Issue 28 - The Pilgrim - June 2014 - The newspaper of the Archdiocese of Southwark

Issue 28 June 2014
Former soldier
wants to be a
priest
Page 6-7
Why Kent
Learning to
Catholic schools
forgive yourself
are changing
Page 8 Page 9
Catholic students sleep
out in the playground
Building a city: The boys are
pictured hard at work constructing
their own cardboard city
Over 130 Year 8 students and 30
members of staff from Richard Challoner
School in New Malden have undertaken a
sponsored “rough sleep” within the
school grounds.
Students used the event as a charity
fundraiser, and are hopeful of exceeding
the £6,900 raised last year, which they
donated to local Kingston charity, the
Joel Community Trust.
However, the event proved to be a
valuable learning experience, too, as the
students replicated the difficult
conditions experienced by homeless
people and began to understand the
plight of the homeless people who live in
our communities.
As part of the project, the students
undertook varied fundraising activities
within their parishes and families. Preevent
projects included sourcing and
creating their own “Cardboard City”, as
well as preparing soup, with food for
the event donated by Waitrose.
This was the third rough sleep. Ceris
Owen, the school’s Year 8 Leader, said,
“It was a truly brilliant event and we
are hugely proud of the boys’ attitude
and team spirit”.
The event culminated in a special
assembly with awards given to students
who demonstrated exceptional
commitment and went the extra mile in
their team-building activities.
Deacon Jim to retire
Deacon Jim Sheehan, who has been involved with
St George’s Cathedral for 40 years, is to retire this summer.
Deacon Jim has served at the cathedral as an altar server,
master of ceremonies, full-time sacristan, and, for the last 21
years, as a deacon.
To mark his retirement Archbishop Peter will preside at a
thanksgiving Mass at the cathedral on 4 July. Following the Mass
there were will be a farewell reception in Amigo Hall. All are
welcome.
To help with seating arrangements, clergy who will be
attending are asked to notify the parish office on
info@southwark-rc-cathedral.org.uk or on 020 7928 5256

Editorial The Pilgrim April 2014
Parishes could
become like
multiplex cinemas
Canon James Cronin, former
administrator of St George’s
Cathedral and now national
director of Missio, shares some
thoughts on parishes and
different cultures.
There are two parishes in a certain
diocese which those in the older
generation still refer to as the
‘English parish’ and the ‘Irish
parish’ respectively.
The Irish parish was originally run
by a religious order whose priests
were exclusively Irish right up to
the time they ceased to administer
the parish, while the English parish
was staffed by diocesan priests
from every part of these islands!
At St George’s Cathedral,
celebrating Mass on St Patrick’s Day
I impressed upon Fr Addison Okpeh,
the first Missionary of St Paul (a
Nigerian religious congregation) in
Southwark, the need to sing ‘Hail
Glorious Saint Patrick’. He did with
great gusto.
The hitch was that the only
things his version and my version
had in common were the first four
words. After that the words and the
tune are completely different.
They say the US and the UK are
divided by a common language. If
that is true for all English-speaking
nations, how can Southwark
parishes adapt to draw in Catholics
from other cultures?
The reality is that parishes have
adapted very well. How? Most
parishes have readers, extraordinary
ministers and catechists
from, what Scripture describes as,
“every race, tribe and nation”.
I have always been against ethnic
chaplaincies celebrating Mass on
Sunday. People should go to their
parish on Sunday. We are members
of the one body. Parishes could be
like multiplex cinemas, offering
Masses which reflect the ethnic
diversity of the neighbourhood.
In a parish with a large ethnic
community they could offer at
least one bilingual Mass on a
Sunday. This sends out a message of
integration. So why not a bilingual
Mass in Spanish or Portuguese
where there is a large Brazilian,
Latin American or Portuguese
community, to bring everyone
together?
The appropriate time for an
ethnic cultural group like any other
pious association to have their own
celebration is during the week. We
have the advantage that Africa,
India and the Philippines have
English as their common language.
We can learn a lot from each
other in sharing devotional
practices. The Latin Americans love
processions, especially in honour of
the Blessed Virgin Mary. The
Filipinos love devotions centring on
the Incarnation in the image of the
Holy Child. In most parishes it is
the people from overseas who are
the mettle of rosary groups and
prayer groups.
Where we differ culturally in
England and Wales lies in people’s
expectations of the priest. Not only
in the way we celebrate Mass, but
also in our pastoral practices and
responses; these differ all over the
world. In Africa, priests do not visit
homes unless someone is seriously ill.
That said, the people expect to
visit the priest at any time during
the day, as they do, I am told, in
Latin America. On the various
mission stations I have visited, in
the evening the men come around
to sit and talk. Visiting an outstation
it is the catechist who takes
The annual
Mass for
migrants is a
celebration of
the diversity
of cultures in
the Church
the priest around and I have learnt
he insists on meeting the whole
village.
At the end of the day the
parishes that have been most
successful are the ones which have
provided a welcome. I was always
surprised at St George’s Cathedral
that non-Catholics joined our RCIA
because they had been attending
regularly and felt welcome.
It was only in joining the RCIA
they came to know and accept
what the Church believes and
teaches. The welcome is crucial.
Because we are about integrating
people into the life and work of the
Church and making them disciples,
building on the gifts and talents of
previous generations, Irish and
English.
The Archdiocese of Southwark
Archbishop Peter Smith
020 7928-2495
archbishop@rcsouthwark.co.uk
www.rcsouthwark.co.uk
Area bishops
Episcopal vicar for Kent
Father Paul Mason
01732 845486
episcopalvicarkent@gmail.com
South-West London
Bishop Paul Hendricks
020 8643 8007
bishop.hendricks@gmail.com
South-East London
Bishop Patrick Lynch
020 8297 9219
bishoplynch7@btinternet.com
The Pilgrim,
Archbishop’s House
150 St George’s Road
London SE1 6HX
Editor: Greg Watts
pilgrim@rcsouthwark.co.uk
0208 776 9250
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Page 2
Film poses a question on
a matter of life and death
by Bishop Paul Hendricks
As we come towards the end of
Eastertide and move on to the
great feasts of Pentecost, Trinity
Sunday and Corpus Christi, my
thoughts continue to revolve
around visions of the life to
come.
One film that plays with some
memorable images and ideas in
this area is A Matter of Life and
Death. I say it “plays” with them
because the film does show a
sort of playful spirit in various
ways, though it has a serious
side as well.
One vivid and memorable
scene comes at the beginning.
Peter, the pilot of a wartime
bomber, knows that his badlydamaged
plane is bound to crash
and his parachute has been
destroyed.
There is a brief and intense
conversation with June, a
ground-based radio operator,
before he jumps out of the
plane to what he assumes is
certain death.
To his astonishment he finds
himself on a beach and meets
June cycling home from work. It
is love at first sight, but later
that day a messenger from the
afterlife comes to say that there
has been a mistake.
Peter should have died but he
was somehow overlooked by the
celestial bureaucracy (a
portrayal which is one of the
many amusing touches that stop
the film from becoming too
saccharine, despite its
extremely romantic approach
overall).
Peter’s “case” eventually has
to go before a sort-of cosmic
court, for him to establish that
he ought to be allowed to
continue in this new life. That
court, and the huge escalator
that links this world with the
next, are further images that
people who have seen the film
always remember.
For instance, when J K
Rowling and Daniel Radcliffe
were discussing the near-death
or afterlife scene from the final
Harry Potter film, they both said
that they had images from A
Matter of Life and Death at the
back of their minds.
But is there more to the film
than some memorable images? I
think there is. The plot takes
place on two levels. In the “real
world” Peter undergoes an
operation for a medical
condition that a doctor friend
believes causes his
hallucinations (if that’s what
they are) of the heavenly
messenger and all that he
represents.
At the same time the celestial
court is in session – and it
becomes apparent that there is
a link between the two. If the
one is successful, so will the
other be – though it’s left open
which of the two levels is the
cause and which is the effect.
If only this world is real, you
could say that the success of the
operation has an effect on
Peter’s mind which causes him
to think that he has won his case
in the court.
On the other hand you could
say that, if he won his case in
the court, the powers in the
other world would be able to
ensure the success of his
operation. Neither explanation
is ruled out – and I’m sure this is
deliberate.
I think something similar could
be said about the relationship
between science and religion.
Science asks the question, by
what mechanism did earlier
stages of the universe lead to
the later ones? Religion asks why
is there anything at all, rather
than nothing?
Similarly, there are at least
two answers to the question,
why did Jesus die on the Cross?
A theological answer and a
political answer.
They’re both answering the
question from a different point
of view — and one doesn’t
invalidate the other. They can
both be right.
On the celestial stairway: An
iconic scene from the classic
British film, A Matter of Life
and Death

The Pilgrim April 2014
News
Safeguarding team’s work
praised by Archbishop
The safeguarding team has held a
“Gathering Day” for the safeguarding
representatives of parishes and religious
communities in the diocese.
More than 60 safeguarding
representatives gathered for a Mass of
celebration and thanksgiving for the work
this large volunteer team do in all the
parishes.
In his homily Archbishop Peter spoke of
the shame caused by the scandal of sexual
abuse, the importance of listening to
victims, and the need to meet their needs
sensitively.
A meeting at Amigo Hall followed,
during which Archbishop Peter thanked
everyone for their efforts for the diocese.
He acknowledged the importance of the
work they carried out on behalf of the
diocese and how grateful he was to
everyone involved, including the
Safeguarding Commission, the
Safeguarding Office and those ministering
in parishes and religious communities.
He also praised the generosity of the
diocesan clergy who had responded to his
request to establish a fund that can be
used to meet the needs of victims of
abuse.
Finally, the archbishop introduced the
newly appointed episcopal vicar for
safeguarding, Fr Graham Preston, whose
role is that of clergy safeguarding advisor.
Golden celebration for Canterbury school
The staff, pupils and
friends of St Anselm’s
Catholic Secondary
School in Canterbury,
celebrated its 50th
anniversary at a Mass in
Canterbury Cathedral.
Archbishop Peter
(pictured left) was the
principal celebrant and
guests included the Lord
Mayor of Canter-bury, the
Mayor of Canterbury and
the Mayor of Hythe, as
well as local clergy,
parents and past pupils.
Bishop Pat congratulates one of the new
extraordinary ministers
Bishop Pat leads an
extraordinary day
Bishop Pat led the day of commissioning for
50 new extraordinary ministers of Holy
Communion at The Friars, Aylesford.
The new ministers came from 17 parishes
across the diocese.
The day included a period of adoration
before the Blessed Sacrament and talks from
Monsignor Matthew Dickens and Bishop Pat
followed by Mass and the distribution of
certificates.
Ride and stride
Ride and Stride, a sponsored event to visit
places of worship in London by bike, on foot,
or by public transport, is being held on
September 20.
Last year nearly 100 churches took part in
the event. This year it is linking with London
Open House. For more information visit
www.rideandstrideuk.org.
Canon trio installed
Three new canons were installed at St
George’s Cathedral during the Mass to
celebrate the solemnity of St George.
Canon Edward Perera, Canon Luke Smith
and Canon John Weatherill made their
profession of faith to Canon Anthony Charlton
on behalf of the Provost, Canon Tom McHugh,
who was unable to be present.
Margate school to
become academy
St Gregory’s Catholic Primary in
Margate has chosen to join the new
multi-academy trust, Kent Catholic
Schools’ Partnership (KCSP), set up by
the Archdiocese of Southwark for all
Catholic schools in Kent.
The conversion of the school to
academy status brings the number to
six so far, with a further seven set to
join KCSP by the summer.
The move is part of a proposal for
all 32 voluntary-aided Catholic
schools in Kent to become academies
as part of KCSP.
Jacqui Wright, headteacher, said:
“This is the start of a new and
important era for St Gregory’s.
“As a school deeply committed to
our shared Catholic ethos, I see this
move as giving us an even greater say
in how we give all our children the
very best and make sure all our
precious resources go towards the
very high aspirations we hold for our
children.”
• Why are Catholic Schools in Kent
becoming academies? by Clive
Webster, Kent Catholic Schools
Partnership – see pg 8
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Page 3

News The Pilgrim June 2014
Evelyn on Santiago
Way for Cafod
Evelyn Kincaid, a parishioner at St
Stephen’s Church in Welling, is
walking part of the famous pilgrimage
route to the Cathedral of Santiago de
Compostela in north western Spain
this month.
She will be completing 113 km of
the 770 km trail to raise money for
Cafod.
SVP summer camp
The SVP is inviting 8–13-year olds to
take part in its St John Bosco Camp in
the Essex countryside. Run with a
Catholic ethos, the camp is especially
for children who may not have any
other holiday this year.
The girls’ camp runs from July 26 –
August 2 and the boys’ camp from
August 9–16. For more information
visit www.svpboscocamp.org.uk.
WYD singer
heading to
West End
Spirit event
Sean’s bolt from blue
Sean Patiag from St Joseph’s Catholic
Primary School in Borough has won
the category for 5-to-7-year-olds in
the annual competition to produce
works of art inspired by the
contemporary art commissions for
the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square.
His plasticine depiction of Usain
Bolt will be on public display at City
Hall until the end of June.
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contact Carol Malpass.
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thecatholicuniverse.com
Singer/songwriter Fr Rob Galea wil be
playing on stage at this year’s Spirit in the
City festival in the West End.
The Maltese priest is best known for
singing on the international version of
Receive the Power, the official World
Youth Day 2008 song.
Spirit in the City is hosted by the
Catholic churches in the West End and
takes place at several venues from June
11 – 14.
This year it will also includes a
performance by the band Crossbeam along
with workshops, talks, prayer and Mass.
There will also be a Eucharistic
procession through the streets from St
Patrick’s, Soho, to Corpus Christi, Covent
Garden.
Our faith: Above,
hundreds took part
in last year's Spirit in
the City Eucharistic
procession
Vatican theologian set to
headline invocation festival
Vatican theologian Archbishop Rino will be speaking at the
Invocation Festival for young adults at St. Mary’s College,
Oscott, Birmingham.
The festival takes place from Friday, July 4 - Sunday, July 6
and its aim is to help young adults discover what God is calling
them to in life.
Other speakers include Cardinal Vincent Nichols and
Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham. There will also be
workshops, adoration and reconciliation.
See www.invocation.org.uk for more details
Justice and peace hears
call to follow Pope’s lead
Poverty, housing and climate
change were among the topics
discussed at the National Justice
and Peace Network’s quarterly
meeting, which was held at
Cafod’s offices on Westminster
Bridge Road.
David McLaughlin, senior
lecturer in theology at Newman
University in Birmingham, spoke
Archbishop Peter will
be leading this year’s
diocesan pilgrimage to
Lourdes from August
22 – 29.
Pilgrims from
Southwark will be
travelling with the
Catholic Association,
which includes the
dioceses of Clifton,
East Anglia, Northampton
and Portsmouth.
To book, contact Fr
Edward Perera on 020
8857-5006.
Pictured right
is the main grotto
at Lourdes
about Pope Francis’ apostolic
exhortation Evangelii Gaudium,
and said “private charity can
never be enough; the poor also
need justice”.
Julian Filochowski, chair of the
Archbishop Romero Trust, called
the papal document, “the most
exciting thing to happen to the
Church since Vatican II”.
Alison Gelder of Housing
Justice invited support for a
series of Housing Justice road
shows, taking place around the
country.
Delegates also heard about
Cafod’s new climate change and
sustainable energy campaign,
which will be launched in
September.
Archbishop Peter to lead Lourdes trip
Page 4

The Pilgrim June 2014
Features
Where do we find
Mass in the Bible?
Fr David Gibbons, director of the diocesan Centre for Catholic
Formation, begins a new series exploring the Mass
Where in the scriptures does the Mass come
from? The answer to this question may seem
obvious: the accounts in the synoptic Gospels
of the Last Supper.
And indeed, the descriptions in Matthew
26: 26 - 29, Mark 14: 22 - 25 and Luke 22: 14
- 20 are very clear and consistent: Jesus took
bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his
disciples, saying “Take, eat; this is my body”.
He did the same with the wine.
The Church has always, from the very
earliest days, taken his statement: “This is
my body, this is my blood” quite literally, in
the sense in which we understand the Real
Presence of Christ at Mass.
All four Gospels speak of the Last Supper
as a Passover meal; to understand this we
need to look at Exodus 12. John 13 seems to
locate the Last Supper at the precise time
the passover lambs were being killed in the
Temple, clearly implying that Jesus Christ is
the new lamb of sacrifice, who takes away
the sins of the world.
However, there are many other passages in
the scriptures from which we derive our
understanding of the Mass.
We actually have an earlier report of
Christ’s institution of the Eucharist in St
Paul’s 1st Letter to the Corinthians, which
scholars think was written not later than
55AD (ie, before the Gospels).
In 1 Cor 11: 23 - 26 St Paul relays Christ’s
actions and command at the Last Supper:
“For I received from the Lord what I also
delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the
night when he was betrayed took bread, and
when he had given thanks, he broke it, and
said, ‘This is my body which is for you. Do
this in remembrance of me …’.” See also
1 Cor 10: 16. St Paul’s wording is remarkably
similar to that of the Gospels.
Then there is also the miracle of the
Feeding of the 5,000 (see Mark 6: 30 - 44).
Notice how Jesus performs the same four
actions – of taking, blessing, breaking and
giving the bread – as at the Last Supper.
Notice also the two parts to what he did:
first: “He taught them at some length”, and
then he took and blessed the bread.
It is no coincidence that the Mass has the
same two main parts, the Liturgy of the Word
(at which scriptures are read and a homily is
preached) and the Liturgy of the Eucharist
(at which the bread and wine become
Christ’s body and blood).
There are many other parts of the New
Testament which teach us about the Mass.
For example, in his discourse at Capernaum
(John 6), Christ says: “I am the bread of life”
and explicitly states that “my flesh is real
drink and my blood is real drink”. The
Church’s teaching on the real presence is
plainly firmly based on scripture.
The post-Resurrection appearance of Jesus
at Emmaus (Luke 24:13 - 35) tells how the
disciples “recognised Him at the breaking of
bread”. The ‘breaking of bread’ seems to
have been one of the first names for the
Eucharist; see Acts 2: 42, 46.
There are references to the Eucharist in
the Old Testament, too. In John 6 Christ
refers to the manna from heaven that the
Israelites received to sustain them in the
wilderness (Exodus 6), and if Christ himself
took that episode as a prefiguring of the
Eucharist, we can certainly do so as well.
In the mysterious figure of Melchizedek in
Genesis 14: 18, who “brought bread and
wine”, we have a pre-echo of the Eucharist.
Read Exodus 25 - 26 and 36 and you can
readily see where we derive the concept of
the Tabernacle in Church, housing the
Blessed Sacrament.
I have only skimmed through the main
sources of the Mass in scripture. We could
find many more allusions to the ideas of
sacrifice, of praise for God, of thanksgiving
and so on, which are central to the
Eucharist. The more one reads scripture the
more one notices that the words and the
underlying concepts of the Mass are very
firmly derived from the scriptures.
Page 5

Behind the scenes The Pilgrim June 2014
Nurturing vocations
Fr Stephen Langridge
explains how the diocesan’s
Vocations Centre in
Whitstable helps men to
discern God’s will for their
lives and promotes a
culture of vocation in the
Archdiocese of Southwark.
The Vocations Centre was opened last
September and is housed in the
former convent of the Institute of Our
Lady of Mercy in Whitstable. It has 12
guest rooms as well as an attractive
chapel and a large garden.
There is also a well-appointed
meeting room and a large, bright
dining room for day visitors.
The Vocations Centre was
established with a very clear purpose:
to support the work of fostering
priestly vocations for the Archdiocese
of Southwark.
To achieve this end the Vocations
Centre tries to operate on a number
of levels. For example, we have been
able to offer a variety of courses to
explain modern developments in
vocations ministry to members of
religious congregations and also to
parish youth workers.
The importance of this becomes
clear when one considers that
vocations, whether to priesthood or
consecrated life of whatever form,
can only be the fruit of a lived
discipleship.
In other words, the work of
promoting vocations cannot be an
isolated activity in the Church. It is an
integral aspect of the Church’s
mission to promote Christian
discipleship among young people.
To develop this further the
Vocations Office is looking forward to
developing links with our diocesan
schools so that we can have a shared
understanding that part of
discipleship is discovering God’s will
for our lives, and that vocations
ministry should not be seen in terms
of harvesting candidates for
seminaries and religious institutes.
Offering hospitality to priests has
also proved a very effective way of
creating an awareness of some of the
wider dimensions of vocations
ministry. The centre has been able to
welcome both Ministry to Priests
groups as well as day visitors and
casual callers.
We have also hosted both deanery
meetings and a day for Bishop Pat
Lynch and the deans of his area of the
diocese. These events give priests the
opportunity to see the Vocations
Centre for themselves and to meet
the team living here.
The non-clerical feel of the place
and the relaxed atmosphere among
the residents often elicit the
comment from priests that it is not
what they expected and, more than
once, has led a parish priest to
encourage a young parishioner to get
in contact.
It is always good when a parish
priest refers someone to the Vocations
Centre, especially if they have got to
know that person over a period of
time. When someone gets in touch
they are usually invited to visit the
Centre for an initial interview.
If it looks as if they have the signs
of a priestly vocation they are invited
to spend some time praying about
whether they would like to take it to
the next step and to get back in
contact should they want to hear
more about vocations events in the
diocese.
We do this so that each individual
travels at his own pace and with a full
exercise of his personal responsibility
and freedom. This is one way we try
to ensure that vocations ministry is a
process of discernment rather than
one of recruitment.
Every month the Vocation Centre
hosts a weekend for men discerning a
priestly vocation. Coming together
and spending time in each other’s
company and with the vocations team
is a great support, especially for
those men who may not know any
other practising Catholics of their
own age.
The format for the weekend is very
simple. It begins on the first night
with a meal and get-together, giving
everyone a chance to catch up and
share experiences. The following day,
after Mass and breakfast, a session is
dedicated to the ‘Melchisidek
Project’, a discernment programme
developed in the United States and
based on the book To Save a
Thousand Souls, which was adapted
for use in England and published over
here last year by the Catholic Truth
Society.
Saturday afternoon is a time for
participants to help with some simple
house jobs or to go for a walk by the
Come and join us:
‘Pope Francis’
offers a welcoming
smile to potential
candidates to the
priesthood
sea. There is also an opportunity to
meet with the vocations director.
In the evening we have a holy
hour and a talk on some aspect of
Christian discipleship. On Sunday we
celebrate Mass and spend some time
together. The weekend ends with
Sunday lunch.
Apart from the Melchisidek
Project, the Vocations Centre also
hosts a monthly meeting of the
Frassati Society, which is a
formation group for young adults.
The format is also quite simple: an
evening Mass and holy hour before
supper, during which one of the
team members will give a short
input to encourage them in their
Christian lives.
The thing that really makes the
Vocations Centre unique is, of
course, the fact that it is home to a
discernment community in the form
of the vocations team. Members of
the team commit to living together
for ten months.
In that time they receive
formation to grow in Christian
discipleship to help them both
discern and respond freely to a
Answering my call...
Recently, I was asked to give my
testimony during a parish mission. I am
only 19 and wondered what I would say,
particularly as my life might seem
uneventful to some people.
I was born in Saudi Arabia and lived
my childhood in India before coming
to England and attending a state
secondary school.
Most of my friends are non-
Catholic Christians, Hindus and
Muslims. In fact, at the Vocations
Centre the other lads sometimes joke
that I must be a pagan or that I do
yoga rather than Morning
Prayer!
At school we were all
asked to prepare a presentation and
when I said mine would be on Jesus
everyone laughed at me. In the end I got
top marks and some of my friends wanted
to know more about Christianity and
even to go to Church. This made me love
my faith even more and gave me a great
desire to share it.
When I left school I decided to take a
gap year and join the Vocations Centre.
Here my prayer life has really developed
and I have learned so much from the
other members of the team and from all
the activities we have been involved in.
It has helped me realise that I really want
to be a priest.
Tony Simon
Page 6

The Pilgrim June 2014
Behind the scenes
to the priesthood
Answering my call...
I have always been a Catholic, but as
a child never really learned much
about the Catholic faith. I had an
awareness that there is a God but it
didn’t mean much to me and I never
knew Him and didn’t make any effort
to find out more.
At school I was always more
interested in mucking around with my
friends rather than studying and since
I had already decided that I wanted to
join the army I didn’t really see any
point in carrying on my education. I
left school at 16 and went straight to
the Army careers office to sign up.
I was 17 when I went to Catterick
to begin my basic training. Although it
was tough a lot of the time, I got on
well and really enjoyed the army
lifestyle. It was exciting and I was
always busy.
I was able to travel and had plenty
of money and loads of friends. In
many ways I was living the dream,
the sort of life so many young men
think is great. I served twice in
Afghanistan and more than once
found myself asking God for help
when under fire.
I left the army intending to go to
university but at the same time I
started to learn more about my faith.
I went to speak to my parish priest
who was very patient with me and
answered all my questions.
I went to Confession, started going
to Mass and began to pray. Slowly I
realised that I wanted to do more for
God and eventually met the vocations
director who invited me to join the
mission team at the Vocations
Centre.
It has been a great
year and I have
really benefited
from it. I am now a
lot more confident
and much more
sure about my
vocation.
In December I decided
to apply for the diocese
and have recently been
accepted by the Archbishop
to begin my priestly formation
at St John’s Seminary, Wonersh,
this September.
Will Vecera
“
Slowly I realised
that I wanted to
do more for God and
eventually met the
vocations director who
invited me to join the
mission team at the
Vocations Centre.
It has been a great year
“
Here to learn: Students listen
intently in the house chapel
Out and about:
Talking to
local people
vocation, whatever it may be. They
have a spiritual director and follow
a course in the history of spirituality
given by one of the part-time
professors at St John’s Seminary at
Wonersh.
The timetable of the house is
designed to allow time for prayer
but also to ensure each member
exercises personal responsibility for
the development of his prayer life.
Throughout the year we invite
speakers to give introductory classes
on subjects such as Church history or
philosophy, but the main focus of
study is on reading the Catechism
and developing a thorough
familiarity with the scriptures.
Living in community brings with it
a greater self-awareness and a
certain human development that is
supplemented by a regular and very
concrete emphasis on developing
the human virtues.
An apostolic dimension to life at
the Vocations Centre is also
important. Each member is
committed to a specific apostolate
such as helping with the chaplaincy
at the University of Kent, a local
young adults group, or working with
the sixth form at a local school.
We have also spoken about
vocations at 19 parishes in the
diocese. The team has received
training from Catholic Voices to
prepare them to engage in projects
associated with the new
evangelisation. They have taken
part in activities such as street
evangelisation in central London and
have run an eight-day parish
mission.
This year five young men applied
to be accepted as candidates for the
priesthood in our archdiocese. The
oldest was 33, the youngest was 19.
The plan is that four of them will
begin their seminary training in
September while the fifth will start
once he completes his university
degree. Currently we have four
applicants for next year’s mission
team and are already looking
forward to building on this year’s
experiences.
Down time: the
Vocations Centre
has a large garden
in which house
guests can relax
Page 7

Features The Pilgrim June 2014
Why are Catholic schools in
Kent becoming academies?
Clive Webster, head of The
Kent Catholic Schools’
Partnership, explains what
it means for schools to
become academies.
Catholic schools in Kent have a long
tradition of providing good
education. Parents have made
Catholic schools their first choice
of school and their children have
achieved well against a backdrop of
Gospel values and a strong Catholic
ethos.
The Kent Catholic Schools’
Partnership (KCSP) is a new
organisation set up by the
Archdiocese of Southwark for
Catholic schools in Kent becoming
academies.
In December last year Archbishop
Peter wrote to all chairs of school
governing bodies encouraging them
to become academies as part of
KCSP. Its purpose, he said, is
threefold: a) to build upon the
excellence in our schools; b) for
schools to work together to support
one another where necessary; c) to
counter the major financial
difficulties in local authorities and
reducing support for education.
Since January of this year, seven
of the 32 Kent Catholic schools
have become academies as part of
KCSP, with seven more scheduled to
do so by July. Dates have been
agreed for virtually all Catholic
schools to be academies as part of
KCSP by the following July, 2015.
Most Catholic schools in Kent are
classed by Ofsted as ‘Good’ or
better, which means there is a solid
platform to build on. Local
authorities are under acute
financial pressure and the world of
education is undergoing a great
deal of change.
As parents increasingly choose a
Catholic education, they can be
reassured our partnership is
designed to preserve the stability
and quality that an education
based on Gospel values can
provide.
We are dedicated to working
with our schools so that children
are constantly valued first and
foremost as children, that their
happiness at school results in their
high achievement and self-esteem,
and that schools are places where
everyone – pupils, staff, governors,
parents, clergy – is cared for and
Pupils at St Simon Stock School in
Maidstone, which is now an academy
developed.
For me personally, as someone
who benefited from a Catholic
education, leading this multiacademy
trust is the chance to turn
much that had often been offered
as rhetoric into reality: why
shouldn’t all Catholic schools be
‘Outstanding’? Why shouldn’t
children attend school eager to
learn and return home full of
exciting news about how great
their day has been?
And why shouldn’t all staff and
volunteers – administrative,
teaching, governors – regard their
school as nurturing and supportive
places where their contributions
are appreciated daily and where
they are developed?
Why shouldn’t Catholic education
in Kent be a beacon for high quality
teaching and learning, nationally
and internationally?
These are all things that are
possible, and we are fortunate that
some of our schools already meet
such standards.
All parents sending their child to
a Catholic school in Kent deserve
the same, and my mission is to
work with schools and all other
partners to make this so.
Some key questions
parents ask
n What will change for my child if
my school becomes an academy?
Nothing, though we do expect all
schools to continuously improve at
a faster rate by being able to work
more closely together with other
successful Catholic schools.
n Does the governing body
continue to run the school?
Yes. Each academy continues to
have a local governing body,
responsible for teaching and
support staffing decisions, head
teacher performance and local
finance.
The make-up and size of
governing bodies stays broadly the
same, with foundation governor in
the majority and appointments
continuing to be made by
Archbishop Peter.
n Will class sizes grow?
No. Academies are still subject
to national class size regulations.
Our aim over time would be to
work with schools so that, if
anything, class sizes might reduce.
n Will the Admissions
arrangements change so that no
more than 50% of children can be
Catholic?
No. As an academy each school
remains subject to the admission
arrangements set by the archdiocese,
which give priority to
Catholic children.
n Will a school becoming an
academy as part of KCSP mean that
teachers change or can be moved
around from school to school?
No. Children benefit from
continuity and consistency. Class
teachers will not change as a result
of a school becoming an academy.
If a teacher, or any member of
staff, were ever to be asked to
help in another school, it would
only be by agreement, with the full
support of the governors and head
teacher.
n What if an academy is
underperforming or I am unhappy –
where can I complain?
A school that becomes an
academy is still subject to
inspection by Ofsted and a religious
education inspection by the
diocese. As is the case now, there
will also be regular monitoring of
each academy by KCSP. Parents
continue to be able to raise
concerns with the governing body
and, if necessary and appropriate,
KCSP, or indeed Ofsted, directly.
n Where can I find out more
information?
Please visit the official Kent
Catholic Schools’ Partnership
website: www.kcsp.org.uk
Quiz night brings out our competitive streak
Nana Anto-Awuakye
“What African country was known as the
pearl of Africa?” This was one of the quiz
questions in the Africa round in the parish
quiz at St Mary Magadalen’s in Brockley.
The hall had team tables set out and each
table had a piece of paper with a picture of
a saint and underneath some warm-up
questions testing your knowledge about the
saint.
On our table we had St Bhakita, a saint
that I had only heard of because of my
travels with Cafod to Sudan and South
Sudan. I was mightily impressed that the
older couple who filled in the warm-up
questions were really knowledgeable.
St. Josephine Bakhita was born in Sudan
in 1869, and was kidnapped and sold into
slavery several times overall. Her ordeal
made her forget the name her parents gave
her. Bakhita, which means “fortunate”, was
the name given to her by her kidnappers.
She was eventually bought by an Italian
consul, who was able to take her to Italy,
where she experienced the call to be a
religious and to give herself to the Lord in
the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa.
She took the name Josephine. In 1992 she
was beatified, and canonised in 2000.
Our table was looking quite formidable.
We had our older couple with archive
knowledge and a young newly-wed couple
who had just got back from the Nigerian
embassy. They were still holding their
placards, which called for the Nigerian
government and the rest of the world to
#bringbackourgirls – the Nigerian schoolgirls
kidnapped by Boko Haram.
We would rely on them for the music,
films, celeb rounds. And then there was my
husband and I. He prides himself on being a
quizzer and is a member of the Brockley
Badgers quiz group.
And we should have been good on the
theology round, as he studied it at
Lancaster University many moons ago, and
he’s not bad when it comes to sport. My
contribution would be to mop up on the
Africa round.
We were feeling wonderfully confident
that we had the winning combination
around our table.
The quiz was organised by the parish
,social committee as one of, hopefully many
more social events to bring the parish
together. It was well attended and there
was a real sense that we had come together
as a faith community to have a bit of fun
and to get to know each other.
Well, I say ‘fun’. As soon as the rounds
kicked off, the competitive spirit started to
surface on every table. There were calls for
points to be awarded in halves, quarters and
thirds on partially correct answers.
“Every point counts,” someone shouted
across the floor. And the quiz organisers
were pulled up for questions considered
unclear or misleading.
Every possible percentage of a point was
argued for and as each round came and
went we puffed with quiz bravado that this
was going to be our 100 per cent correct
round.
Then the Africa round came up and all
eyes were on me, I took a deep breath
screwed up my eyes, and kept saying “Wait
let me think, it’s a process of elimination.”
My unhelpful husband in the background
was saying, “Come on, love, you must know
this one?” With my radio confident voice I
said, “Zimbabwe”. The answer comes back,
“The African country known as the pearl of
Africa is Uganda.”
A cry of anguish went up from my
table! But we were the overall winners of
the Africa round. It was all good fun and we
look forward to supporting the next social
event the parish council put on.
Page 8

The Pilgrim June 2014
Features
“You start by doing the hardest thing:
you forgive yourself," Aunt May tells
Peter Parker in Spiderman 3.
Knox’s brilliance is
still with us today
Fr Ashley Beck, assistant priest at St Edmund of
Canterbury, Beckenham, Beckenham, and lecturer in
pastoral ministry at St Mary’s University, Twickenham,
continues his series looking at Catholic saints and
major thinkers.
Learning to
accept yourself
by John Pridmore
Accepting yourself as you are is one of the
biggest battles we face, because many of
us don’t like who we are.
One day, a woman went to see a
psychologist and told him she was feeling
suicidal because of her appearance. She
had lots of warts on her face.
“I hate the way I look,” she said. “That’s
why I hardly ever go out.”
The psychologist said, “When you wake
up every morning, I want you to look in the
mirror and say to each of those warts, ‘I
love you, wart, and accept you.’ And then
watch your life change.”
And from that point on, her life was
transformed. She learned to accept herself
as she was.
But the problem many of us have is that
we often like one side of us and hate the
other. We don’t like our selfishness, greed,
lust or hate, for example, so we reject it.
But the only way you will become free
and at peace, and become a whole person,
is if you accept the bits of you that you
don’t like. Once you do this, you
automatically start healing that part of
you. It ceases to be a monster.
As Jean Vanier, the founder of L’Arche,
said, “You have to tame the monsters of
the past to control them, or they control
you.”
I’ve found in my life that the more I
accept myself, the freer I become. This is
not to say that we should act on our
selfishness. I know I can be selfish. But
when I am, I no longer beat myself up over
it.
I know I’m a bit overweight; I like my
food. But my weight doesn’t bother me. I
like the way I am. It doesn’t matter what
anyone else thinks. What matters is who we
really are, not what society says we are.
Society often tells us that we have to be
perfect, but we don’t.
When I talk to inmates in prison I say that
if they use their time well they can turn
the experience into something positive and
regain their freedom. In other words, if
they accept themselves and their situation,
then they can grow.
As someone once wrote, “Two men
looked out of the prison bars; one saw dirt;
the other saw stars.”
Mother Teresa said no matter whether
you are born in the gutter or born in a
palace, embrace it. We have to embrace
our situation and turn it into something
beautiful.
The message of the movie Slumdog
Millionaire, which tells the story of how an
orphan from the slums goes on to win a TV
quiz show and the million rupee prize, is
that even someone who is considered by
society to be worthless has a value.
Not to be free in yourself is to be
imprisoned. We can be imprisoned by
memories from our childhood, things we
regret doing (or not doing), addictions or
what we think others expect us to be. By
learning to overcome these things that
imprison us, we find genuine freedom. I
know this is true because it’s happened to
me.
Discovering real freedom and achieving
the incredible potential you have means
being prepared to change. Yes, change is
difficult, but it’s not impossible.
I believe that if you really want to
change, then you will – with the grace of
God.
Monsignor Ronald Knox was one of the most interesting
Catholic writers of the last century. His last public
appearance before his death from cancer in 1957 was
when he gave a prestigious public lecture in the
Sheldonian theatre, the ‘Romanes lecture’.
In the inter-war years Knox had been chaplain to
Catholic undergraduates in the university, and he had
taught as a young don before the First World War, so his
association with Oxford went back nearly 50 years.
Evelyn Waugh says in his biography of Knox that many in the audience for the lecture,
aware of how ill he was, were moved to tears as they listened to his weak voice.
Ronald Knox was the son of Edmund Knox, who at the beginning of the last century
was Anglican Bishop of Manchester. He was brought up in the Evangelical tradition of
the Church of England and educated at Eton and Oxford.
He showed early talent in the classics and in controversial writing, and was ordained
in the Church of England, serving as chaplain of Trinity College, Oxford.
During the Great War most of his undergraduates (including the future Prime Minister
Harold Macmillan) joined the army and some of those to whom he had been close were
killed.
Knox realised that his position as an Anglican was untenable and after a great deal of
prayer and reflection was received into the Catholic Church in the autumn of 1917.
After a couple of years he was ordained priest and served for a few years at the St
Edmund’s College, Ware, and quickly became known as a preacher within the Catholic
community.
He also, in early 1926, broadcast a famous hoax story on BBC Radio just before the
General Strike, entitled Broadcasting from the Barricades. This alleged that a Cabinet
minister had been lynched and for a variety of reasons caused widespread panic – it is
thought to have been a model for Orson Welles’ famous War of the Worlds broadcast in
1938.
Later that year he went back to Oxford for what was arguably the most important
time of his ministry as a priest and a writer. The ways in which he offered pastoral care
to Catholic undergraduates were partly paid for by the writing of detective novels: also
in this period he wrote his most important works explaining and defending the Catholic
faith.
In 1939 he left Oxford to devote his talents to a new translation of the Bible. This he
did in Shropshire, living in a country house owned by friends of his. When war broke out
a convent girls’ school from Kensington was evacuated there, and this gave rise to some
of his most popular books, based on sermons given to the girls: The Mass in Slow Motion
and The Creed in Slow Motion.
At the very end of the war, horrified by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Knox
wrote a small book entitled God and the Atom, which, long before others had begun to
question what had happened, explored the implications of the bombings for our whole
view of humanity and philosophy.
His translation of the Bible remains his
longest-standing achievement. He did it
almost all on his own (with limited advice
from a committee), teaching himself Hebrew
and carefully comparing different versions.
In the early 1950s his version was
authorised for use in our churches (at that
time on Sundays the scripture readings were
read in English as well as Latin) and his
version retains much of its original charm
and beauty.
In recent years many of his books have
been reprinted and in the United States
there is a Ronald Knox Society devoted to his
life and teachings. Last summer a two-day
conference in his honour took place at
Heythrop College and the papers from this
are due to be published later this year.
In the last years of his life he continued
writing and preaching; he remained a major
figure in Catholic life. As we recall his last
public appearance in June 1957 we should
thank God for his life and witness.
Monsignor Ronald Knox: His work for the
Church has left a lasting legacy we still
rejoice in today
To advertise in this newspaper contact Carol Malpass.
Tel: 0161 214 1244 or
email: carol.malpass@thecatholicuniverse.com
Page 9

Features The Pilgrim June 2014
Carl’s piano is
reaching out to
Iraq’s Christians
Carl Bahoshy explains why he
decided to give a series of piano
recitals to support Christians in
Iraq.
Thanks to solid and continuous parental
encouragement, I began playing the piano at
the age of five, and continued studying
privately up until the third year of university
in 2005.
I would consider myself a serious amateur
pianist and feel blessed to be able to share
these gifts with others to raise awareness of
the plight of our brothers and sisters in Iraq,
Syria and Jordan and raise much-needed
funds to support the work that Iraqi
Christians In Need (ICIN) does in those
regions.
My passion for classical music and
performing really ignited at the age of 15
when I watched a classmate perform
Chopin’s Ballade No.1 in G Minor with
Diary— June
If you have an event, please e-mail details
to us at pilgrim@rcsouthwark.co.uk
technical precision – Robert, thank you!
From then onwards, I began to pursue my
piano studies vigorously, attaining an ABRSM
Diploma in Piano Performing and then
performing Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano
Concerto with the University of Warwick
Symphony Orchestra in November 2004.
Since then, I have been teaching piano and
foreign languages, playing the organ seriously
on a weekly basis. I have also returned to my
piano studies again, in preparation for the
forthcoming series of piano and organ
recitals in early 2014.
I am London born and bred to Iraqi
Christian parents and have been exposed to
two very different cultures; strong Christian
home values (with Arabic being a dominant
spoken language) combined with values
taught through a Catholic education.
I am convinced that exposure to two
cultures with very different alphabets and
intonations has fed my interest in languages
and cultures, having also spent two years
June 2014
“Pilgrimage: Journey of Faith for Body & Soul.” A series of talks at Amigo
Hall at St George’s Cathedral, refreshments from 7:00 pm, talk 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm.
5: “Southwark: from the Canterbury tales to us”, Mark Nash.
12: “Walsingham: England’s Nazareth”, Mgr Keith Newton.
14: Piano and organ recital by Carl Bahoshy in aid of Iraqi Christians in Need, 8 pm, St.
Margaret’s of Scotland Church, St. Margaret’s Road, Twickenham.
19: “Vocation – the need for a new theology”, Dr Clare Watkin, 10:30 am – 3.30 pm, The
Emmaus Centre, West Wickham.
21: Southwark Catholic Youth Service’s annual youth festival, Aylesford Priory, 10 am – 8
pm. Contact Southwark Catholic Youth Service on 01227 272900 or info@scys.org.uk to
book
27 – 29: Brightlight Festival, Aylesford Priory. Guest speakers include Ruggero and Maria
Teresa Badano, the parents of Blessed Chiara Luce Badono who died of illness at age 19
and was beatified in 2010. For more information visit www.brightlights.org.uk
28: Diocesan Day for Catechists, St George’s Cathedral, from 11 am onwards. There will
be a mix of talks and workshops, concluding with Mass at which Archbishop Peter will
send out the catechists to catechize on his behalf.
Regular meetings
Every Wednesday, the Active Retirement Group meets at St Andrew’s Church Hall,
Quadrant Road, Thornton Heath, 2 pm – 4 pm. Further details from Philip Chapman on
020 8679 2010 or 07450 145071.
working and studying in China.
The active persecution of Christians in Iraq
began following the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Throughout the 80s and 90s, we had lived in
relative peace. Today, the reality is very
different. As one Christian in Iraq put it, “the
attacks on Christians continue and the world
remains totally silent. It’s as if we’ve been
swallowed up by the night.”
Many Christians in Iraq and in neighbouring
countries, including Syria and Jordan, live in
the face of an ever-persisting lack of
security, ongoing discrimination, insurgent
activity, sectarian violence and anti-Christian
rhetoric which has forced an exodus of
Christian families to the north, notably to
the Kurdish region, in pursuit of a peaceful
life.
Unfortunately, only the worst attacks
secure a mention in the press, such as the
cold-blooded massacre of 58 parishioners at
Carl believes his talent is
God-given, and he is
determined to use it to
reach out to persecuted
Christians in the Middle East
Our Lady of Salvation Syriac Catholic
Cathedral – one of Baghdad’s largest
churches – on 31st October 2010.
The thousands of families who have fled to
neighbouring Syria and Jordan to seek refuge
from the mindless violence are also subject
to further discrimination and attacks. In Iraq,
the number of Christians has fallen from a
2003 (pre-invasion) figure of 1.5million to
less than 200,000 today.
I have taken the initiative to use my Godgiven
gifts to raise awareness of and muchneeded
funds for, the plight of our brothers
and sisters in the Middle East by performing a
series of piano and organ recitals in aid of
ICIN.
ICIN is currently supporting several
projects in Iraq, Syria and Jordan that
provide medical care, primary and adult
education and financial help to widows and
other disadvantaged Christians, with all aid
channelled through the local church
hierarchy. With support from both the
Chaldean Church (the largest Catholic
denomination) and the Syriac Church, all
monies are distributed to support those most
in need. All monies are scrupulously
accounted for.
ICIN’s projects support Christians most
affected by the tragic events in Iraq. These
projects cover three geographical areas. In
Baghdad, it provides financial aid to recently
orphaned students and the provision of both
financial and medical aid to individuals
unable to pay for post-operative care or
basic medical needs.
In Qaraqosh, northern Iraq, ICIN provides
basic medical services for 600 families with
care and support for the mentally challenged
in numerous care homes and the support of
200, mainly widowed, families.
And in Syria, ICIN provides financial
assistance to the Damascus Widows Financial
Help Programme; and in Jordan the
Educational Aid Programme, aimed at helping
over 70 needy students of refugee families,
students whose parents are, by law, denied
employment (the UNCHR provides them with
a monthly allowance barely enough to pay
for their rent).
• To support the work of ICIN, Carl will
be giving recitals at St. Margaret of
Scotland Church, St Margaret’s
Road,Twickenham, on 14 June at 8 pm and
at Ealing Abbey, Charlbury Grove, Ealing,
on 20 June at 7.30 pm.
Page 10

The Pilgrim June 2014
Feature
How to begin life
again after loss
School days:
Neville Kyrke-Smith
Home? Carshalton.
Job? National director of Aid to the Church in Need UK.
A special ministry is ready to help
those who are struggling to come to
terms with the end of their marriage,
says John A Brotherton
If you are happily married, you are blessed. You
have been touched by God, who brought you
together. The Church will recognise that later this
year when Archbishop Peter offers a special Mass
for those celebrating landmark and special
wedding anniversaries.
But what if your happy marriage has ended?
What if you are now separated, divorced or
widowed and you are single once again? Your grief
may well be as great as your happiness once was.
You may be experiencing feelings of anger, guilt
or sadness. And, while the Church celebrates those
happy wedding anniversaries, you may feel
abandoned, unrecognised and even unwelcome
within the faith community.
If you are in this position, there is a ministry
within the Church for you. It’s called the Beginning
Experience and it does what it says in the name.
For, as your old life as a marriage partner may
have ended, it offers the experience of a new
beginning.
This is a new beginning where you can come to
terms with your single-again state and can face
the future with more confidence in yourself and
with hope and trust in God.
Beginning Experience started in America in 1974
when it was recognised that a special ministry was
needed for people whose marriages had ended. It
came to England in 1984 and so this year is its
30th anniversary here.
In Southwark, Beginning Experience has the full
support of Archbishop Peter and Bishop John. It
consists of a local team of men and women who
are themselves all separated, divorced or
widowed. Twice a year they run a residential
weekend at the Emmaus Centre in West Wickham,
Kent.
The weekend contains a carefully-structured
programme which encourages the participants to
acknowledge their grief and to recognise that
their feelings are normal and shared by others.
They may then choose to close the door gently on
the past and so begin to face the future more
positively.
This is not an instant cure. There is no instant
cure for the sense of loss which can overcome and
overpower us. But it is a beginning. And, after the
weekend, regular follow-up meetings are held and
open to all participants to attend.
You may be interested in comments received
after the most recent weekend last year. They
included ‘The whole weekend was excellent’, ‘The
whole weekend has been truly productive and
well planned and I enjoyed it all’ and ‘Thank you
for such a great weekend’.
So, if you are separated, divorced or widowed
and have read this right to the end, then maybe
you are being invited to consider attending a
Beginning Experience weekend at Emmaus.
If you are interested, or would just like more
information, you can contact one of the team
members, Freda on 01322-401243 or Sandra on
01293-783965. They will be more than happy to
speak with you.
Then you can decide whether the weekend is
right for you at this time.
What secondary school did you attend ? Ellesmere College, Shropshire.
Favourite subject? History.
Worst subject? Biology.
Favourite teacher? Mrs Wright, who taught English.
Favourite school dinner? Roast dinner (most of food pretty inedible).
Guilty secret? I used to hide a radio to listen to the cricket in secret.
What lessons about life did you learn? To stand up to bullies and not to
apologise for being a Christian.
What do you wish you had been told? Try to live outside of your comfort
zone.
What did you do immediately
after school? I went to Oxford
University or read theology,
before going to work for Bass
M&B (a brewery)...for a
different spiritual vocation,
before becoming an Anglican
priest and then being received
into the Catholic Church in
1990.
What career advice would
you give to a young person?
Go for any job to build up
your CV and have confidence.
Neville pictured in the
desert outside Luxor, Egypt
Easing my pain: The Beginning Experience
can help you come to terms with the end
of your marriage
Page 11

The Pilgrim June 2014
Focus on faith
From Silicon Valley to
permanent deacon
Last year, Barry Mellish was ordained a permanent
deacon. He is attached to St Joseph’s in Bromley.
Here he reflects on his journey.
To advertise in this newspaper
contact Carol Malpass.
Tel: 0161 214 1244 or
email: carol.malpass@thecatholicuniverse.com
Looking back, the past few years have simply flown by.
It is some six years ago that I was talking to our then
new parish priest, Fr Tom. During our chat he suddenly
posed the question, “Barry have you ever considered
the permanent diaconate?”
This would be a major change for me. I graduated in
the very early seventies as a mechanical engineer and
had a varied career working for both the NHS and a
tobacco giant, British American Tobacco!
After being made redundant I ended up at IBM
where I changed professions, becoming a chartered
member of the British Computer Society. I spent over
29 years at IBM as a technical consultant, including a
four-year assignment working in San José (Silicon
Valley), California.
Becoming a permanent deacon was something that
had been going through my mind although I was never
certain that I had a calling. Indeed, how does God call
you? I do not believe that it is voices in your head.
Rather, God works through his people here on Earth;
so was this God calling me through Fr Tom? What
followed was a period of prayerful reflection and
consultation with my wife, my family and some close
friends.
Having decided to respond positively I entered the
application process, followed by a series of interviews
culminating in a final discussion with Archbishop Kevin.
I then had a propaedeutic year, a year of reflection
and spirituality, and a three-year academic and
formation period and St John’s Seminary in Wonersh.
Those final months were very busy. There were my
exams on the prophets to prepare for, and I had two
essays to write on atheism, (yes, we cover a wide
range of topics in our formation programme). Finally,
there was the ordination itself to think about and
prepare for.
This was somewhat tricky as you cannot commit to
anything until receiving your invitation letter of calling
from the archbishop; and this could only done after I
had formally written to him asking to be ordained.
It felt as if I was in limbo. It was somewhat testing
but in a way this was no bad thing. It helped me in my
final discernment process. Was this what I was really
being called to do. Did I have I the faith and strength
of purpose to positively respond?
In addition I had a practice homily to prepare. This
was to be given at our next study weekend at High
Leigh. As with all homilies you have to begin with
prayerful reflection on the scripture texts and the
prayers specific to the service at which you are giving
it. This practice homily was one to be preached at a
wedding service. As my daughter was getting married
later in the year I had decided that I would prepare
the practice homily as if I were to officiate at her
marriage.
This was no easy task this as I had to keep my
emotions in check and preach a homily that would
Barry Mellish jhgjhgjgjhggjhgjgjhg (name of woman
needed)
help guide the couple and cover the sacramental
nature of a Catholic marriage. Fortunately, my
daughter, Helena, wanted to be given away by me
rather than be married by me, so I did not have to give
this homily for real!
Whatever happened, finishing the formation process
was not the end of the journey. To quote Winston
Churchill: “Now, this is not the end. It is not even the
beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the
beginning.”
Now I can look back on a momentous 12 months. My
first grandchild was born a year ago, my daughter was
married last August and on June 8th, Bishop Pat Lynch
laid his hands on me and ordained me into the
permanent diaconate.
I must confess that the ordination went by in a blur
of strong emotions. I am glad that the event was
videoed so that I can look back and see what actually
happened, as I have no real memory of it. Instead of
preparing for a practice homily, I now prepare to give
homilies in my parish of St Joseph’s in Bromley.
It is far too early for me to make any sort of
assessment of my ministry; in any event this is
something that is best left to others. What I do know is
that it has been a time of great joy and many blessings
and filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
I have been greatly supported by my parish priest,
Canon Tom McHugh, the pastoral assistant Mary Crosby
and the other clergy in my parish, Father Saju and
Father Cyriac.
Their support has made my introduction to life in
the permanent diaconate very straightforward. I have
been truly humbled and overwhelmed by the love and
support shown to me by the parishioners at St.
Joseph’s. They have all been very kind to me.
As always, my wife Julia has been there for me, as
she has been for the past 42 years. She is the rock on
which our family is built and my great love.
“
I must confess that the
ordination went by in a
blur of strong emotions. I
am glad that the event
was videoed so that I can
look back and see what
actually happened, as I
have no real memory of it.
“
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