard going everywhere. 
Spiritual needs were met by Mass at the priest’s house (St Theresa’s) on
Thursday evenings and sometimes on Sundays, depending on the availability
of Fr George, one of only four priests in Yemen, Salesians from India. They
gained entry into this 99 % Moslem country (there is still a community of
Jews in the north as well as numerous expatriates) along with Missionaries
of Charity sisters (Mother Theresa) who run orphanages, hospices, etc. for
destitute people. Even though Yemen is a desperately poor country (with the
curse of a very limited oil reserve), there is little destitution on public
view – people seem to take care of one another and make the best of things.
Sisters Kolbe (from Philippines), Rose, Lisa, Josephine (all from India)
and Claudia (from Kenya) have developed a pleasant home for old people on
the outskirts of Taiz. This provides seclusion but could leave them vulnerable.
It is only about two years since three nuns were murdered at Hodeidah for
exhibiting their Christian faith. That act was condemned by the government
and people of Yemen. At Taiz, although everyone knew of the Catholic presence,
I was never aware of any animosity. In fact, the most uplifting thing about
life in a Moslem country is that God and spiritual matters are perfectly
normal topics for conversation – I recall a very friendly discussion (in
French!) in Algeria on the Second Coming of Christ! Nevertheless, we should
remember those Catholic brothers and sisters in our prayers, particularly
at this time when religious misunderstandings can have such serious consequences.
Aden, about 150 km south of Taiz, has three Catholic churches, dating from the time as a British Protectorate. The oldest of these churches has recently been restored. It had been confiscated, some time ago, by the then communist government of South Yemen but was returned to the Church by the current government. North and South Yemen united at the same time as East and West Germany but not so many people noticed Yemen’s achievement! On Friday 31 March (2006), the 151 year old church was re-consecrated by our bishop (Paul Hinder from Abu Dhabi, a Swiss national) and the Papal Nuncio (Arch-Bishop Hashem from Kuwait, a Lebanese national). The Governor of Aden cut the opening tape, indicating official sanction of the Catholic presence. After Mass and a very good Indian lunch, there was just time for a visit to the only off-licence in the country, then back to the bus for the return journey. The fish in Yemen is very good but when I visited Mocha (home of the original coffee), on the Red Sea coast, there was only a 10 foot hammer-head shark left in the fish shop! Sadly, coffee has been replaced by “qat”, a cocaine-like plant. Although qat is fairly mild, qat-chewing takes up most afternoons and evenings and so is detrimental to both commercial activity and family life. Before leaving Yemen, I made a brief trip to the Hadramaut (a large oasis in the east) and south to Mukalla (on the Gulf of Aden). This included a 6-hour trip in an old taxi. The driver complained that he had two wives but couldn’t afford them any more as business was not so good. I explained that I had been working with two Yemeni lady engineers – conversation had been a bit like addressing a black letter-box and requiring 100% eye contact!– so why didn’t he send his two wives out to work and be a house-hubby? Maybe he will start a trend? Trips to Socotra Island (off the south coast) and Kamara Island (eco-tourism, north of Hodeidah, also on the Red Sea), were postponed due to lack of time. Air-travel within the country is quite efficient and cheap so, if you fancy somewhere different for your holidays, why not try Yemen! The architecture of Sanaa, the capital, is incredible – I’m sure Fr. George and the Sisters would pleased to see you. |
Issoudun…….a place of grace and peaceSara Nash The Centre of devotion to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart…the location where Jules Chevalier, founded the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in 1854. Inspired by Nick Harnon’s excellent discourse on “The Spirituality of the Heart” that I heard in June together with 60 other lay and MSCs from all over 
England, I decided
to visit the place where the MSC movement started. Consequently in
July we found ourselves, at the end of our summer holiday, exploring this
small town situated between Bourges and Chateauroux in Central France. Fortunately
there were good directions to “Le Basilique” and we were soon admiring the
dazzling white exterior. The inside of the church has surprisingly modern
stained-glass windows and carvings – the life sized wooden images of our
lady at the foot of the cross are simple and incredibly moving. Behind the
main altar is a Sanctuary full of red votive candles devoted to quiet prayer
in front of statues of Our Lady with the child Jesus. We arrived in time
to hear Mass in the crypt, another special experience. Next to the main church is a pilgrimage centre where individuals or groups can take part in spiritual retreats or pilgrimage days: “pilgrims return home, filled with strength and peace that God has given them”, I can believe that!
For more, go to www.nd-sacre-coeur.com, or
e-mail nd-sacre-coeur@issoudun-msc.com, or Telephone 00 33 2 54.03.33.83 |
 Home to Rome .... Trisha and John Manners Why cycle to Rome? Firstly we had never been there, secondly the route is through some of the best countryside in France and Italy and lastly it has a history as a place of pilgrimage and a cultural centre; plus we were heading South into the warm weather! We both get great pleasure from cycling so for us it was a holiday despite those E-mails detailing the hardships – hence we planned to do something we enjoyed and raise money for Children with Arthritis at the same time. We had to carry almost everything we needed for 5 weeks in our two panniers on each bike and that really caused headaches for Trisha as women seem to need lots of little bottles and tubes of gunk. An extra 25 or so pounds of weight on the back of the bike when you start going uphill feels like someone is holding you back The planning was all done. Routes worked out. Sat Nav fixed to the bike. B&Bs booked so we were ready. What would we do without the internet! High winds, rain and we had to leave the house and cycle off to Rome. While St Albans was getting lashing rain we got to Maidstone with just a few drops, but it did take 10 hours. I will never look at the M25 with disdain or dislike again. On to Dover. It’s great when you are the first ones onto the ferry. With very high winds, this was the worst day of the whole trip – out of Calais to Hucquelier – just 40 miles that took 6 hours instead of 3! We were heading into the teeth of 50 mph winds. It was the only time we walked up a hill. The next 2 weeks were cold – windproofs were needed. Heading South passed through Amiens, Paris, then on through Chateau Thierry to Esternay. In a bar near Chateau Thierry we spoke to four very young American Marines who were over from their base in Germany for a WW2 Memorial Service. Trisha had never before felt more like the Queen as they kept addressing her as Maam. The memorial was beautifully kept with rows and rows of white crosses and American flags it was all very moving. Then cycling in the pouring rain to St Florentin, then Montbard followed by the lovely city of Autun and a much needed rest day. On day 11, we went onto Marcigny. Then Roanne and on into the Gorge de la Loire and still the weather is indifferent. The next stop was Bourg Argental but to get there you have to climb the Col de la Republique to 4000 feet after passing through St Etienne where we met an elderly cyclist in his colourful cycling kit whose comment was “Tres difficile”. This really filled us with confidence! The sun came out as we rode into the Rhone Valley temperatures in the 20s at last. Next stop is Crest and then a very relaxing day onto Romans sur Isere. This was when we realized that the human shape cut-outs with a red heart are a memorial to people who have been killed at that place just as we leave flowers or a cross on our roadsides. At least we can say a prayer. Now we have the scent of Jasmine, we have the vineyards and the military style rows of lavender swaying in the breeze the scenery does not make the cycling easier but it is beautiful. It is starting to get pretty hilly as we head to Vaison la Romaine. Spectacular views from the Cathedral to Mont Ventoux our next destination!  Mont Ventoux is a place of pilgrimage
for cyclists from all over the world as it is said to be the second most
difficult Tour de France climb particularly as “vent” is wind, if it blows
it is more than challenging. Some 13.75 miles to go and countless hairpin
bends up without respite except to stop and drink, and snack on dextro tablets
and, in Trisha’s case, gasp for air. It was a never ending hard slog; legs
go like jelly, sweat runs into your eyes, arms and shoulders ache. And every
time you go round an inside hairpin it gets really steep for 20 or 30 yards.
When you emerge above the tree line you can see the road snaking above you
populated by tiny crawling figures. You feel that you can almost touch the
telecom tower on the top but there are still several miles to go and then
you are out in the sun. A moonscape is the most fitting description of the
summit but the views are spectacular. Over an hour to get down and the wind
chill made it really cold despite wearing wet weather jackets. Our next stop
was Sault at the foot of the mountain.The next day we headed for Greoux le Bains with its Roman baths and a rest day. Trisha was lucky enough to find a church to pray for endurance to get up the hills, and still at around 2500 feet. Then through Manosque across the Durance River. A visit to the launderette and then relax in the sun!! Greoux is a beautiful town and well worth a visit. Our next destination is a tiny village called Comps sur Artuby which is reached through the Gorge du Verdon. We finally arrived at our hotel just before 7 pm. The last 7 miles was the greatest downhill you could wish for after a very tiring long day, slow and meandering which stopped just outside our hotel where we drank much needed cold beers. We were now heading down from around 4000 feet to sea level so it was one of the easier days riding. The most worrying features of the road were the castellated low granite walls beyond which were huge drops and a little bit scary on a bike. Monte Carlo and cycling through those tunnels where Formula 1 cars should be and begging our way past the heavies into a very exclusive beach front club to use the toilets. Across the border and Ventemiglia must have the longest shopping street in the World. Remote control B&B in San Remo; all contact is with an American voice on the other end of the phone and no breakfast, what a start to the day! Next day on through Emporia a dreadful town full of diesel belching buses and lorries but then lunch on the seafront at Alassio mile after mile of sandy beaches and beach umbrellas in serried ranks of thousands. Savona and our B&B is on the 5th floor of a block of apartments as we are staying with an Italian couple and two children. One of the worst days follows as we have to cycle through Genoa a huge sprawling city with docks. We were just about to join the autoroute that goes through the middle of the city when we were stopped by the police. No charges were brought and we were directed onto roads that we could use. John took all this and the traffic in his stride but Trisha found crossing four lanes of traffic on a major route with only a quick hand wave inclined one’s mortality to come to mind and when was the last time she had been to confession? Then lots of lovely coastal villages but separated by “over, round or through” headlands several hundred feet high. What a relief when you realised there was a tunnel (and so cool after the sun). From Sestri Levante to Lucca – a long day – 82 miles. After 2 hours we had covered just 12 miles having had to climb from sea level to 2000 feet from where you could see the auto route hundreds of feet below meandering through lovely valleys. But then things got better and it was downhill for mile after mile through Carrara. After all our doubts, we arrived in Lucca by 5pm and a B&B in the walled city with its network of narrow streets and squares and more churches than you could wobble a stick at. San Gimigano is on a hill and you can see it from miles away. The problem is that as you go up it doesn’t seem to get any closer. Sienna – but no time to stop and then it got hilly again as we headed to San Quirrico de Orchia. Very hot and tiring day and we had had enough until we discovered that our hotel had thermal baths and we had the chance to relax in beautifully hot pools and massage tired muscles under miniature waterfalls. What luxury for a change and a charge! Heading for Viterbo: several miles out, quite happy and then up. Then, like magic, a strong wind came up right into our faces and the next 10 miles were relentless hard work and right at the top was a tunnel. Lake Bolseno, which is a sea not a lake, and then onto Montefiasconi. Our B&B when we eventually find it is a truly wonderful house full of original works of art, chandeliers, painted ceilings and superb furnishings run by a lovely lady (a Sophie Loren look alike) who when she learnt of our endeavours kept repeating “fantastico”. A place we will always remember. Last day and it is really hot – probably well into the 30s. Water by the gallon. Lovely road into Rome to the West as it follows the railway. Eventually found our way into St Peters Square after a minor mishap when Trisha, after 1500 miles, clipped a badly parked car (typical in  Rome) and ended up wedged
against it with her feet trapped in the clip pedals, she was more worried
about damage to the car than herself. Slightly bruised but otherwise
OK, we arrive in St Peter’s Square which was deeply moving for Trisha not
only because it was the culmination of 4 weeks cycling, but because of the
spirituality and history combined with the joy of being in the square which
has such a strong everlasting link to Pope John Paul II.Then disaster struck, we had lost the address for our B&B and had paid one night in advance – so frantic phone calls home, into my E-mail to try and find the missing link while we were sitting with our bikes hot and tired on the streets of Rome. All ended well except it was on the 6th floor and the lift was broken – so bikes and panniers had to be lugged up the stairs, but the bedroom had air conditioning which made up for all the preceding inconveniences. We then had 3½ days to spend in Rome starting with the General Audience the next day. This was wonderful despite sitting in the boiling sun for more than 4 hours and being able to give our gift of a photo of our nephew with the reason for the charity to a wonderful Irish priest in the official rooms behind the Colonnade. We then did what every tourist to Rome does we crammed as much sight seeing into the remaining days as we could until we were to tired (bearing in mind the 27 days cycling) to put one foot in front of the other and had to say enough is enough, but we will return! |
 LOURDES Rosie Chadwick My name is Rosie Chadwick and on the 24th July 2006 I embarked on a different journey, one I had never been on before to Lourdes, with my school Loreto College. I was the only one from my year on the trip and was accompanied by two girls [whom I did not know at first] from the year above, Becci and Jenny, and my R.E teacher Miss Moloney. We arrived in Lourdes around lunchtime. We were put up in the Tara hotel, which was Irish! There were no Redcap duties for us to do on the first day so Becci and Jenny, who had been to Lourdes the year before, showed me around and introduced me to some people from the Westminster diocese including Father Anthony, who was the youth chaplain, and was very friendly and funny! On the second day we got to do Redcap duty. As we had arrived on the Monday, as opposed to the Sunday like most of the Westminster diocese, there were no Malades at the hotels left  for us to be specifically assigned to, so we
spent the week helping the Malades of the Westminster diocese from the hospital.
I helped take an old lady named Joyce to the morning Mass in a ‘voiture’
which was like a miniature carriage; Joyce had fun pretending she was the
queen and giving royal waves! At lunchtime, our Redcap group was on hospital
duty which meant helping serve lunch to the old people and talking to them.
It was great fun as most of them were really funny and interesting to talk
to.In the evening our diocese was supposed to be leading the torchlight procession, but unfortunately for some reason the Italians ended up doing it! However, we still had to help out. Becci, Jenny and I got stuck on holding up a rope for the duration of the procession, around the area the people would be processing, to stop people getting in the way. As well as holding the rope for a good couple of hours, we had to try to explain to some angry Italians that they had to walk all the way round, also I had an old lady stand right beside me with her torchlight so close that I thought she might burn my hair! The procession was lovely, but also emotional watching all the Malades, some as young as babies, some the same age as me, walk on by. Afterwards we went to a café where two bands made up of Redcaps were playing and so we danced in  the street and met new people, which was a fun way to end a busy
day.Wednesday, our third day in Lourdes, as there wasn’t much on in terms of helping aid Malades, Miss Moloney suggested we went on the Reds and Malades trip up the Pyrenees. The Reds are the under 16s, who can’t help Malades but do duties such as offertory and communion processions, etc. Only Miss Moloney and myself joined them on what happened to be the hottest day of the whole summer with temperatures reaching the heights of 40 degrees C! We went to this place half way up the Pyrenees, which had a little village and a pretty medieval church with a paddock, where the Reds and Malades sat and ate a picnic. As Miss Moloney and I were counted as being ‘off duty’ we went and had an ice-cream in the little café, before enjoying a spot of sunbathing! In the evening Miss Moloney and myself attended the penitential service, as we had missed the redcaps’ one during the day. After that we went back to the hotel to relax, but at 11 pm we made our way down to the grotto where we met up with a couple of other Redcaps, lit candles and Father Anthony gave a reflection. It was lovely at that time of night, as it was really pretty all the candles lighting up the dark grounds. After that Father Anthony, Father Chris [a priest from the SPEC center in London Colney], Becci, Jenny, Miss Moloney, her brother-in-law and myself went to a café and had a drink which was when both priests brought me a pint of Guinness! What a great way to end a rather hot day! 
Thursday was officially our last day in Lourdes, as it was for many other
Redcaps. It started off with a Mass in which I aided an old lady, who being
completely paralysed but my she loved to talk! She was really friendly and
liked a laugh. In the afternoon, we did some souvenir shopping before going
to the Blessed Sacrament Mass in the underground Basilica. It had been another
tiring day and the underground Basilica was excruciatingly hot so it was
quite tough having to stick out the Mass that was said in about 40 different
languages !In the evening, there was a diocese and Redcap social in the evening, held at one of the larger hotels. Jenny, Becci and I arrived towards the end of the diocese social and it wasn’t long before all the Malades, some older helpers and the Reds made their way back to their own hotels, and then we went to the Redcap social where the two bands played again and we all danced. It was a fun way to end a great week. Overall I had a really amazing time and am definitely going again next year. I came back with such great memories and photos of new friends that I had made. Thank you everyone from the parish who donated money towards my trip, I am very grateful for you helping me achieve such a fantastic experience, and I recommend it to anyone who would like to go to Lourdes –you will not be disappointed! |
Thank God we are alive!Julianne Brett Our story starts off really well ... We are the Brett Family (John, Julianne, Emma and Alex) and we went to Halkidiki in Greece for our summer holiday. We booked two weeks and left on Monday 14th August. The first week was perfect. We stayed in a lovely small hotel run by a lovely family (who had at least three grown up sons) who originally lived in Australia. Hence the bar was called the "Lazy Croc". The sea was crystal clear and warm, the days were hot and sunny without a cloud in the sky. We spent lazy days reading by the pool and were just starting to relax. At the end of our first week exactly to the day – Monday night - we were told that there would be some rain and a storm started to blow. We went to dinner with about 40 other guests and with true Britishness started to talk about the weather. The sky was getting greyer and greyer and it was Alex who noted that it didn't look very much like clouds – lightning and thunder crashed around us. One clap of "thunder" shook the hotel. John stayed at the table whilst the children and I went to look at the "storm". We went out to the front of the hotel within view of John in the dining room. 
My eyes could not believe what I saw – all the trees by the side of the pool
were ablaze with 40 to 50 ft flames – I turned and looked to the back of
the hotel and saw the same thing. Suddenly the smoke descended and
we started to cough – a woman ran into the hotel from the main road and screamed
at everyone to run and get to the beach and that the fire is all around.
Everyone immediately started to run, grabbing tablecloths to cover their
mouths. We were using our T-shirts and a lady kindly gave us a couple
of cloths. John still could not see what we could and was the last
to leave the hotel. We just started to run across the main road – which
was full of cars fleeing the fire – and then down a small road/track to the
sea. The fire was beside us all the way and we were getting covered
in hot ash – by now the tablecloth was used as a cover to block any heat
and ash. A tree suddenly crashed to the ground behind us and we were
now cut off from returning back to the main road. We just kept running
and finally arrived on the beach. There was absolute panic with cars
driving on to the beach and people throwing anything they could float on
into the sea. People were falling over and losing their shoes and just
trying to run from the flames. The kids were crying and I just didn't know what to do but John was really calm and told us that we had to keep moving up the beach away from the beach bar and umbrellas and the cars – he was right as the bar and the umbrellas caught alight and three cars exploded. We sat on the beach for 3 hours and, yes, I did pray. I thought our hotel had gone and I feared for the safety of the family who owned it. We met one of the other guests on the beach who had been separated from his family when the tree fell – he on one side and his family on the other. He ran back to the hotel as he had nowhere else to go and the family and he saved the hotel by using the water from the pool and extinguishing any fires that started. Needless to say we made it back to the hotel at about 2.30 am and sat up for a while and then decided to take the children back to the hotel room – one of the hotel owners sons escorted us by torch light and told us he would be staying up all night checking everything and that he would keep an eye on us. I did not sleep and the next day after sitting around waiting for the electricity and water to turn back on and chatting to everyone – all of who had different stories to tell – we were told by our Rep from Thomson that we had 20 minutes to an hour to pack and they took us to Thessalonika where we waited for 36 hours for a flight home. I am so grateful that our family were safe and that only one man was killed – a German tourist swimming out to a boat had a heart attack. Many Greek people were injured. The beautiful peninsula of Kassandra, Halkidiki will be scarred for a few years as much of it was destroyed. It took 6 days to put the fire out! I thank God that we are alive to tell the tale. |
SearchingMike White One of the things I enjoyed on our camping holiday this summer was letterboxing on Dartmoor. Letterboxing is like a Treasure Hunt! A letterbox is typically a plastic box or canister containing a rubber stamp and a visitors book in which you can leave a message or an imprint with your own rubber stamp. They are most likely to be found in nooks and crannies on and around the many Tors. An ink pad and a notebook are used to record the interesting pictures on the rubber stamps and to make notes of when and where the letterbox was found. A sharp eye is also needed for spotting clues to their location, like a small rock covering the entrance to a hiding place. Our campsite at Lydford provided several leaflets with details of grid references, compass bearings and other clues to help you find a series of letterboxes containing rubber stamps following a particular theme.  A map and compass and good navigational skills are essential on Dartmoor
and are helpful for solving the clues. It is the searching for the boxes,
the excitement of finding them and the walking in fantastic scenery that
I find so appealing.One letterbox I particularly remember because I never found it! I spent hours searching and taking compass bearings on a Tor visible on the skyline in one direction and on a landmark, marked on the map as Widgery Cross, in another direction. This cross became a constant reminder of my failure throughout the rest of the week! It is constructed of blocks of granite as opposed to being hewn from a single slab and is the tallest of the all the Dartmoor granite crosses – it can be seen from many places on the moor. The cross measures 12 feet 8 inches (3.86 metres) tall and 4 feet 4 inches (1.32 metres) across the arms and stands at an altitude of 452 metres. It was erected by William Widgery, a well known local artist, to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. There are many cross on Dartmoor, some of which are believed to be more than 1000 years old. Many of the crosses were erected on the ancient tracks that were in regular use in order to mark the way. The ancient crosses do not have any religious significance as such, but it is more than probable that many on the South Moor were erected by the monks that regularly  travelled
between the abbeys at Tavistock, Buckland and Buckfast.Sometimes a letterbox contains a little surprise. One contained a reward of some sweets! Another, which contained the “LIGHT OF THE MOOR” stamp, was a long lost letterbox in a very wet and sorry state with an entry in the visitor’s book dated 1992, whilst on the same day I found a letterbox that had only recently been put out and I was the first to make an entry in the visitor’s book. However, the best surprise was a rubber stamp of a heart with the words “FOR MY SWEET HEART” around it and inside the box was a verse from Phillipians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”. Whilst on the moors searching for letterboxes I was reminded of the other searches that have been going on in my life – the search for answers about the meaning of life. Why am I here? Where am I going? What does God want me to do? I began to find the answers when I went on an Alpha course in our parish and I have continued to find answers in the CaFE program, the At Your Word, Lord program and in the Small Christian Community to which I belong. As with the Dartmoor crosses, the cross on which Jesus died provides me with a waymark for my journey of faith and the Scriptures provide me with the clues needed to find those letterboxes, which contain God’s message for me today. Sometimes I still get lost and those letterboxes remain hidden, but by resetting my compass bearing on Jesus and using the Bible as my map I soon get back on course again. Our Small Christian Community has been making extensive use of the many videos, DVDs and audio materials available for the small groups and these have helped us to grow in faith together. We have now embarked on a bible study course, which although quite a challenge for me as leader is providing us with new insights, and fresh inspiration. Like the Dartmoor letterboxes, when we search for God’s word for us, we may find some surprises. If you would like to know more about letterboxing or the resource materials available for use in the small groups or would like to join one of the Small Christian Communities, please contact Mike or Sylvia White on 854596. |
How Green is my Parish ?Mario D'Andrea As the renewal programme At Your Word, Lord was drawing to a close last November, our small groups were invited during one of the sessions to focus on Loving the Earth. The aims of that particular session were to acknowledge God as the Creator, to see how we help or hinder his creative work, and to explore how we live out the call to love our neighbour through the use of the world’s resources. Suggestions were given to guide us in developing an appropriate lifestyle for our times. We were reminded of the need to reduce, reuse and recycle. The availability of recycling boxes and green bags and the presence of recycling facilities around the city have helped to train us do our bit. Also simple economics help us to see the futility of acquiring more and more goods. The daily dose of international news showing poverty and squalor around the world must surely make us feel uncomfortable with our comparative wealth, not to mention the ease with which we waste resources. Take a look at what we consume in terms of food, goods and services and what we dispose of as waste products. What is the impact on the planet? Unless we all lighten our ecological footprint our global village will be unable to take much more violation. Is there some way in which we can do more to bring our good practice into our parish life? An effect of our pursuing a greener way of life might be that people outside the church would be attracted to a community that cares not only for people in need but also for a struggling planet. What are we called to do? Possibly nothing too taxing; after all, the best campaigns are those that don’t cause early burnout due to excessive initial enthusiasm. At the same time we need to have commitment and determination to persevere. In the words of Pope John Paul II: “Simplicity, moderation and discipline, as well as the spirit of sacrifice, must become part of everyday life, if we are to become stewards” and "Christians, in particular, realise that their responsibility within creation and their duty towards nature and the Creator are an essential part of their faith". Let us spend a bit of time investigating some of the initiatives currently available. Become aware of what is out there. Pray about it. Discuss it in our small groups. Worthwhile initiatives  include
Operation Noah (campaigning to avert dangerous climate changes), and the
LOAF Project (Locally produced, Organically grown, Animal friendly,
Fairly traded), both part of Christian Ecology Link. The Make Poverty History
campaign is still active. Visit the Justice and Peace section of the diocesan
website. Have another look at the many more ideas in the AYWL Season V Action
Pack booklet and visit the websites of these initiatives.On our own we may feel we can’t do very much. With the encouragement of a group of like-minded people we can achieve quite a bit. |
Deus Caritas Est in a Nutshell, Part 2Peter Berners-Lee 
In this second and final part, Pope Benedict XVI looks at the Church
as a community of love. This brief summary for busy people is in no way a
substitute for the real thing! The Trinity is a community of love. It is this love that binds the Church together as a family and flows out to the world. The church as an organisation is called to an organised service to the community. From the beginning this was a characteristic of the Church and in Acts 6 the diaconate grew out of a need to provide concrete, organised charitable service. Word, Sacrament and Charity together characterise the Church. The early Church’s reputation for charity helped make it popular and it increasingly flowed out to those outside the Church. At the same time, the Church saw a specific responsibility to see that no member of the Church should suffer through being in need. Since the Nineteenth century, Marxists and others have argued that the poor need justice, not charity. It is true that the poor need justice and this raises the tricky issue of the relationship between the Church and the state. We are called to distinguish between what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God (cf. Mtt 22:21). Religion and politics are two spheres which are distinct but always related. Faith is about an encounter with the living God; it is reasonable, but goes beyond reason. It purifies reason and liberates it from blind spots. Nevertheless, the Church uses reason in arguing for social justice based on its understanding of humans as being made in the image of God. It’s not for the Church to force its views politically, but rather to help form consciences. Its part of the mission of the laity, animated by love, to get involved in political life, cooperating with others and respecting legitimate authority. We must use reasoned arguments, as well as relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, without whom justice cannot prevail and who brings not only justice, but love. Modern means of communication have made this a small planet, and now the whole world is our neighbour. We have new means for answering this call to global charity and there is a new sense of worldwide solidarity. Church agencies have a vital role to play, as they give a Christian quality to the work that they do. They go beyond giving technically proper care to helping people to be fully human. Charity workers need to themselves have had an encounter with Jesus which awakens their love for others so that their love is not so much a duty, as a response to their own experience of God’s love. As St Paul puts it: “the love of Christ urges us” (2 Cor 5:14). Christian charity is primarily about making God’s love present, rather than changing the world ideologically, and it is always about more than activity. There is a fruitful link between evangelisation and works of charity especially where Christians present a united witness. However, our charity must not be a means of imposing our faith upon others. A Christian knows when it is time to speak of God and when it is better to say nothing and let love alone speak. St Paul’s saying “If I give away all that I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Cor 13:3) is the Magna Carta of Christian charity. We must not simply give what we own: we must give our very selves.
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For all of us who are married, were married, wish wewere married, wish we weren't, or glad we never did .. For all of us who are married, were married, wish you were married, wish you weren't married, or glad you never married, this is something to smile about the next time you open a bottle of wine: Sally was driving home from one of her business trips when she saw an elderly Maori woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car. Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the elderly lady. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally. "What in bag?" asked the old woman. Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, "It's a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband." The Maori woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said, " A good trade." |
An invitation for you!Gio Payne I have a dream. I dream of a parish where everyone is welcome, where the old are respected and cared for, where the needs of the poor are always a top priority, where the marginalized are not at the margins any more, where the young are nurtured in their faith, where individuals' gifts and talents are fully used and, above all, where all gather joyfully to celebrate the Eucharist together. Perhaps you share the same dream but you never thought about it, perhaps you have thought about it and kept it as 'just a dream'. I think we have the key to make this dream happen and we never use it, it may sound obvious to you, but to me it's a bit of a new discovery (I am slow!). It is PRAYER, the core, the very heart and foundation of our journey of faith.  I discovered that some wonderful people in our church already get together to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament, (and have done so for years!) and I would like to do the same. It then occurred to me that if everyone could commit to, say, an hour a week in front of the Blessed Sacrament, we could possibly cover the whole week, 24/7, with prayer! So I would like to extend the invitation to you, whoever you are and whatever you are doing, because I strongly believe that this would be a fantastic thing and it would transform our parish, our city and, without a doubt, our lives! So why not try! We have a prayer room at the back of the Presbytery, Jesus is there waiting for us. The challenge for me is: let's spend time with Jesus before doing anything else, and everything else will follow. If, like me, you might be feeling a bit nervous because you are not sure what to do in that hour, then take John Paul II advice: he spoke of adoration as "sunbathing" (I very much like this image!) in God's presence. So... expose your dreams to the Sun! I have left a book at the back of the church where, if you feel you can spare an hour a week, you can write your name next to you preferred time of day (or night!) I really believe marvellous things could happen! Let's do it, together! Let's unite our dreams with the will of our loving Father and make them into reality. We can do it! Yours in Christ , Gio |
An open Letter to Archbishop Rowan WilliamsEric Harber It should be viewed with some concern that you have been reported as saying that Creationism “should not be taught in schools”, assuming that this includes ‘intelligent design’. These terms can mean a wide number of things. They can mean the Almighty God initiated the creation of the universe; that He has ever since intervened in some sort of way, perhaps at certain intervals or perhaps intimately and constantly to fulfil his purpose. If the terms do not refer to merely a literal, dogged acceptance of the Six Days of Creation story then I am amazed that you can object to a meaningful construction being put on them. There are many ways in which ‘design’ can be elaborated. Many people from Bishop Colenso onwards (and no doubt the original writer too) have taken the story in Genesis to be an allegory – an outline – that contains the truth that humanity acknowledges that something completely other than itself was its origin and acknowledges its debt to the original goodness of God and an acceptance of his intentions. There is much else that can be said about it and this is developed in other Old Testament books. Do you think they should not be read – or expounded? To tackle the full theology of “intelligent design” would take considerable ability and much space. However a narrow band of research into one notion as to the origin of the universe and the way it has played out could lead down an interesting path: for example into the history – or more specifically – the controversy of “manicheanism” – or antinomianism – as it came out as one of the main accusations levelled against Luther. He was not the only person who used intellectual constructs involving the paradoxical struggle of opposites as if they were sentient entities and had affinities that made them vulnerable which either side could exploit to explain the nature of the material world. One finds parallels of this in the writings of relatively modern theologians, such as Karl Barth to describe the contests that the human soul engages in. He seems to have inherited Luther’s formulations. It also occurs in the writings of scientists and inventors of the Enlightenment as it does in the propounders of the theory of Evolution. In Richard Dawkins’s book, The Selfish Gene (1989 edition), the middle paragraph of page 228 there is the practice that is common among defenders of ‘natural selection’. They use language to describe what they want to say that says the opposite of what they claim to mean. This paragraph ends with the statement that the ‘rule of thumb’ of bacteria ‘works by purely biochemical means’ in their human hosts but nothing in the whole paragraph has shown this. Even though Dawkins tries half-heartedly to disclaim that ‘a bacterium is a conscious strategist’ he proceeds for the whole paragraph to suggest that it is. One sentence reads: ‘Do the bacteria, perhaps have something to gain, but usually keep themselves in check?’ In the ‘game’ between humans and bacteria ‘normally harmless or beneficial bacteria can turn nasty’. In considering their own interest these bacteria have to decide whether to play a long ‘game’ and a short ‘game’ depending on the life-expectancy of their host. The next paragraph begins: ‘Plants may even take revenge’. Dawkins and the writers that he quotes from seem to be grappling with the same problem that gripped Renaissance psychologists and cosmologists and reformation theologians: how to explain the evident presence and interaction of malign or benign forces that shape the behaviour of material and non-material things in the world. So for a bacterium ‘turning nasty’ the populariser of the 16th century, Agrippa, had a ‘horse’s hair’ turning into a ‘pernicious worm’ in certain circumstances when thrown into water as an example of forces working to the detriment of the human race. For Dawkins the medium is the message. If he cannot say what he means in any other way – except by mythologizing it – then what he says is the truth and not something else. It is like what others who were not scientist have said before. Yours sincerely |
Biblical Plants Jim Hanson (Professor of Chemistry, Sussex University) Plants play a part in a number of biblical stories and their chemistry contributes to this. In Exodus 3, it is reported that God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush. The bush was not consumed thus conveying the permanency of God's message. The burning bush was probably Dictamnus albus or a relative. This plant produces a chemical, dictagymin, that releases a volatile hydrocarbon, isoprene, which burns easily. Contact of an appropriate air:hydrocarbon mixture with very hot desert sand would be enough to produce a ball of flame in the vapour cloud surrounding the plant. The vapour burnt leaving the plant to survive. In the parable of the tares in Matthew 13, the enemy mixes darnel with the wheat. Darnel (Lolium temulentum) is a poisonous relative of ryegrass. It produces a toxic substance, perloline, which causes animals and man to stagger and eventually collapse. Worse still, it also harbours a fungus that produces another substance that will induce tremors. Darnel in wheat could be a serious health problem. Until it reaches maturity and goes to seed, it is quite difficult to carry out the essential separation of the darnel from the wheat. The darnel would be burnt to prevent the seed spreading, the point of the story. It seems then that biological warfare existed in biblical times! |
ASCENT NEWSKathleen Venting AROUND 230 members of Ascent, from Westminster and Southwark regions, gathered in Westminster Cathedral Hall recently, to meet their president. Miss Margaret Snowden, who took office in January 2005. For many members this was their first opportunity to meet Margaret, who lives in York. Ascent celebrated its Silver Jubilee at Newman College in Birmingham last year but many London members had not been able to attend. During her talk Margaret encouraged members to support the movement. She also shared the experience that she and Kathleen Venting, the vice-president for Westminster, had in Rome when they represented Ascent at the gathering of New Movements and Ecclesial Communities organised by Pope Benedict. Margaret said the Holy Father had spoken of being a Christian and the joy of communicating this to others. She said Ascent members in particular can communicate this to their grandchildren. After her talk, members went into small groups so that Margaret could go round and talk with every-one.  They then had lunch. A donation
of £2,000 was collected for the Passage centre for the homelsss. The day
ended with Mass in the Cathedral concelebrated by Monsignor Vladimir Feizmann,
Westminster Region's Spiritual Director, with Father David Irwin from Stroud
Green and Father Jeremy Davies from Barnet.
Ascent members with their new president
In addition to their fortnightly meetings after Mass on Mondays, the Ascent Group have
enjoyed two outings. Several members visited Gorhambury House which is approached
by a two mile long drive. The guided tour was very interesting with a large
collection of family portraits and memorabilia Tea and waffles at Kingsbury
mill ended an enjoyable afternoon out.
A visit to the exhibition of paintings "Finding Christ, Finding Life" in the French church London
by Elizabeth 
Wang, a local artist, was also enjoyed by members of the group. Click here for Elizabeth Wang's website.Joan
De Carle, an Ascent member, was one of the 21 people presented with The St
Albans Certificate of Theology by the Bishop of Bedford during Evensong on
Sunday 17th September.
More about the Ascent Movement here |
 THE CATHOLIC WOMEN'S LEAGUEAnn Volborth It is with great joy that the Catholic Women's League is celebrating their centenary year. The League was started 100 years ago by Margaret Fletcher. The daughter of an Anglican clergyman who with her sisters and brother lived a happy family life, she had been well educated in England and Paris. She had always been deeply religious but could not blindly accept everything she had been taught. An avid reader she always searched for the Truth. After reading the writings of St John of the Cross she decided to become a Catholic and on the advice of a priest friend was instructed into the church at the Jesuit church in Farm Street in 1897. She took an active part in Parish work but wanted more women to become involved in helping others. In 1906, a National conference was held in Brighton and she was elected President. It is in Brighton that we will be celebrating our 100 years of the League in October where members from all over England will attend a special conference. There will be Mass celebrated by the Cardinal and other Bishops and clergy. We had a Centenary Pilgrimage to Walsingham in June, attended by four Bishops and our new chaplain, Father Gerard. Today we try to carry on the good work she began. Many members are Eucharistic ministers or Lectors who visit the sick in hospital and prisons and help whenever we can. Members run the Golden Circle, and also the Ascent Group help in charity shops, and at the Hospices in St Albans and Berkhamstead. We raise money by having cake sales, bring and buy sales and give it away to various good causes. To our credit it was the League that started Cafod that helps the third world countries. We would love to have more members. We meet on the first Tuesday of the month after the 10.00am Mass. We sometimes have speakers but anyone is welcome to attend. No pressure involved. More about the CWL here |
A mini crossword puzzle
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Liturgy, Music and Authority Some reflections on the current situation by Jeremy White On the Friday of the last weekend in July, I made my way from the West Country to Glasgow to give a weekend Summer School for the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge, of which I am the Assistant Director, at Mount Carmel, a convent for second order Dominican nuns which had been purpose-built in the early sixties but which had sadly had to close its doors in the early seventies as a result of the fall in vocations, and had then been taken up by the Diocese as a Pastoral/Retreat Centre, rather like our own at London Colney. On the Friday evening and Saturday morning we rehearsed the Mass of Our Lady of the Snows (the legend to which is attributed the building of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome) using charming narrative propers discovered in a Bavarian Graduale of 15th century date. The Mass itself was followed by lunch and rehearsal for Pontifical Vespers presided over Area Bishop Mario Conti (a patron of the Schola) and his 'boys' – five young men from the Diocese recently ordained from the Scottish College in Rome – of whom he was clearly and endearingly proud. They are all off shortly to a variety of difficult inner-city parishes. The next day we rehearsed and sang Mass (Novus Ordo) of the 17th Sunday of the Year, ate lunch and went our separate ways. So far, so minority-interest, irrelevant and even kinky, some of my readers will be thinking - and if I say that, it is because I have become conditioned to expect such a reaction from so many of my fellow parishioners and fellow Catholics over the last 30 years. But is this true or reasonable? I take it to be axiomatic that the Catholic Church is not a democracy – its hierarchy is bound in the Spirit to be intimately aware of the sensus fidelium and, as far as I can see, they are, though this does not equate to the tail wagging the dog but a unique community of love whose leaders draw their authority from their God-given vocation to teach, serve and minister to the Body of Christ, with the guarantee of the Spirit through the communion of saints across all time and place. The visible pillars of its Faith, Hope and Charity are Scripture, Tradition, Sacrament and Doctrine equally. Nobody is required to belong to the Church nowadays; but many, including myself, who have been all round the houses inwardly trying to privatise certain aspects of what we think of as our faith under the influence of modern individualism, have finally arrived at a true gratitude that God's providence has handed us this structure within which our true faith and that of all God's people (the world) can flourish and grow... “look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church....” A heartfelt Amen to that. And once we have decided that we must conform ourselves to the Church, not the Church to ourselves, we might be ready to take its legitimate instruction as a kind gift of Divine Providence, sure that in all its words it is at least more infallible than any other authority on earth, especially that of our own perceptions. We don't believe this because we are Catholics, we are Catholics because we believe, it. All that was necessary to provide the context for what follows. As everybody knows, there seems to have been an on-and-off tussle (for several decades) over the way our most pre-eminent sacramental liturgy, the Mass, is conducted, and of late both John Paul II and Benedict have expressed concern and clear guidance on the matter, to say nothing of Cardinal Arinze's latest views on what should be happening. I ask myself (knowing the answer) why anyone should regard these pronouncements, ranging from instruction to the expression of a view, as not applying to them. Can any of us really think we have a better idea? In 2005 our Bishops published the English translation of the latest General Instruction to the Roman Missal, and their own digest of it, Celebrating the Mass. In his foreword, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor writes, "This Instruction is the Church’s official guide to how Mass should be celebrated. It is a document which everyone responsible for the celebration of the liturgy should be familiar with.........For the Holy Father has invited us during this year to study the General Instruction and its contents carefully... .I encourage every priest, deacon and member of the lay faithful to study the contents of this General Instruction........ In a situation where we are all responsible for the celebration of the liturgy, I can do no better than to commend both these documents to my fellow parishioners, as also John Paul’s Redemptionis Sacramentum, Spiritus et Sponsa and On Sacred Music (all 2004) all available through CTS. Turning to what we find in these documents, several things emerge which might surprise Catholics in this Country by way of prohibitions, injunctions and recommendations. None of it is in fact new, although the average parishioner might well think so. When it comes to the particular area in which I have an executive responsibility to the congregation, the music, we find reiterated the statement that "Gregorian chant holds pride of place because it is proper to the Roman Liturgy" together with the encouragement that all congregations should be able to sing together the Ordinary in Latin. This has appeared since the early eighties in our Bishops' document on the subject (“every congregation should be able to sing....”). A clear task in hand for any parish cantor there! It is important to add that these documents provide also the most wonderful theological and spiritual encouragement in their explanation of why the Mass is as it is, and what each word and gesture signify within the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist as a whole. They also clearly define areas of freedom to adapt, whilst excluding others. One area of needless controversy arising naturally from what I've said above is the question of Latin. I won't go here into the arguments for and against a traditional ritual language, except to say that the polarity between those who say the Mass should only be celebrated in Latin and those who say it never should does not exist in the mind of the Church, which has provided us with the text of the post-Conciliar Mass in Latin for a purpose, which countenances the celebration of the Old Rite, where appropriate, and as we see, encourages the use of its heritage of music in Latin. It is a bit scandalous that those who wish their children could have, and that their grandchildren will be able to, experience the transcendent spiritual beauties of their heritage, and are heartbroken that these treasures are now in the hands of commercial interests, are so widely regarded as trouble-makers and weirdoes. Which brings me back to my point of departure. My friends in Glasgow, like many other friends up and down the country, are perfectly ordinary, normal and simple people, fully in touch with the modern world for better or worse, fully active members of the Church, fully committed to works of charity. And, like myself, they find that not only is the chant and the liturgical language the place where God first spoke to them with his challenge to love, peace, truth and beauty, but it is where he still sometimes speaks most clearly; a liturgy where Man is shown his place in God rather than the other way round, where faith is distinct from complacency", hope from optimism and, yes, charity from generalised bonhomie. Humility arises naturally in a milieu that transcends all personal aesthetics and inclination. Cultural baggage? I think not. This is demonstrably still a living liturgical tradition. 'There is nothing so stale as what is most modern, nothing so fresh as what is most ancient', said Thomas Merton. Latin and the chant are in themselves nothing to do with lumbering baroqueries of 19th century Continental Catholicism; on the contrary, they provide a perfect bridge to the simplicity of the Early Church, the recovery of whose spirit was the avowed purpose of the Second Vatican Council. To end on a personal note: I have been involved daily with the carrying out of the liturgy for 45 years, professionally for 34, and I know it to be a very exact science, particularly where the whole assembly is concerned. I have entered into the various new ways of doing things actively and with my whole heart, and have generally, sadly, found them wanting, and I am relieved that central admin seems to share my discomfort now. It is not what I like, or you want, that matters but what the authority of the Church, so much more than the sum of its parts, declares to be authentic. My Glasgow friends are also the Church. Our Archdiocese currently backs a programme for the study of the General Instruction. If anyone would like to form an informal circle to read and to discuss it, or is interested in the formation of a chant group, just as a prayerful thing in itself at this stage, please ring me or Julia on 01727 835493. |
| The Gardeners’ Hymn. by Daloni Peel, from The Chronicles of St. Barnabas
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| Organisation of Parish Groups by the PPC The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) has been looking at the organisation structures of the Parish. We believe that by identifying the overarching activities within the parish community and aligning our parish groups into them we will create a parish more able to grow in Christian spirit and meet the challenges that are on the horizon, such as the diocesan reorganisation. The six proposed activity areas are -
More details of each group are in the Parish Directory. This has just been being updated and is a good way of telling existing parish members and newcomers about your group |
Parish Team wins the Double Richard Exact After 10 years of competing in the Hertfordshire Christian Football Leagues, the Parish football team, St Albans Romans FC, had its most successful season ever winning both the league and the cup. The Cup final was played at Hemel Hempstead Town FC and Romans beat Cornerstone from Stevenage 3 – 1. The league title was a close run thing with Romans successfully edging ahead of Cornerstone (again) and Croxley Baptist Church from Watford. The second team came third in its league, a  much
improved result from the previous season. St Albans Romans FC is a
joint initiative of SS Albans & Stephens and St Barts. The team
is sponsored by Mount Carmel Kindergarten in Sandpit Lane. It is led by members of both parishes but is open to Catholics and non-Catholics, we have recently attracted a number of players from the expanded University of Herts. A short prayer is said at the start of each match and for many of the non-Christian players this is the first experience of God. More Catholics from the parish would be very welcome to join the club either to play or to help encourage our players to develop their relationship with God. Contact Richard Exact 01727 842124. More about Romans FC here |
Memories of the K Club Father Jerry I have a nephew living in Dublin who has been very successful in the financial world. He got two tickets for corporate hospitality from the Deutsche Bank for the final day of the Ryder Cup. He offered one of them to his favourite uncle. Having done a wedding at 1pm on Saturday, 23rd September, I rushed to Luton Airport to get Ryanair to Dublin. We had to be in the Morrison Hotel early on Sunday morning to get to the K Club. During that time there was monsoon rain for half an hour. There had already been three inches of rain in the previous few days. I thought no golf course could take that water and be playable. When we arrived at K Club there were lakes of water in the car park. We made our way through security that was as strict as at the airport with passports, etc. The hospitality girls led us to the massive hospitality suites – double storey – the length of 17th fairway. All 25 guests got in the Deutsche Bank suite for late breakfast. It is still raining. It is now 11am and having been provided with umbrellas we move out on to the course to get the best strategic viewing point. To our utter amazement the course is playable. We wait at the third hole (par 3) and watch the different teams come through. The Europeans seem to be smiling and confident, even Garcia who is already down 2. The rain has stopped. We move elsewhere to see them driving from the tee. 
At 1.30pm we
feel like lunch and move towards the hospitality suite. There we are wined
and dined - starting with champagne! There are TV sets so we can still follow
golf. The food is 5 star and being distracted with a certain European win
we imbibe more wine than intended! With all the possible permutations as
to who and where the winning putt would be, my nephew and I set off for the
16th green. Now I said the course was playable and by now there is brilliant
sunshine. Off the course, the ground is churned into deep mud by all the
45,000 spectators. As we progress to the 16th green I am very happy to have
an umbrella to steady myself – the wine is beginning to kick in! We just
arrive at green (with 20,000 others) to see Tiger win the hole and his match.
Now he throws the ball right towards us – we all try to jump into the air.
Now what with the mud and that extra glass of wine someone jumps higher than
me! (There are always some disappointments in life!) 
I forgot to mention Deutsche Bank has provided us with small radios. Excitement
is reaching fever pitch as Daren Clarke comes on to the green. We have heard
the winning putt has taken place elsewhere but this is going to be the climax
as Clarke prepares to putt. Down it goes. Everyone goes a little mad. The
celebrations have begun. You have all seen it on TV. By now the rest of the
match becomes irrelevant so we go back to Deutsche Bank for hospitality and
celebration – more food and drink. Most of the guests are bussed off to the
airport. The few of us who remain are spoiled. We amble (if that is the right
word) over to see the final presentation. We are taken back to Dublin and
my nephew and I get back to Castleknock. Reality hits
in next morning when I must be at the airport at 6.30am. It was a once in
a lifetime experience. |
| Even God enjoys a good laugh There were 3 good arguments that Jesus was Black: 1. He called everyone brother. 2. He liked Gospel. 3. He couldn't get a fair trial. But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Jewish: 1. He went into His Father's business. 2. He lived at home until he was 33. 3. He was sure his Mother was a virgin and his Mother was sure He was God. But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Italian: 1. He talked with His hands. 2. He had wine with His meals. 3. He used olive oil. But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was a Californian: 1. He never cut His hair. 2. He walked around barefoot all the time. 3. He started a new religion. But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was an American Indian: 1. He was at peace with nature. 2. He ate a lot of fish. 3. He talked about the Great Spirit. But then there were 3 equally good arguments the Jesus was Irish: 1. He never got married. 2. He was always telling stories. 3. He loved green pastures. But the most compelling evidence of all – 3 proofs that Jesus was a woman: 1. He fed a crowd at a moment's notice when there was no food. 2. He kept trying to get a message across to a bunch of men who just didn't get it. 3. And even when He was dead, He had to get up because there was work to do. AMEN! |