Westminster Cathedral Magazine

March 2018 | Edition Number 234 | FREE

Cross of Jesus, Cross of sorrow,Where the Blood of Christ was shed, Perfect Man on thee was tortured,Perfect God on thee has bled!

March 2018 Oremus 3

CONTENTSFROM THE COURTS

OremusCathedral Clergy House42 Francis StreetLondon SW1P 1QW

T 020 7798 9055E oremus@westminstercathedral.org.ukW www.westminstercathedral.org.uk

Oremus, the magazine of WestminsterCathedral, reflects the life of the Cathedral andthe lives of those who make it a place of faith incentral London. If you think that you would liketo contribute an article or an item of news,please contact one of the editorial team.

PatronThe Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster

ChairmanCanon Christopher Tuckwell

EditorFr John Scott

Oremus TeamTony Banks – DistributionZoe Goodway – MarketingManel Silva – SubscriptionsBerenice Roetheli – ProofreadingEucharia Sule – Office Assistant

Design and Art DirectionJulian Game

Registered Charity Number 233699ISSN 1366-7203

Opinions expressed by contributors do notnecessarily represent the views of the Editor orthe Oremus Team. Neither are they the officialviews of Westminster Cathedral. The Editorreserves the right to edit all contributions.Publication of advertisements does not implyany form of recommendation or endorsement.Unless otherwise stated, photographs arepublished under a creative commons or similarlicence. Every effort is made to credit allimages. No part of this publication may bereproduced without permission.

Sponsored by:

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The crucifix of the front cover illustration hangs in the private chapel of the Archbishop. Oremus thanks Cardinal Vincent for kind permission to reproduce it here.

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Inside OremusCathedral Life: Past & PresentThe Cathedral Needs Your Help by Linda McHugh 6

The Darkness is not Dark with Thee: Ministry at the Cathedral by Fr Norman Brown 8 & 9

The Choristers’ Pilgrimage to Lourdes 12

‘Croeso’ – Welcome by Michael Elmer 13

Cathedral History: William Christian Symons by Peter Howell 16 & 17

Cathedral History in Pictures: The Mandatum of 1956 by Paul Tobin 22

FeaturesTraffickers Jailed: News from Bakhita House 2

Cardinal Manning: Life and Legacy 2

A Question of Conscience Considered in the Lords 4 & 5

A Barfly’s Stations of the Cross: VIII-X by Terry Egan 7

Stabat Mater: A Magnet for Composers by Alan Frost 10 & 11

Westminster in Peru, Part III by Fr Michael Garnett 14 & 15

Bach’s St John Passion by Peter Stevens 20

The Martyr Monks of Tibhirine by Anthony Weaver 30 & 31

RegularsFrom the Chairman 5

Monthly Album 18 & 19

From the Registers 23

Diary 24 & 25

Friends of the Cathedral 26

Crossword and Poem of the Month 27

In Retrospect 28

St Vincent de Paul Primary School 29

March 2018Oremus2

A Successful ProsecutionThree residents of Caritas Bakhita House, the refuge for women rescued from modern slavery, in the Diocese of Westminster, have given evidence which has led to the successful prosecution of their captors. All three women were trafficked from Romania and trapped in modern slavery in the UK.

In the first case two women were forced into prostitution once they were trafficked into the

UK. In time, one managed to escape and helped police rescue the other woman from their captors and, through the police, both found refuge at Bakhita House where the staff supported their recovery. The women overcame many difficulties and were eventually able to give evidence,

leading to two of the men who brought them over from Romania being sentenced to 14 years each and another man being given two years and eight months.

The second case involved a young woman who was trafficked from her home and forced into prostitution. She alerted her mother in Romania, who contacted the police who found her at an address in Kensington. The Metropolitan Police, working with authorities in Romania, apprehended the traffickers and, with support from Bakhita House staff, the young woman gave evidence which led to her two captors being sentenced to 12 years and four years respectively.

Bakhita House Manager Karen Anstiss commended the courage of all the women in testifying against their captors. She also paid tribute to the work of the staff and volunteers who supported the women through their recovery and helped them look forward to the future with hope. The House provides women escaping modern slavery and human trafficking with safety and support to allow them to begin the recovery process.

Cardinal ManningThere will be an exhibition on the life and legacy of Cardinal Henry Manning, Archbishop of Westminster from 1865 - 1892, in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, organised by Jesuits in Britain, from March 1 - 23. The Exhibition will be introduced with a talk on Cardinal Manning by Fr Nicholas Schofield,

Diocesan Archivist, in the church on Monday 5 March at 6.45pm. All are welcome.

The year 2014 marked the 125th anniversary of the Great Dock Strike in which Cardinal Manning played a key role in bringing about a resolution through facilitating negotiations between the strike leaders and the dock managers. The final settlement was known locally as ’the Cardinal’s Peace’. Manning’s legacy as a great champion of the poor, the dignity and rights of workers, education and family life is still with us, and most notably in the lasting contribution he made to the development of Catholic social teaching.

Farm Street is the church where where Cardinal Manning celebrated his first Mass as a Catholic Priest.

The Criminal Courts at the Old Bailey

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One of the many blessings of living in London is the ease of access to the many art galleries and exhibitions. There are two first-class exhibitions on at the moment, one at the Queen’s Gallery and the other at the Royal Academy; and they tell the story of the beginning of the Royal Collection of Art, its destruction and its partial restoration. King Charles I became an avid collector of works of art, both paintings and sculpture, following his visit to Spain with the hope of wooing the Infanta. He built up a magnificent collection which included works by all the principal European artists of his day, but following the tragedy of the Civil War and his death in 1649, the new Commonwealth and Oliver Cromwell, being strapped for cash, began systematically to sell off the entire collection as well as melting down the royal regalia. With the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, King Charles II began the process of restoring the collection. Some works had been sold abroad and could not be retrieved, but any of those which had been sold to government supporters were returned to the Crown.

Thinking about the loss of many of these works makes me reflect on the enormous destruction of English works of art that took place with the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the emptying of our parish churches. That destruction was wholesale and has left a huge hole in the history of English art. We are very fortunate to have in our possession, through the generosity of a Catholic donor, the beautiful alabaster figure of Our Lady and the Holy Child, which we now venerate as Our Lady of Westminster.

By the time you are reading this we shall be well into Lent and I hope and pray that our efforts at prayers, fasting and almsgiving are helping us to grow in faith and love. Wishing you every blessing as you continue on your Lenten pilgrimage.

With every blessing and good wish.

March 2018Oremus4

PROTECTING A HUMAN RIGHT

March 2018 Oremus 5

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Join the Companions of Oremus... and help us to continue to publish our magazine free of chargeThe 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.

From the Chairman

A Question of ConscienceA bill seeking to protect the conscience rights of all medical professionals has received its second reading in the House of Lords. Baroness O'Loan introduced the Conscientious Objection (Medical Activities) Bill, which seeks to clarify the law to ensure that medical professionals are not discriminated against because of conscientious objection to practices that end human life. The bill refers specifically to participation in abortion (including indirect participation), withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, and any activity under the provisions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act.

Baroness O'Loan argued that it is becoming increasingly difficult for many doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, and other medical professionals to work in some areas of healthcare without being pressured to compromise their beliefs. Many young doctors, she said, feel that they simply cannot pursue a career in obstetrics and gynaecology,

because they believe it will be impossible to advance their careers if they object to participating in abortion. Although the 1967 Abortion Act allows for conscientious objection, a 2016 inquiry found that in practice, some doctors and nurses face discrimination in the workplace due to their refusal to participate in practices that end a human life.

The conscience rights of midwives were also undermined by the 2014 Supreme Court judgment against Scottish midwives Mary Doogan and Connie Wood, which held that the conscience provision in the Abortion Act 1967 did not cover aspects of their employment. Mary Doogan has said of the bill: ‘I am very glad to see that there is finally Parliamentary action taking place to restore the conscience rights of those who work tirelessly day in and day out to serve and care for others. As medical professionals, we owe patients not only our efforts but also our best moral judgement, and this Bill would allow us once again to

practise with the greatest integrity. I fully support this important legislation and commend it to Parliament and the wider public’. Dr Mary Neal, leading conscientious objection expert, and a senior lecturer at Strathclyde University, has also supported the bill, commenting that: ‘There is a pressing need for statutory conscience rights which actually protect those who need protection. The current law fails to do this, so this bill is a necessary and timely step’.

In a long and at times fraught debate, many peers from across the political spectrum, and holding differing views on life issues, supported the bill. Lord Mackay of Clashfern, a former Supreme Court Judge, and an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said that in correspondence with Doctors for Choice, he was told that the Health Service relies on people doing what they believe to be wrong - a position he rejected. Any obligation to provide services, he said, was on the NHS, not the individual. Baroness Eaton spoke passionately about how important conscience is in maintaining a person's moral integrity and sense of self.

Thirteen peers spoke in support of the motion, and 10 in opposition. Several peers mentioned being briefed by BPAS (who tweeted in opposition to the bill), Dignity in Dying, and Doctors for Choice. Among those who opposed the bill were Baroness Barker, spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats, who called it ‘thoroughly disingenuous’ and Baroness Thornton, who said it ‘flies in the face of Labour Party policies’. The spokeswoman for the Government, Baroness Chisholm, said that as is usual in matters of conscience, the Government took a neutral position on the bill.

According to the conventional practice of the House of Lords, no vote was taken, and the bill will now proceed to the Committee stage. The Free Conscience campaign, which has been launched today to support the Bill, is calling on the public to visit its website www.freeconscience.org.uk, where they can write to their MP, asking them to support the bill.

The House of Lords in session

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PLANNED GIVING

A Barfly's 14 Stations

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A PRE-EASTER DEVOTION/COMPANIONS

Companions of OremusWe are very grateful for the support of the following:Mrs Mary BarshMrs Else BensonDr Stuart BlackieMr Denis BoardAnne Veronica BondRichard BremerFrancis George ClarkDaniel CrowleyMs Georgina EnangAlfredo FernandezConnie GibbesZoe & Nick GoodwayMrs Valerie HamblenBernadette HauMrs Henry Hely-HutchinsonSharon Jennings in memoriamAlice M Jones & Jacob F Jones Poppy KMary Thérèse KellyRaymund Livesey Barry LockClare and John LusbyJames MapleDionne MarchettiMary Maxwell Pamela McGrathLinda McHughPeter and Doreen McNellyMrs C Mitchell-Gotell Abundia Toledo MunarChris Stewart MunroMrs Brigid MurphyKate NealonRaymond O’SullivanBerenice RoetheliPatrick Rogers RIPJohn ScanlanJohn ShepherdMr Luke SimpsonSonja SoperTessa and Ben StricklandEileen TerryRobin Michael Tinsley Mr Alex WalkerChristiana Thérèse Macarthy-Woods Jacqueline WorthPatricia M Wrightand of our anonymous CompanionsIf you would like to become a Companion of Oremus, see page 4

New in Cathedral Gift ShopWe 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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These didn't run off,these women beating their breasts;they didn't abandon him,the women wailing...what's he telling them?I strain my ears to hear it:'The wood is green, but mountainsshall fall anyway...'You can't oppose them!He didn't even try, look;they know you can't fight:'Daughters of Jerusalem...'They let him ramble,just so's he drags that big wood.

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Another drink: ah!how he struggles against it,his cross! He stumbles againand battles himself:none of that now, look -that turning the other cheek;you'd think he wanted to diethe fight he puts up!Is this how you giveto Caesar his - this straininginto your own death?Or is there something else there?Let me drink & think,on this hill like a bare skull...

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So that's it then, eh?They're casting lots for his clothesand, far from being a king,he stands there naked...Didn't he weave tales -and has none now for cover;gather thousands around him -and is all alone?So I ask myself,is it good to claim so muchif it ends like this?And yet, how his eyes, his skin,shine in the darknesslike that, 'the light of the world'...

Terry Egan

The concluding four meditations - observations – on the Way of the Cross will be published in the April edition of Oremus to enrich our celebration of Eastertide.

Our Cathedral Needs Your HelpLinda McHugh, Chair, Finance and Planning Committee

Our Cathedral is deeply in the red. For the last few years, its operating losses have been covered by drawing on a trust set up some years ago but that source of funds is now effectively exhausted.

So we are making an urgent appeal to all parishioners in a planned giving campaign this Lent. We will appeal to them not just to make a donation now but to consider what the Cathedral means to them and how they might reflect that by giving more money regularly and in a planned and tax-efficient way.

You can see from the table below how things stand. These figures, for 2016, were the latest available when this article was written but 2017 will not have been materially different. The numbers show that the total offertory at just over £1 million did not even meet our property costs – which reached £1.3 million – let alone contribute towards the cost of the clergy or of the Cathedral music.

Keeping the Cathedral solvent is critical and we are looking at cutting costs. However, there is a limit to what we can expect to gain from that and we need to appeal to the generosity of our loyal parishioners.

We last ran a planned giving campaign in 2010, when the average weekly donation was only £1. Today,

the average is £2 per head but that compares unfavourably with an average of £3 per head in the Diocese as a whole and an average of £4 per head in the Catholic churches nearest to the Cathedral.

Why is the average donation so low? There is a widespread belief that the Catholic Church is rich. The truth is that we do not receive a penny from the Vatican or from the state. It may be that when people put money into the collection, it is a reflex action - something we do without thinking, unaware that the church is dependent on our contributions. But it is critical that we remember what the collection is for: helping the Cathedral pay its bills for maintenance, cleaning, staff wages, heating and lighting, and so on. These costs continue to rise.

Since our last planned giving campaign, the London living wage has risen by 30% to over £10 per hour and average earnings have risen over 16% in the same period and now stand at

£511 per week. Even the cost of a first class postage stamp, which was 41p in 2010, is now 65p, an increase of 58%.

Only you know how much the Cathedral means to you personally but Cardinal Hume once suggested that people who are in paid work should think about giving an hour’s pay per week as a start point.

Ask yourself are you willing to give an hour’s earnings each week? Ask yourself too what is likely to happen if the Cathedral cannot increase the amount that it receives in collections. Will we be happy if there are fewer Masses? If the Cathedral is closed for long periods? If outreach to the needy in the parish is dramatically cut back? Because, if we cannot increase our income, that might be the alternative. To cover our costs and eliminate the deficit, we need each person who attends Mass at the Cathedral to give a minimum of £4 each week. Inevitably, not everyone will be willing or able to give £4, which means that those of us who can give more, must try to do so.

There are three things that we will be asking regular worshippers to do.

• Increase the amount that you give to the Cathedral.

• Commit to giving a regular amount each week. The easiest way of doing this is by setting up a banker’s order but you can also donate via personalised weekly envelopes and, however you give, it is easy to alter your contribution if your circumstances change.

• Sign up for Gift Aid, if you are eligible to do so. If you pay tax on earned or unearned income all you have to do is to tick a box saying you want to use Gift Aid and give the Cathedral your address. It costs you nothing and the value of your donation to the Cathedral is increased by 25%.

The people who built this Cathedral a century ago left us a wonderful legacy. Now it is our turn and if we all work together on this we will raise the money that we need to ensure that this incomparable house of prayer is passed on to the next generation in good physical and financial health.

Operational Income Operational Expenditure

Weekly Offertory £776,000 Music costs £517,000

Other Donations £196,000 Property Costs £1,280,000

Gift Aid reclaimed (est.) £50,000 Staff/Office Costs £185,000

Total Offertory £1,022,000 Liturgy & Sacristy £98,000

Votives £299,000 Stipends & Housekeeping £170,000

Property income £204,000 Publications & Oremus £50,000

Other (Liturgy, Music, etc.) £303,000 Parish £80,000

WC Ltd. (shop/tower etc.) £140,000

Total income: £1,968,000 Total costs: £2,291,000

In 2016 we operated at a loss of over £300,000

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PRIESTHOOD AT THE CATHEDRALPRIESTHOOD AT THE CATHEDRAL

At the time of my ordination Mass was still said in Latin, so I learned the texts used in the Mass of Our Lady and two others by heart, and I used to say one of these every day. Immediately after my ordination I was appointed to teach Christian Doctrine to the boys at St Edmund’s College. To do this I recorded all the text books and would play each lesson over to myself before taking the class. Sometimes I made Braille notes. However, my Braille has always been sluggish, so I kept such notes to a minimum. In the classroom I tried to be as normal as possible. If a boy asked a question, I would look directly at him, even though, when I did so, he actually disappeared from my sight. I could usually detect even a small movement in my peripheral field and would immediately turn on the offender, thus hoping that the boys thought that my sight was better than in fact it was. I taught at St Edmund’s for three years and was then moved to Westminster Cathedral. This was in 1966, and I have remained on the staff ever since.

By this date, as a result of the changes introduced by the Second Vatican Council, Mass was now being said in English. This has proved to be a tremendous advantage to me. I discovered that I could record the prayers and readings of the Mass on a small cassette recorder and then, using a tiny earphone ‘read’

them at Mass – reading, so to speak, through my ears. This meant that at last I was able to celebrate public Masses in the Cathedral. The parts of the Mass that are the same each day I know by heart; I read the rest with the help of my recorder. This has the advantage that I can look directly at the congregation whilst reading the Gospel, and I am not tied down to peering at books on the altar. I try to use this method to the utmost advantage in making the Mass meaningful and interesting for the congregation.

I do find, however, that there are difficulties in giving Holy Communion. Many Catholics still receive Communion on the tongue, and I aim at where I hope the mouth is going to be! Sometimes, though, they twist their heads to one side, or move forward to intercept the Communion and this makes it more difficult. Fortunately it is becoming more common for people to receive Communion in the hand, which is easier for me. A great deal of my time at the Cathedral is given to hearing confessions. As far as this sacrament is concerned, I am no different from a sighted priest, and the majority of my penitents do not know that I am partly blind. The only real problem arises when a deaf and dumb person comes for confession. I usually show them a Braille magazine and make signs to indicate that I cannot see what they have written

‘The Darkness is Not Dark with Thee’

down and that they should ring a bell for a sighted priest to come. If I am not too busy, I will phone through to Clergy House for another priest.

Many of my duties require a set form of words. For these occasions I use either my usual tape recorder or a small Phillips dictator. I keep a few tape recordings of such things as the Blessing of a House, Communion for the Sick, and the Admission of Candidates into various guilds and fraternities. I must admit that I am not terribly keen on officiating at weddings. The reason is that there is always much preliminary form-filling to be done and one has to be very careful that all of this is done correctly. If I have to get someone else to complete these forms, then I am taking the responsibility for something which another person has filled in. It is, of course, possible for me to do marriages, and I take much care over their preparation when a couple do come to me.

For completely different reasons, I find baptisms rather difficult. If you can imagine juggling with a screaming baby, a cassette recorder, a baptismal candle and the holy oils, and at the same time desperately trying to make sure that neither the baby, the recorder, nor anything else actually lands in the water, you will see what I mean. I once had to baptise a baby when the Cathedral was full of people who had come to a Flower Festival. The visitors all seemed to be talking at the tops of their voices, the baby was competing with them screaming with all its might and I was trying to hear what the recorder was saying. Meanwhile, another priest tried to be helpful by prompting me in my other ear. I almost sweated blood over that baby!

Today, a great deal of my time is spent in counselling. People come with every problem under the sun and although I cannot see their faces, I pay great attention to the way that they are using their bodies, to learn what they are saying in non-verbal ways and to get the general feel of the state in which this person is at present. Obviously, there must be things which a sighted priest would learn which I cannot, bit I make up for this as best I can by being a careful and, I hope, a patient listener. My partial blindness is perhaps an advantage in this area. The knowledge that I cannot see them too clearly helps people who come to see me to relax, to feel at ease and able to unburden themselves of their problems. I am also involved in a charismatic prayer group which meets on Friday evenings in our conference centre. Although my exterior vision is blurred, at least the inward vision has become clearer.

Sometimes people have the impression that my work must be principally involved with other blind people. I have always resisted this because I believe that the best witness I can give to the blind community is to carry out my work and be accepted in the manner of any other priest, as far as possible.

The late Fr Norman Brown, Cathedral Chaplain

There is a need for specialist priests who can communicate with deaf people and who can use the sign language with them. Blind people, however, can hear perfectly well what is being said in church. Inevitably I do have a few connections in the blind world, but I try to keep these to a minimum. I am a member of a small Clerics group at the R.N.I.B., the other members all being non-Catholics. I am also on the committee of the Association of Blind Catholics. This organisation has recently started a monthly talking newspaper on cassette giving news from the Catholic press. I believe that this is valuable work. The majority of parishes have only two or three blind people in their congregations, and I think that in most cases it is better if their needs can be catered for on an individual basis. There are plenty of active laypeople in such societies as the SVP, who can ensure that help is provided and that blind parishioners are kept informed of what is happening in the parish.

It is much easier for me being a blind priest in a busy Cathedral with nine other priests on the staff [now we are eight in toto – Ed] than it would be in a small parish. I

can fit into the life here and develop my own apostolate, keeping very active and trying to make use of the talents I do possess as fully as possible. Inevitably, there are times of frustration, times when I make mistakes, but it is often very demanding work and for much of the day I am so absorbed in the task at hand that I almost forget about the fact of my blindness. I think it is true to say that most people who come to see me forget completely that I do have a sight problem; and this, of course, is how it should be. I try, as far as possible, to regard my blindness as a talent, too. It is a fact of life, and I have learned over the years to live with it. I hope in the future to find other ways of improving my performance and of widening my apostolate, but being a blind priest will always remain a challenge and a struggle.

Fr Norman died on 13 October 2017, having lived at St Peter’s Residence, Vauxhall since his retirement from the Cathedral in 2001. This account of his life was published in 2002 in the magazine of the Little Sisters, who kindly gave permission for its reproduction here.

St Edmund’s College, the scene of Fr Norman’s first labours as a priest © St Edmund’s College, Ware

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OUR LADY AT THE CROSS OUR LADY AT THE CROSS

The Stabat MaterAlan Frost

Moving into the Baroque musical period, several settings of the Stabat Mater were made by the prolific opera composer and founder of the ‘Neapolitan School’, Alessandro Scarlatti, who died in 1725. His son Domenico also composed a setting, specifically for ten voices. Their priest contemporary, Vivaldi of Four Seasons fame, showed how talented and devout he was in his composition on Mary’s sorrows. Around this time another Italian, Giovanni Pergolesi, who died tragically young at the age of 26, composed perhaps one of the most stunning settings of the text. He always suffered from ill-health, and it was in 1735, a year before his death, that he moved to the Franciscan monastery at Pozzuoli and produced

his powerful interpretation. In 1767 the great Haydn composed his famous and lengthy setting, though only for a small orchestra and choir. It is divided into fourteen sections and particularly striking is the eleventh, Flammis orci ne succendar. Of the work he himself wrote: ‘I set to music with all my power the highly-esteemed hymn called Stabat Mater.’

It has been said that with Haydn’s large work we are seeing the beginning of the Stabat Mater becoming a performance-for-audience work as well as a text for meditative devotion. This view could certainly be applied to another famous composer a little after Haydn’s time, Rossini. His memorable interpretation actually enhanced his career. He was already successful and very confident, having famously said: ‘Give me a laundry list and I will set it to music.’ By the age of 37 (1829) he had composed almost all his great works including his last opera William Tell with its famous overture. His one great work left (although he lived another 40 years) was his Stabat Mater. He had been quite ill and was grateful for an invitation to stay in Madrid in 1832. A priest friend of his host, a Fr Valera, requested a setting of the poem, and Rossini felt he could not refuse. He was a great admirer of the Pergolesi version, and feared he might fall well short of such standards. He divided the 20 verses of the poem into 10 sections (of varying lengths), but commissioned a friend in Paris, the conductor at the Théâtre Italien, to finish the last four parts. However, when Fr Valera died the rights of the work were sold to a French publisher, contrary to Rossini’s instructions. So, years later, he wrote the last four parts himself and promoted that work using his own publisher. Its first performance (1842) was in Paris and an immediate success. Similar huge approval was witnessed two months later in its Italian debut, conducted by Donizetti in Bologna. Set for four voices and choir, it would not claim to probe the depths of human suffering, but surely conveys the joy of the believer at the prospect of redemption. As the last verse, and Rossini’s ninth section, Quando corpus morietur, says: ‘when

my body perishes, grant my soul the glory of Heaven.’

Another 19th century composer whose reputation increased from his setting of the poem was Dvořák. He was the first Bohemian composer to achieve world-wide recognition, coming from a village a few miles along the Vltava from Prague. He made 10 visits to England where his choral works proved very popular, not the least perhaps his greatest (1877), the Stabat Mater. It won great acclaim in Europe and was first performed in London in 1883. Around this time, a neighbour of the Slavs, the Hungarian Liszt, who, despite his indiscreet philandering took Minor Orders, also set the text to music (as did another Hungarian, Zoltán Kodály, around half a century later). Towards the end of his life, the great opera composer Verdi wrote Four Sacred Pieces, the final one being the Stabat Mater, in 1896-7. It is scored for chorus and large orchestra, and the particularly moving Quando corpus morietur may reflect the fact that his wife had died after many years of marriage. He was buried beside her four years later. Elsewhere in Europe numerous other settings of the work were being made, including a fine interpretation by one of Ireland’s outstanding composers, Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924). He was a passionate nationalist though he worked in England, calling his third symphony The Irish and writing six Irish Rhapsodies. He was also a Protestant. However, it has been said of this much-appreciated work that ‘there was nothing Protestant’ in the way he presents ‘a beneficent view of heaven’ or in ‘the exalted view of Mary’ (The Independent, August 1997).

The coming of the 20th century, despite all the diverse inspirational subject matter for artists of every field, did not diminish the appeal of the Virgin’s sorrows to composers. Arvo Pärt (born 1935) put Estonia on the musical map, and his religious compositions, notably his Stabat Mater, were critiques of the atheistic yoke his country was under for so long. His Polish contemporary Penderecki, much influenced by the Catholic composers Bruckner

and Liszt, may also have had similar motives, in his setting of the work, as he also set the Dies irae to music in memory of the victims of Auschwitz. Another Pole, Karol Szymanowski, less avant-garde than Penderecki and writing before Poland was a part of the enforced Eastern Bloc, made a setting of the Stabat Mater to be sung in his native tongue. This was first performed in Warsaw in 1929. Seventeen years later the English composer and convert Lennox Berkeley won much acclaim for his setting (Michael Berkeley, presenter of many BBC music programmes, is his son). In France a composer who made his name in the 1920s in association with Les Six, Poulenc, set the work to music in 1950 following the death of a close friend. It is scored for soprano, choir and orchestra.

Despite there being at least 190 composers’ settings of the work, the Stabat Mater continues to inspire contemporary musicians, as yet little known. Though sometimes, just as a novel suddenly thrusts a new name into the international limelight, so in recent years has the name of Henryk Górecki shot to prominence through his (Third) Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. Part of this depicts Mary at the foot of the Cross. As recently as 2008, Karl Jenkins premiered his Stabat Mater, a composition about grief, in Liverpool, and much more recent (2016) is the setting by the UK’s leading contemporary composer, Sir James MacMillan.

Chanted for some 700 years, sung in a variety of tongues to a variety of settings from across the length and breadth of Europe for over 500, and later across the world, the Stabat Mater reminds us of the grief of mothers everywhere, whenever death strikes a loved son or daughter; and particularly one who is an innocent victim. So for different reasons, this piece will probably always appeal to the composer and the listener. As the opening of the fifth stanza, the inspiration of much of the most moving passages, asks: Quis est homo qui non fleret? Is there one who would not weep?

Mary’s sorrow, standing by the Cross, has inspired many famous composers over the centuries to set to music the verses that are sung as part of the Stations of the Cross, the Stabat Mater. These are reflections upon the sorrows of the Mother of God and have been recited or sung since mediaeval times. The poem, which actually has 20 stanzas, has also been set to music by a wide range of composers from the 15th century to the modern day. The opening verse, which sets the tone, begins: Stabat mater dolorosa.

There are numerous versions of this devotion in English, as literal translations are not possible if keeping the metre and rhyme of the Latin original. A popular version (by Fr Edward Caswell) begins: At the Cross her station keeping /stood the mournful mother weeping /close to Jesus to the last. There is a certain structural similarity to the sequence hymn of the Requiem Mass Dies irae, dies illa, not inappropriately. The whole text graphically describes Christ’s mother at the foot of the Cross, a favourite theme of mediaeval piety. Both the works come from this period, the Dies irae having its own very distinctive chant. The words for the Stabat Mater are attributed to a Franciscan monk, Jacopone de Todi (real name Jacopo de Benedetti), who lived from 1228-1306. The poem was also used outside of Lent, such as for the former feast of the Seven Dolours of the Virgin celebrated on 15 September (now Our Lady of Sorrows), for which it was formally prescribed by the Church as the Mass’s sequence hymn in 1727.

One of the earliest famous settings is by Palestrina, who was a chorister in Rome for most of his career, in the choirs of Santa Maria Maggiore, the Sistine Chapel, St John Lateran and the Pope’s own choir, the Capella Giulia. He wrote much sacred music, and his Missa Papae Marcelli is regarded as

one of the great Mass settings. At the time an almost exact contemporary, Orlando Lassus, shared pre-eminent status, though his name is much less known these days (both of them died in 1594). He was a Flemish composer who also set the Stabat Mater to music. He may have met Palestrina, as he visited Rome in 1571 and 1585, and is ranked along with him and their Spanish contemporary Tomas Luis de Victoria (born in Avila 33 years after St Teresa) as a supreme master of 16th century polyphony. There is also a setting by an earlier French-Flemish composer, Josquin des Prés, writing in the 15th century (died 1521), an acknowledged master of polyphony before its development by the likes of Palestrina.

Christ on the Cross with Mary and John by Albrecht Altdorfer (1480-1538)

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LOURDES FOR THE BOYS

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CROESO

A Pilgrimage is Born Guide Me ….

As the Assistant Director for the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes and as a Regional Chaplain to HCPT – The Pilgrimage Trust that takes children to Lourdes each Easter, it is perhaps no surprise to hear that I have a great love for the place where Mary appeared to the young Bernadette 160 years ago this year. Over the past 14 years I have travelled with thousands of pilgrims and seen the enrichment that everyone gets from visiting the shrine, whether that is spiritual nourishment, physical or mental healing, or just a renewed hope in humanity. And so, when I was appointed Chaplain to the Westminster Cathedral Choir School, it was my dream to take some of the boys to Lourdes to discover it for themselves.

The opportunity for this came about 15 months ago, when two priests from the shrine came to stay in Clergy House, on their way to a Conference for National Pilgrimage Directors that I was attending also. They concelebrated at the Solemn weekday evening Mass and were blown away by the music. So they asked whether the choir might sing at one of their liturgies; and the idea of the choristers’ pilgrimage to Lourdes was born. After much planning, with the support of some generous donors and some careful packing, we travelled to Lourdes for the weekend of the feast celebrating the 160th anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady, on 11 February 1858. Our pilgrimage included the traditional visit to the Grotto where we lit candles, washed in the waters from the spring and said prayers. We also celebrated Masses in some special locations, sang a small concert for the people of Lourdes and were housed in HCPT’s spectacular Hosanna House, overlooking the Pyrenees in the nearby village of Bartres. But the highlight of our pilgrimage was the opportunity for our choristers to sing a motet at the Torchlight Procession on the eve of the feast, and then several pieces, including Stanford’s A Song of Wisdom and the Agnus Dei from the Missa in simplicitate by Langlais, at the Anniversary International Mass presided over by Cardinal Baldisseri in the packed Underground Basilica.

As Chaplain I certainly had a wonderful pilgrimage and I hope the accounts below show that the boys did too!

’I have thoroughly enjoyed this trip. It has made me more connected to God than I have ever been. It has been great fun and above all showed me multiple panoramas that blew my mind and made me realise how grateful I should be to God. The best part was when we sang in front of all the people in the Underground Basilica. This is because when I looked at them none of them were frowning. Every single person was happy. This showed me how much joy God and our singing gives to people and that I can finally help people and not be a super hero. Overall this pilgrimage has connected me to God and most of all opened my mind to the beauty of life.’

Amadee, Year 8

At the door of the Cathedral, there is a notice proclaiming it to be the Mother Church of Catholics in England and Wales, yet a part of that mothering has been lacking. Mothers speak to their children in their mother tongue, but until now no guide to the Cathedral has been available for Welsh-speaking Catholics and other visitors from the Principality. It is a delight, therefore, to be able to say ‘Croeso’ (Welcome), to the new guide that takes its place next to the English one, just in time for Dewi Sant, St David’s Day on 1 March and ‘Diolch’ (Thank you) to Canon Tuckwell and his staff for making this possible.

The Guide is in the same colour as the English original, contrasting with the many coloured foreign translations, in recognition of the fact that Welsh is not a foreign tongue but, as the English Catholic scholar J R R Tolkien put it: ‘the senior language of British civilization * ’.

’I really enjoyed our pilgrimage to Lourdes. We had a great time visiting all the different cathedrals and churches with Mr Auger, Mr Kellaway, Susanna, Matron and Fr Andrew. Almost every shop had rosaries. This trip was very interesting for I learned a lot of things about Bernadette which I did not know about her and her family. I really thought that the Grotto was very special. At the Torchlight Procession I met some very nice Dutch people. I am Dutch, so it was very nice to talk to them. Though it was very cold it was very enjoyable. On the first few days and the last day it was snowing and we built a snowman and had a massive snowball fight. I really enjoyed our trip and a huge thank-you to Fr Andrew, Betina and others who helped to put this trip together.’

Jasper, Year 5

The coming of the new guide will make the Cathedral better known to Welsh-speaking visitors and perhaps kindle in those who are not Catholic a greater awareness of the Faith, with, who knows, what result? Perhaps, at the beginning of the Six Nations, I may be allowed, as a one-time wing forward, a little rugby imagery. We all try to take evangelisation seriously, but sometimes plod on like a pack of tired forwards, when we should try something new, and slip the ball to the Spirit, who with a jink and a swerve finds gaps to touch souls that we cannot see. May the new guide be that ball.

* This is what that language looks like, describing St Paul’s Chapel:

Capel Sant Paul Gyda Sant Pedr fe sefydlodd Sant Paul yr Eglwys yn Rhufain. Gwneuthurwr pebyll oedd Sant Paul, ac mae nenfwd y capel wedi’i addurno i gynrychioli pabell. Ar y wal gefn, darlunnir stori ei dröedigaeth. Ar ochr chwith y wal uwchben yr allor, gwelir Paul â’i gleddyf traddodiadol – symbol o’i ddienyddiad. Daw’r marmor llwyd ar y muriau o gyffiniau Athen, lle bu Paul ei hun yn pregethu. Mae llawr y capel yn efelychu arddull crefftwyr Cosmati a fu’n gweithio yn yr Eidal yn ystod y ddeuddegfed a’r drydedd ganrif ar ddeg.

Fr Andrew Gallagher Michael Elmer

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Florian, Year 4

’I enjoyed my trip very much and all the music. On the first day the only thing not so good was that there was a big queue at the Grotto. The concert was beautiful and I thought that the solos were the highlight. Also, just before, we went to a brilliant cafe to have a drink. On the second day Jasper opened the view to us at the window, it was amazing. That day we did the life-sized Stations of the Cross. After I had plenty of fun visiting with my grandma and I got a new rosary. Then we went to the Torchlight Procession. It was freezing and everybody brought candles - we burnt the edge of our candleholders which were paper. The next day we went to the International Mass and a person who looked like Mr Wright showed us the secret passages around Lourdes. I loved it. These were the highlights of my trip to Lourdes.’

Harry, Year 5

For images from the Choristers’ Pilgrimage, see the Monthly Album on pages 18 & 19.

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parts of the country. The Church has always been a Maecenas of the Arts and I reckon that it’s a good thing to be involved. I’m usually the only priest participating in a writers’ meeting, but I find both myself and whatever talk I’ve given to be very well accepted by other writers.

Over the past two years I’ve been very much involved in the fight for justice on behalf of the family of a close friend who was gunned down just before Christmas 2015. I had been friendly with Lucho ever since presiding at his marriage to Lili, whom

From Darkest Peru (Part 3)OUR MAN IN SOUTH AMERICA OUR MAN IN SOUTH AMERICA

OremusOremus14 15

When I returned to Cajamarca, the Bishop asked me to take over a parish from a local priest who was sick and old, and had been there for 30 years. Fortunately all went

well. I say this because it is not an easy task for a foreigner to take over from a local guy. In fact I’ve enjoyed a positive relationship with the local clergy and for many years was the representative at national level for the priests of Cajamarca. Perhaps it has helped that since 1974 I’ve had Peruvian citizenship. I retain a British passport but I felt that as I had to act in an official capacity as a parish priest - in Peru the priest in a provincial town is one of the local big-wigs and has to take part in civic ceremonies - and lived here, whilst I didn´t have any moral right to participate in UK elections, I did have that right to participate here. As it happens I’ve been a member of an electoral table and on two occasions have been invited to take an active part in local

politics, once to be a mayor and once to be a regional representative. Well, I may be a bit daft at times, but I’m not that daft! When I took part in the Independence Day Celebrations in the year 2000 I gave a speech which had been approved by the two local priests who were my curates and included a criticism of the elections that had taken place that year. The local top big-wig virtually declared me persona non grata, whilst the judge nudged me and whispered: ‘Thank you, Father’. A few months later the President had fled the country and the local big-wig was out of a job. Today, many years later and mindful of what Aristotle had to say about participating in civic affairs, I have accepted to be a member of the Arbitration Committee in the local Chamber of Commerce.

I now live in my own house in Cajamarca, the most important feature of which is my tiny baroque oratory filled with reproductions of paintings of the angels and saints in classical Peruvian colonial style. Having been given an Honorary Fellowship by St Mary’s University at Twickenham in 2001 and a Doctorate Honoris Causa by the National University of Cajamarca in 2010, I’ve been invited to be a university lecturer and have enjoyed teaching a variety of subjects. Recently I retired from that, but there are still young people who greet me cheerfully in the street: ‘¡Hi, Profe!’ I celebrate Sunday Mass in two neighbourhood chapels, and, during the week, in the Cathedral. I also have a short daily radio programme, commenting on the Scripture readings and the life of whoever the saint of the day might be. This is recorded in a media centre where I have worked over the years and have produced a number of videos on a wide variety of subjects. I take a fairly active part in the cultural life of Cajamarca and also attend writers’ meetings in different

I had known since she was a child. Every time I visited the coastal city of Chiclayo - usually to take part in a karate tournament - I stayed with them and enjoyed Lucho´s company enormously. Over a bottle of wine we’d discuss films, politics, history, and so forth. He worked for the SUNAT - the Peruvian Inland Revenue - and discovered some very serious underhand business. He was offered $500,000 to shut up and was told: ‘Think of what you could do for your sons with that’. He replied in earthy

terms that he wanted to give his sons moral values and not dirt; so he was shot outside his apartment and as he lay on the pavement dying his young son Sergio, just 13, lay beside him. I was way out in the mountains when the news reached me and I vowed that this was not going to be merely another unsolved shooting to be shelved in some dusty archive. There was an attempt to ensure that, but I got a lawyer friend onto the case and have since been up and down to Lima - a mere 16 hours on the bus - to pester those who have power here. This has involved interviews in the Ministry of the Interior, in the Palace of Justice, in the Congress, in the SUNAT, and with the President of the Republic. Where this last was concerned it helped that we were both at Oxford at the same

time, and, although unknown to each other then, we had plenty in common to talk about. Recently someone asked me how I had managed to get all these interviews and block attempts to subvert justice. My reply was: ‘This is a country plagued by mafias, so I’ve created my own one to take them on’.

I am now in the autumn of life, the ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’, and I thank the Good Lord and his Blessed Mother for a fruitful and happy life. In spite of the fact that the home country tugs at the heart-strings - a stroll in St James’ Park or along the Mall, a walk on the Sussex Downs or in the Cotswolds, a meditation in the Slipper Chapel at Walsingham or one before the Blessed Sacrament in Westminster Cathedral - presumably I’ll see out my remaining years here in Cajamarca, bearing in mind what a Dutch friend here once said: ‘My real country is not that one in which I was born but that in which I’ll die’. I pay a small monthly sum to the local Beneficencia which runs the cemetery in Cajamarca; and when I was asked at what level I would like my niche to be, I replied: ‘The third floor would be nice, but with a balcony, please.’ ‘With a balcony?!’ ‘Yes, I’d like to pop out of my coffin occasionally to say hello to folk’.

So, are you surprised that Cardinal Heenan thought he’d be better off with me as far away as possible?

With every good wish to all Oremus staff and readers. Pastoral visits involve river crossings My house in Cajamarca

A view of the main town in my last parish

Painting for a book cover

The book cover of one of my historical novels

The Oratory of my house

Fr Michael (Miguel) Garnett

Fr Michael here concludes the account of his half century of ministry as a Westminster priest in Peru.

March 2018Oremus16 March 2018 Oremus 17

CATHEDRAL HISTORY CATHEDRAL HISTORY

William Christian Symons: A Collaborator with J F Bentley

The great rood which hangs above the sanctuary of the Cathedral is perhaps its best-known work of art, singled out for mention by Pope Benedict XVI in his homily in 2010, and the Chapel of the Holy Souls is the best place to understand what Bentley wanted for the decoration of the Cathedral. The artist responsible for both was William Christian Symons.

He was born in 1845. His father, who came from Cornwall, ran a printing business in Vauxhall, which is where he was born. His first training was at the Lambeth School of Art. In 1866 he briefly attended the Royal Academy School. The Lambeth school turned out designers. Its head wanted Doultons, whose factory was nearby, to use his students, and Symons did some specimen designs to help persuade Henry Doulton, and then some designs that were used. These included a tankard with incised decoration in the style of Flaxman, made c.1867 (now in the Royal Doulton Collection).

Thomas and Luke, founded in 1879, of which he had been a founder, but which he described as ‘in a sorry plight’, and as having achieved nothing. He had no faith in the clergy: ‘The general run of men who are placed in clerical positions of trust, and who are called to sit in judgment on the work we do, belong to the gutter so far as taste is concerned’.

By 1898 Bentley was considering the decoration of the Cathedral. In the next year he wrote to Symons, telling him that he would like John Singer Sargent and Symons ‘to do a chapel each’, while he ‘would take up a third’. The Cardinal had invited Sargent to dinner. At Bentley’s suggestion Symons was also invited. It turned out that Vaughan hoped that the guests would endorse his idea of commissioning Ludwig Seitz, of Rome, to design mosaics, but they all dismissed the notion. In 1900 Vaughan agreed that Symons should decorate one chapel, and Bentley wrote to remind him of his desire to undertake the Chapel of the Holy Souls. He wrote: ‘We must avoid anything pictorial and the drawing must be severe and very Greek in character’. Three days later he agreed with Symons’ suggestion that the story of the three children in the fiery furnace should be included, as a type of Purgatory, and suggested that Purgatory itself should be shown over the altar. He was not sure about Adam and Eve, but Adam was eventually included.

Symons established himself in a studio in Grosvenor Road, so that Bentley could visit frequently to supervise production of sketches and then cartoons, and also the technique of reproduction. Sadly, the installation of the mosaics and opus sectile panels did not begin until June 1902, four months after Bentley’s death. They were much admired, not least by Sargent.

A year in Paris led Symons to decide to be a painter. However, from 1870, the year in which he was received into the Church by the Redemptorist Fr Robert Coffin (himself a convert, a friend of Bentley, and later Bishop of Southwark), he also worked as a designer for the stained glass firm Lavers, Barraud and Westlake. From the 1860s he exhibited paintings at various galleries, including the Grosvenor Gallery. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1869. He provided illustrations for The Graphic, The Strand Magazine, the Magazine of Art, and for Charles Rathbone Low’s Her Majesty’s Navy (1890-93). In 1881 he joined the Society of British Artists, but left to join the New English Art Club, of which his friend John Singer Sargent was a member.

Symons’s paintings are fresh and colourful. For example, The Electricians showed his three sons at work. Some others showed scenes in the Sussex countryside where he lived. His portraits include the one of Bentley in the National Portrait Gallery, painted in the subject’s Clapham house in 1901-2, and interrupted by Bentley’s death. A small portrait of Bentley’s head, in a private collection, is much more lively. A charming portrait of Bentley’s daughter Winefride as a young girl was left by her to the Cathedral, where it now hangs in Clergy House Common Room. In 1994 an exhibition of his work was held at the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath, with the title Life, Light and Colour. The introduction was by Christopher Wood.

In 1885 Symons married Constance Davenport, and they had nine children, of whom the best known is the painter Mark Symons. Jim became a pupil of Sargent, but died young. Dom Thomas Symons was a monk of Downside (later of Worth), and one daughter became a nun.

Bentley must have known Symons by 1868-70, probably through his association with N H J Westlake, as Symons then painted a frieze representing scenes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the drawing room of Sunnydene, Sydenham, the house Bentley designed for W R Sutton, the wealthy founder of a trust for the building of workmen’s houses. In 1885 Bentley commissioned Symons to make the cartoons for the tempera paintings above the altar of St Luke’s, West Norwood, and in about 1892 Symons painted for him figures of four prophets in the spandrels of the lantern in the roof of St Botolph’s, Bishopsgate.

The close connection between Bentley and Symons is borne out by their correspondence. Eighty letters from Bentley and others were bought by the Diocese of Westminster in 1978. One letter, of 1891, was published by Mrs de l’Hôpital: Symons had written about the possible foundation of ‘a Guild or Club of Catholic Art’. Bentley feared ‘it would be a failure’, referring to the Guild of Ss

Symons submitted his designs for the Cathedral rood to Bentley shortly before his death. The wooden cross, 30 feet high, was made in Bruges to Bentley’s design, and painted by Symons, on canvas attached to the wood, in the Cathedral. On the back is Our Lady of Sorrows. The verses of the Stabat Mater were chosen by Cardinal Vaughan. The green line around the edge was suggested by John Singer Sargent – sadly his only contribution to the Cathedral. The rood was raised up in December 1903.

Symons died in 1911, and in his last year was involved with three more mosaics in the Cathedral. One, over the altar in the inner crypt, showed St Edmund blessing London. Neither of the other two worked out well. The panel of Joan of Arc in the north transept was ‘almost his last work’, but

the design was badly copied by the mosaicist George Bridges, ‘looking a muddle from below’, and had to be done again. He designed one of the Holy Face for the west wall of the Sacred Heart shrine. The donor objected to his design, wanting ‘something more benevolent and benign in expression’. Symons refused to alter it, writing that he had thought and meditated about the subject for months. It seemed absurd to want a ‘benign’ expression on the

face of Christ ‘in the greatest agony’. This was Symons’s last work, but after the tesserae started to come loose a mosaic to a more conventional design was executed by Messrs James Powell and Sons.

The writer is greatly indebted to Peter Symons, grandson of William Christian. He has placed a number of his grandfather’s sketches on permanent loan to the Cathedral. The late Patrick Rogers’ books were also invaluable.

Peter Howell is a member of the Cathedral’s Art and Architecture Committee.

Peter Howell

Sir Peter Paul Symons, 1867: self-portrait after Rubensʹ self-portrait.

The Electricians: two of Symonsʹ sons.

W C Symons’ design of the Holy Face for the Shrine of the Sacred Heart and St Michael.

March 2018Oremus18

MONTHLY ALBUM MONTHLY ALBUM

March 2018 Oremus 19

The Choristers on Pilgrimage

The grounds of Hosanna House, where the party stayed, provided sufficient snow for a snowman building competition (and competitive snowballing, not illustrated here). Year 5 had good reason to be proud of their effort.

A Declaration of LoveNot quite a marriage proposal in honour of St Valentine, but a British Fashion Council-sponsored ‘Declaration of Love for London’, this ‘Chubby Heart’ balloon appeared on the Piazza to coincide with the beginning of Lent. Other London landmarks are receiving the same treatment; perhaps it is good to feel loved.

Religious En MasseThe beginning of February saw Religious from all over the diocese come together in the Cathedral to celebrate the consecration of their lives. A rich variety of Communities, each with its own charism and history, forms the mosaic of Religious in Westminster, so where better to meet than in the Cathedral where mosaic is such a prominent art-form for the expression of beauty?

From Another CityThe clergy of another cathedral in another city (St Paul’s in London) made their annual visit to Westminster to mark the Week of Prayer for Unity, reciprocated by us a few days later on the heights of Ludgate Hill. Whatever differences may divide Christians, we can rejoice in the unity that is expressed by St Paul’s and ourselves serving the same M & S sandwiches at the post-Evening Prayer receptions!

Lourdes in LondonThe second Saturday of February saw the Annual Lourdes Mass in the Cathedral, attended by many sick and frail people, as well as devoted pilgrims and carers. In attendance also were the Redcaps, seen here with their banners and Our Lady, whose statue remained in the Cathedral over the weekend as a much-visited focus of prayer.

The Sacrament of the SickAt the heart of the Sacrament of the Sick is the anointing of the forehead and hands, with this prayer: ʹThrough this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up.ʹ

An afternoon treat was an exploration of some of the hidden and secret places of Lourdes, here a spiral staircase between the Basilica and the Grotto.

Snow, however, was not the main point of the Pilgrimage, so here the whole group is seen at the Grotto, with Mr Kellaway, the Head of R.E. and Fr Andrew as Chaplain.

The boys wrapped up against the cold, Martin Baker conducts their singing at the Torchlight Procession. The temptation to experiment with holding candles at different angles failed to produce any fatalities.

Stars of the big screen! A crowd of 25,000 packed into the Underground Basilica for the Anniversary Mass, with the Choristers in the centre of the choir podium both joining in the congregational music and singing on their own, to great acclaim.

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March 2018Oremus20

THE ST JOHN PASSION

On Wednesday 21st March, Westminster Cathedral Choir and Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Martin Baker, will perform the St John Passion of Johann Sebastian Bach – one of the seminal works of the entire choral repertoire, and a milestone in the history of music.

By happy coincidence, Bach was born into a great musical family exactly 333 years earlier on 21st March 1685, in Eisenach, and lived his entire life in a small corner of present-day Germany. His work as Kantor (Director of Music) of St Thomas’ Church, Leipzig, involved the composition of liturgical cantatas for every Sunday of the Church’s year, and it was during his time in Leipzig that the St John Passion was composed. It received its first performance on Good Friday 1724, a year after his appointment, although a last-minute change of venue meant that the work was first heard in St Nicholas’ Church; Bach made a number of requests including the repair of the church’s harpsichord and the printing of a new booklet, and the authorities agreed to rectify the problems in time for the premiere.

However, whilst the work is heard around the world in concert, the St John Passion was originally intended for liturgical performance. The piece is divided into two parts, and in the original context of the Lutheran Good Friday liturgy, a sermon of considerable length – perhaps several hours – would have been delivered in between them. Bach takes as his text chapters 18 and 19 of the Gospel of St John, using the translation from the Luther Bible of 1534. Interestingly, two moments in Bach’s setting are actually drawn from the Gospel according to St Matthew: the weeping of St Peter after his denial, and the tearing of the veil of the Temple. Interspersed between the Gospel narrative, sung by the tenor Evangelist, a bass Christus, and a few other minor characters, are arias sung by soloists. These arias are settings of poetry that meditates on the action just heard in the story. As with the St Matthew Passion, written three years later, the work is structured around chorales: hymns, whose melodies and words would have been familiar to Bach’s contemporaries, and which put the story in a more familiar context.

The dramatic opening chorus, Herr unser Herrscher, provides a striking, vivid beginning to the Passion. After a brooding orchestral introduction, the choir makes its first appearance by declaiming three times the word ‘Herr’ (Lord), as a solemn hymn of praise unfolds in music of extraordinary gravity. Thereafter the chorus is used to play the part of the crowd, with sudden outbursts and more extended passages, notably the crowd calling for Christ to be crucified, where relentless rhythmic energy propels the music forward through intense, venomous harmony.

The story is narrated by the Evangelist in sections of recitative, where the text is sung in near-speech rhythms, accompanied by solo cello and organ. Bach’s recitative is full of subtle harmonic colour, passionate lyricism and moments of gripping drama. We are very fortunate that the tenor James Gilchrist, one of the most renowned Passion evangelists of our time, will be joining the Cathedral Choir for this performance. This will be the third time that he has joined us in the role of the evangelist: in 2013 he was evangelist for the St John Passion, and the following year he returned to sing the same role in the St Matthew Passion. This year, the part of Christus will be sung by the bass, David Shipley, in his first performance at Westminster Cathedral. As well as being a notable soloist with many of the world’s great orchestras, he has made numerous appearances at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

The solo arias will be sung by members of the Cathedral Choir. Highlights include the passionate tenor aria, Ach, mein Sinn, depicting St Peter’s grief after his denial; Eilt, ihr angefochtnen Seelen, a bass aria which reflects on Christ being handed over for crucifixion; Es ist vollbracht for alto, as Christ hangs on the Cross; and Zerfließe, mein Herze, a meditation after the death of Christ.

As a mirror to the work’s opening, a substantial chorus forms the penultimate item in the St John Passion: Ruht wohl (Rest well) is an affecting lament as Christ is laid in the tomb. However, unlike Bach’s St Matthew Passion, the work does not end in darkness but with a note of optimism. The text of the final chorale looks forward to the vision of Christ’s glory, and to praising Him forever.

Westminster Cathedral Choir and Baroque Orchestra performs Bach’s St John Passion at 7:30pm on Wednesday 21st March 2018.

Peter Stevens

Bach Explicated

The stone crucifixion group in St Nicholas’ Church, Leipzig, where the Passion was first performed

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FROM THE REGISTERS

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CATHEDRAL HISTORY

Holy Week 1956 saw the first major revision of the ceremonies of Holy Week in many centuries. Although the Easter Vigil had been restored to its proper place from the morning of Holy Saturday to the evening five years earlier, the Mass of Maundy Thursday had always been held in the morning. In Cathedral churches, the blessing of the Holy Oils also took place within this Mass.

The 1956 revisions saw the Mass of the Last Supper moved to a more correct time in the evening. A separate Mass for the Blessing of the Holy Oils was held in the morning of Maundy Thursday, although it was not attended by as many of the diocesan priests and laity as is the case nowadays when it is held on the Tuesday of Holy Week.

Before 1956 the Washing of the Feet (Mandatum) had been held in the nave of the Cathedral on a specially erected platform opposite the pulpit, with 12 boys of the Choir School being selected to have their feet washed by the Cardinal Archbishop. It was the idea of the Cathedral Administrator at the time, Mgr (later Bishop) Gordon

Wheeler to invite 12 Chelsea Pensioners to have their feet washed instead of the boys. In the picture, Cardinal Bernard Griffin (1899-1956) is seen performing the Mandatum accompanied on his left by Mgr Frederick Row, Cathedral Master of Ceremonies (kneeling) and on the right by Canon (later Mgr) Francis Bartlett (standing). He, along with the priest to the left of the picture, are wearing Dalmatics without albs underneath but canonical rochets, as they were Assistant Deacons at the throne as opposed to the Deacon and

Sub-Deacon of the Mass, who would have been vested in albs underneath their Dalmatic and Tunicle respectively.

The Dalmatics bear the arms of Cardinal Herbert Vaughan (1832-1903) and this set of vestments was used on Maundy Thursday for many years.

In the back row are three Cathedral Chaplains , wearing the grey fur Cappa Parva to which they were entitled; in the middle is Fr Michael Ware, who was at the Cathedral for many years and became Sub-Administrator.

Paul Tobin

Cathedral History: A Pictorial RecordMaundy Thursday, 29 March 1956

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Baptisms

Angela ChangAthena Nevis Elizabeth PaleyMary BanzonSamarrah AmbasaderJessica KeenMartha GrahamMichael McElligottMargo CaseyMaxwell Zajonc

Confirmations

Łukasz BorkowskiJakub FalkowskiGuglielmo Gagliano CandelaKamil JaroszMateusz KraczkoMichael McDermottDavide MaliziaPaul MatarewiczAlvaro Nistal RodriguezPierre-Louis Ruth

Sebastian RabaMariusz SiewrukKrystian TraczykPaloma Alcaide BarreraMaria Amat-MartinSarah-Jane ButtigiegIndre DabravolskaiteDaniela EspositoEleonora FedeliAugustina ObilanaAdachukwu OdiliFederica OrsiniGaia PumaFiammetta RossottoWeronika RostkowskaIzabela Zaremba

Funeral

Catherine Hanifan

Marriage

Akanna Okolie and Gynelle Leon

From the Registers

March 2018 Oremus 25

DIARY AND NOTICES

March 2018Oremus24

DIARYSt David, whose feast day begins the month of March, lived in the sixth century. Tradition assigns him a royal father and a canonised mother (St Non), whilst it is clear that he studied under St Paulinus of York. His missionary work involved the foundation of a number of monasteries, especially that at Menevia, noted for its asceticism. There he died in 589, having served as primate of the church in what is now Wales, of which he is the patron saint.

The Month of MarchHoly Father’s Prayer Intention:

Evangelization: Formation in Spiritual Discernment

That the Church may appreciate the urgency of formation in spiritual discernment, both on the personal and communitarian levels.

Thursday 1 March ST DAVID, Bishop, Patron of Wales

Friday 2 March Friday AbstinenceLent feriaWomen’s World Day of Prayer6.30pm Stations of the Cross

Saturday 3 MarchLent feria6pm Visiting Choir: Schola of the Cardinal Vaughan School

Sunday 4 March Ps Week 33rd SUNDAY OF LENT10.30am Solemn Mass (Full Choir)Palestrina – Missa Emendemus in meliusPalestrina – Peccantem me quotidiePalestrina – Super flumina Babylonis3.30pm Solemn Vespers and BenedictionAndreas – Magnificat octavi toniTallis – Absterge Domine4.30pm Deaf Service Mass (Cathedral Hall)4.45pm Organ Recital: Peter Stevens (Westminster Cathedral)

Monday 5 MarchLent feria

Tuesday 6 MarchLent feria5.30pm Chapter Mass

Wednesday 7 MarchLent feria(Ss Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs)

Thursday 8 MarchLent feria(St John of God, Religious)

Friday 9 March Friday AbstinenceLent feria(St Frances of Rome, Religious)6.30pm Stations of the Cross

Saturday 10 MarchLent feria2.30pm Mass for Bereaved Parents (Bishop McAleenan)4pm Extraordinary Form Mass (Lady Chapel)6pm Victoria Choir sings at Mass

Sunday 11 March Ps Week 44th SUNDAY OF LENT (Laetare Sunday)9am Family Mass10.30am Solemn Mass (Full Choir)Haydn – Missa brevis Sancti loannis de DeoSchütz – Die mit Tränen säenSchütz – Also hat Gott die Welt geliebtOrgan: D Buxtehude – Toccata in F (BuxWV 157)3.30pm Solemn Vespers and BenedictionAndreas – Magnificat primi toniSchütz – Wie lieblich sind deine WohnungenOrgan: J S Bach – Passacaglia (BWV 582)4.45pm Organ Recital: Jonathan Allsopp (Westminster Cathedral)

Monday 12 MarchLent feria

Tuesday 13 MarchLent feria

Wednesday 14 MarchLent feria

Thursday 15 MarchLent feria

Friday 16 March Friday AbstinenceLent feria6.30pm Stations of the Cross

Saturday 17 MarchST PATRICK, Bishop, Patron of Ireland

Sunday 18 March Ps Week 15th SUNDAY OF LENT10.30am Solemn Mass (Full Choir)Magnus Williamson – Missa tertiaPalestrina – Tribulationes civitatumPalestrina – O bone Iesu 3.30pm Solemn Vespers and Benediction Bevan – Magnificat quarti toniByrd – Aspice Domine4.45pm Organ Recital: Peter Stevens (Westminster Cathedral)

Monday 19 March ST JOSEPH, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin

Mary, Patron of the Diocese5pm Solemn Second Vespers (Men’s voices)5.30pm Solemn Mass (Full Choir)Victoria – Missa O quam gloriosumMawby – Iustus ut palmaEtt – Te Ioseph celebrentOrgan: D Buxtehude – Praeludium in C (BuxWV 137)

Tuesday 20 MarchLent feria

Wednesday 21 MarchLent feria7.30pm Concert: J S Bach – St John Passion

Thursday 22 MarchLent feria2pm St Vincent de Paul School Passion Play

Friday 23 March Friday AbstinenceLent feria(St Turibius of Mogrovejo, Bishop)Day of Prayer for the Victims and Survivors of Abuse6.30pm Stations of the Cross

Saturday 24 MarchLent feria

Sunday 25 March Ps Week 2 PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD10am Blessing of Palms in Cathedral Hall,Procession and Solemn Mass (Full Choir)Malcolm – Ingrediente DominoAnerio – Christus factus estMalcolm – Passion according to MarkByrd – Ne irascaris, Agnus Dei (Mass for Five Voices),Civitas sancti tui 12.15pm Sung Mass3.30pm Solemn Vespers and BenedictionLassus – Magnificat octavi toniGibbons – Hosanna to the son of David – Gibbons4.45pm Organ Recital: Couperin and De Grigny Series No.6Martin Baker (Westminster Cathedral)

Monday 26 MarchMONDAY OF HOLY WEEK

Tuesday 27 MarchTUESDAY OF HOLY WEEKNo 10.30am, 12.30pm and 1.05pm Masses

12pm Chrism Mass (Full Choir)Schubert – Mass in GSchütz – Die mit Tränen säenMawby – Ave verum corpusOrgan: Felix Mendelssohn – Con moto maestoso, Sonata No.3 in A (Op. 65)

Wednesday 28 MarchWEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK3.30pm Vespers (broadcast on Radio 3)

Thursday 29 MarchMAUNDY THURSDAY6pm Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Full Choir)Byrd – Mass for four voicesDuruflé – Ubi caritas et amorByrd – Ave verum corpus – Byrd8.30pm Watching at the Altar of Repose until Midnight11.45pm Compline

Friday 30 March Fast and AbstinenceGOOD FRIDAY10am Office of Readings 12noon Walk of Witness (from Methodist Central Hall)3pm Solemn Celebration of the Lord’s Passion (Full Choir)Bruckner – Christus factus estByrd – Passion according to JohnVictoria – ImproperiaKing John IV of Portugal – Crux fidelisLotti – Crucifixus a 8Casals – O vos omnes Tallis – Lamentations of Jeremiah6.30pm Stations of the Cross

Saturday 31 March Fast as DesiredHOLY SATURDAY10am Office of Readings8.30pm The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night (Full Choir)Lassus – Iubilate Deo omnis terraReid – Exodus canticlePalestrina – Sicut cervusVierne – Messe solennelle in C sharp minorPhilips – Ecce vicit Leo

Easter Sunday Masses are at the usual times; for further details, see flyers available in the Cathedral, or visit the Cathedral website: www.westminstercathedral.org.uk.

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.

What Happens and WhenPublic 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: 11.00am-1.00pm; and 4.30-7.00pm. Monday-Friday: 11.30am-6.00pm. Public Holidays: 11.00am- 1.00pm.Sacred Heart Church, Horseferry Road SW1P 2EF: Sunday Mass 11.00am, Weekday Mass Thursday 12.30pmFunerals: 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.

Throughout the YearMondays: 11.30am: Prayer Group in the HinsleyRoom. 6.30pm: Guild of the Blessed Sacrament in the CathedralTuesdays: 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 monthin 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 inthe 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.

Westminster CathedralCathedral Clergy House42 Francis StreetLondon SW1P 1QW

Telephone 020 7798 9055Service times 020 7798 9097Email chreception@rcdow.org.ukwww.westminstercathedral.org.uk

Cathedral ChaplainsCanon Christopher TuckwellAdministratorFr Martin Plunkett, Sub-Administrator Fr Julio Albornoz Fr Andrew BowdenFr Michael DonaghyFr Andrew Gallagher, PrecentorFr Michael QuaicoeFr John Scott, Registrar

Sub-Administrator’s InternOliver Delargy

Also in residenceFranciscan Sisters of Our Ladyof Victories

Music DepartmentMartin Baker, Master of MusicPeter Stevens, Assistant Masterof MusicJonathan Allsopp, Organ Scholar

Cathedral ManagerPeter McNulty

Estates ManagerNeil Fairbairn

Chapel of EaseSacred Heart ChurchHorseferry Road SW1P 2EF

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St David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire

Across: 1 Absolve 6 Sub 8 Mawby 9 Eclipse 10 Smith 11 Gratia 13 Lignum 15 Sacred 17 Pastor 20 Pieta 21 Ogilvie 23 House 24 See 25 Bernini

Down: 1 Asperges 2 Stella 3 Lamp 4 Ember 5 Swastika 6 Syrian 7 Bach 12 Irenaeus 14 Marcelli 16 Crèche 18 Tivoli 19 Horeb 20 Pius 22 Igor

Oremus 27 March 2018Oremus26

THE FRIENDS OF WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL CROSSWORD AND POEM

March 2018

MaryRocks the dead JesusBack to sleep, and He

Absents Himself a spell,Solemnly to oversee

The harrowing of Hell.

‘LullyLulla, my child, my Son,King of the stars, you fall,Once more, to earth. Leap

As when you leapt in me, callAdam and Eve from sleep;

MarryThe flesh and soil and stars

Of your colossal workInto one tiny body: oursAnd yours: newly awake

Beneath Death's sunken scars.‘

(Lily,Unbending as a Cross,

How can we bear the sight Of you? Your pallor, asA bowl of icon-light

Bathes us in fragrancesWe dare not undertake to breatheOn our inevitable shore of death:

Only adore, only believe.)

Ian Coleman

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

Clues Across 1 As priest, enable the removal of sin from penitent’s soul (7) 6 ‘--- Pontio Pilato passus et sepultus est…’ Credo (3)8 Colin, contemporary composer and former Master of Music in the

Cathedral (5)9 Total or partial covering of the sun, particularly by the moon (7) 10 Square in London where St. John’s Church is situated, home to Radio 3 Concerts (5)11 ‘Ave Maria, ------ plena’ [Hail Mary] (6)13 ‘Ecce ------ crucis in quo salus mundi pependit’ [This is the wood of

the Cross..] Good Friday Liturgy (6)15 Devotion to the ------ Heart promoted by the visionary nun St

Margaret Mary Alacoque (6) 17 ‘------ Bonus’, The Good Shepherd (6)20 Depiction of the BVM holding the body of her Son after the Crucifixion, notably by Michelangelo (5)21 St. John -------, Scottish Jesuit martyr [d.1615], Feast Day 10 March (7)23 ‘----- of Gold’ (‘Domus aurea’), Litany of the Blessed Virgin (5)24 Look, a bishopric! (3)25 Sculptor of the baldachin (canopy) over the high altar of St Peter’s,

Rome (7)

Clues Down1 ‘-------- me, Domine, hyssopo…’ sprinkling of holy water before

Mass, words over font at Cathedral entrance (8) 2 ‘------ matutina’ (Morning Star), Litany of the Blessed Virgin (6) 3 Illumination with reserve oil carried at midnight by the wise virgins [Mattew 25] (4)4 ‘----- Days’ in specific week (Wed, Fri, Sat.) reserved for fasting and abstinence in each season (5)5 Symbol of Nazis in World War II, curiously a type of cross (8) 6 Nationality of a native of the Holy Land (6)7 Composer of the St. Matthew Passion (4)12 Early Saint from Lyons (d.202/3) and Doctor of the Church (8)14 ‘Missa Papae --------’ Palestrina’s most popular Mass dedicated to an

early Pope, (8)16 Nursery where infants are cared for (6)18 World-famous Italian Renaissance gardens near Rome (6)19 Mount where The Ten Commandments were given to Moses (5)20 Pope (X) and Saint at the time of consecration of Westminster

Cathedral (4) 22 ---- Stravinsky, composer whose works include Symphony of Psalms (4)

ANSWERS

Alan Frost: February 2018

Pietà

The Harrowing of Hell, from the Vaux Passional

© National Library of Wales

As I write we are preparing for the St Patrick’s Night event on Saturday 17 March. Ticket sales have been a bit slow, so please do get booking! If we can’t justify the costs and the upfront expense, we may have to cancel. Thank you to the brave quizzers who tackled the Quiz and Curry night on Tuesday 6 February. It was a great success and all those who attended said that they enjoyed the quiz with a difference. We are very grateful to quiz setter Barbara Smith for all her help with the evening. Claudette Dawkins produced a delicious curry, plus naan bread. It really was an enjoyable evening. My thanks go to Judith for the authentic ‘Curry House’ music.

In January I said that we were looking to arrange a trip to Oxford with the express purpose of visiting C S Lewis’ house in Headington, which is now open to the public under special arrangement. I am delighted to say that this is now organised for Tuesday 17 April. In the morning we will be visiting Christ Church – Aedes Christi, ‘The House’ and the alma mater of St

Christina White

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

Thomas More and Sebastian Flyte (to follow the literary connections) – with a tour of the college and gardens, and, I very much hope, Catholic Mass in the Cathedral to be celebrated by Canon Christopher. This is under arrangement at the time of writing. Our timing will be a little tight, so I have arranged lunch at the famous Trout Inn in Wolvercote. This removes the problem of trying to get everyone back to one meeting place after lunch. Oxford gets very busy in spring and summer. There are lunch options, so please ask when booking.

After lunch, the coach will take us on to Headington for a guided tour of the Kilns and also a quick visit to Holy Trinity cemetery where C S Lewis is buried. The house is now used by scholars of Lewis, so we will be in good hands for the visit. I do hope we get a fine day. I had cause to be in Oxford last month on a sad occasion but on a lovely spring day; and the sun shining makes all the difference. We are also in the process of arranging a very special Friends’ event at The Speaker’s House

on Wednesday 25 April. This will only be open to paid-up members of the Friends. If you are worried about a lapsed membership, please ring the office now and we can check your subscription. Coming up, we also have an interview with Lady Antonia Fraser, who will be talking about her new book The King and the Catholics: The Fight for Rights 1829. Professor Andrew Sanders, vice-chairman of the Friends, will be the interlocutor for the evening. The book is published on Friday 18 May this year. The date for this event will be confirmed later this month; please do keep checking the newsletter and the website for updated details.

Narnia, the House and the Speaker’s House

Forthcoming EventsSaturday 17 March 2018: St Patrick’s Night Celebration with all proceeds going to the Cathedral Hall Appeal. Doors open at 6.30pm. Hot Irish supper, live band and dancing. Tickets £25. Gallery tickets (no food) £15. There will be free seating unless you pre-book a table of eight or more. Maximum table size 10.

Tuesday 17 April 2018: Christ Church and the C S Lewis House in Oxford. The coach will depart from outside Clergy House, 42 Francis Street at 8am prompt. Lunch is included; please ask for the options when booking. Numbers are limited, so early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment. Tickets £52

The sanctuary and high altar of the Cathedral Church of Christ

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March 2018 Oremus 29

ST VINCENT DE PAUL SCHOOL

March 2018Oremus28

FIFTY AND ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO

At the time of my first visit to Lourdes, some 40 years ago, the ‘Basilica’ or pilgrimage church over the Grotto, had been only recently finished; the photographs obtainable still showed the scaffolding around the spire. The church itself is characteristic of a French pilgrims’ church, of Gothic style, with bright and sparkling ornamentation … An unusual detail for a church is seen over one of the side altars, where two large railway engines are carved in stone, apparently pushing each other, front to front, with steam full on. The event commemorated is a collision of a pilgrimage train some 30 or 40 years ago in which, providentially, no lives were lost.

The services are carried out very elaborately, in characteristically French fashion, all the serving boys being dressed in blue cassock below their cottas, and each wears a blue skull-cap. On a grand Benediction night the number of candles throughout the church is very large; by an arrangement of gun-cotton prepared beforehand they all light themselves simultaneously, and apparently automatically … The shrine was then half a mile from the town, though one or two hotels had already arisen in its neighbourhood. Since that time the town has spread right down the hill, and a service of tramways is in full working order, connecting shrine, town and railway station. In front of the Basilica, on a lower level, has been built the spacious Church of the Rosary, which is only used in times of large pilgrimages, but which is so cleverly designed that when it is out of use its very existence is hardly observed, for it is worked ingeniously into the general scheme which forms the approach to the Basilica above. Besides space for a large congregation, it also contains accommodation for some hundred or two priests to say Mass at the same time.

from Recollections of Lourdes by Bernard Ward, Bishop of Brentwood in Westminster Cathedral Chronicle March 1918

Imagine a pagan suddenly converted to the faith having known nothing about our religion until that moment. He would easily gain a false impression of the past. Reading much of the contemporary religious writing he would form a strange picture of what the Church used to be like. He might be forgiven for imagining that before the Second Vatican Council the Church was dead to spiritual works, the Bible a closed book, the clergy untrained and completely inefficient, and the Catholic laity cowed and paralysed. If we had to give a very short answer to one who asked was the Church really like that we would need only to point to the Society of St Vincent de Paul … It is a characteristic of the Vincentians that they have little to say but a great deal to do … You do not advertise yourselves or your good works. You are the Silent Service of the Church of God.

From An Address to the Society of St Vincent de Paul by Cardinal Heenan in the Westminster Cathedral News Sheet March 1968

In my View – St Joseph’s ChapelIn retrospect: from the Cathedral ChronicleB.W.K. writes of the history of Catholic soldiers in the British Army and of the long struggle to obtain recognition and equality:

No Catholic ‘Tommy’ could think of obtaining a commission. Before the end of the struggle, Mr Henry Howard (1757-1842) of Corby Castle endeavoured to claim this right as an English gentleman, and was refused. Not till the fear and fury of the French Revolution blew every other consideration and prejudice to the winds and every sword and bayonet were wanted in the new warfare that threatened to engulf Europe, was a long-standing wrong righted and Catholics of these realms could enter the military and naval service of the Crown with some prospect of promotion. In 1807 all ranks to that of Colonel in the Army were thrown open, and 10 years later – thanks to the persistent agitation of Captain White R.N. – was passed the Act which made Catholic officers of both services eligible for every grade.

It may seem strange, but it is none the less true, that 80 years ago there were far more Catholics in the British Army than there were just prior to the present Great War. Ireland, despite its internal troubles and anti-English traditions, was the source whence our rulers drew ‘the stalwart arms that drove the bayonets through the phalanxes that had never yielded to the shock of war’, to quote Sheil’s famous eulogy on the Irish Regiments and their prowess at Waterloo. A parliamentary return of about 1836 set down the Catholics of the land service at about 60,000 out of a total military strength that did not much exceed 95,000.

But though numerically so strong, the Catholic soldier of the period was spiritually almost destitute. In the closing years of the 18th century, when Irish Militia regiments were brought over to this country for garrison duty during the great French war, the soldiers marched to Mass every Sunday if there happened to be a chapel in the garrison town. At such depots as North Shields this ‘Church Parade’ of the ‘Roman Catholic Soldiers’ became a weekly sight much looked forward to by the townsfolk. In 1814 Prince Frederick, Duke of York – though he so bitterly opposed political emancipation, he was a friend to toleration – issued an Army Order which made this attendance at Mass, where possible, the right of every officer and man ‘of the Roman Catholic persuasion’. Forty years later, under the stress of the Crimean War, regular Catholic chaplains were appointed – an event which may be regarded as the last step in the struggle for equality and fair-play in a service which has always had so great an attraction for the more dashing and daring among our co-religionists.

from Catholics and the British Army – A Retrospect, in Westminster Cathedral Chronicle March 1918

Alexandre, Year 5

The Cathedral is next to my school and I usually go there whenever I am waiting for Football Club. My Dad and I always go there because we find the Cathedral fascinating, especially the mosaics. I find them beautiful because of all the gold. My Dad says that whoever created them must have a creative imagination, great artistic talent and my Dad should know, because he cuts and polishes stones for bathrooms and kitchens, but if he makes one single mistake, he has to start again, that’s why he and I admire the Cathedral so much.

In the chapel of St Joseph, the mosaic of the Holy Family really stands out because of the glistening gold and the curve of the apse makes the Holy Family cover the whole chapel. You can see Mary’s and Joseph’s hands on Jesus’ shoulder, hugging and protecting him. Mary’s hands are gentle and delicate, while Joseph’s hands look strong, they remind me of my Dad’s hands because Joseph and my Dad have hands that have to work very hard. A carpenter and a man who works with stone both have tough hands!

I know that the mosaics are a modern work because they were only completed in 2003 and 2006, which is one year before I was born! I think Christopher Hobbs and my Dad are very talented because they both produce beautiful stonework, which makes people feel happy and surprised with the finished work. The peach blossom coloured marble, which is very rare, has been put in the chapel to honour the Holy Family. The marble makes me feel very warm and welcomed.

That same chapel is the place where Cardinal Hinsley was buried and you can still visit it today. People go there to pray to St Joseph, they might pray to him if they are looking for a new job because he is the patron saint of all workers, or they may pray for people who are dying because he is the patron saint of a happy death, he is also the protector of

families and the Church; so somebody may ask him to look after their families. They also might remember the Cardinal who gave words of encouragement in the Second World War to the country on the radio and he went out to visit the soldiers on the battlefield. Sometimes he even gave the soldiers a little cross to remind them of their faith and Jesus who always loves them. He was a strong man in his own way like my Dad and St Joseph.

The entrance of the chapel is made of bronze gilt gates, which is bronze covered in a thin layer of gold. I think they represent the gate to heaven and they make the chapel very grand. The final thing above your head is the roof of the chapel, which is in the pattern of a basket. This reminds us that St Joseph was a carpenter and wove baskets because it was part of his job.

I think the best time to go to the chapel of St Joseph is during March because his feast day is on March 19, or while you are waiting for football practice!

Eight Thames Bridges Walk

Contact Flora for a sponsorship form and more information on 07375 649160

The 8 Thames Bridges Sponsored Walk in aid of Filipino Children with Disabilities in Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya, in the Philippines, will be held on Saturday 3 March 2018.

This year's sponsored walk marks its 10th anniversary The fund-raising event was initiated by the late Eric Considine in 2008. ‘Eric's Walking Team’ will meet on the steps of Westminster Cathedral at 10.30am, with the walk starting promptly at 11am. Participants walk at their own pace and normally finish within three hours, with a get-together in the Cathedral Cafe for refreshments after the walk. We warmly welcome all to share in supporting this worthwhile project.

2018

Bambang Sunshine Project

THE MONKS OF TIBHIRINE THE MONKS OF TIBHIRINE

Seven Candles for Seven Martyrs: Inspiration for a RetreatAnthony Weaver

March 2018 Oremus 31

who lived and was martyred in this diocese and like the Trappist monks of Tibhirine, Bishop John does not see his ministry as based on making converts. Conversions to Christianity are extremely rare in Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. In Algeria they are almost unknown.

In his homily at the Ordination Mass, Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, himself a British member of the Missionaries of Africa, reminded Bishop John that he would be charged with caring for ‘not only those who come to work in the oilfields, but also African students or migrants crossing the Sahara and dreaming of a better life’. Quoting Canon Law, the Archbishop went on to say that: ‘[the bishop] is to consider non-baptized as being committed to him in the Lord, so that there may shine upon them the charity of Christ for whom the bishop must be a witness before all (Canon 383 #4)’. Bishop John will indeed have the desert as his Cathedral and will be piloting the barque of the local church over a sea of sand, or, perhaps, crossing dunes.

Twenty-two years after our retreat in Galicia when we first heard of the martyrdom of the monks, a retreat has been organised in the south of France for later this year which will celebrate Christian-Muslim encounter in the context of Blessed Charles de Foucauld and the monks Christian, Christophe, Luc, Michel, Bruno, Celestin and Paul.

A sharp-eyed lady in our retreat group peered through the gloom of the vast abbey church in Galicia and asked me why seven candles, grouped together on the high altar, were lit. It was May 1996 and our group had travelled north from Santiago de Compostela to visit the Trappist Monastery of Sobrado de los Monjes. I could not answer her question; the monks had abandoned the cavernous and freezing old church for a modern community chapel, so the candles had not been lit for a Mass, or any monastic Office. I asked Santiago, one of the monks, and he explained that the community had just received news from the office of the Abbot General in Rome that seven Trappist monks had been murdered at Tibhirine, Algeria. This was the first time that I heard of the monks of Tibhirine.

Fast forward to January 2018, and the news from Rome is that the seven monks are about to be beatified as part of a group of 19 priests and religious killed by Islamists in Algeria in the 1990s.Their martyrdom had never been in doubt for those who saw the French film Des Dieux et des hommes (Of Gods and Men), released in 2010 and winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes that year. Directed by Xavier Beauvois (the DVD is easy available on Amazon at less than £5), the film focuses on the dilemma facing the monks: Should they risk their lives by remaining at Tibhirine in solidarity with their Muslim neighbours and the tiny beleaguered Christian community? Or should they leave and seek refuge in a safer location ?

On the night of the kidnapping there were nine monks in the monastery and the kidnappers, thinking there were only seven, left without Frs Amedée and Jean-Pierre. The Prior, Fr Charles-Marie Christian de Chergé, had written his spiritual testament some time before, contemplating his fate as a victim of the terrorism ‘which now seems ready to encompass all the foreigners living in Algeria’, making it clear that ‘I could not desire such a death’,but desiring

Our venue in October will be the beautiful small town of Viviers, on the banks of the Rhône and home to the smallest cathedral in France. Our retreat-giver, Dom Martin McGee, a Benedictine monk of Worth, is an expert on Algeria, a long-standing friend of Bishop John MacWilliam and has written both Dialogue of the Heart: Christian-Muslim Stories of Encounter, 2015) and Christian Martyrs for a Muslim People, 2008), both available via Amazon. Our accommodation will be in the large and well-appointed Diocesan Retreat House, formerly the Grand Seminaire where Blessed Charles de Foucauld was ordained priest on Sunday 9 June 1901. Our 10-day retreat holiday will include not only talks and discussions, but excursions to the Trappist Abbey of Aiguebelle, mother house of some of the monks of Tibhirine, and to centres of Christian-Muslim dialogue in both Lyon and Marseille (Viviers is exactly halfway between these cities). France is home to 7,000,000 Muslims. We hope and pray that our retreat in Viviers later this year will be a blessed time when we respond to the call to meet our Muslim neighbours as sons and daughters of Abraham.

to ‘immerse my gaze in that of the Father, to contemplate with him his children of Islam just as he sees them’ and ending by forgiving his murderer, so that ‘we find each other, happy “good thieves” in Paradise, if it pleases God, the Father of us both’.

After the massacre of their confrères, the two monks who had escaped regrouped in Morocco, where Fr Jean-Pierre at the age of 87 continues to follow the full monastic round at Notre Dame de l’Atlas, at Midelt, south of Fez. For students of Islam, it is fascinating to contrast the rule of King Mohammed VI in Morocco, with its tradition of Sufi mysticism and relative religious freedom, with the situation in Saudi Arabia, where the Guardian of the Two Mosques adheres to strict Wahabbi teaching.

All the monks at Tibhirine had known what lay in store if they remained, having already experienced an armed invasion of the monastery on Christmas Eve 1993. Their lives had been hanging by a thread, as had that of the great French aristocrat and mystic, Blessed Charles de Foucauld, who had chosen to live among the Tuareg people at Tamanrasset and was murdered in 1916. Just like de Foucauld, the monks had never seen their role as that of missionaries aiming to convert Muslims to Christianity. Their vision was of a servant church, exemplifying St Paul’s insight that Christ’s power shines forth most powerfully in weakness (2 Cor 12.10).

May 2017 saw the episcopal ordination in the church of Worth Abbey, Sussex, of a former British Army officer, John MacWilliam, who had joined the Missionaries of Africa (otherwise known as the White Fathers). As Bishop of Laghouat (Arabic for Oases), his diocese is approximately six times the size of Great Britain, covering most of inland Algeria. There are about 4,500,000 inhabitants, of whom only a few hundred are Christian (mainly expatriate workers and migrants). Like Blessed Charles de Foucauld

Further details of the October retreat are at: www.retreats-beyonddover.com

For the Last Testament of Fr Charles-Marie Christian de Chergé in English: www.firstthings.com/article/1996/08/last-testament

© Michael.joffre/Creative Commons

February 2017Oremus32

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