Radio 1 advice: Holy Communion can feed the whole family

It is usual when tuning into Matt Edmondson's show on Radio 1 to expect a bit of banter and silliness, but the episode that aired earlier this week (Nov 23) was a step too far.

In the end item of the show his guest presenter Pete came up with some suggestions to cut costs while feeding yourself and the family. 

Starting with a weird, but inoffensive description of chewing on Groupon vouchers rather than using them, or eating Jamie's cook books to save a few pence the show was its usual weird and wonderful self. However, the tide changed when the puzzlement of what to feed the family on a Sunday arose. 

Mass. That was the suggestion, to take all the family along to a service where there is "as much wine, bread and wafer to feed an army. A good army - not the Taliban" I kid not.

So what was Pete's advice?

"We don't think like Willy Wonka's special popping chocolate the bread and wine change miraculously in our mouths"

"Join the queue for the free bread and free wine. Go up there's no one checking the queues. Get your bread get your win. Go to the straight of the back of the queue and do it all again."

Matt's response: "So it's like an evangelical all you can eat."

Answer: "Yes but obviously you don't have to pay five quid to that Taiwanese man who I suspect is using his business on the Finchley Road as an illegal DVD farm." 

So does this work Pete?

How could Matt even question him: "You get enough free food to feed the entire family. And obviously at a Catholic Church you get more bang for your buck. 

"Even though you're not paying for it, because the bread and the wine transubstantiate into the actual blood and body of Christ as you eat them." 

Just a little aside here, we don't think as Catholics that like Willy Wonka's special popping chocolate the bread and wine change miraculously in our mouths. The actual change occurs at the altar. 

"So on a good day you can end up eating as much as an entire five Christ."

Matt: "Sounds delicious (Kerching sound) some great tips there Pete."

And there it ended. 

"Mass isn't a homeless shelter for the cast of Twilight." 

As a catholic I'm used to also hearing a myriad of explanations of Holy Communion, it's a hard topic to grasp for newbies or non-Catholics. Do we really eat the body and blood of Christ? Do we believe it is really the flesh of God? 

Of course with a little bit of digging and investigation those curious enough to look would find out that in fact we don't join together at weekends for a cannibalistic slash vampire show down, but we gather for a respectful and moving reason - to share in the body and blood of Christ and to remember he died for our sins. 

Well, this still may sound like Hannibal's birthday party to you, but again breaking it down it means plainly that we don't think we're munching on a bit of leg or a hand we believe the bread and wine have changed in substance rather than the physical things we see. 

Mass isn't a homeless shelter for the cast of Twilight. 

Let me explain. You read books? The book is the substance, the meaning of what we read. In fact we're looking at sheets of paper with words printed on - the physical thing. See? No? What about a football? It's substance is a football - something that a game is formed around, its actual just a lump or plastic or leather. 

We put meanings on things all the time. In Mass we believe that the substance of the bread and wine changes, it means something else. That's the best I can explain it. So shoot me.

I'm not stupid enough to think the presenters misunderstand my faith, but it is shocking they can make others believe factual incorrect facts. Personally, I'm used to jokes regarding the Mass and Holy Communion - I don't mind as long as they're in some way respectful and not incorrect. What I heard here was a lazy attempt at understanding the tradition as well as spouting and spreading wrong information. 

I have hard enough time as it is explaining transubstantiation without Radio 1 entering into the fray to hinder my efforts.

Rant over. 

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Posted in: blog,catholic,complaint,holy communion,Mass,radio 1,transubstantiation

Review: Young Nuns

It was with great anticipation that I sat down with my cuppa to watch Young Nuns, the documentary following two young woman who were looking into joining convents. More so because I know Catherine, she lived at Newman House when I was there, I wondered how this would colour my view when viewing the programme knowing her before the show, and as she was going through it. We'd had cameras in the halls and corridors of Newman House and at Mass filming her, though this footage didn't appear in the episode.

It was refreshing to see a documentary willing to step back and let the story tell itself. It didn't feel as if there were those clunky stereotypes driving the programme as so often befalls views on religious life. Instead we were treated to following Clara and Catherine on their journeys.

Clara was committed from the state, a nice girl but who in the end just couldn't leave her family behind the homesickness being just too much. It was amazing that she felt so much the draw to be with them, that this clashed with her choice of  religious life - she picked an enclosed order.

It really highlighted how a decision that seemed on the surface to be for one, and them alone, was really something that was a decision taken by the whole family. Clara's choice would impact them as much as her. If Clara stayed with the order her parents could only see her twice a year through a grille. The conflict they all suffered was interesting to watch. The words of the mother, the love they had for each was obvious. For such a Catholic family it must have been hard, saying you don't resent God taking away your little girl is one thing, seeing and feeling it is another as was seen when she cried at the very thought.

I was glad that the two girls got to share their views and the producer let them lead the narrative, resisting the urge to force them into clichés and stereotypes, instead letting them blossom, falter and show themselves.

The question that hung over the show was could these young women give everything up for God, to become a nun? The answer sadly appeared no. Not through their own choice, but by circumstances. Clara the love of her family proved too strong. Catherine, was told to reapply in six months giving her more time to decide if this was for her. She had said she was also drawn to family and the idea of marriage, as I said having known her I felt this was best, but that didn't make it any easier to watch her obvious disappointment as she was told 'not now'.

The answer for me was to a question the show did not ask. Perhaps modernity is not in the way of more women entering the life of a nun, but the expectations of us. Even those strong in the faith face the same decisions that woman have faced for years, leaving loved ones behind, whether God is really calling us. Can a programme reveal why some are called and others not. No, but Young Nuns gave an insight into why some end up trying.

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Posted in: blog,catholic,nuns,religion,review,television,young nuns

Tyburn DVD brings back fond memories of convent

Tyburn Convent near Marble Arch

It was only earlier this year that I visited the Tyburn Convent, but now the Sisters have released a DVD, Tyburn Convent Gloria Deo, a 90-minute film by Michael Luke Davies, and I can't wait to re-live the experience. 

I was lucky enough to visit Tyburn Convent at Marble Arch, near the place where hundreds of martyrs were executed for their faith. Now of course the spot is barely recognisable, you'd be hard pushed to know what once happened on the crossing where the cinema and Sainsbury's now stand.

When I went to meet Mother Leioba earlier this year to prep for some filming we were planning to do there she met with a friendly smile and jovial greeting. She took great pleasure in recounting the tales of the age old martyrs who'd escaped the clutches of death, and those who had not been so lucky. 

Tyburn Convent was founded by Marie Adele Garnier, a French woman devoted to both the Sacred Heart of Jesus and adoration of the Eucharist. Marie founded the order 1898 in Montmartre, Paris, but had to flee to London three years later. She re-established the order in England in 1903 at the very spot where many of our martyrs died - the Tyburn tree. 

Beneath the convent there's a crypt full of relics. St John Southworth - who we were making a film about - had rested their before being taken to Westminster Cathedral for a procession and special Mass after his body was recovered. Bones, blood stained cloth and items that belonged to martyrs cover every inch of the walls. 

Mother Leioba explained the journey the martyrs took to their death - showing me the old drawings they have detailing the path they travelled. What I found interesting was the white washing of the whole incident. So many were killed at that crossing, but every attempt was made to make sure people were unaware of it. Even now how many know about the Tyburn martyrs? 

It was eye opening see the old maps, Oxford Street was once Tyburn Street. Hyde Park Place, was previously - you guess it, Tyburn Place. Every road that led to that fatal spot had once held the same name. After those in power realised what they had done, the road names were changed. 

It wasn't until years later when some road works were being carried out that the terrible truths of the Tyburn deaths were uncovered. The men working on road digging around the Marble Arch area hit a stumbling block - they couldn't dig any further. Battling on they found a solid wall of compacted bodies. Skeletons piled high - the Tyburn martyrs remains. Later, further works carried out unearthed more mass graves finally bringing to light the extent of the massacre. 

While you may not hear anything about this horrible part of our history in any classroom, the Tyburn Sisters act as the gatekeepers to the site. Diligently working to spread the story of the martyrs, making sure their lives are not forgotten. Mother Leioba was the Hans Christen Anderson of the Catholic world. Spilling out stories of each one of them, each as engaging as the next. 

I left feeling that I could have spent hours longer down in the Crypt unearthing the tales of the long dead martyrs. Such inspiring stories of men and women converting knowing they would be killed, people protecting priests at risk to their lives, speeches so powerful they bring a tear to your eye. 

All of this is kept down in a small room beneath the Marble Arch tube station. The low rumble of the trains shaking the walls is the only disturbance in the quiet of the convent, reminding the visitors that real life is out there still - a place that felt strange when I emerged from the depths of the crypt. I can definitely say it's worth a visit if you haven't been - and now if you can't you can watch the DVD!

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Posted in: catholic,catholic church,convent,dvd,maries adele garnier,nun,sisters,st john southworth,tyburn convent,tyburn sisters,tyburn tree

Papal Visit: pondering on the past helps us going forward

I've been sitting on writing this post for awhile - well since the Mass of thanksgiving for the Papal Visit - not for any particularly profound reason, just because I'm not sure how I feel now a year has passed since the Pope's state visit to the UK. 

Pope Benedict XVI

Last  Sunday I gathered with other Catholics to remember the Pope's visit to the UK. Strangely it doesn't seem that long ago that the Pope was stepping off that plane, visiting Westminster Cathedral and speaking to thousands of people who were calling out his name in Cofton Park, but in other ways it seems like the person experiencing the mayhem of those few days wasn't me at all.

Certainly the Mass brought home how far I've journeyed since those four days. I'm no longer an intern with the Diocese of Westminster, I'm now back to pouring over books pretending to study and nursing a case of repetitive strain injury from all the writing I've been doing - so it's easier to see why those intense couple of days seem far removed from my life now.

Thankfully Masses like the thanksgiving Mass at the Cathedral remind us - especially me - that the Pope did visit us. Archbishop Nichols reminded us of the Pope's message, his words of wisdom. His gentle manner, his powerful words that struck such a chord with everyone who heard them. 

Perhaps the anniversary could not come at a better time, with the likes of Dawkins rallying cries peppered throughout the 'papers as he dons the cape for another crusade against faith in schools and well faith in general. 

It is always good to hark back and read the Pope's words again, mull over them and ponder on them again. After all reflecting on what has been prepares us what is to come.

Note: you can find out what everyone has been up to after the papal visit on the CBCEW website. They've reported some events that ran to celebrate a year on from the Papal visit, Archbishop Nichols' homily and message for Home Mission Sunday, and people share stories and memories a year on. Visit http://www.thepapalvisit.co.uk/

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Posted in: cathedral,catholic,catholic church,cofton park,diocese of westminster,papal visit,pope,pope benedict,westminster,westminster cathedral

Papal visit: A year on

On Sunday I traveled into London for the Mass of Thanksgiving for the Papal Visit – an anniversary celebration to mark a year since the Holy Father’s state visit to Britain.

The Mass was a wonderful celebration of the busy year the Catholic Church has had following the visit of the Holy Father. It’s amazing that a year has passed since I was stood in Westminster Cathedral celebrating Mass with thousands of other pilgrims and Catholics along with the Pope. It was a great opportunity – and reminder of what we can achieve – to get together again and simply ‘be Catholic’. Hopefully everyone went away feeling that the Papal Visit is not just something we will mark each year as something that has passed, but something that we can act on, build on and live out. WYD made this possible, now we have to look for new ways to spread this spirit of faith.

The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, who presided and preached at the Mass,provided suggestions in his Homily on how to act on our faith and ensure the message from the papal visit continues into the next year.

His homily drew on young people’s reflections on the papal visit and how we should life our lives following those four days last year.

In his Homily he said that the anniversary was “a moment of hope and confidence in the gifts that our Catholic faith offers to our world.”

Deepening a life of prayer

The Archbishop focused on the importance of prayer in our lives. He said that the message brought by Pope Benedict included an encouragement for Catholics to give  witness to the beauty of holiness, to the splendour of the truth and to the joy and freedom born of a relationship with Jesus Christ. This witness, he said, would best grow through a deepening of a life of prayer.

“Only prayer roots us in Christ. Only prayer sustains the poise and purpose in life that becomes a witness to the reality of God’s presence. Only prayer produces the reverence we are to show to all things holy. Only prayer sustains the space and silence our spirits need if we are indeed to be guided and formed by God’s Holy Spirit. As Cardinal Newman said: without prayer we cannot “radiate Christ; we become just another ‘clashing symbol’ in a world filled with growing noise and confusion.”

“In the words of Pope Benedict, prayer is simply being in silent inward communion with God at the heart of our thinking, our meditating, and our being. Prayer is letting the Lord have the right of free speech.”

Moral Values

Archbishop Nichols also recalled Pope Benedict’s call during his State Visit for clearer moral values, needed for a peaceful and harmonious society.

He particularly drew attention to the recent riots. He said: “Scandals in the world of the media and the violence and looting on the streets of some English cities in mid-August revealed how profoundly true his observations were. He said, “If the moral principles underpinning the democratic process are themselves determined by nothing more solid than social consensus, then the fragility of the process becomes all too evident.”

He reminded us of the Holy Father’s ability to challenge us with questions by asking:  “Where is the ethical foundation for (political) choices to be found?”

He told us that “Catholic tradition maintains that the objective norms governing right action are accessible to reason, prescinding from the content of revelation.”

He added: “Our Catholic faith, illuminating reason, gives us that gift. We see life whole when we recognise the true nature of the unborn child. We see life whole when we see in every pupil not only a future contributor to our economic prosperity, not only a future parent and leader, but also a spiritual being whose deepest needs and surest happiness can be answered only in the mystery of God and in a personal relationship with Him. We see life whole when we recognise the limited value of our personal experience as the criterion of moral truth. We see life whole when we recognise that the well-being of every human person has to be at the centre of our economic life, the ultimate purpose of our striving and the measure by which we are to judge success. We see life whole when, in sickness and terminal illness, we both treasure life as it is and do not fear death when it comes, so that we neither deny the dignity of life at its endings, nor fail to welcome our journey to God when He calls.”

The full Homily and audio are on the www.rcdow.org.uk website.

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Posted in: archbishop vincent nichols,catholic,catholic church,diocese of westminster,papal visit,pope,pope benedict,westminster cathedral

A tale of two translations

We're now two weeks in, and everything seems to be running smoothly. No massive hiccups, no hissy fits and no mistakes - what am I talking about? The new mass translation of course. 

new Mass translation/Mazur

At the beginning of September all Masses begun using the new translation in some parts of the Mass, and from Advent the whole Mass will be said using the new translation.


In my parish there seems to be a genuine excitement about saying the Mass and the new responses. It's also provided an ideal opportunity for the priest to explain why we say what we do, and what it all means. There is usually a general assumption that we all understand what we're saying - and maybe we do! - but it's also nice to have someone refresh your memory. 


Our parish priest explained before Mass started what changes we could expect, what would be different and reminded us to keep our eyes on the cards for now as we're bound to get muddled. He was right. Despite his explanation, just a few lines into Mass and he was met with a chorus of 'and also with you' and mixed murmurings of 'and with your spirit'. 


I have to own up and say I wasn't one of those who got it right. 


But calling on some of the Dunkirk spirit we picked ourselves up, shame faced and a little embarrassed, and with a giggle or too we tried again. The rest of Mass we responded correctly. 


Of course, for now, we're all clutching our Mass cards as if they hold the secret to life! It's inevitable that with any big shift from the familiar that we'll all be nervous and unsure, but if tonight's Mass is anything to go by we needn't worry. Apart from some of us making the same automatic responses - again - we did quite well. 


We have until Advent to learn our new responses and ease into the changes so before then it's homework time. Rote learning the prayers.


Alongside the move to a more accurate Mass we're also being treated to homilies explaining what the Mass is all about. Priests are taking the time worn tradition and revealing a trove of theological treasures to parishioners that just wasn't possible before.  


Take 'and with your spirit', for years we've droned 'and also with you' - the equivalent of tipping your cap to our Father as if we were saying 'you too, mate'. We might as well have been greeting a friend in a pub. For some reason I have the image of those Victorian caps being nodded to God...


So how come 'and with your spirit' is better? it doesn't exactly trip off the tongue, but it was the ancient greeting used by Christians: et cum spiritu tuo. It makes an appearances a few times in the Bible: Pauline Epistles: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit brethren. Amen” (Gal 6:18; cf Phil 4:23; Philemon 25); “The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you” (2 Tim 4:22).


The Catholic Herald have a great explanation of why 'and with your spirit' is such an important change, it's well worth a read. 


But this isn't the only amendment to the Mass that we'll notice over the next few weeks. Most are fairly obvious: 'Lord I'm not worthy for you to enter under my roof' - the words of the Centurion from the Bible is one of them. 


The switching of 'one body' to consubstantial is one that had left many people scratching their heads. It's an old Latin word used to describe the relationship between the Divine persons of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit - the idea that all three are 'one being'. While we may have said  'and of one body' in the Creed for the last 40 years the use of 'consubstantial' had me puzzled. Isn't it essentially the same thing? It was only after a wonderful sermon by our parish priest and a bit of reading that I came around from the view it was archaic (and a bit of a tongue twister). it goes without saying that everything has been changed for a reason.


Essentially the new Mass translation aims to take us back to the scripture, to reconnect what we say in the Mass with the words of God and the original Christians. There is something truly humbling and overwhelming in thinking that amending a few words in a text that has become so familiar to us could possibly help us gain so much more from the Mass. That in using the same words the early Christians most likely used we are echoing age old tradition and remembering those who have come before us. 


As usual I'm getting carried away in a romantic ideal of what the Mass could achieve. But for once I have the hopeful feeling that this time it's less of a idealistic notion, but something that will actually become a reality. 


As your parish priest takes to the pulpit this weekend listen carefully, take the booklets, guides and explanations of why the changes have been made. Soak it all up, because if we embrace the unfamiliar we can rejuvenate the Mass and take it back to its roots. 


Now wouldn't that be something worth aspiring to?

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Posted in: advent,arundel and brighton,bible,burgess hill,catholic,catholic church,catholic herald,Mass,new mass translation,parish,spirit

Guestview: World Youth Day, from carnival atmosphere to silent prayer

WYD Opening Mass/Jo-Anne Rowney

World Youth Day has officially begun! It’s been a week since our group from London first arrived in Spain. Back then, hot and tired, I couldn’t even begin to comprehend the events that we’d experience and the amazing atmosphere we’re part of.

The WYD events began with an opening Mass on the Plaza de Cibeles on Wednesday. There was a carnival atmosphere when we arrived in the square. Each nationality had its own flag and everyone was waving them until the sky became a sea of colour. Pilgrims wearing brightly coloured shirts, rosaries, crucifixes and their WYD badges filled the square over the next two hours. The square itself became so crowded people were shoulder to shoulder. The sun was right overhead, beating down on us so for the Londoners used to the rain and cold it was a bit of a change!

I soon met Filipino pilgrims had just arrived after 12 hours flight.  Imelda, from Manila said: “It’s like a carnival. Everyone has so much energy and there’s this buzz that I can’t put into words.” In the underground after the Mass, Imelda’s carriage was still in the party spirit: “There were chants of Viva la Papa! and songs being sung in many languages. We even sang the old WYD songs!”

Then silence. Once Mass began, a hush fell over the square. It’s an amazing sight and sound. when nearly half a million young people fall into complete silence before God.  The only sound during the Mass was the choir. Even more beautiful and amazing weres the pilgrims queuing for confession around the edge of the crowds, where open-air confessionals were set up in the parks nearby for pilgrims.

While some pilgrims are staying in hotels, others are camping out or have been bundled into school halls. Catherine, from the English Faith Movement said: “There’s about 70 of us in a hall, sharing minimal facilities. It’s a pilgrim experience in the truest sense. Just having the basics while we’re here to grow in prayer and faith.”

“It’ll all be worth it when the Pope arrives,” she assures me. “All we’ve been hearing are pilgrims asking each other where they’re going to wait for the Pope to go past. Some are going hours beforehand just to catch a glimpse of him. I heard more than 50,000 people are expected to line the streets!”

The streets are filled with WYD pilgrims. A Scout group have set up a campsite outside my hotel window. A Canadian group that were sleeping on the street endured a tiring flight and no dinner to make the opening Mass because they “wanted to be here, together with all the youth. Showing youth are present in the Church. Together in Christ!”

One pilgrim from Canada told me she felt “an opening of the heart and mind in Madrid” that she had never felt before. “There’s an acceptance of who you are. All your faults your failings. Seeing everyone ready for confession drew me in, and I found myself queuing wondering how I got here. WYD makes you braver. I struggle with confession at home, but here it just seems right. There’s no judgement of who you are, or what you’ve done.”

Dean, from Detroit said: “The mix of silence and stillness against the craziness of the Mass is unbelievable. There’s just you and God – with thousands of others in prayer. It’s a powerful moment when the shouting and cheering, the pure adrenaline drops away leaving you tingling with the joy of being here.”

Natasha Purcell from London couldn’t make it to the square for the opening Mass and ended up watching it on a big screen in a side street with her group. She told me how Canadian, American and English prayed together during the Mass. “None of us have met before, but it doesn’t feel like we’re strangers. There’s an understanding that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. One in Unity and spirit.”

(Pilgrims pray in Ana Mogas Chapel in Madrid, 12 August 2011/Jo-Anne Rowney)

My own pilgrimage echoes these feelings of unity and togetherness. My defining moment came during Adoration, time spent in silence before the Blessed Sacrament – Jesus himself. There was a sense that everything was really beginning.

During a talk earlier in the week we’d been told by Sister Paula, from Verbum Dei, that we should spend time in silence. “To listen to God calling you. He’s knocking. Listen to him” she  said. “Fall in love with God again … open your heart and just say God what do you want with me?”

In the stillness of the Mass, I found myself looking at Jesus, really looking at the crucifix above the altar. In that moment, Sr Paula’s words made sense to me. I felt that love again. A greater love than Romeo and Juliet, Jack and Rose on the Titanic. More than any relationship or friendship. I felt a great peace. I turned and looked at my fellow pilgrims to see if they’d felt the same thing. I was surprised to see some deep in prayer, others crying.

This blog post appeared on FaithWorld on Reuters website - you can find it here. 

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Posted in: catholic,london,madrid,madrid11,plaza de cibeles,religion,spain,vigil,wyd

Young Catholics return from pilgrimage

I was interviewed for the Westminster Chronicle - here's the article. 

Posted by Juliet Eysenck on Aug 26, 11 03:53 PM in News

Young Catholics have returned from a successful pilgrimage to celebrate their faith with the Pope.

Four members of the Westminster Cathedral Youth Group, in Victoria, joined around one million other young pilgrims from around the world to meet the head of the Catholic Church, in Madrid.

They were taking part in World Youth Day, an event organised by the Catholic Church every few years.

Jo-Anne Rowney, 23, who works as an intern for the Diocese of Westminster, attended the event for the first time this summer.

Despite torrential rain as they camped out at the Cuatro Vientos airfield for an evening vigil with Pope Benedict XVI, she said the event helped her "fall in love with God again".

She added: "It was pouring with rain and you could see tents being ripped apart.

"The heavens just opened on us.

"We thought the Pope would go inside but he said, 'My place is with them, I'm going to stay here'.

"People were chanting his name and there was this amazing atmosphere.

"Then the weather just suddenly stopped and it all went deadly silent.

"We all dropped to our knees and we felt so connected to everyone else."

The following morning, on August 21, the Pope returned for a Sunday mass service to an audience of bishops, priests and pilgrims.

"Even though we had a lack of sleep, we were sleeping rough and getting dirty, I realised I would never have such an amazing experience where everything went silent," she said.

"It was like a burning in my chest and it was the moment I fell in love with God again."

The World Youth Day events were slightly marred by protesters demonstrating against the cost of the Pope's visit to Spain.

"There were only once when we were on the metro, when someone was saying how much the Pope's visit was costing Spain," said Ms Rowney.

"But then someone said, 'Do you know how much you're getting from us?', because the towns and restaurants were packed every night.

"It was the only time we came across anyone who was adverse.

"We had lots more people welcoming us and saying how glad they were that we had come.

"There was even an 83-year-old woman who wanted to join us, even though it was meant to be youth day."

A total of 121 young adults represented the Diocese of Westminster, which includes the whole of London and Hertfordshire.

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Posted in: 2011,catholic,catholic church,world youth day

Parish Profile: St Patrick's, Soho Square

For a church that plays such an important role in the community, the entrance to St Patrick’s Church is very unassuming. Walking through the streets of Soho surrounded by bright lights, party music and numerous watering holes, the casual passerby could be forgiven for missing the small portico that leads to one of the oldest Catholic churches in London. Take the time to look inside, however, and you’ll be met with a stunning, newly renovated church. 

St Patrick’s was the first church in England to be built after the Reformation, founded in 1792. During this period the Catholic population in London doubled, so much so that within ten years London’s total regular Mass goers had grown to 150,000 a week.


For many years the majority of St Patrick’s parishioners were poor Irish, but more recently the church has welcomed residents of many other European countries leading to Mass being celebrated every week not only in English but Spanish, Portuguese and Cantonese. 
For the past year, however, Masses have been celebrated in the dining room of the presbytery while parishioners waited patiently for major refurbishment work to the church, costing £3 million, to be completed. 


Reopening its doors


St Patrick’s reopened its doors on 31 May 2011. The reopening came as a relief to parish priest Fr Alexander Sherbrooke. 600 people attended the reopening Mass, 170 were at Vespers, and 200 people attended the Mass of the Ascension. James Conley, Auxiliary Bishop of Denver, and Cardinal Pell from Sydney came over to England to join in the celebrations. 
Fr Alexander said: “They loved being here and said these had been some of the most wonderful days of their lives. People have just been happy to be Catholic.”


Those who have visited St Patrick’s before will understand why the change was so important. Carpets had faded, wallpaper was peeling and the ‘smell of humanity’ lingered in the air. Now the church is a beautiful testimony to the work it does – light, bright and clean.

Fr Alexander said: “People have spoken so clearly about the beauty of the church. People have come up to me and said ‘Wow, now we have a Church in Soho where we can belong and can come and adore the Lord. Thanks Father’. When I’ve been watching people come in to pray, there is a tremendous sense of peace. After years of labour and money-raising people feel that they can commune with God in this place. The love of God, unconditionally into eternity, is a journey all of us are called to. This is now shown at St Patrick’s church in a remarkable way.”


A need for light

One of Fr Alexander’s first moves when he arrived as parish priest nine years ago was to set up Eucharistic Adoration. He explained: “In a place like Soho there is a need to create light, so Eucharistic Adoration is important to St Patrick’s. It acts as a centre to all we do. People can come and be curious and look and see what you are adoring. It draws people in.”
It is this attitude that influences all the parish’s other activities. These range from helping the homeless to evangelising and youth work.

St Patrick’s is home to St Patrick’s Evangelisation School (or SPES, the Latin for “hope”). Students take to the streets to spread the word and evangelise. They speak to people about their faith, offering prayers to those that pass.

From September SPES will be based in the new community centre that will also be home to Open House, which runs every Thursday providing meals for the homeless. St Patrick’s was built two centuries ago with the pennies of the poor, now the poor come to St Patrick’s for help, comfort and a welcoming face.

A centre for evangelisation

Fr Alexander tells me that St Patrick’s is “not just about attracting people who are Catholic”. Quoting Matthew 28:19 he says: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” and reminds me it is our “duty to open our arms” to all who wish to come to church.

“Soho is a very busy part of London and there are an enormous amount of people. We live in a cosmopolitan city and it is important that people find a way into the church, even more so that they find a welcome here,” he explains.

There is clearly an emphasis on evangelising at St Patrick’s. With SPES, outreach projects and a welcoming attitude I ask Fr Alexander how important is the parish’s role as a centre of evangelising.

He says: “I always say the Catholic Church has to be more zealous in evangelisation. St Patrick’s Church and congregation has given us a great confidence to do that.”
More and more people are recognising the role St Patrick’s is playing in the New Evangelisation - a new movement aiming to strengthen and renew our faith in a secular world.

As part of the reopening week celebrations George Weigel, an American author famous for his work on John Paul II, gave a private lecture at St Patrick’s.

Weigel said: “The Church is a mission. Everything the Church does, the Church does to propose Jesus Christ as the answer to the question that is every human life. Everything the Church does, the Church does in order to offer friendship with Jesus Christ as the true means of satisfying the deepest longings of the human heart.”

Fr Alexander hopes this will be reflected at St Patrick’s in the continuing work of the parish. “St Patrick’s hopes to be more of a focus for opportunities for helping people deepen knowledge in faith and teaching,” he says. “We want this to be a place that can give both pastoral outreach and feed the soul.”

In this mission St Patrick’s is already a shining example. With a strong commitment to outreach and a deep spiritual centring to all they do, St Patrick’s will hopefully remain a parish at the forefront of evangelising for many centuries to come.

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Parish Profile: St Mary Magdalen's, Willesden Green

With over 1,050 parishioners as well as 40 active groups and 70 servers St Mary Magdalen, on the  Jubilee line, is a vibrant, active parish, home to a large youth group and hugely diverse ethnic community.

The first Mass on the site was said in 1901 and the parish was formed in 1905, but the church itself wasn’t built until 1939. Newspaper cuttings announcing the grand opening of the church and the original cake slicer Cardinal Hinsley used when he visited hold pride of place in the priest’s house.

St Mary Magdalen's

Parish Priest, Fr Hugh MacKenzie, has been at Willesden Green for nine years, after four years as parish priest at St Mary’s, Chelsea and spending time as a chaplain in Harrow, at St Dominic’s Sixth Form College. It was his wealth of experience working with young people that made Fr Hugh a perfect choice for an active parish looking to develop its youth work. Fr Hugh said: “When I came here it was a committed parish, but the one area they were looking at developing was youth. We spoke to Bishop Alan Hopes because of my background and my involvement with the Faith movement as well as my time as sixth form chaplain they thought I could help.”

The parishioners were keen to provide groups for youth and in one of their planned giving drives they raised £20,000 which enabled the parish to employ a youth worker. They are now on their third youthworker since the initial drive.

Another initiative is a post confirmation group that meets at 5pm on Saturdays, sometimes arriving earlier to do charitable work and visit the sick and  housebound. The group is growing, with 16 members regularly staying late into the evening.

Fr Hugh MacKenzie

The current confirmation course has 40 signed up and the communion course has 65 this year. Working so closely with the teenagers, Fr Hugh acknowledges there are problems getting teenagers to Mass. “It’s hard work, but I think attendance goes up over the years, which is gratifying to see. However, In the post confirmation group there’s a good culture of practicing. There are always some that get drawn in to weekly Mass and pretty quickly all the youngsters are going. It’s nice that when we drop them off on Saturday night they’re asking each other what Mass they’re going to.”

The younger parishioners aren’t forgotten either. There is group for yr 7/8 which is “going well” with 17 members that meet Fridays in term-time. There is also a yr 5/6 club that’s “extremely popular”, with a reserve list due to the demand for places. “The basis of all youth work is the two primary schools nearby. There are a lot of young people associated with the community,” adds Fr Hugh.

A little community

The hardest challenge with the young people for Fr Hugh, is fighting the appeal of secularism. “Even though I’m lucky to have teenagers come back to Mass because of all the work we do, the challenge of secularism is very difficult.” he says. “They’re so influenced by secular values even at 14 years old. You feel sometimes they’ll be more evangelised by secularism than the other way around, but we still have to try.”

But he’s hopeful for the future. “For youth there’s always things to do. There’s a little community now. Maybe you’ll see the same people when you go to events, but in some ways that’s nice because they’re getting to know each other. A lot of them now have a sense that it’s just normal to go to exposition at 13 and be a Catholic teenager. It’s become part of their life.”

Mary Magdalen

A means of grace

While Willesden Green has a vibrant youth scene they also have a variety of groups other parishioners can join. The range of courses and groups are a “means of grace”, says Fr Hugh. In total the parish has a staggering 40 active groups. They range from Echoes to Rosary groups, as well as courses for those wanting to find out more about Catholicism. The parish also has 68 altar servers, and 34 members of the Union of Catholic Mothers which has been part of the parish since 1957.

The most multicultural area

Brent is one of the most multi-cultural boroughs in London, and Willesden Green is the most multicultural part of Brent, says Fr Hugh. The Church of St Mary Magdalen is surrounded by reminders of how culturally rich the area is, with The Islamic College, the famous Shree Swaminarayan Hindu temple, and a tiny Jewish synagogue nearby.

The area has changed vastly over the last few years, says Fr Hugh. “In the last fifteen years the Irish have returned home and have been replaced by people from the Indian subcontinent.” The parish now has a Sinhalese ethnic chaplaincy Mass once a month celebrated by Fr Rohitha Rodrigo, the Sinhalese chaplain who lives in the priest’s house with Fr Hugh.

Despite the variety of cultures, Fr Hugh notes that there is a clear sense of community at Willesden Green. “Coming from an area that was so transient, the closeness here was a nice surprise. Some families have been here for generations and our main junior school has a lot of teachers that were once pupils there.”

Interior of Church

The sense of community is helped by regular events, including an annual dinner dance. Previously run by the Knights of St Columba, the parish took the dance on a few years ago for Church fundraising. Large families and the old and young attend, as well as a lot of the wider local community.

“It’s a close community,” says Fr Hugh. “I think people are happy to be part of the parish and don’t want to move out. Even though we’re now part of a busy city, there’s still a village feel.”

This article appeared in Westminster Record, produced by Diocese of Westminster in March 2011. 

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Posted in: catholic,catholic church,diocese of westminster,parish profile,st mary magdalen,willesden green

Saturday's Ordinariate Ordinations - the press perspective

Unless you've been hiding under a rock recently, you will be aware that last Saturday Church history was made as we saw the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham set up and Fr Keith Newton named as the first Ordinary for England and Wales. 

I was lucky enough to be helping out with press at the Ordination Mass at Westminster Cathedral thanks to my internship with Archbishop's House. My day began like a normal work day, with an early start, though the roads and streets are definitely a lot quieter on a Saturday! I helped sort out the press packs, making sure there were press releases and an order of service in each press pack before the media turned up (a lot later than we had to!).

I had never been to an ordination before so that was an experience in itself, its hard to convey how many momentous things occurred in such a short space of time; that the ordinariate was set up, that we have a named Ordinary now, that the three former Anglican Bishops were ordained opening the way for many more to come across is all important and slightly overwhelming in its magnitude.

Positive press 

Some press got this, some press didn't - there were plenty of press to herd around that turned up to cover the Mass, probably unsuspecting that two and a half hours later they'd still be standing in the cold Cathedral! It was great to see the amount of coverage and interest there was, and to be a part of that.

Over the past week, I think it has become clearer to me that there is a need to help the press understand occasions such as this one, so the right information can be shared with the public. In helping the press cover the ordinations on Saturday the press office did a great job at aiding this. It is enlightening and equally revealing to hear some of the questions journalists and press ask, and helped me see what is hard to understand about the Ordinariate, and the process they're going through. it was even more interesting to see the newspapers the following day and the range of articles resulting from the ordinations - including some very strange takes on the proceedings it must be said! I'd recommend the press releases that were put out, especially the informative Q&A, to anyone who was still unclear as to what "all this Ordinariate business" was about. They've all been uploaded to the Diocese of Westminster website - http://www.rcdow.org.uk/ as well as the CBCEW's website.

I was left extremely tired after the busy day we had, but I found it fascinating. Now, following on from my involvement with the Papal Visit and the 'Ordinariate experience', I would say it's safe to say that this is a very exciting time for the Catholic Church. I can only imagine what's to come next!

For more

A photo gallery of the ordinations

Audio of Archbishop Vincent's Homily

Personal Ordinariate Information

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Posted in: catholic,intern ordinariate,internship,news