A new start

I'm starting a weekly Lucenarium again in my new parish next Saturday evening at 7.00pm. If you would like to come you would be very welcome. The Postcode is LS27 7QR. A reminder of what the Lucenarium is. It is the weekly Vigil of Sunday, beginning with the lighting of candles as a symbol of the Resurrection. It includes Evening Prayer followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, a time a silent adoration and the proclamation of a Gospel of the Resurrection, ending with Benediction. The Lucenarium dates back to the Second Century.

A fairly big way to start the new week!

A myth too far

The rewriting of history from an "English" perspective is creaking again under the weight of criticism which has come in response to the film "Elizabeth; the Golden Age". I haven't seen the film, but I have seen so much stuff in the media about it. This is the first time that I have witnessed the Elizabethan Settlement getting a public thrabbering. In Britain we are brought up to understand that the Elizabethan Settlement (a new political order in England in which the Monarch created her own church and in which law could be created independently of truth) was the main righteous player in creating a fairer world at the beginning of the modern age. In order to go with this theory you have to trash the spiritual past of England, claim that the trashing and attempted trashing of so many other States by the English was righteously undertaken (Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands and Spain) and that so much that has taken place since because of this is good. The thing is - we haven't yet recovered from the violence which our State used in the sixteenth century in order to separate ourselves from the great movement of grace. The 'creakiness' of this new film,in its obvious deformation of history and historical characters, seems to be a sign of this. Sukdev Sandu concludes his review in the 'Telegraph' saying "The pity of this botched follow-up is that it never once touches us." The real history of the English will be written one day when we have a clear conscience to do it.

Incidentally, the political intentions of Spain towards England which prompted the Armada, were contained in a letter from Philip II to the Duke of Parma, which he was to open when he landed in England. The letter spelled out three directives for the Spanish invading army:

1. That in England the free use and exercise of our holy Catholic faith shall be permitted to all catholics, native and foreign, and that the exiles shall return.

2. That all places in my Netherlands which the English hold shall be restored to me.

3. That the English shall recompense me for the injury thay have done to me, my dominions, and my subjects; which will ammount to an exceedingly great sum. (This third pount may be dropped; you may use it as a lever to obtain the other two.)

Its very unclear how things would have turned out had the Armada been sucessful.

A great cloud of witnesses

Let us take our place, dear brothers and sisters, at the school of the saints, who are the great interpreters of true Eucharistic piety. In them the theology of the Eucharist takes on all the splendour of a lived reality; it becomes “contagious” and, in a manner of speaking, it “warms our hearts”. (JPII, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 62)

Ode to Joy

A few days ago the Holy Father attended a concert in which Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was played. At the end of the concert, the Holy Father recalled that Beethoven composed his final symphony in 1824, after a period of isolation and difficulty "which threatened to suffocate his artistic creativity." Yet the composer "surprised the public with a composition that broke with the traditional structure of the symphony," rising at the end "in an extraordinary finale of optimism and joy," the Pontiff said.
Benedict XVI continued, "This overwhelming sentiment of joy is not something light and superficial; it is a sensation achieved through struggle" because "silent solitude [...] had taught Beethoven a new way of listening that went well beyond a simple capacity to experience in his imagination the sound of notes read or written." This was akin to "the perceptivity given as a gift by God to people who obtain the grace of interior or exterior liberation."

Honouring the Martyrs

After holding the 'Friends with Christ' Retreat last weekend with Fr Julian in Birmingham, where we focussed on Christ in some of the classical methods of prayer, and in which we were joined by about twenty five young people, I headed for Valladolid in Spain where I had trained for the priesthood.

My penny-each-way Ryanair flight to Valladolid was marvellous, landing me 20 minutes from the English College, its staff and the twenty pre-seminary students who are taking part in the formation year that the College now offers. (More on www.valladolid.org)

I don't know of a house in this land where our martyrs would have been more honoured than in the English College Valladolid this year. The chapel was decorated to honour the six canonised, thirteen beatified and one venerable, martyrs of the College during the Penal days. Their relics and their images lay before the altar during all the liturgies. Before High Mass, the relics were venerated and carried in procession through the college in which they had trained, and from which they left to return to the Mission in England and Wales.

Mgr Kujac, the Rector, spoke beautifully about the lives and the deaths of these ordinary young men who gave their lives for the Faith in our land, willingly paying a terrible price that many others might have the fullness of Christ available to them. Their witness feeds the Church still. They show us what it is to be a Christian, they show us what it is to be a priest, and they light the way powerfully for the Church in England and Wales.

Their memory has not dimmed in the College since I was ordained, rather, they seem to be powerfully present in the conciences of the young men who are training for the priesthood today. These are the heroes of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; not the great and the powerful, but these ordinary humble men who let the light of Christ shine in their age. With such great advocates, our enterprise too cannot fail.

Our Lady Vulnerata, the image of Our Lady which was defaced by English soldiers in Spain in 1586, enthroned in the College chapel still leads the College in its life and work. She will keep us on the main road.

St Henry Walpole

St Thomas Garnet

St John Roberts

St Ambrose Barlow

St John Plessington

St John lloyd

Bl Mark Barkworth

Bl Thomas Plasar

Bl William Richardson

Bl Roger Filcock

Bl Ralph Ashley

Bl Robert Drury

Bl Richard Reynolds

Bl Richard Cadwallader

Bl Thomas Holland

Bl Willaim Southerne

Bl Ralph Corby

Bl Thomas Bullacker

Bl Thomas Benstead

Bl Arthur Bell

Bl Edward Bamber

Bl Thomas Wittaker

Ven Edward Morgan Pray for us in the New Evangelisation

1967 remembered

The UK has just invested another £3 million in the project 'Global Safe Abortion'. We were the first country to legalise abortion and, since then we have confidently and systematically exported the culture of death accross the globe. The life of the world is at stake here.

We cannot, as a nation, claim to going anywhere at the moment, and with many parts of the world so fragile and unstable, we are not in a position to give real help either. Abortion is like a millstone dragging our societies and their cultures into a pit. When Abortion is illegal we will be able to make progress and to help other nations to develop. Reparation is a necessary and evangelising tool today.

The cost ...

... of Saul's conversion was the death of St Stephen the deacon. What will the conversion of the UK cost? Elizabeth I renounced the Faith not just for herself but for her whole Kingdom. The conversion of this country and its entire culture so that God's plan can be embraced is an undertaking that our forebears willingly gave their lives for.

Many of the priests, religious and lay people who died on the various Tyburns up and down the country, did so praying for Queen Elizabeth and the country. Their prayers uttered in such tremendous moments have not gone unheard, but have been the source of life for the Church in this island. Perhaps these prayers have also been a source of redemption for Elizabeth I. Centuries have gone past and the conversion of the UK is still a real question - it's openness to God is its greatest issue. The dedication of the martyrs to the Spiritual Life of this country is real inspiration for us in this age.

I will be in Valladolid next week so I wont be posting till the following, but there is to be a celebration for the Forty Martyrs at the English College (where I trained). I'll post on that when I get back.

The will of man

Deciding what is good or bad - does God do this or does man? When it is not clear what God has decided then man must make the decision himself. Or so we are told.

The first to do this was Henry VIII. In seeking to know how to proceed with the matter of his divorce, since he considered that the Pope and the Church were unable to decide, he would decide himself. This was the start of the slippery slope which today's culture is whizzing down. His sinister daughter took this to the sixteenth century limit - she decided what the Church should be and she created one for her Kingdom. Since those times, we have seen huge steps forward in decision-making. At the end of the eighteenth century, the people of France decided what was good and what was bad. The next logical step for a people who have taken the decison over good and evil to themselves happened in 1967 - the decision over human life - Parliament ruled that it can be good to take the life of a viable foetus in the womb. The next logical step: every person can decide to impede the transmission of life - the contraceptive pill and the condom. And today, our culture is one in which even though we cannot recognise goodness, each individual must decide for him or herself what is good and what is evil. So much for the Tudors. These false witnesses led the UK into a self-serving cul-de-sac.

In fact, the will of God and the will of man can act together in grace, in friendship with Christ. What is not clear is our integrity and our knowledge of the truth. But the call, in grace and in love, is made to us. (cf B16's "God is Love) This is the primary 'light' which we are called to recognise. Grace and free will - this is the real story.

Sixteenth Century chavscum

New exposure to the Tudor dynasty will be taking us by storm soon with the TV series "The Tudors" and the feature film "Elizabeth: the Golden Age". Henry VIII, the original british thug and his illegitimate and sinsiter daughter, Elizabeth, are going be presented to us again as models of humanity. I look forward to how both these productions will throw into relief the Civilisation of Love and the Culture of Life.

However, we will still have to cope with the contemporary phenomenon of how the media projects today's personality and psychology onto a past age. Historic and period productions used to present past personalities as different to us - which they were. Present day personality and psychology which is so weakly Christian and so strongly bewildered cannot really be the measure of human identity - nor can that of the Tudors.

Dating with Dignity

Yesterday we held a 'Friends with Christ' Day of Recollection for dating couples near Gainsborough (Lincs). It is a very rich experience when dating couples spend some time together in the company of a priest and a married couple. The focus of the day was Christ and we reflected together on two basic dynamics of a Christian relationship: how I can develop my life so that I am in a position to marry, and how I can begin to test the quality of my love for my partner. Thanks go to Alan and Anne for hosting the Day, and to Rob and Emily, Sam and Amy (not pictured) and Paul and Hermione. May your relationships bear much fruit for you, and for God and His Church.

40th Anniversary on its way

As you know, 2008 is the 40th Anniversary of Paul VI's Encyclical "Humanae Vitae". I would like to celebrate this teaching in some way between now and the end of 2008, and I would be very happy to receive any ideas from you about how we could do this.

A fledgeling fraternity

On Friday and Saturday last week Fr Vincent Siret, the Vice-Moderator of the John Vianney Society, came to England to visit Fr Julian and myself. This was an important visit for both of us. We joined the Society in August of this year and Fr Vincent's visit was a real expression of its fraternity, confirming us as the first fledgeling extension of the Society in England.

Fr Vincent is a priest of the Diocese of Nimes, France, and lives at the Foyer Sacerdotale in Ars working for the Society and teaching Moral Theology in its seminary.

We met at the Catholic Chaplaincy to Birmingham University, and apart from the time we spent in prayer and in speaking together, we were joined by some of the students - perhaps the first people in the UK to experience this priestly fraternity. It was certainly a grace-filled experience for all of us.

Fr Vincent will be supporting us during the Retreat for Priests from the UK which we have organised. This is taking place in Ars this November with the title: The Priest - brother, father, spouse (these being the three relationships which the priest has with the Church.) More on this later.

The identity card

"It will not suffice to declare that we are 'friends' of Christ, boasting of our false merits: "We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets".

True friendship with Jesus is expressed in the way of life: it is expressed with goodness of heart, with humility, meekness and mercy, love for justice and truth, a sincere and honest commitment to peace and reconciliation.

We might say that this is the 'identity card' that qualifies us as his real 'friends'; this is the passport that will give us access to eternal life." (26.8.07)

Keep the fire burning

Many thanks go to Chiara and Giovanna who yesterday offered a Day of Prayer and Evangelisation to all the young Catholics of Crewe and its environs at the Parish of the Immaculate Conception in Crewe.

This event, inspired by the Youth 2000 Festival at Walsingham this summer, was a courageous and very sucessful initiative to engage young people in the local area in the New Evangelisation.

The Day ran from 9am till 6pm and is a sign of what we can do in our own areas to kindle and re-kindle the faith in young people. Please do this again in Crewe, and let's have Days like this all over the country!

An immediate hit!

After only a few day in the charts, my precis of the "Letter to Families" has gone straight to the top! It now appears on www.dayforlife.org - a website of the Bishops' Conference. What a result!

A good leaven

The Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal Pell, has been cleared of contempt of parliament for comments he made on the Human Cloning Bill he made earlier this year. In a statement he said:

"My comments on the Human Cloning Bill were derived from the conviction that Parliamentarians who legislate for the destruction of human life (in any circumstances and especially in this case where no cures from human embryos have been effected during many years of research) are acting in a way that departs from the principles of both the natural law known through human reason alone and Christian teaching. The natural law principles and the teaching in question are that human life should be accorded the full protection of the law without regard to race, ethnicity, sex, religion, age, condition of dependency or stage of development. I put forward this moral argument as a contribution to the public debate because it is rational, an argument open to acceptance by all people of no religion and any religion. I was not asserting some supernatural dogma beyond human reason and seeking to impose it on the general community. It would be a sad day for Australia if only members of the Christian majority accepted the unique dignity of the human person. But this is not the case. Defenders of human life -- from conception to natural birth -- come from every section of the Australian population.As a Catholic archbishop I am also charged with ensuring that Catholics know the moral teaching of the Church. The Church's teaching on cloning states that the cloning of a human being is wrong and cannot be justified by any known or imagined effects. The Church also teaches that destructive experimentation on embryonic human beings -- cloned or otherwise -- is an intrinsically evil act, because experimentation involves their dismemberment and therefore mutilation and death."

In taking this position Cardinal Pell has thrown much light on the relationship of the Church and society - if only we had had such a reasonable King and Queen and Parliament in the UK in the 1500's! Nonetheless, Cardinal Pell has done a great work in expressing the vocations of a Catholic Bishop and of a Catholic in today's world. He has challenged, correctly and courageously, Australian society, represented by its Parliament, and he has thrown essential light upon the Cloning issue - light which otherwise would have been missing from the debate. All can see more clearly now. What a great leader he is!

New homes

My new placement finds me in Leeds again, or rather just outside the city to the south. This photo shows the church of St Brigid with my house just to the left. Yesterday I named the presbytery "John Paul II House". A whole series of events recently have led me to use the Prayer invoking the help of John Paul II - it seemed that the next step was to place myself and new inititatives, including my presbytery, under his patronage. Fr Julian has already visited my new parish and we held a very fruitful fraternal of the John Vianney Society.

A little to the north in Ilkley, the Elizabethan hunting lodge "Myddleton Lodge" is for sale again. This house, which dates from 1560, and which was the property of the Myddleton's, Yorkshire Catholics during the reformation and later, has been in Catholic hands until 2000. The house has been substantially restored and is for sale at £2.85 million. This house too could be a very good "John Paul II House" for the formation and evangelisation of young people. Any offers?

The St Joseph Community

While I was in Ars way back in February, I was thinking about how we were going to provide a warden for Newman House, the Catholic Chaplaincy where I, together with 12 student residents, live. It was just the mention, made by Fr Richard, that Patrick Morton was looking for some project for this coming academic year which made me think. In fact, it often happens at Ars. Maybe it's something to do with the intercession of the holy Curé. I had already spoken to Chris Wojtulewicz, one of the students here at the University, about the possibilities of coming to live at Newman House. Anyway the inspiration was to have a small community of men, living with me here at Newman House, for two purposes: personal discernment and helping in the Catholic mission to the University. I soon identified a third member, who in the long run was unable to join us. However, over the summer I got in contact with Chris Owens, from North Carolina, who was looking for a place to live in Birmingham, having accepted to start part time work and part time study at Maryvale Institute. Hey presto. There's a community. At the time of writing Patrick and Chris Owens have already moved in, and we eagerly await the arrival of Chris W next week, so community life can start in earnest.

Our life together is based on a pattern of prayer, as you would expect. Morning Gosepl meditation and Lauds; daily Mass; daily Adoration; Rosary. We also have a Monday evening community night when we will have a time of sharing the Gospel for the following Sunday, a good meal and an hour of adoration and night prayer. The rest of the time will involve each of us doing our own work, and also getting involved in the activities of the Chaplaincy. A particular part of that will be - for Patrick, Chris and Chris - running an apologetics session called 'Catholic Answers' before the Sunday evening Mass each week, when they will be able to help students to be equipped to answer questions thrown at Catholics by atheists, agnostics, evangelical Christians, liberal Christians, etc.

One thing that is notable in the Church, at least in England these days, is how devotion to St Joseph has all but disappeared. It may be because the figure of St Joseph seems easy to relegate to a tea towel headed member of the cast of the annual children's nativity play, and to ignore the rest of the time. After all, he does not have a direct role in salvation history. All he seems to do is to look after the central characters of the divine drama - Jesus and Mary. And yet St Joseph is vital in that history of salvation. Without Joseph, Jesus may never have come to be born, in that a woman caught committing adultery - which is what would have been presumed to be Mary's disposition - could be stoned to death. Joseph being a just man was going to quietly put Mary away and divorce her, presuming the same thing. But once he knew God's plan, he silently assented (we never hear him speak in the Gospels) to that plan, and, under the Jewish Law, became the father of Jesus in the eyes of the Law. Thus Jesus became the son of David, descended from the royal line. St Joseph is also fundamental as a role model for Christian men. He was strong, quiet, faithful, reliable and pure. Maybe the crisis in fatherhood, and the depreciation of purity, have a lot to do with the demise of devotion to this great saint. Maybe through our community we will be able to help revive among at least a few people devotion to this great saint, the patron of the Universal Church, and to live a true manly spirituality.

Please pray then for Patrick, Chris, Chris and myself as we begin this community life together for the next year.

O glorious St. Joseph, you were chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus, the most pure spouse of Mary ever Virgin, and the head of the holy family. You have been chosen by Christ's Vicar as the heavenly patron and protector of the Church founded by Christ. Therefore it is with great confidence that I implore your powerful assistance for the whole Church on earth. Protect in a special manner, with true fatherly love, the Pope and all bishops and priests in communion with the See of Peter. Be the protector of all who labor for souls amid the trials and tribulations of this life, and grant that all peoples of the world may follow Christ and the Church He founded.

Dear St. Joseph, accept the offering of myself which I now make to you. I dedicate myself to your service, that you may ever be my father, my protector, and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me great purity of heart and a fervent love for the spiritual life. May all my actions, after your example, be directed to the greater glory of God, in union with the divine Heart of Jesus, the immaculate heart of Mary, and your own paternal heart. Finally, pray for me that I may share in the peace and joy of your holy death.

I'm back

It's a particularly stupidly long time since I've posted anything, and I've been leaving all the work to poor Fr Richard. It's been an exciting summer, so I may take a few posts to get up to date.

The Letter to Families

Pope John Paul II wrote this Letter in 1994 to help guide the family in a tempestuous world according to its genuine light. It is actually quite a difficult read, so I have made a precis of it - which you can find here, then click on "Resources", then click on "Family".

The Letter expresses how the family is the hinge of the Civilisation of Love, and calls upon them to take part in God's plan. John Paul exposes the "other" plan for families for what it really is: an "anti-civilisation" based on the loss of truth and promoting an agenda which threatens the family to the core of its being. At the heart of the family is the mystery of the presence of the person of Christ. The Eucharist is the greatest expression of love in the family - for in Christ the family is redeemed.

This Letter is essential reading for spouses and parents, for your great task is to enable your family to be a part of the New Evangelisation.

Last night LIFE launched a new Group in West Yorkshire. Martin Foley, the chief Executive of LIFE spoke to the assembly, which was held in the Novotel in central Leeds. He outlined the policies and work of the organisation and the plans to set up a central Yorkshire Committee which will co-ordinate the work of members and sub-groups spread throughout Yorkshire.

As I listened to Martin Foley I was reminded of how well-structured is the deeply pagan agenda of our society. Far from diminshing, abortion statistics continue to rise. It is now seventeen years since Parliament debated abortion; and any future debate will be more dangerously anti-life and less of an opportunity for pro-life. LIFE has had to remove the "Message Board" from its website because of the deluge of foul language. Contemporary culture has made the abortion issue a feminine preserve; men no longer see a role for themselves in abortion culture - LIFE speakers frequently experience boys "switching off" during school education visits and the whole issue is seen as a woman's preserve.

All this tells me how little light there is in our culture for people to be guided by, and that the organisation LIFE is operating mainly in a punitive way - offering help to those who "falll out" of the grip of pagan culture, but hardly being able to respond to causes of this culture.

The other side of this is that LIFE, operating in a way which "is consistent with Catholic principles", is only offering help and guidance at a pragmatic level. In fact, the full work which is to be done is EVANGELISATION - bringing people into the New Life of Christ and helping them to live from the Mystery of Faith. We Catholics cannot set our goal below this. However, LIFE is certainly stepping into the fray with great courage and deliberation. Martin Foley, its Chief Executive, is a man who is visibly filled with light and hope - and he received a great salute from West Yorkshire last night.

An ex-gangster in the north

John Pridmore, the ex-gangster, and the St Patrick's Mission Community, supported by the Friars of the Renewal, are in Bradford this week giving a parish mission in St Joseph's. Last night John spoke about how the Father's love had sought him out and changed his life, he gave an electrifying witness to the presence of Christ in the Sacrament of Penance and in the Eucharist, and he called on St Joseph's parishioners to draw close to Christ and to disregard the other voices around us that make us forget the presence of God.

A great number of people had come to the first evening service of the mission and filled the beautiful church of St Joseph near the city centre.

Twice John referred to the strength of faith of Catholics in Yorkshire in times past, idicating what fertile ground Yorkshire is for Christ and the Gospel. If you can come, the Mission Service is at 7.00pm each evening this week.

St Margaret Clitherow pray for us and for the conversion of many.

"BB" revisited

The last greatness of rural England - England before motorways or trunk-roads, before the "commercialisation" of the countryside, and before its emasculation by modernity and political correctness - was encapsulated by the personality and writings of Denys Watkins-Pitchford or "BB".

As young children we were read to in the evening by our mother and our imaginations were fed by some of "BB"'s most inspiring and rewarding stories: the "Bill Badger" series, "The Whopper", "Brendan Chase". It was such stories as these that gave me a love of the countryside and led me to explore the outdoors from a very early age. Long before a television arrived in our house I had already explored the parks, the ponds and brooks and the fields on the outskirts of Leeds. What a great joy it was then to venture off the M1 last week, accompanied by Declan who is more a fan of "BB" than I am, into deepest Northamptonshire in order to visit some of the places connected with "BB".

We stopped first in the village of Lamport and found the Old Rectory where "BB" had been born and where he grew up. The rolling countryside was idyllic and we saw images there which had come straight from his drawings and prints.

We visited the graveyard at Cranford St John where he is buried with his wife and son - a graveyard which is in the most beautiful rural setting you could imagine. We prayed for him and his family there - that his Christian soul which was large enough to appreciate the work of God in the fields and the woods and in Christ, would be made even larger by the fulfilling grace.

Finally, we visited "The Round House" where lived he lived during the last decades of his life. Declan was overjoyed to find "Big Pond" still there after so many years - but we couldn't see "Big Boy" the carp.

Visiting these places for the first time has renewed my thoughts about "BB"'s books, especially his books for children. In an age of technology and information we do need to keep in touch with a more preliminary experience of life, and of the relationship between God and Creation. "BB"'s books are accesible, beautiful and hugely engaging - there is a lot to be rediscovered here.

Friends with Christ: the new season

The "Friends with Christ" initiative is holding two events this October - let the graces of the summertime flow! Perhaps you were at Walsingham "Youth2000" or "New Dawn", perhaps you joined the World Youth Alliance for their "Viviamo" in Romania, perhaps you took part in a local prayer festival, or maybe you were waiting for your results to come through or for a reply for your job applications. Perhaps you are steeling yourself to burn for Christ at the beginning of a new term. Look out for what is on offer and embrace every opportunity of grace that God gives you.

Fr Julian and myself have timetabled two events which go to the heart of our Faith and which we offer to you:

Friends with Christ Retreat in Birmingham, Fri 19th- 21st October. A retreat led by Fr Julian and myself for young people and University students aged 18 - 25. The Retreat will begin on Friday evening with supper at 6.oopm.
There will be help on how to pray, Holy Mass, Adoration, talks, Spiritual Exercises, good food and relaxation, and individual guidance for deepening your relationship with Christ. The retreat will end after lunch on Sunday at about 2.00pm. No charge - donation please. Come and stay or come each day! Floor space available for those who wish to stay - please bring sleeping bag/ground mat. Otherwise come in and take part in the sessions each day. Contact either of us for a booking form.

A Friends with Christ Day of Recollection for dating couples, led by Fr Richard Aladics and Alan and Anne Morton. Saturday 13th October near Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. This day is for young people, aged 18 to 25, who are beginning a relationship or who are already thinking about marriage, and who are looking for a time to pray and discern together - hearing the call to marriage and putting Christ first. No charge - donation please. If you are coming by train we can offer lifts from Retford and Newark stations. Contact Fr Richard for a booking form.

Credible witnesses

Following the pilgrimage to Craiglodge I drove south to Walsingham in order to take part in the Youth2000 International Prayer Festival. There at England's National Shrine to the Blessed Mother, Our Lady helped both priests and a thousand young people to celebrate and adore the Eucharist.

During four days this great company of young people, priests and religious took part in an experience of the life of the Church. Christ was at the centre of this experience and His presence drew from us all our own witness to His action in our lives, in prayer, in desiring anew His life, in celebrating the Sacarments, in sharing and in testimony. It was an experience of grace; of being built up together to be his witnesses, credible witnesses.

A pilgrimage of grace

Last week I led a group of young people, most of them from Leeds, on a pilgrimage to CraigLodge in Scotland (my first visit there). Our intention was to spend three days together in prayer and friendship, and we chose The Family House of Prayer as our place of pilgrimage (as so many young people before us have done). It was a superb three days of grace.

We were welcomed at Craiglodge by the Community and given extensive freedom in taking part in the life of the Community and preparing our our framework of prayer and adventure. Fr Stefan joined us from his Augustinian community in Edinburgh and we were indebted to him for his lack of local knowledge during the first day's adventure - wading across a Highland river was, in fact, a source of grace for our company.

On the second full day after a morning of adoration and reflection we climbed into the Lost Valley in Glen Coe, arriving in Oban in the evening sunlight for a meal by the harbour.

I gather that during the three days we spent there, Scotland had its best weather so far this year. This pilgrimage, made together by young people and priests, was a great blessing for us this summertime. We were able to pray together in a way which would not have been possible otherwise, and we were able to share together so much of our life in Christ. We were another company of builders for the Civilisation of Love.

A feast of Grace

We've got a 12-Star General. She's leading us into Eternity!

Her story, which has been 'gathered' by the Church is extraordinary. We hear about so many people, in magazines, on the radio, on the television, who have absolutely nothing to tell us. Very occasionally we hear a person speaking to us (in the media) who shines a ray of light, this rare ocurrance is a great blessing.

But this person is quite different from the mindless mass-media "personality"; her life is utterly informed and transformed by grace. She can tell us about the whole of her life, about the meaning of the most simple event in her life. She introduces us to the whole panarama of life. Her story is the most accesible story, because it is cherished and preserved by God himself, and because she is our Mother.

She is the first, among many (saints), who can tell us the truth!

A priestly movement in the heart of Europe

During the past ten days the "Societe Jean-Marie Vianney" has been holding its annual general summer Session; first in Ars (near Lyons) and then in Lisieux (in Normandy). About sixty priests together with some seminarians from Europe and Canada took part in this gathering.

The "Societe Jean-Marie Vianney" is a priestly fraternity of Pontifical Right whose purpose is the development and exercise of the interior life of the diocesan priest for his apostolic and missionary life. This fraternal and spiritual endeavour is inspired by the witness to priestly holiness of the Cure d'Ars, St John Vianney.

At the heart of this movement is the Holy Eucharist, celebrated and adored, by the priest. A second dimension is built upon priests sharing together their own experience of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A third aspect of this movement is the study of the Teaching of the Church undertaken as a shared responsibility.

It is unusual to see priests in public, and large numbers of priests at that, especially in the UK. Perhaps Europe is unaware at this stage, that its true heart is still beating. Europe certainly possesses the material wealth to develop itself; it also possesses spiritual wealth and the John Vianney Society is called to be at the forefront of of this mission.

A very poignant moment for me was the singing of Midday Prayer of the Church on the cliffs by the Batterie de Longues which overlooks both "Gold" and "Juno" beaches (D-Day landings). Here in view of many tourists we prayed together for the unity of Europe. For, as the Moderator of the Society said as he opened the prayer: "A Europe without God will be a disaster!"

We were graced throughout the Session with the spiritual company of St Therese; in fact we stayed in Lisieux just over the river from the Carmel wall where she was perfected in holiness. We visited the Noman coast and Bayeux with its thousand year-old Tapistry, ending that day with a splendid Norman BBQ.

This society, still so new - it was given Pontifical Right in 2002 - is a flower at the heart of the Church. Please pray for the Society, that it may lead to the holiness of priests, that it be a strong platform of the New Evangelisation and that promote and guide many, many priestly vocations; it is already at the heart of the renewal of the Diocesan Priesthood.

Revisiting a Rising

Recently I visited Lincolnshire and some of the sites associated with the Lincolnshire Rising - the precursor to the Pilgrimage of Grace. The Rising occured in response to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the taxing of the Church and Governmental involvement in clerical life. It began because of a sermon given by the Parish Priest of Louth, Fr Thomas Kendall, on 1st October 1536, who called upon the people of Louth to defend their rights against the King. This photo shows the interior of St James Church in Louth - the original pulpit replaced by this Victorian piece.

The Rising gained great momentum throughout Lincolnshire, bringing together a great army which mustered first on Hamilton Hill (pictured) just outside Market Rasen in the first week of October. It was here that Robert Aske first made a public appearence; he was to become the principal Captain of the later Pilgrimage of Grace.

The Host finally made its way to Lincoln where they met with Henry VIII's envoys who managed to suppress the rebellion and then to execute many of its leaders.

Lincolnshire had much to lose - principally its faith and its numerous religious houses. Newstead Priory, pictured here, is situated on the banks of the River Ancholme. It was a Gilbertine House - the Gilbertines were a uniquely English Foundation. The "Priory" is now a venue for civil weddings and civil partnerships.

Finally I visited the site, which for me, is the most evocative remnant of the Dissolution of the Monasteries: Thornton Abbey. Only the Gatehouse of this Augustinian House remains, but as you approach the Gatehouse you can begin to imagine the "city" built for the honour of God which lay beyond. Thornton Abbey (just the Gatehouse) is well worth a visit; it is on the south bank of the Humber close to Immingham.

All that took place in Lincolnshire during October 1536 prepared the way for the Pilgrimage of Grace (I'll post about this later), and for the hardening of attitudes in Government against the "old religion". The Dissolution of the Monasteries continued, a new "church" was established, and as we know, the country has become more and more spiritually impoverished.

What a plan!

Cardinal Pell of Australia is envisaging a comprehensive renewal of his Diocese in the light of the blueprint letter of JPII: "Tertio Milennio Ineunte". At last there is a clear response from the Church of the Anglo-Saxon world to the New Evangelisation. Here is one "local Church" to keep your eye on - there will be many lessons for us to learn in the UK about how to become the Church of the New Evangelisation.

Take a look at the Home page of the Archdiocese of Sydney here and click on the Logo on the right hand side titled "Draft Pastoral Plan".

It is great to see what the plan heralds for young people: a local concrete response to next year's World Youth Day and for every parish to have the resources to lead young people in the Christian Life!

Let's remember Cardinal Pell, his Diocese and its renewal, and the plans for World Youth Day in our prayer.