Is it the same WYD?

It's not always easy to get internet access so posting is necessarily irregular. The big talking point today is the British media's response to what will probably be the best WYD ever. We hear it's reported that a war memorial was defaced. It's true but there's no suggestion it was done by the youth who've come here. Much more likely to have been the small but vociferous opponents to the WYD celebrations. Cardinal Cormac is due to give a talk tomorrow but he's had to be warned that the British media are flying out a victim of abuse now living in Britain. Unbelievable as the locals are saying.
On the ground things are fantastic! We had a superb opening Mass yesterday with a particulalrly warm welcome from the PM who really nailed his colours to the mast in defence of Christianity and the Christian - especially the Catholic - heritage of Australia. Cardinal Pell gave a heartfelt homily that touched the thousands of people present. The Mass was reverent and very prayerful - even allowing for the joyful enthusiasm of the young people.
Sydney has been won over. Everywhere we go people wave and toot their horns, we are thanked for coming and welcomed warmly. The local response couldn't be better. So waht's the local media saying? Well they found a taxi driver who isn't getting any trade. His response? "That's fine. I just like watching them. They are soo good". And a woman sitting in 'Hungry Jacks' who is disturbed by a big group of young people and nuns - "They look so cute"!
Whatever the British media might say, WDY Sydney 2008 is a massive success story. And having spent the afternoon in the prayer room and hearing confessions, I have seen that God's grace is touching hearts, breaking through barriers, and winning converts: Big Time!!!
I can't upload photos but I will. Meanwhile keep us in your prayers!

Newcastle

Yesterday we went into Newcastle and were able to spend time overlooking the spectacular waterway. As well as the pleasure crafts, there were enormous coal ships going up and down (hence the expression 'coals to Newcastle'). Newcastle is a major city but the place didn't have an industrial feel at all. There was a WYD event on an open green just under the old fort - the site of a former power station but now wonderfully reclaimed. The event brought together all the WYD pilgrims staying in the diocese of Maitland-Newcastle and the local bishop came down to meet us. It's quite warm here during the day with beautiful blue skies although at night it gets very cold. We had woken up to a surprise frost, so I felt sorry for a group I met from Canada who are camping in an open field. I am already beginning to meet old friends. Yesterday it was Br Jean Marie of the Community of St John who are soon to open a house in Brentwood. Br Jean Marie is a deacon and has led two retreats for young adults in my parish.

So far we have met pilgrims from Colombia, Canada, United Arab Emirates, France, USA, Holland, Ecuador, Mexico and Belgium. When we get to Sydney of course the rest of the world will be represented!

One of the unexpected things about our experience over here so far has been the 'aboriginal dimension'. I find it a bit awkward: yesterday the bishop thanked the aboriginal peoples for allowing us to use their land - but I couldn't help wondering what would be the response if they asked for it back! The previous night we missed most of an aboriginal fire lighting ceremony but since it wasn't conducted by aborigines I was quite glad. When I was a child we used to watch the 'Black and White Minstrel Show' on television but it's not shown any more: the idea of white men 'blacking up' doesn't fit with modern sensibilities. I can't help feeling that in the future the idea of white Christians performing aboriginal ceremonies will be deemed similarly inappropriate!

Our group is getting on very well together and yesterday's event was a very useful introduction to the WYD spirit. Because we were in a fairly contained, safe, area we were able to let them wander off and explore in smaller groups. When we met again at 3.00pm I was pleased to see they were all displaying a fine array of lapel pins from different countries: they had already begun to make contact with people from all over the world and so discover what it means to be part of a 'catholic' Church.

WYD Update

G'Day! We're all learning a new language out here. Yesterday we visited a local park and were treated to a spectacular view of a 'mob' of 'roos'. It was during a community service day which, for us, consisted of filling in potholes on the park's paths. The work began with a compulsory health and safety briefing made far more interesting by the final warning: "And don't go near the Roos - they'll rip your stomach out!". Some of our lads have been pleased to discover the existence of 'stubbies' in their host's fridge. We've even found out there's an Ozzie beer called 'Southwark'!

It's required a bit of an effort to ensure that we have been able to have Holy Mass each day. We're staying in Maitland and Newcastle Diocese and one of our host priests commented that in his diocese daily Mass wouldn't be an expectation. I'm sure it will be after World Youth Day!

Last night I preached at what was to be our own diocesan Mass but when news went round that Mass was going to be celebrated loads of local people and a group from Belgium joined us. I was down to preach and - as you would expect - preached on vocations. I spoke about how the experience of WYD could lead us to take seriously our baptismal call to holiness and how that would then lead us to ask what specific path God had in mind for each one of us. On the way I gave some tips about developing our prayer, benefitting from confession and participating fruitfully at Mass. It was well received. Afterwards I met a Belgian law student who spoke about how it moved him and how he was thinking of priesthood. I was the first person he had spoken to about it. I also met a young Spanish student who is entering seminary next year.

Our own seminarians are doing splendid work. They have been charged with getting to know all the lads in our group and talking to them about priesthood. They are sowing seeds. Let's pray that we will one day reap the harvest!

Sydney '08

Having returned from my priests' course last weekend the race was on to get everything ready for a trip to Sydney. I'm taking eight young men, all of them either seminarians or men seriously considering their vocation. We've joined up once again with Fr Dominic Allain - with whom we took a very successful group to Cologne three years ago. In turn we have joined up with the diocesan group.

I left home on Tuesday afternoon at 3.00pm and we landed in Sydney at 6.00am on Thursday, having made a stop-over in Dubai. Sydney airport was pretty well in meltdown with thousands of young people waiting to clear passport control and then quarantine. We were doubly lucky: our group was spotted by an official who got us to line up separately without the need to wait with everyone else before the sniffer dog arrived. The second stroke of luck was that just after we were given the all clear and were being led out, I spotted another group from Southwark who had become detached from their leader. If I hadn't seen them they wouldn't have had a clue where to go and we would have started our trip to Sydney with a veritable disaster!

This afternoon as we got our accreditation we were treated to some spectacular 'didgereedoo' playing . We then went on to meet our host families at a parish school and were able to celebrate Mass in the local Church. Everyone is tired but by now they have been dispatched to their host families for the 'days in the diocese'. Tomorrow we have a day of social dedication - I think our group is planting trees - followed by Holy Mass in the evening and then 'Bush Dance Social Evening'.

Unexpected Silence

An apology to those of you who have been following this Blog: I have been away from the parish attending a course for priests in Andalucia (more on that later). Unfortunately internet access was interrupted by work on a new 'urbanizacion' just next to the 'finca' where the course was taking place. Apparently a digger managed to yank out all the cables.
Today I head back to London and plan to post more about the course itself before heading off to Sydney on Tuesday. In the meantime, can I draw your attention to one of the comments requesting prayers for Fr David. Fr David is a recently ordained priest from Madrid. He is 27 years old and has been diagnosed with advanced cancer.

God in the Streets of Balham

On Sunday the Deanery Corpus Christi Procession took place here in the parish. It was very well attended although about ten minutes before we were due to start I was wandering whether there would be sufficient numbers to take to the streets. As so often happens there was a great rush of people at the last minute and we ended up with a crowd of about three hundred.

Bishop Paul Hendricks joined us for the occasion and carried the Blessed Sacrament. Our parish monstrance is too heavy for a procession so we were grateful to be able to borrow one from another deanery parish, the Sacred Heart in Battersea. I was particularly grateful to the Knights who came from various deanery parishes who helped marshall the procession, and also to a number of our Seekers and newly accepted candidates for the priesthood in Southwark who, among other things, helped carry the canopy.

No one can remember when we last had a Deanery Corpus Christi Procession but the comments afterwards showed just how important it is to revive it. A lot of people were moved to tears - and not just older people remembering their youth, also young parents who said they had never experienced a procession before.

Afterwards the priests of the Deanery and Bishop Paul came over to the house where we were able to sit in the garden and enjoy the afternoon sun. All that was missing was a glass of Pimms!

A Festive Day

We had a great day in the parish today. On Fridays the usual 6.45am Mass is replaced by one at 8.30am to enable the children and their families to attend before school. There were loads of families at Mass this morning which is always a joy to see. I particularly like the fact that, when they can, some fathers go into work later on a Friday in order to attend this Mass with their wives and children. Numbers at the 9.30am Mass were good too and as usual we had a number of confessions afterwards. Making confessions available during the week helps take pressure off us on Sundays when there are always lots of people who want to go.

After the two Masses some Spanish nuns came to see me. I help out when their chaplain is away and they were asking about the possibility of finding accommodation for some Spanish seminarians during the summer.

Bishop Patrick Lynch turned up just before 1pm. He had been at St Bernadette's school in a neighbouring parish to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary and was coming to us to bless and open a new building at our own parish school. Thanks to the generosity of parents we were able to raise an enormous sum of money to replace a dilapidated pre-fab classroom with a state of the art 'centre for the creative curriculum'. It was opened in an appropriately creative style with the whole school involved in a colourful musical and dramatic presentation. The Bishop was then invited to bless the building and cut the ribbon before blessing an icon and hanging it on one of the walls. The celebration was centred on the meaning of the school coat of arms and its motto 'Civitas firma' - from the Book of Proverbs: "The brother whi is helped by a brother is like a strong city".

Afterwards the Bishop mingled with parents, governors and parishioners as they enjoyed complimentary Pimms along with strawberries and cream. It is really amazing to see how far our school has come over the years. It is also a special delight to meet my parishioners who have so much appreciation for what we do for them. Having the school right next to the parish creates a tangible sense of a community filled with faith and joy.

The rain, thank God, held off until the Bishop left for a meeting in central London. After catching up on some prayers I went out to do some shopping for tonight's Seekers Meeting, calling in on a priest whose mother is quite unwell at the moment. Please keep her in your prayers.

The Seekers Meeting began a bit late because of some traffic problems but we were particularly pleased to have Bishop Patrick join us. He had left his car in the Square and so came back for the meeting and was able to stay for the meal. We had a good number tonight and everyone was in good spirits - even when I chucked them out at 10.30pm!

Corpus Christi Procession

I know it is a bit late, but on Sunday we are having a deanery Corpus Christi Procession in Nightingale Square. It is an historic occasion because no one remembers when the last deanery procession was held. We're keen to have good numbers so do join us if you can.

Reviving traditions is always difficult especially when there is no previous experience to call on so we've decided to keep things simple this year. Although it's an option in the Caeremoniale Episcoporum, we've decided not to set up altars en route and Benediction will be given at the end back in Church. The plan is to see how things go this year and then to work on improving it in years to come.

Why revive this traditional devotion now? Partly, I suppose, to help create a wider Catholic identity in our deanery. Most of us have busy parishes and we can get so taken up with looking after our own parishes that we forget to do things together. This is a shame because it is only by doing things together that we build up confidence and friendship with each other and develop a sense of common purpose. When we have strong deanery collaboration priests will be happy to call on each other for help and support whenever needed.

Another reason for reviving the tradition is that it is important for the lay faithful to appreciate that the Church is wider than their own particular parish. Just as Word Youth Day can be an incredible boost to young people so the common witness to our faith and our Eucharistic devotion can also be a great source of inspiration.

More spiritually, our London streets have become for many places of violence and fear of violence. They need God's love. On Sunday we will carry through those streets "Love Divine all loves excelling". That can only be a blessing for the Balham deanery.

Creeping Back Up

The graph and table above show the effects of a somewhat extended Bloggap. This Blog fell silent at the end of July and the number of visitors collapsed from a peak of over two thousand a month to a quarter of that. After lots of requests we started posting again last month and, as you can see we are already beginning to recover our readership. A special word of thanks to all those who send in comments for the Blog. Let's keep praying for Southwark Vocations!

Newly Ordained Priest for Southwark

Sadly I couldn't attend because of our First Holy Communion celebrations, but on Saturday we had the great joy of ordaining another priest for the Archdiocese. Fr Cornelius Boyle was ordained by Bishop Patrick Lynch at the Virgo Fidelis parish in Upper Norwood. In the photograph you can see Fr Cornelius giving his First Blessing to the Bishop after the ordination Mass. In the background is the parish priest of Virgo Fidelis, Fr Michael O'Shea.
Fr Cornelius will serve his first appointment at St Andrew's, Thornton Heath. It is a big, multi-cultural parish with a lot going on.
Please keep Fr Cornelius in your prayers. For more photographs of the event visit the diocesan website.

First Holy Communion Weekend

A packed Church this morning for the first of three First Holy Communion Masses. The children have been preparing all year - and were all considerably better behaved than the charming young lady pictured above! We are very fortunate in the parish in that the parish school is right next door to the Church. This means it is possible for the children to join us for Mass before school. During the lunch break each class has a chance throughout the year to come into the Church for some prayer before the Blessed Sacrament during Friday Exposition. They also have lots of opportunities to go to confession - including of course during the Sunday Mass.

Next year we will have a new class starting the First Communion programme but these children will not lose out. We run post-Communion classes for two years and then have a programme called 'Keep the Faith' to takes them through the transition to secondary school. When they complete this they join the Confirmation class.

Of course catechesis is only one aspect of the formation we try to offer in the parish. It is important that, in addition to Faith, the other two theological virtues are also addressed. Growth in Charity and in Hope - expressed in prayer - are also necesary for there to be a true Christian life.

The role of parents in passing on the faith is one which is often stressed. Here we offer a twenty-week programme called "Faith in the Family". It has proved very popular and has certainly helped many parents develop a much deeper appreciation of their Catholic faith.

St John's Association

Today I was at the seminary for a meeting of the St John's Association. This is made up largely of former students of our diocesan seminary at Wonersh. Quite often I am asked by men thinking of the priesthood if it is a lonely life. Today it was great to see men of all ages, from the recently ordained to those enjoying fifty-four years of faithful ministry, come together as friends and colleagues. There was no loneliness there!
After the usual business at the AGM we were very fortunate to have a guest speaker in the person of Fr Gerry O'Collins SJ. Fr O'Collins taught me when I was a student in Rome and although I have attended many lectures by him in Italian this was the firsttime I had heard him give a talk in English. He is enormously well-read and has a gentle anecdotal style which was very evident today as he spoke about some of the themes of his recent book on Jesus. In particular he wanted to turn our thoughts towards the beauty of Jesus. It was an interesting presentation and was very well-received by those present.
After the talk we celebrated Holy Mass together and then enjoyed a magnificent festal meal. Before leaving I suggested it would be a good idea to get a photograph of the Rector, Mgr Jeremy Garratt with Fr O'Collins for the college archives and - of course - for the Southwark Vocations Blog!

Compliance

What is it? To aid people with disabilities or cause them?

We recently had a 'health and safety' inspection at the Church. The inspector told me that he would be checking to ensure that we 'comply with modern regulations' and then proceeded to suggest that we would need our fuse boxes replaced. That was quite surprising because the Church was only re-wired a few years ago and there has never been any question about the work on subsequent insurance checks. "Ah you see the regulations have changed. All new works require this". I am sure they do but the Church is not a 'new work'. Fortunately I had employed an expert to give us the once over some time ago. At that time someone had suggested that we would have to rip out the sanctuary steps and put in a ramp. Nonsense I was told, disability regulations only require 'reasonable' adaption. Nor would we need floor lighting in case of smoke because health and safety regulations are generally not retrospective. This experience had prepared me to ask the new inspector some pertinent questions. Indeed, he admitted, I didn't really need to do the work. I will, however, have to spend hours preparing 'action plans' for each area of his report when it comes.
The experience reminded me of a trip to Madrid a couple of years ago. I was staying in the parish of Santorcaz - where this blog still has a following - and was very amused to see the spanish villages had eagerly sought to comply with modern legislation. Fortunately I wasn't getting round in a wheelchair!

I am also reminded of a Spanish play on words: 'cumplimiento' means 'completion'. Whereas 'cumpli y miento' means, "I've done it and I lie". It's often used as a reminder that it is not sufficient to simply 'complete' our norms of piety - to do them for the sake of doing them. We have to seek to put oursleves into what we do and to try to ensure that our time of prayer is a true encounter with Christ.

50...

A bit late to publish - but I just saw this videa and liked it very much....

The Call of Matthew

The Gospel at Holy Mass today begins with the Call of Matthew and continues with the account of another of Our Lord's run-ins with the Pharisees. I am sure many priests preached about the second part of the Gospel passage but it struck me that we shouldn't miss the two short sentences that introduce it: as Jesus pases by he calls Matthew who gets up and follows him. It is a wonderful account of a vocation from the Gospel. Jesus calls. Matthew responds.
Matthew could be thought an unlikely character for the Lord to call. No one would have described Matthew as holy. Surely there were many other good and faithful Jews - why does the Lord call someone who would have been regarded as something of a dodgy character? He was certainly compromised by his dealing with the Roman authorities. I think that is a very good lesson for us. We shouldn't forget that St Mark says simply, 'Jesus called those he wanted and they came to him". There is no 'profile', no list of suitable characteristics. We are called simply because that is the will of Christ not because of our personal merits or gifts.
Matthew is collecting taxes when Jesus goes past. He is not in the Temple or sniffing about the synagogue. He's not a 'Holy Joe'. He is engaged in his 'professional work' and doing it with a professional spirit. If he hadn't been there at his desk he wouldn't have seen the Lord. It is unlikely that Jesus would have come back a second time. Had Matthew not been about his duties or had he wanted time to 'discern' the Lord would have gone on and that would have been the end of it. This is a challenge to us. What sort of student would Jesus call: the diligent one or the lazy one? Certainly the diligent one: the one who is doing what he is supposed to be doing.
I very much like Carravaggio's painting of the Call of Matthew. Jesus and Peter are passing by but you would hardly recognise which one is the Lord. Jesus is identified by a very slight, almost imperceptible halo. It is as if the artist is saying that the Lord passes by indistinguishable from everyone else. There is practically nothing to identify him and therefore the vast majority of people do not recognise him. Indeed behind Matthew are two of his colleagues so taken up with the day's gathering that they don't notice the presence of these two strangers at all.
Christ points to Matthew with a gesture reminiscent of the famous creative Hand of God in the Sistine Chapel. The artist is telling us that it is God who gives the vocation not man who chooses it. That Call is written into Creation, our vocation is from eternity. To ignore our vocation is a cosmic tragedy! The task we all have is to recognise the Call and to respond.
That response does not necessarily come easily. Although Matthew follows the Lord there is nevertheless a moment of crisis and decision. Carravaggio's Matthew points to himself with one hand - "Me?" - while the other hand is stretched over the pile of money. How often an attachment to earthly treasure can lead us to forsake the only true Treasure of accompanying the Messiah! It is not only the internal attachment to material things that Matthew has to break free from. While some of his friends don't notice the drama there are two more between Matthew and the Messiah. One is leaning on Matthew's shoulder, the other leans forward - interested but without commitment - Matthew will have to overcome the opposition of his friends who would hold him back, who wouldn't understand the 'madness' of leaving everything to be with Jesus. Again, how often is that repeated today when a young person tells parents or friends that they wish to follow the Lord!
There is one final aspect of the painting we shouldn't miss. The light in the painting doesn't emanate from Jesus. It comes from outside and from above: Jesus is calling Matthew out from the shadows into the light. He may come in an unspectacular way but what he offers is not the fetid atmosphere of a darkened room. It is the freedom, joy and pure air of God's life and love.
Matthew understood all this in an instant. He got up and followed the Lord.

What will you do?

Eight New Seminarians for Southwark

Whenever I meet a Vocations Director at this time of the year the question is always the same: "How many new men do you have this year?" I feel for those Vocations Directors who have put a lot of effort into their work but in the end haven't had any applicants. It is a temporary drought: I am sure the work they are doing will bear many fruits in the long-term.

Southwark has been particularly blessed this year because in September we will have eight men begin their studies. Now that may not reach my target of twelve but it is a good number nevertheless! We ask you to keep them in your prayers.

The other question that gets asked is where they will be studying. This year we are sending two of the new men to the Beda College in Rome and one to the Venerable English College, also in Rome. Four men will go St John's, our diocesan seminary in Wonersh, Surrey. One man will be going to St Alban's in Valladolid. St Alban's is also known as the Real Colegio de los Ingleses in recognition of its founder, Philip II of Spain.

I would also like to ask your prayers for Con Boyle and Shaju Varkey, our two deacons who will be ordained as priests in the next few weeks.