The Pilgrim - Southwark History

Newspaper for the Archdiocese of Southwark

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June 2020 edition of the The Pilgrim - Southwark

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P age 8 Issu e 9 3 Ju n e 2 0 2 0 P age 7 P age 11 C olle ge s h ow s it s s u pport f or t h e NHS Food can in s pire an d u plif t u s Greg W atts Churches in England could reopen in July when the Government hopes to move to phase two of easing the Coronavirus lockdown restrictions. Public Masses have been suspended in Britain since 21st March. A couple of days later , the Government ordered the closure of all religious buildings, even for private prayer . P rime Minister Boris J ohnson has said that places of worship, along with leisure and hospi tality businesses, could open after 4th July . However , churches would only be open for individual prayer , not for public Masses. This is dependent, however , on the Government’ s five test being met: protecting the NHS’ s ability to cope; seeing a sustained and consistent fall in deaths rates; data showing a decrease in rates of infection; having sufficient PPE and testing available; and confidence that easing c urrent restrictions won’t risk a second peak and overwhelm the NHS. Cardinal V incent Nichols, who is part of a Government Coronavirus task force for faith groups, has urged the Government to consider the effects of closing the churches and prohibiting public Masses on Catholics. “P eople have been distanced from their sacraments. They have been able to follow Mass every day and hundreds of thousands of people h ave joined in online. But every single one of them wants to b e a b l e t o r e c e i v e H o l y C o m m u n i o n , ” he said in an interview on BBC Radio 4’ s T oday programme. In a letter addressed to Cardinal V incent Nichols and all the Catholic bishops of England and W ales, 19 influential Catholics, including former P rime Minister T ony Blair , Lord Alton of Liverpool, and former MP Anne W iddecombe, have asked for churches to be r eopened, so Catholic can pray before the Blessed Sacrament. Archbishop John said: “The Bishops’ Conference of England and W ales is continuing to work with our Government to enable our churches to be opened as soon as possible for private, individual prayer . The Bishops’ Conference has also prepared information which will assist with the opening of church buildings for private prayer .” He added that churches wi ll have to be well supervised and will need a team of volunteers wearing face masks and gloves to manage the process. “There will need to be the facility for socially distanced queuing to enter the church building. Hand sanitisation will probably need to be available on entrance and exit. The entrance and exit to the church building may need to be by different routes.” As well as this, floor and seating space w ill need to be properly marked out, and social distancing will need to be in force. Holy water will not be available; visits might have to be limited to a period of time; it might not be possible to visit every part of the church, or to light candles or venerate statues a n d i m a g e s ; a n d c l e a n i n g a n d h y g i e n e regimes will need to be in place. “It is very important to understand that churches will only be allowed to open if the parish can demonstrate that it can put the necessary measures in place “Any parish which cannot do this, for whatever reasons, is not obliged to open. At this first stage, opening will be a matter for local determination with full support from the archdiocese for any parish that cannot manage to put in place the requirements necessary .” Many churches in Northern Ireland have reopened for indiv idual prayer , while public Masses are now being celebrated again in churches in a number of countries, including Germany , Spain, France and Italy . P ope Francis celebrated Mass at a side chapel in St P eter ’ s Basilica to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of St John P aul II. Catholic author J oanna Bogle said: “One thing that could work well is to simply go to a church and pray at the outdoor shrine. “Most churches in the diocese have a cross, grotto, or statue at the door or in the front garden. If people see another person there, they will keep the required distance, just as we do at shops, post office, etc. “Having churches closed, when P ret a Manger is open, sends such a bleak message. T oday , I enjoyed a latte at P ret, and it was a great boost to morale. Everyone obeyed the social-distancing rules. “Any c hurch could easily get volunteers (probably too many!) to ensure that the rules were kept. W e must get our churches open!” T h e h os pit al ch aplain w h o be at C ovid­ 1 9 Fr Doug Bull p ictured celeb r ating a live- streamed Mass at St John Fisher in Bexley . See p age 6 H o p e s a r e r a i s e d f o r o u r c h u r c h e s t o r e o p e n i n J u l y “ H a v i n g c h u r c h e s c l o s e d , w h e n P r e t a M a n g e r i s o p e n , s e n d s s u c h a b l e a k m e s s a g e . A n y c h u r c h c o u l d e a s i l y g e t v o l u n t e e r s ( p r o b a b l y t o o m a n y ! ) t o e n s u r e t h a t s o c i a l d i s t a n c i n g r u l e s a r e k e p t . W e m u s t g e t o u r c h u r c h e s o p e n ! ”

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Bishop P aul Hend ricks In 1939, shortly before the start of the Second W orld W ar , the Ministry of Information produced three posters, intended to raise morale. T wo of them were approved for distribution and were shown in shop windows and railway platforms up and down the country . They read, “Freedom is in peril. Defend it with all your might” and “Y our courage, your cheerfulness, your resolution will bring us victory .” A third poster was printed, but held in reserve to be used in the event of a major crisis or an invasion. In the end, it was never used, and only a few copies survived. One of them was discovered just over 60 years later , by the owner of Barter Books, in Alnwick, a small town about 40 miles north of Newcastle. He found it in the bottom of a box of books and his wife liked it so much they had it framed. It became so popular with the customers that the shop began to sell copies. Over the years, the words of the poster caught the imagination of people all over the world and you can see it almost everywhere. Y ou’ve seen the words yourself: “K eep Calm and Carry On.” All this came to mind, when thinking how we’ve adjusted to the lockdown which came into effect around the middle of March. Back in Februar y , we could never have imagined life changing so suddenly and so completely . Now , we’ve managed to adjust to it — not permanently , but at least for the time being. After all, what can you do? Nothing really , except to “K eep Calm and Carry On.” There have been various times in my life, when I’ve realised with some surprise, that I’d got used to a situation that would previously have been impossible to imagine . I felt this many years ago, when I was walking across St P eter ’ s Square, a week or two after I’d arrived in R ome to begin my studies for the priesthood. “Here I am,” I thought, “living in this uniquely historic city , learning to speak Italian from scratch, preparing to study subjects I know nothing about, in preparation for a future that is (to me) largely unknown.” In those days, I’d never heard of “K e ep Calm and Carry On” — but that would certainly have fitted the situation. It’ s something we’re all doing now , but the uncertainties about our future don’t make it any easier . W e can see the way ahead to a certain extent and we’re already discussing ways in which we can return to some sort of normality . For instance, we’re already making preparations for the time when our churches will be able to reopen — under strictly controlled conditions. And I’ll certainly be glad when I can visit my family again, rather than just video conferencing with them. There are various things we can look forward to with some confidence, even though we don’t know how long we will have to wait. “K eep Calm and Carry On” can help us along, until then. But ultimately we need something more. W e can’t place all our trust in a vague opt imism and a hope that things will work out eventually . When the people of Israel were invaded and taken off to exile, their hopes in earthly power and security were shattered. Exiled away from their homeland, they had to learn to trust in God alone. This is a lesson we have to learn again and again, throughout history . Whatever the future may bring and however our life may change, God will still be there a nd we can always trust in him. E dit orial P a g e 2 John Lawson With so many p eop le desp er ately looking to fill their hours during this lockdown, can I suggest that as well as reading lots and lots of books and binge-watching many , many box sets, we work at sav ing ourselves from a terrib ly terrib ly serious malady that has afflicted our nation. Andrew Marr , p oor chap , is awfully awfully stricken with this d read ful dread ful v irus. He starts the week on Radio 4 trying to go just a minute without saying “very very” and “really really”, and failing miser ab ly . I have comp lained to the BBC, b ut they regard him as a sup er sup er b roadcaster , ap p arently ab ove rep roach from catty vocabulary detectives. I have never doubted Marr’ s brilliance, but I do think this verbal sp rite is b eginning to mar his p erformances. Last Monday morning was my last with St Andrew , I can bear it no longer . W elcome to the seventh circle of the Cliché Inferno reserved for those who commit v iolence against our language. Mark T wain once lamb asted the use of “very” in written d iscourse: “Every time one is temp ted to use ‘very’, rep lace it with damn; your ed itor will then cross it out and your writing will b e as it should b e.” I am neither very tr aumatised or very devastated ab out this, no r am I very very angry , I’m simply anguished. How often does T wain’ s gr ave agitate over the sp eeches and tweets of Donald T rump , for whom everything is either “very very b ad” or “very very good”. Listening to sp orts commentaries is p ainful nowadays as we hear not only that the “b oy’ s done very very good there” b ut we are also informed that “Man United’ s got a massive massive game coming next week and so t hey’ll need to b e highly highly focused.” English teachers will soon realise that most of their adverb and ad jectives lists are p ointless when their students usually make do with either very very or really really . I hope that English teachers in the UK will resp ond as assertively as their USA counterp arts are doing against the use of “like” and “kindalike”. When I taught in Florida, I waged war on the ove ruse of “awesome” to describ e everything from a donut to the Sistine Chapel. “Basically” also joined my banned words list. Students ab staining from the use of double ad jectives, b asically and awesome were rewarded with an extr a-cred it gr ade at the end of the semester; such incentives usually work wonders. I wasn’t 100% successful, b ut my success r ate was somewhere in the 80% region. It was worth the effort to make my students sound more articulate than they were b efore I challenged them to flush their potty mouths. If we d on’t act soon, we will witness the sad demise of sup erior alternatives for very very good such as terrific, marvellous, wond erful, sup erb or brilliant. If you are a teacher , p erhaps you can highlight this blight on our linguistic land scap e to your stud ents? How about putting a charity ja r in the office which would receive 5p fines for every ‘very very’ etc, uttered d uring the week. P arents, treat your child ren to something nice if they can go a week without using these weak exp ressions. Is there an articulate Greta out there looking to find fame and fortune in camp aigning for a cleaner , crisp er communication env ironment? I hop e so, b ecause your country really really needs you to help rid us of this terrib le terrible v irus which is making many many Brits sound imbecilic. • John Lawson is the author of The Successful (Less Str essful) Student, written under the p seudonym Coach L. he Pilgrim June 2020 The Archdiocese of Southwark Archbishop John W ilson 020 7928 2495 arch@ rcaos.org.uk www .rcsouthwark.co.uk Area b ishop s Kent The K ent pastoral area is awaiting the appointment of a new bishop. In the meantime, matters concerning it should be directed to its episcopal vicar , Canon John O’T oole. 01732 845486 johnotoole@ rcaos.org.uk South-W est London Bishop P aul Hendricks 020 8643 8007 b ishop p aul@ rcaos.org.uk South -East London Bishop P atrick L ynch 020 8297 6540 p atricklynch@ rcaos.org.uk The Pilgrim, Archbishop’ s House, 150 St George’ s R oad London SE1 6HX Editor: Greg W atts p ilgrim@ rcaos.org.uk 0208 776 9250 Advertising: Andrea Black a n d r e a . b l a c k @ t h e c a t h o l i c u n i v e r s e . c o m 0161 820 5722 Distribution: Michelle Jones 0161 820 5722 m i c h e l l e . j o n e s @ t h e c a t h o l i c u n i v e r s e . c o m P rint management, design and distribution by The Universe Media Group Ltd 5 0 p t h e T h e n e w s p a p e r o f t h e C a t h o l i c A r c h d i o c e s e o f S o u t h w a r k , c o v e r i n g s o u t h L o n d o n December 2011/ Jan uar y 2012 P i l g r i m P i l g r i m The Pilgr im is now online, making it possible to read all the editions since it was launched in 2011. T o view it, visit the diocesan website and click on a lick on the left hand side of the page. Mind your language Keep calm: God will find a way for us to carry on Guides on prayer by the diocesan Spir ituality Commission can be found at www .southwar kdsc.or g.uk/ ways-into-pr ayer .

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Ne w s The Pilgrim June 2020 P a g e 3 Where to p articipate in Mass online C a t h e d r a l M a s s f o r k e y w o r k e r s a n d f a m i l i e s Archbishop John will celebrate Mass at St George’ s Cathedral on 2nd J uly for keyworkers and their families. The Mass, which is one of a number being celebrated in Catholic cathedrals across the country during the current crisis, will be livestreamed on Y ou T ube. T o participate in the Mass, visit: www .youtube .com/ watch?v=lmLlFN3u3r c. The following parishes in the diocese of Southwark broadcast Mass via a livestream on the internet. T o access them, visit the parish web site or www .mcnmedia.tv , w w w . c h u r c h s e r v i c e s . t v , o r w w w . c a t h o l i c t v . o r g . South-east Lond on Beckenham: St Edmund of Canterbury Borough: Most P recious Blood Brixton Hill: Corpus Christi Bromley: St Joseph Camberwell: Sacred Heart Catford: Holy Cross E ltham: Christ Church Erith: Our Lady of the Angles Forest Hill: St W illiam of Y ork K idbrooke: St J ohn Fisher Lewisham: St Saviour Sidcup: St Lawrence P ollards Hill: St Michael Sydenham K irkdale: Church of the R esurrection W oolwich: St P eter South-west London Balham: Holy Ghost Battersea: Salesian chapel Carshalton: Holy Cross Carshalton Beeches: St Margaret of Scotland Clapham: St Mary Clapham P ark: St Bede Cou lsdon: St Aidan Croydon W est: Our Lady of R eparation East Sheen: Our Lady Queen of P eace Ham: St Thomas Aquinas Morden: St Theresa of the Child Jesus New Malden: St J oseph Streatham: The English Martyrs T ooting Bec: St Anselm W addon: St Dominic W imbledon: Sacred Heart Kent Ashford: St T eresa of A vila Bearstead: St P eter Dartford: St Anselm Dartford: St V incent Dover: St P aul Folkestone: Our Lady Help of Christ ians Gravesend: St J ohn the Evangelist Maidstone: St Francis Mongeham and Sandwich: Our Lady , St John and St Andrew P embury: St Anselm P etts W ood: St James the Great R ochester: St J ohn Fisher Sittingbourne: The Sacred Heart of Jesus W alderslade: St Simon Stock W esterham: St John the Baptist W alsingham The National Shrine of Our Lady of W alsingham is streaming Mass each day at 9.30 am, 12 Noon and 6pm (Latin) a longside the Divine Office, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, R osary , Divine Mercy Chaplet, spiritual reading, talks, etc. See www .walsingham.or g.uk Live-streamed Masses in other languages and from other countries Filip ino: https://www .youtube.com/ channel/UC0gEpyPtbSAeDldsULmo4r A Ghana: https://www .youtube.com/ channel/UCRsgTp9r 3pO43sg48fQyOPw/ videos Ind ia (Goa): https://www .youtube.com/ channel/UCz7jxJ ODQ dFhWmnt-7lASWQ Italian: http://twitch.tv/scalabrinilondon Nigeria: https://www .youtube.com/ watch?v=L1zLU18Goqg P olish: https://aber deen-pl.r cda.scot/ msza-online/ P o r t u g u e s e : h t t p : / / t w i t c h . t v / s c a l a b r i n i l o n d o n Sp anish: visit www .chur chser vices.tv Syro-Malab ar: https://holyfamily .r cda. scot/syr o-malabar -mass/ V ietnam: https://www .facebook.com/ pg/Catholicsaigon/posts/ The V atican Daily Mass from the chapel at Casa S anta Marta with P ope Francis. www .youtube.com/channel/ UCxIsefyl9g9A5SGW A4FvGIA/videos The Holy Land The Christian Media Centre, based in Jerusalem and Nazareth, also provides live streaming, as well as current updates about the situation in the Holy Land. See www .cmc-ter r asanta.or g/en T alking heads Southwark Spirituality Commission has produced a series of “talking heads” videos about people’ s experience of lockdown. Among those featured are Fr Doug Bull, parish priest of St John Fisher in Bexley , Dr Mark Nash, director of the Centre for Catholic Formation, and T rudy K ilcullen, a parishioner of the Church of the Apostles in Swanley . The videos can be viewed on the Southwark diocese T wit ter account and on Facebook. R I P , F r E d m u n d It is with deep regret that we announce the p assing of Fr Edmund Hartley . Fr Edmund died at the p resbytery of St Josep h’ s in F olkestone, where he served as p arish p riest from 1983 until 2016. T h e P i l g r i m s u s p e n d e d Because of the continued closure of churches as a result of the Cov id-19 p andemic, the archdiocese has decided to susp end the p roduction of The Pilgrim. W e hop e to return very soon with our usual mix of news, features, and columnists. A seven-year-old Maidstone boy has raised more than £1,750 for the NHS after running 60 laps of his garden for 20 days on the trot. Jacob Skelton, who attends St Francis Catholic P rimary School in Maidstone, raised the money after being inspired by Captain T om Moore, the 100-year-old former British Army officer who has walked laps in his garden during the Covid-19 crisis in aid of NHS Charities T ogether . Ja cob’ s challenge has become a family affair with either his mum or dad running 20 laps of their lawn three times a day with their son, who even dressed up in his favourite Spider- Man costume one day . Jacob’ s mum Jane, said: “W e were home schooling and it isn’t easy . I told Jacob about Captain T om because I thought he was quite an interesting man and about the millions he raised for the NHS. “He just jumped up and said ‘I can do that’, I need to beat Captain T om.’” M a i d s t o n e b o y i n s p i r e d b y C a p t a i n T o m Jacob – in full Spider -Man costume – sets off on one of his 60 laps of the gar den. He has r aised mor e than £1,750 for char ity M e n t a l H e a l t h A w a r e n e s s W e e k Bishop P aul Mason, lead b ishop for healthcare and mental health, has warned that the Cov id-19 crisis might trigger mental health issues. “This year’ s Mental Health A wareness week feels more imp ortant than ever as we find ourselves faced with a global health crisis which will, undoubted ly , have an enormous imp act on the mental health of many p eop le,” he commented. “F or those who a re struggling with mental health, esp ecially during this challenging time, I assure you of my p r ayers, and urge you to seek the safe and non-judgemental help which is available.”

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Ne w s The Pilgrim June 2020 P a g e 4 There’ s online help to sup p ort your faith Despite the closure of churches during the current p ublic health crisis, there are many resources online to help to you in your faith. Below is a selection covering liturgy , the Bib le, p r ayer , Catholic TV and r adio, and much more. Some includ e ap p s that can b e download ed to your mob ile phone.
The Catholic Church P op e Fr ancis www .vatican.va Latin P atriarchate of Jer usalem www .lpj.or g Catholic Bishop s’ Conference of England and W ales www .cbcew .or g.uk The Bishops’ Conference has produced a downloadable prayer sheet for spiritual communion when participating in Mass online. Southwark archd iocese www .r csouthwar k.co.uk T h e a r c h d i o c e s e w i l l b e s h a r i n g d a i l y r e a d i n g s , G o s p e l p a s s a g e s a n d r e f l e c t i o n s o n t h e d i o c e s a n   F a c e b o o k   p a g e a n d h i g h l i g h t i n g v a r i o u s r e s o u r c e s , o p p o r t u n i t i e s a n d n e w s a b o u t l i f e i n t h e d i o c e s e o n   T w i t t e r   a n d   I n s t a g r a m .   Y o u m a y a l s o l i k e t o v i s i t o u r   Y o u T u b e   p a g e t o r e v i s i t s o m e h o m i l i e s f r o m v a r i o u s s e r v i c e s t h r o u g h o u t t h e p a s t y e a r .
Rad io www .heavensr oadfm.com (broadcasting from St J ohn’ s Seminary , W onersh). www .pr emier .or g.uk (ecumenical station in London). www .spir itr adio.ie (ecumenical station in Ireland). en.r adiovaticana.va (broadcasting from the V atican in 47 languages) www .bustedhalo.com (USA)
TV www .ewtn.com (USA). www .r elevantr adio.com (USA). www . saltandlighttv .or g (USA) www .catholictv .or g (USA)
The Bible, liturgy and catechesis The God Who Sp eaks www .cbcew .or g.uk/home/events/the-god- who-speaks The Bible Society (resources for Catholics) www .biblesociety .or g.uk/explore-the- bible/wor d-on-the-go/ The late Raymond E. Brown, leading Catholic biblical scholar www .r a ymondebr ownss.weebly .com Crossroads Initiative, evangelisation www .cr ossr oadsinitiative.com Fr anciscan Media info.fr anciscanmedia.or g Scott Hahn, popular Catholic author www .scotthahn.com Liturgy office of the Bishop s’ Conference www .litur gyoffice.or g.uk Centre for Catholic F ormation www .ccftootingbec.org.uk Catholic Charismatic Renewal www .ccr .or g.uk Southwark Catholic Y outh Serv ice www .facebook.com/scys.uk/ Li feteen for young Catholics www .lifeteen.com
Pr ayer Lectio Div ina. www .lectio-divina.or g Daily p r ayers for Lent www .lentinisolation.com Bible read ings, Bible resources, prayers during Lent, and saints of the day . www .catholic.org Alone T ogether www .alonetogether .or g.uk. Southwark Sp irituality Commission www .southwar kdsc.or g.uk Pr ay the rosary online with people around the world. www .comepr ayther osar y .or g Pr ay the D iv ine Office each day . www .univer salis.com A d aily pr ayer podcast from J esuit Media Initiatives featuring readings and music. www .pr ay-as-you-go.or g T yb urn Convent Live streamed perpetual adoration with the nuns at T yburn convent https://adoration.tybur nconvent.or g.uk A r ange of resources, including online videos, podcasts, homilies, and daily Mass at 12.15pm (GMT) from Bishop R obert Barron’ s chapel. www .wordo nfir e.or g The T aize community are broadcasting Evening P rayer live each day at 7.30 pm (GMT) on its Facebook page: www .facebook.com/taize/ www .taize.fr Live streaming of the Div ine Office in Latin from the monks of the Abbey of Barroux in France. www .bar r oux.or g A Catholic social network of prayer around the world. www .hozana.or g Daily p r ayers and reflections from the Irish Jesuits. www .sacr edspace.ie P ort chap lain to the rescue Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sear) port chaplain to the Medway and Dover , J ohn Fogarty , came to the rescue of the crew of a ship in Northfleet who needed to contact their families. John provided 17 SIM cards to the seafarers, who had been at sea for 40 days. The cards were delivered to the ship using a bucket and rope, observing all social distancing measures and the necessary precautions . John is also visiting his team of volunteer ship visitors to offer support. “I’m meeting with a ship visitor at home each week, as this is the least I can do for our faithful volunteers who serve our people of the sea so well.” Among those he visited was John R utland, who has been looking after operations in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey for over ten years. “He told me he is looking forward to gettin g back to normal and to start working on updating the seafarers’ room in Sheerness Docks. A prayer buddy ministry is being set up by the Southwark diocesan head of hospital chaplains. The scheme is intended to support those working on the front-line that are dealing directly with the current pandemic. Every hospital chaplaincy within Southwark is invited to ask NHS staff to add their first name and job title to a list, which will be held by the hospital chaplain. P arishioners are needed who are p repared to be committed prayer buddies, holding a member of NHS staff and their intentions in prayer on a daily basis. P arishioners will receive the first name, job title and general hospital location of an NHS worker , while the NHS worker will receive their first name, parish name and parish area. R ebekah O’K eeffe, a catechist who works within the diocese, will pair people up as prayer buddies. If you would like to accompany an NHS worker in prayer , email: rebekah.okeeffe@ gmail.com with your name and parish details (name and area only). M a r r i a g e c o u r s e s g o o n l i n e The Marriage and F amily Life team of Southwark diocese is running a numb er of courses online. On 6th June and 4th July , from 10 am – 1 p m, married couples can take p art in the “Building a b etter marriage” course. A course to help p arents with d evelop i ng the faith of their child ren will also be running. In addition, marriage p rep ar ation courses will take p lace online, on 13th June, 27th June, 18th July , and 25th July . F or more information, v isit www .rcsouthwark .co.uk /marriage. V i d e o s f o r y o u n g p e o p l e Southwark Catholic Y outh Service has produced a series of short videos called “Christ is Alive.” The videos were produced before the lockdown, and feature di scussions with sixth form students from St Gregory’ s RC School in T unbridge W ells. The young people discuss some of the key themes from ‘Chr istus V ivit’, P ope Francis’ apostolic exhortation to young people in 2018. The series consists of six two-minute videos, each with questions for reflection and supporting resources. The videos can be viewed at www . youtube.com/southwar kcatholicyouthser vice. N H S p r a y e r b u d d i e s n e e d e d The Benedictine sister s at Minster Abbey , near Ramsgate, have been making scr ubs for staff at their local hospice and hospital

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P a g e 5 he Pilgrim June 2020 F eatur e W e n e e d g o o d s t o r i e s I would like to devote this year ’ s Message to the theme of storytelling, because I believe that, so as not to lose our bearings, we need to make our own the truth contained in good stories. Stories that build up, not tear down; stories that help us rediscover our roots and the strength needed to move forward together . Amid the cacophony of voices and mes sages that surround us, we need a human story that can speak of ourselves and of the beauty all around us. A narrative that can regard our world and its happenings with a tender gaze. A narrative that can tell us that we are part of a living and inter- connected tapestry . A narrative that can reveal the interweaving of the t h r e a d s t h a t c o n n e c t u s t o o n e a n o t h e r . W eav ing stories Human beings are storytellers. F rom childhood we hunger for stories, just as we hunger for food. Stories influence our lives, whether as fairy tales, novels, films, songs, news, even if we do not always realise it. Often we decide what is right or wrong based on characters and stories we have made our own. Stories leave their mark on us; they shape our convictions and behaviour . They can help us understand and communicate who we are.  W e ar e not just the only beings who need clothing to cover our vulnerability (cf. Gen 3: 21); we are also the only ones who need to be “clothed” with stories to protect our lives. W e weave not only clothing, but also stories: indeed, the human capacity to “weave” (Latin texer e) gives us not only the word textile but also text. The stories of different ages all have a common “loom”: the thread of their narrative i nvolves “heroes”, including everyday heroes, who in following a dream confront difficult situations and combat evil, driven by a force that makes them courageous, the force of love. By immersing ourselves in stories, we can find reasons to heroically face the challenges of life. Human beings are storytellers because we are engaged in a process of constant growth, discovering ourselves and becoming enriched in the tapestry of the days of our life. Y et since the very beginning, our story has been threatened: evil snakes its way through history . Not all stories are good stories How many stories serve to lull us, convincing us that to be happy we continually need to gain, possess and consume. W e may not even realise how greedy we have become for chatter and gossip, or how much violence and falsehood we are consuming. Oft en on communication platforms, instead of constructive stories which serve to strengthen social ties and the cultural fabric, we find destructive and provocative stories that wear down and break the fragile threads binding us together as a society . By patching together bits of unverified information, repeating banal and deceptively persuasive arguments, sending strident and hateful messages, we do not help t o weave human history , but instead strip others of their dignity . The story of stories Sacred scripture is a “story of stories”. How many events, peoples and individuals it sets before us! It shows us from the very beginning a God who is both creator and narrator . Indeed, God speaks his word and things come into existence (cf. Gen 1). As narrator , God calls things into life, culminating in the creation of man and woman as his free dialogue partners, who make history alongside him. In one of the Psalms, the creature tells the creator: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother ’ s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made … My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth” (139:13-15). W e are not born complete , but need to be constantly “woven”, “knitted together”. Life is given to us as an invitation to continue to weave the “wonderful” mystery that we are. The Bible is thus the great love story between God and humanity . At its centre stands Jesus, whose own story brings to fulfilment both God’ s love for us and our love for God. Henceforth, in every generation, m e n a n d w o m e n a r e c a l l e d t o   c o m m i t to m e m o r y   t h e m o s t s i g n i f i c a n t e p i s o d e s of this story of stories, those that best communicate its meaning. Jesus spoke of God not with abstract concepts, but with parables, brief stories taken from everyday life. At this point life becomes story and then, for the listener , story becomes life: the story becomes part of the life of those who listen to it, and it changes them. An ever-renewed story  The history of Christ is not a legacy from the past; it is our story , and always timely . It shows us that God was so deeply concerned for mankind, for our flesh and history , to the point that he became man, flesh and history . It also tells us that no human stories are insignificant or paltry . Since God became story , every human story is, in a certain sense, a divine story . In the history of every person, the Father sees again the story of his Son who came down to earth. Every human story has an irrepressible dignity . Consequently , humanity deserves stories that are worthy of it, worthy of that dizzying and fascinating height to which Jesus elevated it.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, every story , even the most forgotten one, even the one that seems to be written with the most crooked lines, can become inspired, can be reborn as a masterpiece and become an appendix to the Gospel. Like the Confessions of Augustine, or A Pilgr im’ s Jour ney of Ignatius, or The Stor y of a Soul of Saint Ther ese of the Child Jesus. Like countless other stories, which have admirably scripted the encounter between God’ s freedom and that of man. A story that renews us W ith the gaze of the great storyteller – the only one who has the ultimate point of view – we can then appr oach the other characters, our brothers and sisters, who are with us as actors in today’ s story . For no one is an extra on the world stage, and everyone’ s story is open to possible change. Even when we tell of evil, we can learn to leave room for redemption; in the midst of evil, we can also recognise the working of goodness and give it space. So it is not a matter of simply telling stories as such, or of adv ertising ourselves, but rather of remembering who and what we are in God’ s eyes, bearing witness to what the Spirit writes in our hearts and revealing to everyone that his or her story contains marvellous things. I n h i s m e s s a g e t o m a r k t h e 5 4 t h W o r l d C o m m u n i c a t i o n s D a y , P o p e F r a n c i s s p o k e a b o u t t h e i m p o r t r o l e t e l l i n g s t o r i e s h a s i n o u r l i v e s . T h i s i s a n e d i t e d v e r s i o n .

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F eatur e P a g e 6 he Pilgrim June 2020 When lockdown occurred I was, like many others, taken aback. Cut off from everyone, I felt bereaved in many ways. One of the good things about our parish of St John Fisher in Bexley is that we do much in collaboration. The downside of that is that there are many tasks regularly undertaken that I don’t have the first clue about how to manage – or I didn’t have! I felt like the be reaved husband or wife saying in exasperation ‘but he/she always looked after that side of things’. There was a very steep learning curve for me, especially when the parish secretary was furloughed. W ithout meeting regularly , communication was going to be at the heart of all our efforts to celebrate our relationship with God and with each other . W e would need to unite people, even if only in a virtual way . W e would need to offer help wherever necessary , to celebrate community with each other and communion with the Lord. This formed a formidable agenda. I quickly discovered that our internet was not going to be strong enough to do live streaming. W e opted therefore to record the Sunday Mass and upload it to Y ou T ube, so that anyone can access it via the link on our website. This has proved to be popular not ju st within the parish but beyond, with hundreds of viewings. A parishioner with a background in broadcasting organises all this and his gift of time and talent has been immense during this time. W e are blessed. He also looks after the website on which he has been building up a virtual gathering of everyone in our hall for coffee after Mass! At first I think we all found the virtual Sunday P arish Mass a str ange experience, but we are getting used to it. It actually takes a lot more concentration to say the Mass well, without the warmth of parishioners responding, and I look forward to the day when we all get together again for our Sunday Mass. The Easter services were particularly difficult to celebrate alone, but were much appreciated. P eople felt as involved in the liturgy as they could be and as much in their own church as they could, as evidenced by comments about the flowers, the new vestments and banners that we have acquired and about the overall look of the sanctuary . W e have now added recordings of hymns and parish readers send in recordings so that they can exercise their ministry and add dignity and interest to the liturgy . A virtual choir is also gathering. The Sunday Mass remains at the centre o f our parish, thank God, and thanks to our website! Communication with parishioners beyond the Sunday Mass has been a challenge. Putting together an up-to-date database was one of the priorities for the year , but alas as yet, it has not been done. I did have access to many ‘phone numbers and email addresses, though. During the first week I was able to cobble together a long list of parishioners who agreed to receive mailings and I undertook to mail them twice a week. They receive a newsletter at the weekend and a reflection that I call “Fr Doug’ s Ramblings” in the middle of the week. Beyond that, the news and views reach many others via the telephone and also doorstep deliveries undertaken by volunteers. W e use existing networks, too, to maintain our parish community . I celebrate Mass privately each day on b ehalf of the parishioners and engage in prayer between 5.30pm and 6.30pm. These times are published so that many join in a spiritual communion with the Lord, with me and with each other . Sadly , there have been more funerals than normal. These are very difficult events. W ithout the usual number of meetings to talk and to plan the funeral service, it feels like my hands are tied behind my back. At the cremat orium, there can’t be more than ten people present and the usual consolation of people’ s physical support is absent. The family’ s grief is not matched by the outpouring of love that is usually there. I hope that as soon as we can, we return to church and at least celebrate a memorial Mass with the level of dignity that we have been previously used to. T wo weddings and several baptisms, first Holy Communion and Confirmation are all on hold. As for me, while the parish activities and my wider ministry have kept me busy , the main thing has been to allow the Lord to speak to me and to offer Him the chance to speak through me. In facing the possibility of contracting the virus and even facing the possibility of suffering its severe effects, serious questions get asked about one’ s relationship with God. I can onl y say that when those questions did get asked the Lord was there to answer them. The physical limitations imposed by lockdown have, with the help of increased control over the use of one’ s time, served to give a greater freedom to the inner spiritual life and while I don’t feel that I have been on retreat, I do feel as if I have been living my own brand of monastic life. Meal times have taken a particula r prominence each day . My daily walk has enabled me to closely observe this year ’ s wonderful Spring like I never have done before. It has been a great consolation and indeed, inspiration. As we begin to consider coming out of lockdown I feel a little anxious, but I can’t wait to feel again the warmth of other people and even enjoy the ill-discipline of speaking at the same time as others, which you can’t do in the digital meetings that we’ve had to get used to! There will be many positives about the experience that we will need to identify and carry forward, starting with the kindness that so many have shown to their neighbours. W e will also need to go back to the question that prompted Jesus to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan which was: “Who is my neighbour?” (Luke 10:29) Maybe the pandemic will help us live in more solidarity with our worldwide family . In the midst of all of this, we salute the brave NHS workers, others working on the frontline and those undertaking key roles in society to make sure we are all safe, fed and watered. I do hope that after this is all over we will remember and cherish more closely all those who at this time are considered “essential workers”. W e will remain in their debt. A p arish in lockd own F r D o u g l a s B u l l r e v e a l s w h a t p a r i s h l i f e h a s b e e n l i k e t h r o u g h t h e C o v i d - 1 9 p a n d e m i c Fr Douglas celebrates a lonely Mass in his parish church

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K e y w o r k e r s r e m a i n a t g r e a t t h r e a t o f c o n t r a c t i n g c o r o n a v i r u s , a n d n o n e a r e m o r e a t r i s k t h a n t h e t e a m s o f c h a p l a i n s d i l i g e n t l y w o r k i n g i n h o s p i t a l s a c r o s s t h e c o u n t r y . R e v G e r a l d W a t k i n s r e v e a l s h o w h i s l i f e w a s t u r n e d u p s i d e d o w n a f t e r h e c a u g h t t h e v i r u s – w h i l e a l s o a c k n o w l e d g i n g h o w i t b e n e f i t t e d h i s f a i t h As I slowly recover from the Covid-19 infection, I reflect that working as the site team lead chapla in at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, visiting and supporting patients, I have very much “talked the talk” – but now I have finally won my street credentials, having “walked the walk” alongside my NHS colleagues and patients by contracting the virus. Having enjoyed good health throughout my life, to be struck down with an illness is very humbling as you live through the aches and p ains and the spiritual darkness that walks alongside you. I t w a s d u r i n g a v i s i t t o a “ n o n - i n f e c t e d C o v i d ward” that I believe I contracted the virus. Although dressed in PPE – mask, apron and gloves – as a precaution, I engaged with a nurse and felt a distinct “hit” at the back of my throat. I knew that I had caught something. That night I was very poorly , taking deep breaths and very restless. The following day , I received an email to advise me that the patients on that ward had now been infected with Covid-19 – my initial reaction to being “hit” seemed to be correct. Self isolating, within 48 hours I had a Covid- 19 test and within a few days, my result was negative! But by now I had come out in a rash over my back and had developed thrush, my body ached and pained. There is no cure, so all I could do was se lf isolate for 14 days. Thankfully my breathing eased. For me the worst part of this illness was being absent from the front line in the hospital; not to be able to stand in solidarity with my colleagues was painful. During this period of isolation, my faith was sustained by others, in particular I must give thanks to the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions in Deal and Sturry who frequently called to offer support and compassion. T ogether with calls from local priests Canon John O’T oole, calls and practical support from my brothers, I distinctly felt valued and cared for . The challenge of faith came in the form of fidelity to prayer! Feeling constantly tired, the desire to pray wavered, though I never doubted God’ s presence, my night prayer would simply consist of a review of the day’ s events, thankfulness fo r everything and an acknowledgment that God had provided for me. That is profound, we rely on him, we take nothing for granted. As the days went by , it never crossed my mind that I might die – is this self delusion or pride? Rather , I felt that this was a God-given opportunity for reflection and perhaps preparation for his own mysterious ways? After 14 days of self isolation my wife T ina and I safely emerge d, more considerate to each other ’ s needs and anxieties, more acutely aware of the wonder of creation and simply knowing that we are not in charge, that ultimately we are invited through pain and sorrow to stretch out our hands and place them into the hand of God. Here in the spiritual darkness that accompanied me, the compassion, prayers and strength of others has been immense and, dare I say , that the vir us itself is a blessing, causing one to take time out and reflect on my pastoral approach to patients and staff. All chaplains’ formations are unique. No two chaplains employ the same approach to healthcare. Chaplains of different denominations and a different emphasis in faith bring that formation into their care for the sick and the dying – a unique environment that will challenge the chaplain to seek and present an authentic Christian response to the situation that confronts him. There are simply no textbook answers – the demands can be awesome. In all of this we simply rely on the wisdom and grace of God to minister to others. The sick, the dying and their families hold close to our every word. W ith respect to the current coronavirus pandemic, my personal experience has been challenging. R ecently , for op erational reasons, I was asked to take care of chaplaincy at the W illiam Harvey Hospital in Ashford. Although not a stranger to the hospital, I had to immediately establish a good working relationship with staff as all the regular chaplaincy volunteers were asked to stay at home, leaving just myself. Having visited the wards and introduced myself, the next task was to be visible and make regular visits to A &E and the wards, working alongside staff and engaging with patients and the public. Chaplaincy has to be seen to be credible. A regular visit to A&E reception, normally packed with members of the public, would now be deserted, with perhaps one or two people present. Similarly , a behind-the-scenes visit to an A&E normally packed with patients might reveal perhaps half a dozen patients being treated for rout ine accidents. But it is here that chaplaincy is seen to be engaging and supporting. R egular visits to wards visiting the sick and, on occasions, the dying are positively appreciated by staff, as the sick may be socially isolated and need extra support, while the dying and their families are so grateful to have a chaplain with them and accompanying them through their crisis. Strikingly I am not as busy for end of life patients as “pre-Covid”. Given the high death rate in hospitals, this decline in calls for the chaplain may seem at first glance rather mysterious – but on analysis I would conclude that the chaplain in pre-Covid times would be regularly called in response to the family needs as they sought spiritual support for both patient and themselves. Now , with Covid-19 patients isolated from family , that dynamic is missing and in only a few cases am I called to the bedside. However , there are many cases where the patient is Catholic and the family , knowing the importance of the anointing of the sick, do call the chaplain, who then liaises with the local Catholic priest. Our priests are simply some of the un- recognised heroes who share the front line with staff and who come forward willingly and quietly for our patients. W e owe them a great deal, as the following words of thanks, recently received, highlight: All the family would like to thank you for your kindness in visiting Mum.W e know that she r eally appr eciated your time when she was at her lowest. In these str ange and challenging times the wor k that you and your colleagues ar e doing is of huge impor tance and comfor t to families at a ver y fr ightenin g and vulner able time. And then we have to care for our staff and the public. Among the many initiatives by the East K ent Hospitals University NHS Foundation T rust for care of staff, I was asked to provide daily counselling time in the chapel. I am not a trained counsellor . All I have to offer is an experienced compassionate listening ear , supplemented by years of pastoral care. While you cannot fix the pro blem you can absorb the pain and anguish and seek to relieve the anxiety of staff before they leave the chapel – and that comes at an immense cost! In all these situations the chaplain is expected to be all things to all men and yet underneath, there is a frail, perhaps insecure person who relies totally on the grace of God to see him through the crisis. P erhaps if we view ourselves as strong and confident, then we delude not only ourselves but the most important person in the room – the patient.For this reason, having contracted the virus has been a blessing. As P ierre T eilhard de Chardin said, “W e are not human beings having a Spiritual J ourney . But rather , spiritual beings having a Human Journey .” F eatur e he Pilgrim June 2020 P a g e 7 The hosp ital chap lain who caught Cov id-19 “ R e g u l a r v i s i t s t o w a r d s v i s i t i n g t h e s i c k a n d , o n o c c a s i o n s , t h e d y i n g a r e p o s i t i v e l y a p p r e c i a t e d b y s t a f f , a s t h e s i c k m a y b e s o c i a l l y i s o l a t e d a n d n e e d e x t r a s u p p o r t , w h i l e t h e d y i n g a n d t h e i r f a m i l i e s a r e s o g r a t e f u l t o h a v e a c h a p l a i n w i t h t h e m a n d a c c o m p a n y i n g t h e m t h r o u g h t h e i r c r i s i s . . . ”

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P arishes/F amily The Pilgrim June 2020 John P ontifex “W e are the church by the crossroads, a place of sanctuary , a step or two away from the busy streets of London.” W ith these words – or something very close to them – Canon W illiam Hebborn, the parish priest of St Anselm’ s, welcomed me inside. Nearly a decade after I moved into the parish and starting going to St Anselm’ s, writing this article provides a great op portunity to celebrate the life of a wonderfully vibrant parish where welcome and hospitality are recurring themes. And, for those who pass along the busy A24 at T ooting Bec and see the large red-brick church facing the tube station, here’ s your chance to find out what the parish is like. Founded in 1909, the parish’ s early decades were recently brought back to life in the St Anselm’ s publication A Par ish in W ar time, which celebrated the lives of the parish war dead, names and life stories which were at risk of being lost forever . R eplacing a former Methodist church found to be unsafe, the current St Anselm’ s was opened in 1933. Having successfully withstood the Blitz, the church continues to stand strong against the relentless traffic outside and the rumble of the tube trains below . And, while the interior is indeed an oasis of calm in a busy world, the church is the focal point of a vast array of activities which meet the spiritual needs of a beautifully rich and diverse community dedicated to the service of God and neighbour . Only the fifth parish priest in St Anselm’ s long history , Canon W illiam – Fr W ill – has, over 22 years of ministry at St Anselm’ s, built up a community where everyone is enabled to encount er the living God who dwells in our midst – in the Sacramental life of the Church and in each person we meet. W ith a Sunday Mass attendance of well over 1,000, St Anselm’ s falls within the top 10 per cent largest parishes in the Archdiocese of Southwark. Ministering to such a large community is efficiently enabled by parish administrator Martine Mercer , the worthy recipient of the Fidelis Ser vientor award best owed by Archbishop P eter Smith. The priests of the parish work closely with three deacons to fulfil the considerable pastoral needs of a diverse community . Every year , St Anselm’ s has more than 50 Baptisms; nearly 60 receive their First Holy Communion and almost the same number are confirmed. Sacramental initiation is supported by as many as 90 catechists. These figures bear witness to the close relations bet ween the church and the nearby St Anselm’ s Catholic P rimary School. P arish catechetical co-ordinator T om Gately leads an RCIA programme; and every year at Easter we welcome people into the Church for the first time, as well as others returning to the practice of the faith after a gap of a number years, in some cases, decades. P arish retreats make up an important part of the spiritual development of parishio ners, drawing on programmes inspired by the likes of St T eresa of A vila, St Ignatius Loyola, St J ohn Henry Cardinal Newman and other pivotal players celebrated by the American Catholic evangelist Bishop R obert Barron. The liturgical life of the parish is enriched by musicians of every age and ability who help us all praise God in fitting fashion. R everence and service are the watchwords of St Anselm’ s 50 or mo re altar servers who bring solemnity and dignity to our services, especially in the transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ – the Eucharist. For the parish men’ s group, the highlight of the year comes in November when at least 80 of their number stir up their culinary skills at the Christmas pudding night, each walking away with two sumptuous puds! Another focus is on the environmen t, and St Anselm’ s has registered for Cafod’ s Live Simply award as part of the parish’ s response to the climate emergency . Support for persecuted Christians is a priority too; within three years, the parish raised more than £35,000 for Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need’ s support for Syria and the work of Aleppo’ s Sister Annie Demerjian. The sacred and inalienable rights of the unborn child are defe nded with courage, compassion and clarity by the parish’ s pro-life group, and responding to Our Lord’ s call to feed the hungry , ‘Caring K itchen’ provides for those in urgent need, as does ‘Soup and Sandwich’ and the parish’ s St V incent de P aul group. As well as fulfilling their duties at Mass, extraordinary ministers work alongside the priests and the deacons of the parish to ensure spiritual outreach to the sick and housebound – and St Anselm’ s P rimary School proudly leads the way at the parish’ s senior citizen Christmas party . For all ages, the parish shop in the courtyard brings together the choicest selection of antiques with the perfect religious gift for every occasion – cards, statues, books, music, holy medals and rosaries galore. The shop provides a vial opportunity to develop a sense of community within the parish. Amid the doom and gloom over the decline in people identifying as Christians in the UK, the diversity and scale of parish life at St Anselm’ s tells a very different story about the state of the Church today . P rue, “…people need to do something uplifting.” There is a connection between food and mood. Baking is therapeutic, but what we choose to eat also makes a difference to not only our physical wellbeing but to our metal health. There is information about how to manage your mood with food on Mind’ s website, at www .mind.org.uk/ information-support/tips-for- everyday-living/food-and-mood/ab out-food-and-mood/. One o f the things that has brought me the most joy in the past month has been the invitation from my line manager to set six baking challenges for the students at St Edmund’ s in Dover . Their favourite has been the Greggs-style cheese and bacon wrap. Mine is the rainbow cookie. I love the rainbows in everybody’ s windows, a symbol of thanks to our carers and a reminder of God’ s promise never to flood the whole earth again. I made mine from a shortbread recipe from BBC Good Food www .bbc.co.uk/food/ recipes/shortbread_1290), rolling the mixture into 30g balls and then slightly flattening them before placing on a greased baking tray and studding with M&Ms – after having eaten all the brown ones!  F o o d h a s p o w e r t o u p l i f t u s w h e n w e c a n n o t b e t o g e t h e r Lucy Russell Much of J esus’ teaching happens while he is sharing a meal. He eats with tax collectors (Luke 6:29), feeds the five thousand (Matthew 14:13-21), he gives us the Eucharist (Luke 22:19) and his mandate (John 13:34) during his Last Supper . O n 1 4 t h J u n e o u r p a r i s h , p r o b a b l y l i k e y o u r s , s h o u l d h a v e b e e n c e l e b r a t i n g w i t h t h e f i r s t c o m m u n i - c a n t s a n d t h e i r f a m i l i e s . T h e c o m m u n i o n b r e a k f a s t w e p r e p a r e a t S t T h o m a s ’ i n D e a l i s s e r v e d t o t h o s e m a k i n g t h e i r f i r s t H o l y C o m m u n i o n , b u t a l l t h e p a r i s h s h a r e b a c o n a n d s a u s a g e r o l l s a n d a c a k e i c e d w i t h t h e n a m e s o f t h e c o m m u n i c a n t s . The communicants each receive the piece of cake with their name on, and the rest is cut and offered to the parishioners with their coffee. Spiritual and physical nourishment comes t ogether in our celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi. How true, therefore, were Cardinal V incent Nichols’ words on the T oday programme on 14th May: “in these last weeks we have been creative, we’ve been faithful…[but] people have been distanced from their sacraments, they have been able to follow Mass every day and hundreds and thousands of people have joined in online, but every single one of them wants to be able to receive Holy Communion. It’ s a fast for us, it’ s quite a painful fast and that’ s true for other faiths… think of the patterns of Ramadan and the sacrifice that the Muslim community is making by never meeting outside their families during Ramadan and at the end for the big feast…” BBC Broadcaster George Alagiah has reflected on this theme of sharing food and togetherness recently , too: “Of all th e lockdown restrictions, the shared experience of eating together is the one I miss most. This goes back a long way to a childhood in which food, the making of it and the sharing of it, played such a central part in our lives… when we plunged our childish fingers into a bowl of curry and rice, [my mother] was offering more than nourishment, she was binding our family together…” In his reflection, George spok e of his resentment at the coronavirus keeping him apart from his loved ones: “T his coronavirus has turned things upside down; we feel threatened and we want to come together , but know we’ve had to stay apart.” But even if we can’t physically share a meal at the moment, food can still help to nourish us body and soul. In an interview on BBC Radio 4’ s The World at One programme at the beginning of April, P rue Lei th talked about the importance of cooking and baking to lift the spirits. “I’ve always said cooking can save the world,” she said. The beginning of the lockdown saw supermarket shelves empty and flour became particularly difficult to come by , especially bread flour . “It’ s not just about necessity ,” said P a g e 8 M y p a r i s h : S t A n s e l m ’ s , T o o t i n g B e c ‘ A m i d t h e g l o o m o v e r t h e n u m b e r o f p e o p l e i d e n t i f y i n g a s C h r i s t i a n . . . t h e d i v e r s i t y a n d s c a l e o f p a r i s h l i f e a t S t A n s e l m ’ s t e l l s a v e r y d i f f e r e n t s t o r y ’

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The Pilgrim June 2020 V ie wpoint F ather Ashley Beck If you ask people what they think of the Bible, or how much of it they have actually read, it’ s not hard to identify things which people find difficult or simply boring. In an earlier piece I mentioned the book of Leviticus; but for many the parts of the Old T estament which often fail to excite the reader , at least these days, are the books which we call “historical”: Joshua, Judges, R uth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 K ings (in older Catholic Bibles these four are 1 – 4 K ings), 1 and 2 Chronicles (in older Catholic Bibles 1 and 2 P aralipomena) Ezra, Nehemiah, (called 1 and 2 Esdras in older Catholic Bibles) and 1 and 2 Maccabees (not found in most Catholic Bibles because they are not in the Hebrew Bible). The first seven I have listed are s o m e t i m e s c a l l e d t h e “ d e u t e r o n o m i c history” because they are seen to follow on from the book of Deuteronomy (which I looked at two months ago) and are formed by the same tradition and authors. These rather basic notes might already have turned you off because of their complexity . As before, if you don’t have a decent modern Catholic Bible I would urge you to buy Fr Henry W ansbrough’ s new R evised New Jerusalem Bible or Fr Nick K ing’ s 2013 The Bible, both of which have very readable and up-to- date explanatory notes and introductions. The deuteronomic history books outline a basic history of the people of Israel, divided after the death of Solomon (10th century BC) into the separate and rival kingdoms of Israel and J udah, and run parallel to the books of the prophets which we looked at last month. There’ s a lot of emphasis on kings and their battles with neighbouring nation s, including large and powerful empires, one of which eventually destroys both kingdoms and the city of Jerusalem. This is portrayed, as with the prophets, as punishment for idolatry and unfaithfulness to the Law of Moses. The books of Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah tell basically part of the same history in parallel, but from the standpoint of those who were responsible for the worship in the Jerusalem T empl e, the priests. The books of Maccabees are from a much later period (2nd century BC) and recount the rebellion against the Greek Seleucid empire led by Judas Maccabeus. Much of this is hard work. W e might be familiar with some stories from the history which have caught people’ s imagination (though this is probably less true for Catholics than other Christians) – for example Joshua and the walls of J ericho, the powerful story of R uth, Samson and Delilah, the boy Samuel, David and Goliath, David and Jonathan, Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, and Elijah and the prophets of Baal. However , by and large much of this history is not something we know very well. But there are ways in which it can become much more interesting. On the face of it the writer of the deuteronomic history , the largest and most wide-ranging historic al account in the Old T estament, while pointing out endless infidelities on the part of the people, nevertheless affirms those whom he sees to be the “good guys” – particularly David (apart from his sin in relation to Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11 -12) and his son Solomon (until the end of his reign). But some have pointed out that the real picture behind the text is much more negative. The American radical Jesuit D an Berrigan, frequently arrested and imprisoned during his long life and ministry for anti-war actions, wrote a few years ago a book about these kings – David, Solomon and his successors (The Kings and T heir Gods: The Pathology of Power ). Fr Berrigan really makes the scriptures come alive – drawing on hard-headed history about oppression and drawing parallels with contemporary American military power , and wri ting often in a rich, poetic style. On Berrigan’ s reading the real message of the history of the kings is much more daunting and challenging than we thought: these warlords are not the instruments of the true God. There’ s a lot of falsehood around, and this is what we saw the prophets condemn when we considered them last month. This shows that if we take the trouble the Bible always has the capacity to surpri se us, to make us sit and think; even if we seem simply to be reading about endless battles and how many people were killed. • Fr Ashley Beck is assistant p riest of St Edmund ’ s, Beckenham, and teaches at St Mary’ s University , T wickenham. If you are interested in the new MA d egree in Catholic social teaching, email ashley .b eck@ stmarys.ac.uk.. Mary van Dyke Lockdown on Sheppey , while creating havoc in our lives, has only served to prove we are indeed “the centre of the Universe”, as our parish priest, Canon Frank Moran, puts it. This same canon is totally convinced that the Holy Spirit recognises “no boundaries” and can’t measure “social distancing, so in spirit we can still do everything we did before Covid-19 shadowed our lives. The most obvious changes during lockdown are the white lines which are set to rule us wherever two or three of us are gathered. They dominate supermarkets, chemists and GP surgeries, but not in the small shops on our high street in Sheerness because they are all shut. While out for your essential shopping trip you see the empty car parks and few people on the streets. There are orderly queues between the lines as people wait to access stores, with some shoppers wearing masks. The closure of schools is a key part of this new life, but despite that there are no children in the shops at all, or so few as to be unnoticeable. It’ s the same on the beach and promenade, normally favourite places for children in the holidays. But lockdown exercise is limited to the promenade. This is no good to children who like to go down and throw stones in the water . Coastguards are patrolling the promenades and enforcing the “stay at home” message. The children miss their friends. X-boxes, FaceT ime and mobiles are good for a while, but no substitute for being together . And the other big problem is home schooling. By all reports it either works well or causes chaos. The majority of children think no school, no lessons! However , there are positive aspects to lockdown: the heartwarming way people now smile as they pass, at the prescribed two metres apart; and the thoughtfulness as they approach an elderly person and cross the road so that they don’t have to. Or the young man in the supermarket queue noticing an elderly lady behind him and asking if she knew there was a special time for her when she wouldn’t need to queue? Y es, she did but her husband is disabled, and she can’t get out any earlier . The young man loo ked at the line of people ahead of them and said, “Y ou shouldn’t need to wait. Come with me.” He walked her along the queue, saying, “Just giving this lady some help.” Not one voice was raised in protest. This guardian angel led her into the shop and “crowd control” took over and promised the young man she would b e a c c o m p a n i e d a l l t h e w a y r o u n d , p r i o r i t i s e d at the checkout and walked back to her car . Thursd ay evenings at 8pm sees us outside the front door , clapping for the NHS and carers. Neighbours wave and call to each other . One street has a trumpeter who comes out and plays while the neighbours clap. But for me and many others the hardest thing is the closure of our churches. The feeling of loss is overwhelming. Many follow a streamed Mass online but it’ s not the same as Mass in our own church, with our own priest, deacon and our church family . Here at St Henry and St Elizabeth in Sheerness we are very fortunate. Canon Frank promised he will celebrate Masses and services at the times they would normally be. He has added a holy hour from Monday to Friday at 3pm and invited us all to join in with him from home. The now annual “R osary on the Coast” has been cancelled. Here we had R osary and Benediction on th e beach outside the church. It is the saddest moment of every day to think of Canon Frank celebrating Mass alone in our beautiful Pugin church. I personally abandoned the streamed Masses and go to our beloved church, so that at least in spirit Canon Frank will have a congregation. But good has also come out of this sad lockdown. W e are finding that as a church family we are even closer than before the ba n. R egular phone calls are made to the sick, the disabled and elderly of our parish, and emails and texts are proving their worth. Canon Frank even sends out newsletters as usual, which are made available on email, or “doorstep delivered”, remembering that not everyone has internet access. Normally , Good Friday would have seen a walk of witness from our church to Bunny Bank, a couple of miles from the ch urch, with adults taking turns carrying a full size cross while Munchkins (first Holy Communion class children) carry a smaller one. Whole families, babies in buggies, dogs, all walk to the hill to place the large cross with two smaller crosses, one walked from a Church of England church and one from the prison, carried by prisoners. W e would end with a short Ecumenical service followed by Hot Cross Buns. S adly , that walk had to be abandoned. The children’ s First Holy Communion day cannot happen. The class of 13 children and families are very upset, but the children are still learning via WhatsApp and email, and some wonderful work has come back especially over the Easter period. Canon Frank made videos of the church each day of the T riduum, showing the stripped altar after the Maundy Thursday Mass, covered statues on Good Friday , the paschal candle before and after the vigil Mass. He made a beautiful video on Easter Sunday evening with the setting sun shining through the rose window onto the beautiful altar at the back. As Canon Frank said: “The Light of the W orld shining a light into our world, bringing us hope in the midst of our troubles.” Canon Frank is the Catholic chaplain to one of our three local pr isons, but lockdown has deprived him of that. W e also lose the prisoner who comes to help with work around our two churches. He can no longer go to hospital, care homes. But his paperwork is benefitting! Meantime, we carry on, not as before, but in faith and trust that we will come through this and having learnt our lesson, hopefully be able to meet again soon in God’ s house. P a g e 9 Und erstanding the Old T estament Life in lockdown on the isle of Sheppey St Henr y and St Elizabeth chur ch in Sheer ness

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F eatur e P a g e 10 he Pilgrim June 2020 John Bateson One of the good things to have come out of lockdown are the virtual online shows that museums, galleries and theatres have been offering us. T h e N a t i o n a l T h e a t r e , f o r e x a m p l e , have been digging deep into its film archives of live performances and given us, among others, T r easur e Island, T welfth Night and, most recently , a riveting performance of Fr ankenstein, with others on the way . That sense of business that we’re so used to living with in the city has dropped away and for some people, watching shows that they had always wanted to see but couldn’t because of lack of time or money has been a real treat. But the pandemic has certainly put a curb on those normal every- day activities we happily engaged in before lockdown was imposed. P eople and places we visited without a se cond thought are for the time being out of bounds. On Saturday mornings, for example, I would trot off up Brixton Hill to the prison, where it was my privilege to be part of a small team of volunteers who helped out at the Mass in the prison chapel. About 25 prisoners, mostly young men, would attend, with music usually provided by volunteers from Corpus Christi parish in Brixton. After the service Deacon Jo seph, the prison chaplain, would invite us to stay for tea and coffee, served in a small windowless room above the chapel. This was a time of sharing with volunteers. And the half or dozen or so prisoners that Deacon J oseph always invited very quickly became an important part of my week. There would be a real buzz about the place as we gathered, sitting around the table with our drinks, and Deacon Joseph invi ting each of us in turn to say something about our week. I was really quite startled how powerful such a simple thing as listening to people talk about the highs and lows of their past week could be. The stories that some of the prisoners brought to the table could be grim and humorous at the same time, but they nearly always moved me in ways I just wasn’t expecting. They didn’t always make for comfortable l istening; there was pain in these stories, which reflected the struggles that some of these young men were going through. I could never dismiss the f a c t t h a t t h e y h a d c o m m i t t e d c r i m e s , s o m e o f t h e m s e r i o u s , a n d t h a t p e o p l e h a d b e e n h u r t a s a r e s u l t . But hearing these stories reminded me that life’ s journey is far from straight forward and doesn’t always go the way we had wanted or planned. W e make wrong decis ions, things get messy and all too easily we end up on the wrong side of the fence. The feelings these stories generated must have stayed with me, because they became the inspiration for a painting that I eventually entitled The Last Supper in Br ixton Pr ison. The first idea was to simply paint a picture of us sitting around the table as a group, but gradually it began to take on a life of its own, as picture s do sometimes, with more people appearing, but when the figure of Jesus found his way into the piece I knew this was going to be The Last Supper . P eople will say the Last Supper took place in an upper room in Jerusalem, and not in a prison. That is very true, but one of the joys of painting is being able to reinterpret events and put them into a modern day context, as many artists down through the years have done so effectively The best known picture of the subject is Leonardo Da V inci’ s Last Supper , an image that has fascinated people down through the ages, for all sorts of reasons. This picture was originally painted for a convent in Milan back in the 15th century , but despite restoration it has not fared particularly well. The colours and images have faded and going back to this picture didn’t provide a grea t deal of inspiration to begin with. But then, out of the stone and plaster , something began to emerge and I saw things in the picture that had escaped me at first. It wasn’t the perfection of the piece that grabbed me but its untidiness. If we ever imagined the Last Supper to be a solemn occasion at which the disciples sat in an orderly fashion watching while Jesus spoke, then this picture shows us otherwis e. Here are the disciples, an assortment of characters, pointing and gesturing, pushing and shoving, keen to get their points across. I imagine it was a lively event with a good number of raised voices, but there, at the centre of it all, is the figure of J esus himself. The picture took me back to our weekly gathering as we sat in that upper room above the chapel in Brixton prison. Like the disciples in L eonardo’ s painting, each of us who gathers around the table is making their own journey . That journey is not always straightforward, more often than not we end up getting lost somewhere along the road and need help to find our way back again. Our stories, just like those of the young prisoners who join us, can be messy . W e may not have to live behind bars but that doesn’t mean we aren’t sometimes held captiv e by our all too human frailties. I completed T he Last Supper in Br ixton Pr ison just as Easter was about to begin and we all went into lockdown. I realise, looking at the finished item, that painting this picture has helped me make sense of some of the struggles that all of us, prisoners or not, go through each day . Like the disciples, we too are an assortment of characters who stumble and fall and then rise again, but it is good to know that wherever we are on the journey , the arms of Jesus remain open. T h e L a s t S u p p e r a t B r i x t o n p r i s o n t e l l s o w n s t o r y o f l i f e ’ s s t r u g g l e s The Last Supper , by John Bateson The National Theatr e has been r aiding its vaults for live per for mances to keep lockdown Br itain enter tained

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C a m i l l a C r a m p t o n , d e p u t y p r i n c i p a l f o r c h a r a c t e r e d u c a t i o n a n d w e l l b e i n g c u r r i c u l u m a t C h r i s t t h e K i n g S i x t h F o r m s , e x p l a i n s h o w t h e c o l l e g e i s s u p p o r t i n g s t u d e n t s t h r o u g h t h e C o v i d - 1 9 c r i s i s . Across the country , teaching staff are working hard to create engaging virtual lessons so that their students can keep up with work at this difficult time. At Christ the K ing Sixth Forms (CTK) in Lewisham, Sidcup and Broc kley staff have overnight risen to the challenge of moving to new ways of working and coming up with innovative ways to communicate with and inspire students. V aluing staff is enshrined in the CTK mission statement and the health and wellbeing of CT K is key . At this times of crisis, staff wellbeing is crucial and a great deal has gone into supporting the CTK community remotely . Executive principal Shireen Ra zey explained: “Our chaplaincy team is at the core of our sixth forms and throughout this crisis our community has become stronger . “The wellbeing of staff and students is at the heart of everything we do, and we have tried to find innovate ways to ensure staff and students remain a connected and supported throughout this crisis.” Sharing the word of God is a vital way to uphold the Catholic mission and to giv e comfort to staff and students. Helping ensure there is some routine in our daily life is so important, so at 8.30 am each day the CT K chaplaincy team, led by Javier Elderfield, sends out a student ‘thought for the day’, with a spiritual message to uplift and support students. The daily staff reflection is focused on messages for staff to help them through this time. At 12 noon each day a virtual prayer gr oup takes place, led by the chaplaincy team, using Microsoft teams. P rayer is an important way for staff and students to find hope and comfort, and students and staff come together to pray , reflect and sing at this time, helping to give a sense of routine and normality . T aking forward more innovative opportunities, CTK has been working with CT K choir director Natalie Christian-John, who has been recording upli fting videos to share with students. These have proved very popular with both students and staff, who can view the gospel messages and songs online. The sixth forms gospel choirs would normally meet weekly and perform at different events both internally and externally , and this is a way for staff and students to continue to enjoy the uplifting power of song. The chaplaincy is also working on innovative ways t o engage staff and students remotely , such as asking students to send uplifting video content, like dancing or playing an instrument. These videos are shared with local care homes to lift the spirits of the staff and patients. A ‘talking heads’ initiative has been set up, where interviews with guest speakers take place and are shared with staff. The inaugural guest was David W ells, catechist, teacher and aut hor , who regularly speaks at conferences throughout the world. The college’ s INSET day went ahead as normal on the first day of summer term, using MS T eams. Staff prayer and reflection are an important part of CT K INSET and the chaplaincy team engaged staff remotely in prayer , reflection, spirituality and wellbeing. W orking with charities has always been a big part of sixth form life for our students and suppo rting charity has never been more vital in these times of crises. When it became apparent there was a shortage of PPE, CT K donated 200 science goggles and 600 pairs of disposable gloves to University Hospital, Lewisham, along with food for the staff. Donations were also made to other local charities, including the St V incent de P aul Society . CTK started a Just Giving link to raise money for three local chari ties that have been hit hard by the coronavirus. The money raised will be donated to Bexley and Greenwich Hospice, R efuge Charity and Lewisham Foodbank. A target of £1,000 was set and was exceeded in only a week (currently the figure stands at £1,148). CTK students have wanted to get behind the NHS at this difficult time. Matthew Miller and Hannah Danso have both signed up as NHS volunteers. Our students wrote heartfelt messages of support for the NHS and submitted them via www .thanksamillion.co.uk, where the messages are directed to local hospitals. Students were thrilled to get messages of thanks back from University Hospital, Lewisham. A selection of their messages can be found on the CTK T witter feed at @ ctksfc. F eatur e/Diary The Pilgrim June 2020 P a g e 11 If you have an event, e-mail details to us at p ilgrim@ rcaos.org.uk I n l i n e w i t h G o v e r n m e n t r e g u l a t i o n s , a l l d i o c e s a n e v e n t s f o r J u n e h a v e b e e n c a n c e l l e d . H o w e v e r , t h e l i t u r g i c a l c a l e n d a r f o r t h e m o n t h i s : Liturgical calend ar - June S t a f f a n d s t u d e n t s r i s e t o C o v i d - 1 9 c h a l l e n g e s 1: Mary , Mother of the Church 3: Ss Charles Lwanga and Comp anions, Martyrs 4: Our Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest 5: St Boniface, Bishop , Martyr 7: The Most Holy T rinity 11: St Barnab as, Ap ostle 13: St Anthony of P adua, Priest, Doctor of the Church 14: Corp us Christi 19: Most Sacred Heart of Jesus 20: Immaculate Heart of the Ble ssed V irgin Mary 22: Ss John Fisher , Bishop , and Thomas More, Martyrs 24: The Nativ ity of John the Bap tist 28: St P eter and P aul, Ap ostles A banner outside CTK in Sidcup “ P r a y e r i s a n i m p o r t a n t w a y f o r s t a f f a n d s t u d e n t s t o f i n d h o p e a n d c o m f o r t , a n d s t u d e n t s a n d s t a f f c o m e t o g e t h e r t o p r a y , r e - f l e c t a n d s i n g a t t h i s t i m e , h e l p i n g t o g i v e a s e n s e o f r o u t i n e a n d n o r m a l i t y . . . ” St Bede the V ener able T : 0 1 6 1 8 2 0 5 7 2 2 U n i v e r s e M e d i a C a t h o l i c j o u r n a l i s m a t i t s b e s t ... T h e C a t h o l i c U n i v e r s e : w o r l d n e w s , c u r r e n t a f f a i r s , l i f e s t y l e s u p p l e m e n t s a n d a q u a r t e r l y U E d u c a t i o n m a g a z i n e a l l a v a i l a b l e e a c h w e e k d i g i t a l l y S u b s c r i b e t o d a y t o t h e d i g i t a l e d i t i o n a n d r e c e i v e i t b e f o r e t h e p r i n t e d v e r s i o n . O N L Y £ 1 2 a y e a r J o i n u s o n t h e j o u r n e y ... h t t p s : / / w w w . t h e c a t h o l i c u n i v e r s e . c o m / p r o d u c t / u n i v e r s e ­ a n n u a l ­ d i g i t a l ­ s u b s c r i p t i o n PPE kit, r eady to go over to the NHS staff wor king on the fr ontline

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F ocus on f aith he Pilgrim June 2020 Published by Universe Media Group Limited, 2nd Floor , Oakland House, 76 T albot Road, Manchester M16 0PQ. T el: 0161 820 5722. All rights reserved. Fr Innocent Ab onyi A search through history revealed to me that this is not the first time that Catholic churches have been shut and services cancelled due to public health challenges. In 1575, when plague hit Milan, the then Archbishop St Charles Borromeo orde red the closure of churches, although he had altars built outside churches so that people could still participate in the Mass from the windows of their houses while the priests celebrated from the al fr esco altars. If online streaming or Y ou T ube had been available then, St Charles would have used them. The Church was still standing after that pandemic. The second occasion was between 1918 and 1920 when the S panish Flu broke out; it affected around 500 million people all over the world and about fifty million were killed by this devastating flu. During this time, churches and schools were all closed. This was the era of colonialism, and because people travelled extensively , the virus was taken to the colonies with very destructive effects on the culture and on peoples’ lives. In Igboland in Nigeria, where I come from, prior to the Spanish Flu, women were returned home to their father ’ s or ancestral homes for burial after death. But the administration had to forcefully stop that practice because it was found that people caught the flu and died while conveying the body of those deceased ladies. In the place of the corpse, a trunk of plantain and a cow were sent back to the birth family of the deceased. T oday , a stop over of the funeral train is made to those families without offering any gift or replacement. Adapting to the closure of Our Lady of the R osary in Brixton has been a huge challenge for both parishioners and friends, who love their church so much. Crises elicits decisions. W e had to pause and pivot and plan how to minister and save our church and community through this crisis. W e had to set up Y ou T ube, Zoom a nd Facebook systems for Mass and devotions, for catechesis and, indeed, for all sorts of meetings. For instance, although we did not gather in the church for the Last Supper on Holy Thursday , nor keep watch late night at the altar of repose, we held an online Mass. P arishioners participated and said their prayers in the privacy of their homes. Good Friday offered empty pews, silent space and loneliness. At t he Easter vigil Mass there was no fire kindled outdoors, no paschal candle, no singing voices and no flickering lights. Rather , just as the early Christians did when they gathered in homes to break bread (Eucharist), share the W ord and offer petitions, we shared our joys and sent Easter messages, revisiting our baptismal vocations, focusing on the domestic Church, praying for the sick and dead of this pandemi c, praying for one another and hoping for an end to this lockdown. I can imagine parents answering countless questions from young children on why we cross ourselves or sing. Although Easter was solitary for many people, it was marked by having in mind the sick and the dead and the huge sacrifices made by the NHS, the Government, the chaplains, the volunteers and all in the medical and emergency services. W e have had night prayer every Monday , W ednesday and Friday during this pandemic. W e had also had lines of people calling at the presbytery door seeking help and support, with some asking for food or money . W e only offered what we can afford. Luckily we had some sizable donations of food items before the pandemic and we have used it to help some of those calling at our door , just like other priests and parishes are doing. W e emphasised the need for regular communication so as to find out how people are doing. The response of parishioners to common solidarity and mutual support has been epic. Finally , we have stayed constantly mindful of the ‘saints next door ’: the doctors, nurses, chaplains, volunteers, charity workers, the media, our Government, all performing their duty so that this crisis can cease and that ou r society can continue to function. In the opening words of his Ur bi et Or bi (for the city and the world), a solitary P ope Francis said: “For weeks, it has been evening. Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets, and our cities; it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void; we feel it in the air , we notice it in people’ s gestures, their glan ces give them away . Like the disciples, we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm.” The Holy Father said that we were all in the same boat and were called to row together , each in need of comporting the other . As a Church and as a parish, Our Lady of the R osary Church is trying to row together with the rest of the Church and humanity through active mutual support and prayers, through compassi on and sharing of love. W e are aware that our lives as a parish may be fundamentally altered at the end of our experience. W e may resume and follow familiar patterns, but we may come to them as changed people. W e pray not to lose our sense of God, sense of the Church and sense of community in the stones and bushes of the hedge- row . W e pray to have sustained and very deepened senses of agape love and our nee d for God and for each other at the end of all this chaos. For now , I suspect that we are called to discern how we are being renewed and reformed to be ever more the community of disciples that Jesus envisioned. Jesus is bigger than the coronavirus, and the Gospel is not contained or constrained by quarantine. Our churches have b een shut before – b ut the Lord Jesus was always with us Our Lady of the Rosar y in Br ixton

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