The Tresham trail, part 2.

To my eye, Rushton Hall, is one of the greatest examples of English Renaissance architecture. It was the home of the Tresham family from 1438. The Hall which we see today was begun in the early sixteenth century. It was altered and enlarged first by Sir Thomas Tresham II in 1595, and later by the Cockayne family in 1626, 1627 and 1630. It was again developed in the ninteenth century.

I fist saw the Hall in the mid-90s when it was a school for blind people. It is now a hotel and well worth catching a glimpse of if your are in the area. On thr first floor of the south-west wing there is a small room which is called the oratory. This room holds the relief panel of the Crucifixion which is dated 1577. This panel was most likely an altar retablo from the chapel of St Peter, which stood next to the house, to the left of the east-front of the house (as you face it). The chapel was pulled down in 1799 by the then owners of the house, the Cockaynes, in order to extend their view from the front of the house. They obviously rescued this retablo and brought it into the main house. I have seen inside this room and am not convinced that it would have been used for Mass in the recusant era. (Unless the later remodelling of the interior of the house altered the original room layout.)

In the cellars there is a now-revealed secret chamber (photo below), but again, I am not convinced that this is a priest hole. It is not memtioned by either Squiers or Hodgetts in their survey of priest holes, and its location would not have made for easy access when danger was near.

There is another secret chamber set into a door frame on the first floor of the house. This chamber is 5ft long and 15 inches wide. It was discovered in 1828 and was full of papers from the time of the Gunpowder plot hidden there by Francis Tresham. These papers are now in the British Library. I did not see this secret chamber. 

Sir Thomas Tresham II died in 1605 here in Rushton Hall. His eldest son, Francis, had some part in the Gunpowder plot and died later that year in the Tower of London. The estate then came to the younger son Lewis Tresham (1575 - 1639) who was a spendthrift. I don't know the family history but the Treshams probably lost the Hall through Lewis' poor administration of the family wealth. The Cockayne family bought the Hall in 1619 and developed it substantially. It is probably through their care for the Hall that it still remains to this day and can be enjoyed by so many people.

Days with priests

I was so pleased to have taken part in the second annual colloqium of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy. The colloquium took place at the Oratory School outside Reading on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

The coming together of over a hundred priests from virtually every Diocese in the country was a tremedous thing; it is so rare for priests to engage in a national event. Thanks go to both the organisers of the Colloquium and to the Oratory School for hosting us.

I was particularly delighted to meet Fr Tim Finegan and Fr Ray Blake for the first time. I read their blogs regularly, but a virtual encounter will never beat a personal one. It was also an unexpected pleasure to meet an Australian friend at this gathering: Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett of Lismore. Yes, I am missing Australia!

The Tresham trail, part 1.

Since my first hearing about Sir Thomas Tresham II I have been a fan; his 3D gestures  (his Catholic buildings) against that hideous tyrant, Elizabeth Tudor, have long claimed my attention. I am speaking about the Sir Thomas Tresham of Northamptonshire, who was born in 1534 and died in 1605.

Sir Thomas was a Catholic and suffered huge fines and a history of interogation and imprisonment for being so. He was also made Prior General of the Knights of Jerusalem in 1557 by Mary Tudor and was knighted by Elizabeth Tudor in 1575. I should like to learn more about him, particularly about his various imprisonments and about where he is buried. Sadly, the old church at Rushton was closed when I was there, preventing me from investigating the Tresham memorials within.

Sir Thomas was a builder and, while in Northamptonshire recently, I went to visit these historic houses. I first called on Lyveden New Beild (photo above), which was begin in 1595 and left unfinished when he died in 1605. The Treshams lived at Rushton in the Manor; Lyvedon was to be their country escape. I don't know that it was ever lived in. From above, the house would form a Greek cross. The continous exterior frieze is laden with Christian motifs. Even the window frames, throughout the house, each represent the cross of Christ.

When I visited work had just begun investigating the extensive moated and un-moated Tudor gardens. It was only realised that there had been a sophistocated Elizabethan garden associated with this house when arial photos, taken by the Luftwaffe in 1941 revealing the designs, were examined. The photo below is taken from a Tudor viewing mound, overlooking the moat, towards a field in which there once was a fascinating and richly planted Elizabethan garden. Indeed, there are letters still existing which Sir Thomas wrote from gaol in which he directs, in a detailed fashion, the garden work then being undertaken. 

Lyveden New Beild is set is the most lovely open landscape. Were it for sale, I would buy and complete it in honour of Christ and Sir Thomas Tresham. It is now looked after by the National Trust. Ring beforehand to check on opening times.



Mary Stuart at Fotheringhay

It is documented that after Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded, her clothes, the block, scaffold and anything which might have become a relic, was immediately burned in the fireplace of the great hall of the castle. Now, on a recent jorney through Northamptonshire I passed through the lovely town of Oundle and by chance paid a visit to "The Talbot", a pub in the centre of the town. What a surprise I had on entering the pub to be greeted by numerous paintings of the then, rightful heiress to the English throne. And there in the pub itself is the stairway, moved years ago from Fotheringhay Castle, which she walked down from her castle lodgings to its great hall on the morning of her execution (8.2.1587). (Photo above) I imagine that the staircase has been remodelled and probably renewed much since 1587. A member of staff obligingly lead me up the stairs to where a small Tudor window from the castle has been incorporated into the fabic of this pub. The photo below is of one of the paintings of Mary which hang in the pub and which sympathetically represents her descent to the Hall for execution. Even her little dog is portrayed.

If you pass through Oundle I do recommend "The Talbot". Quite apart from its relic of Mary, the pub has very good beer on tap and a fine bill of fare. 

The Catholic house of Oxburgh

After visiting Walsingham I headed south to see Oxburgh Hall. I passed through the village of Grimston, about fifteen miles south of Walsingham. It was here towards the end of 1588 that Fr John Gerard SJ began his priestly mission in England. He was aided by the Yelverton family of Grimston, and through the Yelvertons he met Thomas Bedingfield of Oxburgh Hall. I don't think that anything of the Yelverton Manor of Grimston still remains, although 'Manor Farm' in the village is probably a part of their former Estate.

Oxburgh Hall is about ten miles south of Grimston; this was my second visit to the Hall, although I had forgotton how magnificent this house is. One's first sight of the house on entering into the gardens is quite stunning - the moated Elizabethan manor is a fabulous sight. Although the house and gardens are now administered by the National Trust, the Bedingfield family who have always been Catholic, still live in a part of the house.

The manor houses some impressive embroidery which was made by Mary, Queen of Scots, while she was imprisoned in Tutbury Castle. These pieces of embriodery have been sewn onto a bed hanging and are a one of Oxburgh's treasures.

For many, however, me included, the main treasure is Oxburgh's remaining priest hole. It is one of the best preserved priest holes in the country and is almost certainly the work of St Nicholas Owen. The hole was made in the early 1590s while Fr John Gerard was ministering in Norfolk.

The hole is within the masonry of the left-hand turret of the gate-house. It's pivoting entrance, so well fashioned, is surely the work of Owen. A guide who was on site to introduce visitors to the hole invited me to climb inside. I prefered however to lower my camera down into the hole and take pictures. The below photo shows the inside of the hole, complete with bench and, in the masonry above, a feeding hole. I am not aware of any documentary evidence which speak about the hole's use during the recusancy era.

Another entrance to the hole is through the narrow passage which you can see in the above photo. This entrance/exit lead through to a narrow corridor in the top floor of the house on which there was a room where Mass was celebrated in secret. Sadly this room is off limits to visitors.

It is known that there was another priest hole at Oxburgh. This was thought to have been associated with the Great Hall of the house. From the photo below, taken from the top of the gate house turrets and looking across the central courtyard, you can see where the Great Hall used to be. Sadly it had to be taken down in the 1800s because of its state of deteriortion.

Oxburgh Hall should definitely be on your visiting list; it is wonderful and is a tremedous site of Catholic faith and life in the Norfolk region. Check the opening seasons and times beforehand so that you don't have a wasted journey.

Our Lady of Doncaster

On my way to visit Walsingham recently I pulled off the main route so that I could pass through Doncaster and see the site of the Carmelite Priory which had been one of the pricipal shrines to Our Lady in England. Coming in from the north I stopped first on the (second) bridge over the River Don on the A638. The bridge is modern, but it was on its mediaeval predecessor that, in December 1536, Robert Aske and the other leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace had met to parly with the Duke of Norfolk. Through the Duke, King Henry VIII had promised to accede to the Pilgrim's petitions, and then to receive assurance that the Pilgrim host would disband. Of course, Henry had no intentions whatsoever of accepting the Pilgrim's petitions and, later the following year after they had disbanded, their trust would end in their being massacred wholesale.

The above photo was taken on the bridge looking north to where the Pilgrim host of about 40,000 would have been mustered. To the south, on the Doncaster side, the Royal army under Norfolk numbered about 4,000 men.

And so, into Doncaster itself. It was a Sunday afternoon when I visited and the town centre was quite busy. I was immediately aware of an austere and somewhat souless atmosphere on the streets. The site of the Carmelite Priory is near the top of the High Street and "Priory Place" runs down what would have been the northern perimeter of the ancient Carmel. Of course nothing remains of the Priory, whose site is now the "Priory Walk" shopping street. Entering Priory Walk from the High Street I could faintly discern that this precinct was the site of the Carmel church and its shrine. On the interior facade of the entrance there are two Carmelite sheilds - all that now denotes the presence of what was once such an important shrine (photo below).

 

 

 

The entance to Priory Walk on the High Street itself conveys nothing of the former significance of this place (photo below). The statue of Our Lady of Doncaster was burned by Thomas Cromwell, along with the other important images of the Blessed Mother, in July 1538, outside his house in Chelsea (Chelsea Manor). A new shrine  of Our Lady of Doncaster has been created in the parish of St Peter's just to the south of the city centre, but if anyone has any historical infomation about the medieval shrine and its original statue, I for one would be glad to learn more.



 

 

Anti-Pilgrim stronghold

Before the great rains hit Yorkshire and swelled its rivers to bursting, I went over the hills to visit Skipton and its castle. As a boy I had been shown the castle but my interest on this occasion was to see the stronghold to which many of the northern gentry had retreated so as to escape becoming a part of the Pilgrimage of Grace. Here Henry Clifford, the earl of Cumberland and Lord Scrope of Bolton Castle, Wensleydale had taken refuge in September 1536. The small garrison was captained by Christopher Aske, the brother of Robert Aske, who was the leading captain of the entire rebellion. In due course, some thousands of Pilgrims from Richmondshire, North Yorkshire arrived in Skipton and endeavoured to acquire the support of the nobles who were secreted within this formidable stronghold. The Pilgrim host laid seige to the castle for about ten days during September/October 1536 and eventually succeeded in recruiting Lord Scrope to their side. In early October Robert Aske was demanding the presence of this Richmondhsire force at the central muster which was taking place at Pontefract castle, and so the Pilgrim army left Skipton and its castle to its Clifford keepers.

The castle was to become a Royalist stronghold in the Civil War and became the object of a much more serious seige and bombardment by Parliamentary forces. However, once through the south-facing outer bailey gates the castle still commands a sense of its tremendous impregnability (photo above).

The castle's northern face is built upon a towering cliff wall (photo below); it is hard to imagine Skipton Castle being assailed at all from the north. The final photo below was taken looking out of the castle and into the main market street in the centre of Skipton. I couldn't find any artefacts or reference in the castle to the Pilgrimage of Grace, but there is a story that Mary, Queen of Scots, was lodged here briefly before being moved to Tutbury Castle. If you are in the area, Skipton Castle is well worth visiting as it is one of the few remaining medieval castles in England, and is perhaps surprisingly still in very good condition.

 

Return to England's Nazareth

After returning from Australia I knew that I should visit Our Lady's Shrine at Walsingham. The Youth2000 Prayer Festival, towards the end of August, afforded me an opportunity. The welcome which I received there from some many young people who knew me was tremendous; a sign of a much greater welcome which I received in the Slipper Chapel itself.

I pay tribute here to the Youth2000 team for the slick way in which they ran the event, and also for the large number of new comers who they attracted to this summer's Festival. It was also very good to encounter a number of representatives of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham who were taking part in the event.

One evening during the Festival I was poking around the village and came upon Martyrs Field (photo above) for the first time. This field is just beyond the old railway track and near the Orthodox chapel in Little Walsingham Village. I have long known the story of the 'Walsingham Plot', but have never before visited the field.

The 'Walsingham Plot' took place just before the dissolution of the Augustinian Priory  and the destruction of the Holy House. The plot, which began in November 1536, eventually drew in about thirty conspiritors. They planned to raise the people of north Norfolk, in the same way that the people of Lincolnshire had risen, and in conjunction with the much greater 'Pilgrimage of Grace', and then to muster the larger part of East Anglia so as to challenge the reforming policies of Henry VIII. The conspiracy was leaked to London and within days most of the conspiritors had been arrested and taken to Norwich for trial. Twelve of these were sentenced to death, some to be hung, others to be hung, drawn and quartered. Two of them were brought back to Walsingham to be executed; Canon Nicholas Mileham, the sub-prior of Walsingham Priory, and George Guisborough, a yeoman and chorister of Walsingham village. On Wednesday 30th April 1537 both men were hung, drawn and quartered just outside the village in what is now known as 'Martyrs Field'. Their heads were then placed on the Priory Gatehouse.

Today, an altar stands in the middle of the field - just discernible in the middle of my photo. The cause and the grievances of these man were crushed, as were their lives and the great Shrine of Our Lady. Even so, the naming of the field, and the erection of a simple altar, recognise the greatness of faith in the midst of such foul tyrrany. These two men died before the wrecking of the Shrine; the remaining members of the Augustinian community accepted the dissolution of their priory in the summer of 1538, and witnessed the removal of the statue of Our Lady in July of that year. It was taken to London and, by the end of the month, together with many others, it was burnt in Chelsea in the presence of Thomas Cromwell.

Long may the memory of these men remain. The field is today a farmer's field and sheep were grazing there on the day I visited it. But you can easily find the field and peer through from the road and pathways which surround it. But keep visiting the Slipper Chapel for,according to the 'vision' of Pope Leo XIII, when England returns to Walsingham, Our Lady will return to England.

 

Back on the English Mission

I return to England with the convictions of the Sydney seminarians fresh in my mind: that priests should promote good Liturgy, good preaching and good Catechesis. On each of these counts there is now great potential.

Today's circumstances favour, and need, good Liturgy. The Liturgical movement, which started in the second half of the nineteenth century is essentialy good and has some truly great proponents (Dom Prosper Gueranger, Pope Pius XII, the Fathers of the 2nd V Council), but it was hijacked after the Council by rationalists, who confined it within their own banal and minimalist limits. However, Benedict XVI has today released the Liturgy from the grip of the rationalists, and so the Liturgical movement, as we can now see, is underway again. Good Liturgy is definitely back on the menu!

Today's circumstances favour, and need, good preaching. Firstly, so many seminarians today are themselves convinved of this. And secondly, the way in which the Church today appreciates and enters into Sacred Scripture is being genuinely renewed. We just have to look at the recent Apostolic Letter 'Verbum Domini', and to witness how 'Lectio Divina' is being newly engendered in the Church.

Today's circumstances favour, and need, good Catechesis. By good Catechesis I mean 'full Catechesis' of the Church's teaching. We not only have the CCC but also so many good resources, like 'Evangelium' and the various Maryvale Institute courses. Alongside this we are aware of numerous lay Catholics who are being properly trained as Catechists. Priests themselves are at the forefront of the Catechetical movement.

On my first journey north after landing at Heathrow I found myself leaving the M1 and crossing Northamptonshire in order to join the A1. On seeing a road sign indicating Fotheringhay I left the main road and headed into the country. Long have I wanted to visit the site of Fotheringhay Castle (photo above), the last prison residence and place of execution of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, rightful heiress to the English throne. She lived here for little over four months, from late September 1586 to 8th February 1587, when she was judicially murdered by Elizabeth I. It was a beautiful day as I walked grassy mounds where the castle had been, saying the Rosary for the conversion of England, as she must surely have done. The clear waters of the River Nene were full of fish but I had the castle grounds to myself for this visit. I remember her each year as my birthday coincides with the day of her execution, but on this day my thoughts were with all those generations of faithful Catholics who have longed for the re-embracing of the Faith in England, and who lived the life of the Church against fairly desperate odds.

Historical treasures which once belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots are spread far and wide. The Archbishops of Sydney are the custodians of her brevriary (photo below), housed in a special cabinet, which I  once had the privilege to venerate.

After her execution the scafold and the block itself were burnt so that relics could not be had. The castle itself fell into disuse after that day and was eventually pulled down and its stones used elsewhere. The site of the castle is however preserved by the landowner and can be visited any time - it is in a beautiful part of the country. If you are going to be passing the area you should make a visit. The English King Richard III was born here and so it is a place of importance to the 'Richard III Society' also. 

A pristine coast

One of the great attractions of Australia its its pristine coastline, and especially being able to enjoy that coastline from the seaward position. I took every opportunity, when I was in Australia, of getting out on the water. The above photo was taken about 16 months ago when nine seminarians and I took a boat out on Pittwater and crossed to the other side, where we grilled up some fabulous veal t-bones. Here we are drawing the boat up onto the beach - a very apostolic day out!

One of the counsels which I gave to successive year grouos as they prepared for ordination was that, as priests we should make our Eucharistic Lord available for Adoration in our churches, and that we should make ourselves readily available to people in our parishes; available that is for the Sacrament of Absolution and to give spiritual direction. Both these things are easily done and don't require us to do any rushing around, but rather to spend time in our church and in the parish so that people can easily find the Lord and find us. Indeed, this dual availability creates life in a church and in the parish.

Today, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, I offered the Mass for all at the Seminary of the Good Shepherd. Allow Christ's call to keep resonating in your hearts!

Adoption for a second time

Now that I am back in England people are dissappointed that I haven't acquired an Aussie accent; even wearing the Akubra doesn't do it either! I keep telling people that the Aussie accent wasn't at all strong in Sydney. What is far more important to me is the way that I was received in Australia, and the ease with which I adjusted to my new appointment in Sydney.

Prior to moving out to Australia I had already lived for eight years in Spain. Four years in Oz now means that I have lived overseas for twelve years. My second country of adoption, Oz, was really a 'home from home'. The Aussies all loved my English accent! The photo above, in some way, represents the way in which I was received; there I am leading the Remembrance Day service in the grounds of Campion College, a ceremony which is very dear to Australians, and at which I was suddenly presiding.

Another facet of life which I appreciated very much during my time in Australia was the way in which the bishops warmly engaged with their priests. This was something I first experienced when I met the Bishop in whose Diocese I was working, and then again on so many occasions when I encountered other bishops and their priests. The fatherhood of the Australian bishops who I encountered was a special grace to me. 

Priesthood down under

When I became the assistant Spiritual Director at the Seminary of the Good Shepherd my first awareness was of a renewed appreciation, in the seminary, of the Council's teaching on the priesthood in Presbyterorum Ordinis and in Lumen Gentium, and then that the vision of the seminary was firmly based on JPII's great letter Pastores Dabo Vobis. Along with the seminary's own formation document, these teaching documents were my first point of reference.

Secondly, I became aware of how the place of human formation was being engendered in the seminary, and how it was seen as the first foundation of priestly formation. With these lights I was able to begin my work at the seminary.

My work at Campion College, and prior to that, my work in Youth 2000 in England had laid basic foundation stones in me for the mission of confessor and spiritual director. Providence had been at work and I approached this new work of seminary spiritual director in a three-fold way:

Firstly, I guided the individual to appreciate how he was engaging with the concrete life of the seminary at all its different levels.

Secondly, I endeavoured to help the young man appreciate how his own vision of, and desire for, the priesthood was developing in him as he progressed through the seminary. For instance, how he was approaching poverty, chastity and obedience.

Thirdly, my aim was to enable him to recognise, and mature in, the concrete reality of his daily spiritual life, helping him interpret that reality under grace.

What a marvellous task it was, and what a great learning curve it was for me too!

I already attribute my own growth as a confessor to the many confessions of young people of Youth 2000 which I have heard. Now I must pay tribute to the seminarians of the Seminary of the Good Shepherd for enabling me to become a better confessor, one after the heart of Jesus Christ.

I must also pay tribute to them for the way that they are approaching the priesthood. They have a great love for the Church, her Liturgy and her Teaching. And not only that, but I could discern from my first months in the seminary, that there was a desire for good Liturgy, good catechesis and good preaching. Indeed, I could see that the seminarians were discerning in their search for models of diocesan priesthood. The Church in Australia will be very blest when this generation of seminarians embraces the Mission of Christ at Ordination.

For me, a very special grace was being given during all of this time: I was coming to a new awareness of and closeness to the Heart of Jesus when I celebrated the Mass! I began to realise this during my third year in Sydney and I rejoice in this unexpected grace. It seems to me that Christ has waited all this time, and that perhaps I needed to be on the other side of the world in order for me to receive this grace. I wont say more about this now; this grace is very much alive in me and I would rather be the agent of its effects than try to rationalise it.

What I have said here is just the very broad brush-strokes of my years in the Seminary; it was a very rich experience. My God bring to fruition, in Christ's priesthood, all those generous hearts who are offering themselves to Him, and to serve His Church.

My third community in Sydney

After living for one year on campus at Campion College I was invited to live at the Seminary of the Good Shepherd. I was very grateful to the staff of the seminary for this invitation and for the way in which my Australian mission developed in a particularly priestly way. So, as well as my work at Campion College I was now taking part in some of the seminary Liturgies, hearing confessions and giving some evening seminars to the seminarians. And after a second year in Sydney the unexpected happened: I was asked to join the seminary staff full-time and to concentrate my efforts in the preparation of men for the priesthood in Sydney.

My work at the seminary included presiding and preaching at some Liturgies, being a Spiritual Director to individuals, hearing confessions, directing seminarian retreats, giving seminars to the different year groups, giving some liturgical formation and training in preaching.

I had never expected to find myself working in a seminary, still less the seminary of the Archdiocese of Sydney, yet our God is a God of surprises. More than anything that I was able to give to the young men preparing for ordination, the priestly enrichment which I received as a member of staff was utterly grace-filled. I became aware of the great generosity of the young men who were offering themselves to the Church, their desire for Christ and the life of grace, and their desire to embrace Christ’s mission in New South Wales. I was aware of their joy at stepping out of the secular culture and their eagerness to proclaim Christ’s Gospel. And that I should be a part of this enterprise, if only for three years, was enormously renewing for me.

The formation of, and the renewal of the Diocesan Priesthood has, for many years now, had a special place in my outlook, but my part in the life of the Seminary of the Good Shepherd has opened me more strongly to the greatness of the Diocesan Priesthood and the call which it is receiving from the Church today. So much was this the case that I am aware now that my four years in Sydney were in fact an extraordinary time of priestly renewal for me. Most people go out to Australia to work or to tour round; I was brought out by God for an intense experience of priestly life and grace!

My second community in Sydney

When I arrived in Sydney I was driven straight to Campion College where I would reside on campus for a whole year; my first endeavour there was to help build up the student body. On my second day I was visited by two very good friends, John and Niall of the St Patrick's Community in Ireland who had been giving talks during WYD. With them was one of the leaders of the Servants of Jesus Community together with one of his sons. So it was that I came into contact, for the first time, with a Covenant Community.

Extraordianrily the Servants of Jesus Community were based a little over a mile away from the campus of Campion College. They were, at that time, looking for priests who could celebrate a Sunday morning Mass with them. I was happy to oblige. For almost four years I was part of roster of priests who celebrated a Sunday Mass at their centre.

The congregation of some hundreds welcomed me so warmly that a wonderful relationship developed between us - I was very much at home with them. Not only now did I have the community of Campion College to underpin me, but I had a second community with whom I could put down roots. God in his providence is never outdone!

The friendship which developed there was grace-filled. I have never before celebrated the Mass for such a loving, attentive and supportive congregation. I was struck particularly by three features of the community: the way in which they welcomed  and embraced new members, helping them to make strides forward in the life of grace, and secondly by the number of young people, especially young men, who were part of the community and whose life of faith the Community nurtured. Thirdy, I delighted in the number of families who were a part of the Community, and the way in which the formation of the family was engendered, and the atmosphere in which the faith was handed on to younger generations.

Now that I am back in England I will miss my contact with the the Servants of Jesus Community and their support for me. Perhaps God will enable us to do a mission together in the future. After my final Mass for them just a couple of weeks ago our parting was very poignant. I was overwhelmed with their gratitude for my small part in their lives. The above photo shows the cake which they made in my honour and which we eat together before I left. I hope that the Community will go from strength to strength, and that we will all meet again.

A chaplain down under

Arriving at Campion College near Parramatta at the end of July 2008 I was just in time to start the second semester, but I had missed WYD SYD. I remember wondering what God's purposes were, that He had brought me to the other side of the world. Nevertheless, I was keen to be the best priest that I could be to my new but small community at Campion College.

I had heard about Campion College a couple of years earlier, and indeed, I had posted about it on this blog. I was, and am, convinced of the mission of the new Liberal Arts Colleges that have been inaugurated in recent years in various parts of the world. That while much of secular culture is putting its roots behind it, these pioneering places of learning are guardians to an immensely important heritage.

My first delight at Campion College was to be welcomed by, and to get to know the students - my first real contact with Australians. And secondly, to integrate myself as a member of staff so that I could better dispose myself to the mission of being the first full-time chaplain.

The celebration of Holy Mass, adoration, confession, spiritual direction, seminars, trips out and, of course, cooking and BBQing were the staple ingredients of my life. The student community was quite small so I was soon able to get to know the whole student body. It was a huge joy for me to come to know these young Catholics and to experience their hopes and ideals, their faith and their love for Christ and for His Church, and to serve and support their life in the Church. 

As those first weeks went past I began to realise just what a great impact WYD had had on the young Catholics of Sydney. Sydney was aglow with the grace of WYD! I became aware of lots of initiatives, many of them set up by young Catholics, as a response to the Holy Father's presence at WYD in Sydney. I was soon being called upon to take part in events being organised in both Parramatta Diocese and the Sydney Archdiocese. Then, after just two years at the College I was called to take part, full-time, in the preparation of men for the priesthood at the Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Sydney.

I will always be grateful to Campion College for its part in bringing me out to Australia. I hope that my small part in the life of the College at its inception might bear good fruit, and I hope that the College goes from strength to stregth, establishing itself in the great mission of the New Evangelisation.

Another Yorkshireman in Australia

Never in my wildest dreams ever think that I would live and work in Australia. When, in February 2008, I first received word that Campion College, Australia, were thinking of me for their first full-time chaplain, I wondered how I would take to Australia.

I loved Australia from the very first day and found my new appointment - at the other side of the world - one of the easiest to adjust to. There are so many things that I could say here about Australia but I will confine myself to what I regard as the most important.

For me, the best thing about Australia is the personality of the people. Coming from the natural reservedness of the English, I immediately took to the openness of the Australians, to their positive, 'can-do', and friendly approach to life.

Secondly, and in paying tribute to them, I was struck by the enthusiasm of young Catholics in Sydney for Christ and his Church. I arrived in Sydney just as WYD was finishing and I experienced, during the subsequent four years, the response of young people to the Christian life. I was amazed to see how many young Catholics have moved to the forefront of the Church, how much provision for their Christian formation has been set in place, and how stronly the new generation are claiming genuine Catholic life.

But the greatest experience of all which I had as an English priest working in Sydney, was the response of Australians to me when I was out and about on the streets. Becuase I was always dressed as a priest, if I was on foot I would often be approached by people, for confession, for a blessing, for spiritual direction or just for a chat. I never experienced anything like this in England and am convinced that a priest could have a part-time ministry at least, by making himself available on the street. So much did I find this to be the case that I would often walk rather than use the car, and try to appear not busy, and not to be rushing somewhere. What I found in Australia was a whole reservoir of faith ready to be untapped, and because of the openness of Australians, a great ease of communication. 

Would I return to Australia, if I had another opportunity to do so? Absolutely.

From Australia with love

I arrived in Australia at the end of July 2008 not knowing what lay ahead of me, not knowing how my apostolate there would develop or come to an end. After just over four years, four wonderful years of priestly life and grace, family responsibilities call me to end this period of work abroad and return to England.

The call to go to Australia came out of the blue, literally. I was asked to become the first full-time chaplain of Campion College, Australia; a position I held for two years. During this time, and for three years, I moved to live and work also at the Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Sydney.

My mother's diminshing health has convicted me that I should now be more available to the family back home.

My Australian experience has been so marvellous that I would like to make a series of posts here. In this first post I simply want to enumerate the pricipal people with whom I was involved and to whom I am indebted:

Firstly, Bishop Manning (now Emeritus) of Parramatta for his very warm welcome.

The Campion Foundation, and the staff and students of Campion College.

His Eminence Cardinal Pell, and the staff and students of the Seminary of the Good Shepherd.

The Officers of the Marriage and Family Life department of the Sydney Archdiocese.

The Theology on Tap team.

The iWitness team.

The Queensland Catholic Home-Schooling Association.

The National Asspciation of Catholic Families, Australia.

The Servants of Jesus Community.

The Catholic Youth Services of Sydney Archdiocese.

The leaders and members of the Youth Formation Course of the Sydney Archdiocese.

The Nashville Dominican Sisters.

The Dominican Fathers of the Sydney Archdiocese.

The Immaculata Sisters, the Immaculata Youth Community, and the leaders and members of the Immaculata Formation Course.

The Chaplaincy of the University of New South Wales.

The Schoenstadt Sisters of Mulgoa.

The priest members of the Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy.

The Sydney priests of the Fraternity of St Peter.

The Jesuit Fathers of Brisbane.

Auxiliary Bishop Julian Porteous  of Sydney and the members of the Credo Office of Evangelisation of the Sydney Archdiocese.

Archbishop Coleridge of Brisbane.

Bishop Jarrett of Lismore.

Bishop McKenna of Bathurst.

Bishop Fisher of Parramatta.

Bishop Mathys (now Emeritus) and Bishop Kennedy of Armidale.

Auxiliary Bishop Comensoli of Sydney.

My involvement in the Church in Australia was so wonderful, and I will rejoice in it for a long time, that I will endeavour to follow this with some appreciative posts. Watch this space!

The great teaching on spousal love and conscious parenthood

Support the prayerful petition to the Holy Father and the Bishops honouring the Encyclical Letter Humanae Vitae and asking that its whole content be taught anew with confidence. This petition has been inititated by The Bellarmine Forum.

Why Children Matter

It is not often that I recommend books on Parenting, but I was given a copy of this book during the Sydney Scene Congress and read it over the next couple of days. It is superb. "Why Children Matter" is wriiten by Johann Christophe Arnold. Its simplicity and directness resonate immediately with both our human nature and with the Gospel. If I were a parish priest I would have a stock of these books to give to newly weds.

Although the author is not a Catholic, when you read this book you realise that truth is definitely not the exclusive preserve of Catholics, and that genuine wisdom is the heritage of humanity.

In our age the whole vision of family is somewhat obscured; in this book it is not. I recommend it without reserve. 

Holding out against the truth?

The excellent web initiative "Mercatornet" has published an article by Eamon Duffy about the English Reformation, in association with his new book, "Saints, sacrilege and sedition". Read this great article here.

There were about 320 Catholic martyrs who died horribly at the gallows; many more died in prisons. They suffered horribly. But they absorbed in their own flesh the terrible wrench which was caused when England tore itself off from the great movement of grace. It was England however, who suffered more and has continued to bear this sapping wrench down through the centuries. The suffering of England, cut off from the unity of Christendom has been great. It is impossible to imagine the scale of this spiritual suffering, through the Civil War, through the Industrial Revolution, and through the contemporary age in all its raging anti-life folly. But the Martyrs gained England for Christ; they enthroned Him in the land, they joined England to Him. We will, with God's grace, be merry in heaven together, one day, because of them.