Issue 06 - The Pilgrim - June 2012 - The newspaper of the Archdiocese of Southwark

The Olympics:
More than a game
Pages 6-7
Rock
theology
Page 8
Faith in science
Page 12
Issue 6 June 2012
Parishes need more
catechists, says
formation priest
By Greg Watts
More Catholics should consider
becoming catechists in their
parish, says Father David Gibbons,
director of the Centre for Catholic
Formation.
Father David was speaking ahead
of A Day for Catechists, which will
be held at St George’s Cathedral
on Saturday June 23.
“Catechists play a vital role in
helping in forming the faith of
both children and adults. I would
like to see more Catholics becoming
catechists. Some parishes have
a large number of catechists, but
others have very few,” he said.
A Day for Catechists is for all
who are involved in their parish or
chaplaincy in Baptism preparation,
first Confession and Holy Communion,
Confirmation, R.C.I.A., Marriage
preparation and children’s
liturgy.
The main speaker will be Dr
Anne Bamford, director of the
Schools’ Commission. The event
will also include group discussions
and seminars.
Archbishop Peter will celebrate
Mass at 4 pm, after which he will
symbolically send out the catechists
to evangelize and catechize
on his behalf.
“The purpose of the Day is to
thank and encourage catechists,
update them on new developments
and courses, and to promote
best practice,” said Father
David.
He added that if someone is
concerned that they don’t know
enough about their faith, they
could still make a good catechist.
“Just as we never feel our
prayer life is good enough, so none
of us ever feels completely adequate
about passing on the faith to
others.
“But people are amazed how
much they do know when, under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
they start being a catechist.
Being honest about one’s own
faith, and about what one doesn’t
know, is itself an important witness
to others.
Archbishop Peter celebrating the
sacrament of Confirmation at
St Dunstan's, Hersden.
“Catechists are partly teachers,
teaching children about receiving
Holy Communion, or informing
adult converts about the important
aspects of the Cath-olic faith,
for example.
“They are also witnesses,
demonstrating by their own practice
of the faith what it is to be a
disciple of Christ. One definition
is: ‘a catechist is faith, hope, and
love attached to arms and legs’.”
“Every catechist will take time
to learn more about the faith, so
as to be able to share it with others
personally and effectively. But
a catechist most certainly does not
need to be a professional
teacher.”
Most catechetical courses take
from one to three terms, and will
entail a weekly session one
evening or a Saturday morning
each week. Usually parish courses
take place during the academic
year.
While the training of catechists
is the responsibility of the parish
priest, the Centre for Catholic Formation
in Tooting Bec offers a
wide range of programmes. These
include one-off days in a particular
parish or deanery and also a foundation
degree course.
Hannah Vaughan-Spruce, catechetical
coordinator at Holy Ghost
Balham, said, “Being a catechist is
a great privilege and joy for me. It
means announcing the life-changing
news of God’s love for us in
Christ.”
Jude Onye, senior confirmation
catechist at Sacred Heart Camberwell,
said, “As a layman, being a
catechist fulfils my vocation in
life. It feels like hearing the word
of God and doing it.”
Chef transforms
school dinners
St Matthew Academy in Blackheath
is the only school in
London to be shortlisted for
the Times Educational Supplement’s
healthy eating award.
Its achievement is down to
in-house chef Richard Callingham
and his team, which replaced
external caterers three
years ago.
He now serves 700 lunches a
day, a rise of 30 per cent, as
well as a hotel-style breakfast
in the morning and hot food at
break.
All the food is seasonal and
sourced locally, where possible,
with fruit, vegetables and
eggs bought directly from local
Kent farms.

Editorial The Pilgrim June 2012
the
2012Pilgrim
50p
December 2011/ January The newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, covering s
The Archdiocese of Southwark
Archbishop Peter Smith
020 7928-2495
archbishop@rcsouthwark.co.uk
www.rcsouthwark.co.uk
Area bishops
Kent
Bishop John Hine
01732 845486
jhine@absouthwark.org
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
020 7928-2495
pilgrim@rcsouthwark.co.uk
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Group Ltd
Page 2
Greg Watts
I recently ran a communications
and media workshop at
St Mary’s College, Oscott, for a
group of men training to be
permanent deacons.
One of the exercises I did
with was to ask them to scan a
newspaper for references to
the Church. They found was a
story about a funeral, a service
to mark the 1,000 anniversary
of the death of St Elphege, and
a feature on the first Italians to
settle in Birmingham.
One of the men also spotted
a reference to the rock band
Black Sabbath, but we both
agreed that perhaps to include
it might be stretching things.
So we had three references
to the Church: two about
people who had died and one
about history. Let’s be honest,
this doesn’t sound like an institution
that is likely to attract
people.
The Pilgrim carries stories
that reflect a very different
Church; one that is full of
energy and vitality and that
gives meaning and shape to the
lives of many people.
And yet when I trawl parish
and school websites each
month I’m disappointed to see
that some are not regularly
updated.
While working on the May
edition, I found a great story
on the home page of one
parish website. Then I realised
During the Flame Congress at Wembley
Arena in March Olympic rower, Debbie
Flood, held up her two silver medals. She
told the eight and a half thousand young
people in front of her that she couldn’t
take them with her when she died, and that
therefore her faith was the most important
thing in her life.
This National Youth Congress had taken its
inspiration from the tremendous outpouring
of young people’s enthusiasm during the
Papal Visit and also from the fact that this
year we host the Olympic and Para-Olympic
Games.
Some people may have been surprised to
see so many young people willing to give up
a Saturday in order to take part in what
was, after all, essentially a religious event.
They may also have been surprised to
hear the activities on stage punctuated by
the enthusiastic chanting of the name
“Jesus” from different corners of the
arena.
Who could fail to be impressed by the
great silence that
descended on the whole crowd
during the time of Eucharistic
Adoration led by Archbishop
Vincent Nichols
The success of the Flame Congress is
more evidence of something many of us
have observed in the Church for some time.
Young people are waking up.
And just as when they get up for school or
lectures, they are waking up hungry and
thirsty. They are hungry to know the faith.
They are thirsting for an encounter with
God in prayer.
This generation is also keen to get involved.
They want to make a difference.
The outstanding new vocations DVD, The
Calling, was made two young graduates who
wanted to put their talents at the service of
the Church.
In different places I have met young
adults re-writing Confirmation programmes
because the ones they experienced didn’t
meet their needs. In Birmingham a group is
using Skype to study a youth catechism with
religious sisters who specialise in catechetical
tours of the Vatican Museum.
Elsewhere in Nottingham, a talented
young photographer has just published Transitions,
a book of incredibly inspirational
photographs with short reflections taken
largely from YouCat.
As a Church, how can we respond to the
needs of a generation who hunger for faith,
who thirst for God’s grace, and who want to
make a difference It is a question we all
need to ask ourselves.
What opportunities are we providing in
our parishes, deaneries and diocesan structures
Have we even begun to make any
space for them How has our approach to
youth ministry changed over the years
And are we just doing what we have always
done As anyone in business knows,
sometime you have to step back and consider
the needs of the consumer. And we
are in the business of eternal life!
From July 6 - 8 another event that has
captured the imagination of young people
will take place. For the third year in a row
St Mary’s College, Oscott, will host Invocation,
the national vocations festival.
Hosted at a seminary and organised by
diocesan vocations directors Invocation is
Media matters
Pupils at St Edmund's Catholic
School in Dover took part in this
year's BBC School Report
it was dated 2011!
The problem is not a lack of
material to communicate. The
problem is often a failure to
grasp the importance of
communicating these stories,
and in an imaginative way.
We can criticise the media
for exaggeration, misrepresentation,
and an obsession with
celebrities.
But if the Church wants to
not like the “vocations fairs” of old. It is
not a recruitment weekend.
Sometimes it can be difficult for people
with an old-fashioned mind-set to acknowledge
that it really is not a “my habit is better
than your habit” weekend. We have to
work hard to discourage inter-congregational
rivalry: it is not about seeing who
outdoes whom on the austerity stakes, or
whose community chant is more melodious
than any one else’s!
Invocation is about the young people who
come. It is about listening to their needs
and responding to them. The weekend is
aimed at young men and women (aged 16-
35) who are looking to develop their relationship
with Christ and who are searching
for the knowledge and tools to develop
tell its story to the outside
world, then it must use the
media – especially local newspapers
and radio – to do this.
Otherwise it will seem irrelevant,
or invisible.
How do we respond to the faith
and energy of young people
their own personal formation, discernment
and understanding of God’s will for their
lives.
For some this may mean being, or becoming
open to the possibility of a vocation to
the priesthood or religious life.
Invocation can provide them with the opportunity
to meet and inspire each other.
Great speakers will enthuse and, hopefully,
amuse them. The seminary community will
welcome them into its pattern of prayer.
There will be time for adoration and opportunities
for confession.
And this year we will all have a chance to
reflect on the importance of priestly ministry
in our lives because the precious relic
of St John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, will be
with us for part of the festival.
But it is what happens afterwards that is
more important and that will really make a
difference. In approving the new National
Vocations Framework, the Church in England
and Wales has committed itself to
making space for these young people.
Making space will be more than just establishing
discernment groups. It will also
be about listening to them and responding
to their needs.
For more information about Invocation
2012 visit www.invocation.org.uk. Or contact
the Vocations Director: info@southwarkvocations.com
Father Stephen Langridge is the diocesan
vocations director
For more information about becoming a
diocesan priest contact the diocesan
vocations office:info@southwarkvocations.com.

The Pilgrim June 2012
News
Bishop Pat hosts human trafficking conference
How to combat human trafficking was
the subject of a conference in Rome
organised by Bishop Pat.
Bishop Pat is chair of the Office for
Migration Policy of the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of England and Wales.
The day-long conference was held at
the Pontifical Council for Justice and
Peace and focused on prevention, pastoral
support and rehabilitation.
Delegates came from a number of
countries, including Lithuania, Nigeria,
Thailand, South Africa, and the United
States.
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson,
President of the Pontifical Council
Archbishop Peter, Bishop Pat and
Bishop John are inviting Catholics
from across the diocese to join
them at Aylesford Priory for a Mass
of thanksgiving on July 7.
for Justice and Peace, described
human trafficking as modern slavery
and one of the worst forms of human
exploitation.
“As we all know, men, women and
children live every day in conditions
approximating slavery. They are bought
and sold like commodities.
“We must ask ourselves: how is this
possible The answer is that, while
necessary, national laws and international
agreements alone cannot overcome
these evils afflicting humanity.
The promotion of human rights is a
task which requires theconversion of
hearts, above all else.”
Aylesford Mass
This year marks the 40th
anniversary of the ordination to the
priesthood of Archbishop Peter and
Bishop Pat, and the 50th anniversary
of Bishop John.
Were you at La Retraite
La Retraite Girls’
School in Clapham is
inviting former pupils
to a party to launch
its alumni
society.
The event will take
place at 4 pm on June
15, beginning in the
school chapel.
Ruth Coyle, assistant
head teacher,
said, “I am delighted
that we have already
had a wide variety of
successful women applying
to be members,
ranging from the
1970’s through to the
current day.
“These women now
have very successful
careers in medicine;
pharmaceuticals; law;
ICT; education; business;
finance; and
children’s services.
And we even have a
Police Officer.”
A number of former
pupils have visited the
school this year, including
Bunmi Mojekwu
best known for
her role as Mercy in
Eastenders.
Michael Caine at
St George’s Cathedral
Catholic youth festival in West End
Young Catholics are being
invited to attend the annual
Spirit in the City festival in the
West End this month.
The event takes place June
7–9 and is being hosted by the
four main West End churches,
St Patrick’s, Soho; Our Lady and
To advertise in this
newspaper contact
Chris Morley
on 0161 214 1233
email:
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St Gregory, Warwick Street;
Notre Dame, Leicester Square;
and Corpus Christi, Covent
Garden.
It will include catechesis,
prayer and outreach, along
with a Marian street procession.
This year, young people
from the Jesus Risorto Community
in Italy are taking part.
On Saturday June 9 a number
of bands, including Crossbeam
and Soul Sanctuary Gospel
Choir, will perform on a stage
in Leicester Square.
St George’s Cathedral welcomed
Michael Caine when it hosted
Southwark Council’s annual civic
awards.
The Oscar-winning actor, who
has starred in films such Educating
Rita and The Quiet American
was born in Rotherhithe.
Others awarded the freedom of
the borough of Southwark included
Catholic undertaker Barry
Albin-Dyer and MP Simon Hughes.
Page 3

News The Pilgrim June 2012
School mobile
ban succeeds
A Kent school which introduced
a zero tolerance policy on
using mobile phones says it
has been a great success.
Pupils at St John Fisher
Catholic School in Chatham
were told that if a mobile
phone was seen or heard in
school, then it would be
confiscated.
The school said that the zero
tolerance on the use of mobile
phones and devices had led to
a much greater concentration
on teaching and learning.
Deacons renew
commitment
Southwark’s 75 permanent
deacons have renewed their
commitment to diaconal
service at a special Mass at
St George’s Cathedral, celebrated
by Archbishop Peter.
In addition, four men studying
for the diaconate were
admitted to candidacy for
holy orders.
Hours devotion
in Margate
Forty Thanet deanery is holding
a Forty Hours devotion at the
church of Ss Austin and Gregory,
Margate.
It will begin with Mass of exposition
on Thursday 7th June
at 7.30 pm and will close with a
Mass of thanksgiving on Saturday
9th June at 12.00 noon.
Ss Austin and Gregory was
recently merged with the parish
of St Anne in Clifto-nville to
form the new parish of Ss Austin
and Gregory with St Anne,
Margate.
A link with Peru
Christ the King parish in
Wimbledon Park is in the
process of twinning with a
parish in Lima, Peru. The
justice and peace group is
setting up the initiative.
Becky walks
for water
Becky Ginnever, who works for
Cafod, has walked 180 miles
along the Thames Path in order
to raise awareness for its Thirst
for Change campaign. The
twenty-seven-year-old walked
from the source of the Thames
to Cafod’s headquarters in
Westminster Bridge Road.
Maidstone
school is
blessed
Archbishop Peter has visited St
Francis Primary School in Maidstone,
to bless the new extension
to the school buildings.
Page 4
Education committee
back school plans
Plans to build a Catholic secondary
school in Twickenham have moved
closer following a council meeting.
Currently Richmond is one of the
few boroughs in London without a
Catholic secondary school. It has
six Catholic primary schools.
The diocese of Westminster in
partnership with the diocese of
Southwark has applied to open
both a secondary and a primary
school.
The proposals, to build the
schools on the site of Richmond
Adult Community College in Clifden
Road have received initial
Bishop Paul joined the Legion of
Mary on pilgrimage at Aylesford
Priory to celebrate Edel Quinn,
Ireland’s 20th century apostle to
Africa.
Edel Quinn joined the Legion
of Mary in Dublin at the age of
20 and devoted herself to helping
the poor. At the age of 29
Barrister recalls murder cases
Barrister Rock Tansey described
some of the high-profile murder
cases he has been involved in
when he spoke at the friendship
group at Sacred Heart parish
Twenty-five students from St
John’s Catholic Comprehensive
School in Gravesend will join
other students from across the
country in a dance on the pitch
UNESCO prize-winner
to speak at festival
backing from Richmond Council’s
education and children’s services
overview and scrutiny committee.
The committee voted to support
the school plans, which will be
passed up to cabinet, where a
decision will be made.
Catholic parents have campaigned
for a new secondary
school, so their children so their
children don’t have to travel to
neighbouring boroughs.However,
they have been opposed by some
in the borough who argue that the
school would discriminate against
children of other faiths.
Apostle of Africa
she went to Africa to establish
the organisation there.
She went on to set up hundreds
of Legion branches in
Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda,
Malawi and Mauritius, She died
in Nairobi in 1944, aged 36.
Pope John Paul II declared her
venerable in 1994.
in Wimbledon.
He also told the 50- strong audience
of how he narrowly escaped
death when an IRA bomb exploded
outside the Old Bailey.
Students dance at rugby stadium
at Twickenham Stadium.
The dance will be part of the
pre-match entertainment during
the Aviva Premiership Rugby
Final 2012 on May 26.
A Catholic woman who has provided
a home for thousands of
orphans in Burundi, will speak at
this year’s Bright Lights Festival
at Aylesford Priory.
During the civil war in Burundi
Marguerite Barankitse began providing
food and shelter for children
who had lost their parents.
In 1994 she set up Maison Shalom,
which has grown into a complex
of schools and hospitals throughout
Burundi.
Her inspiring works has won her
many international awards, including
the UNESCO Prize and the
Opus Prize. Last year, Kofi Annan
presented her with the Prize for
Conflict Prevention.
The Bright Lights Festival will
take place at from 29th June -
2nd July. It includes prayer, worship,
speakers and live music.
www.brightlights.org.uk
Young Catholics
take to the road
A group of young Catholics are to
cycle the length of the UK to raise
money for three charities.
The ride will take place in July
and is the idea of brother and sister
Anna-Marie (21) and Gregory
Treloar (18) from Blackfen. So far,
six other cyclists have decided to
join them.
Anna-Marie, a medical student,
is set to cycle an estimated 1,250
miles, starting from Berwick-upon-
Tweed to John O’Groats and then
to Land’s End.
“We’re going to pray together
each day of the trip, which will
culminate in Mass which we will
celebrate together with the parish
of Penzance on our arrival,” she
said.
Ryan Day, 27, a seminarian at
the Venerable English College,
Rome, will join the group when he
returns to England from the summer.
He plans to will ride 420
miles from Hull to Land’s End.
Money raised by the trip will go
to support the work of Mary’s
Meals, African Mission, and the St.
Pio’s Friary in Bradford.
Coloma choir second
in BBC competition
The junior choir from Coloma
Convent Girls School in Croydon
has come second in the BBC
Songs Of Praise Choir of the Year.
The 44 girls competed against
choirs from across the UK.
Coloma was the only London
school in the final, which was
filmed in at The Lowry Theatre in
Manchester.
The programme was presented
One of the UK’s top pianists has
taken part in a farewell concert
for a Jesuit priest.
Gwilym Simcock, who has and
been nominated for the Barclaycard
Mercury Prize, performed at
Sacred Heart Church in
by soloist Aled Jones and the
judging panel were David Grant,
Suzi Digby and Russell Watson.
Hilary Meyer, choir director,
said, ‘We have been thrilled just
to be part this competition.
The girls have performed brilliantly,
particularly as they only
had four weeks from joining the
school to when they had to
audition.”
Top pianist plays for priest
Wimbeldon to mark the departure
of Fr Tim Curtis, the outgoing
director of Jesuit Missions.
Fr Tim will be returning to
Guyana in the summer to work
with Catholics of Amerindian
origin.
Deacon’s retreat
Eleven permanent deacons
accompanied by ten wives,
travelled to Merville in France
for an annual retreat.
It was led by Father Peter
Hall, OFM, who gave talks on
the five Solemnities from
The Ascension of the Lord
through to The Sacred Heart of
Jesus.

The Pilgrim June 2012
Features
How do you make sense of the Trinity
June is the Feast of the Blessed
Trinity. Father Len Kofler, director
of The Institute of St.
Anselm in Margate, suggests a
way to understand what this
means.
St Augustine was walking on the
beach, pondering on the mystery
of the Trinity. A small boy was
scooping up sea water with a
shell and pouring it into a small
hole in the sand. The small boy
was an angel. He said to St. Augustine,
“You will sooner empty
the sea like this before fathoming
the depth of that mystery.”
When I studied the Trinity,
more than half a century ago, I
was put off by the abstract,
philosophical way it was taught.
I avoided preaching on the Trinity
from a doctrinal point of view
and learned to take refuge in
scriptural passages.
Trinity Sunday was not a Sunday
I looked forward to. Many
priests, when asked which Sunday
of the year they find the most
difficult on which to preach, will
say Trinity Sunday.
As the Blessed Trinity is a mystery,
theologians and preachers
have used symbols to explain it,
such as the triangle; the circle
with a triangle within it; St.
Patrick’s three-leafed clover;
three fish in a triangular arrangement;
and three interconnected
circles.
These symbols do not convey
the message of the Persons but
rather emphasise their relationships,
their relatedness, interconnection
and equality.
Andrei Rublev, the great Russian
artist and icon painter, depicted
the three persons of the
Trinity seated at a table, under
an oak tree, with a cup on the
table. His focus is on the interrelationship
of the persons of the
Trinity.
When I came to study psychology,
it opened a door for me to a
more meaningful understanding
of the mystery of the Blessed
Trinity. Relationships, I realised
more and more clearly, are central
to our existence.
Like most people, I have often
yearned for perfect relationships.
I have found them nowhere other
than in the mystery of the
Blessed Trinity. There is one God
in three persons and three persons
in one God. The Three Divine
Persons share the divine
nature.
The essence of the three divine
Persons, according to St. John, is
love, which they share with each
other unconditionally, while
never overlooking their distinctive
personhood. They communicate
perfectly with each other.
This poses questions for us.
How are my relationships Do I
communicate out of love with
people Is my love unconditional
Do I respect other people
We can apply the roles of the
Blessed Trinity to the roles of the
members of a family. Child, father
and mother are distinct persons.
When these roles are confused,
an unhealthy development can
result, for instance, when parents
or relatives treat children as if
they were adults. Or sometimes a
parent can start behaving like a
child.
It is an unimaginable mystery
that the Three Divine Persons
dwell in each one of us. They
live in us so that we can become
like them. We are made in the
image and likeness of God.
Through baptism we are drawn
into the circle of the Blessed Trinity
and into the house of the Father.
We are invited to relate to
one another as they relate to
each other.
So now I look forward to Trinity
Sunday, since I see the Trinity as
a model and inspiration for all
our human relationships. The
mystery of the Blessed Trinity can
encourage and support us practically
in our efforts to work for a
better society and a better
world.
Andrei Rublev's popular 15th century icon of the Trinity
Pilgrim places – The Cathedral
Church of St Saviour and
St Mary Overie, Southwark
Surrounded by the
Thames, London
Bridge, railway arches
and Borough Market,
stands one of London’s
finest medieval buildings.
Yet I suspect many
people have barely noticed
it. For most of its
life it has been a
church. It wasn’t until
1905 that it became a
cathedral.
There has been a
church here since 606.
When a group of Augustinian
canons arrived in
the twelfth century
they rebuilt the
church.
They also built a
hospital alongside the
church, which lives on
today in the form of St
Thomas’s Hospital.
Following a fire in
1206, it was rebuilt
again, this time in the
Gothic style. Amongst its
many interesting features
are a thirteenth
century oak effigy of a
crusader and the tomb
of the poet John Gower.
But it has other literary
connections.
Chaucer and Dickens
certainly visited it, and
Shakespeare may well
have done, as his
brother Edmund is
buried in it.
While many Londoners
might know little about
the cathedral, many
Americans do. This is because
John Harvard,
who founded the famous
university, was baptised
here. The cathedral runs
an education centre,
providing workshops and
other resources for
schools.
Page 5

Behind the scenes The Pilgrim June 2012
London 2012 Olympics are abou
James Parker, the Catholic coordinator
for the London 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games,
says sport can be about much
more than who wins.
Olympic events in
Southwark diocese
Brands Hatch, near
Swanley: road cycling
Greenwich Park:
equestrian, modern
pentathlon
North Greenwich
Arena: basketball,
gymnastics
Royal Artillery
Barracks, Woolwich:
archery, shooting
All England Lawn
Tennis and Croquet
Club, Wimbledon:
tennis Putney, Richmond
and Kingston:
cycling road race
So, we all know that the
Olympic Torch has well and truly
arrived for its tour of the British
Isles. But just how relevant is this
to the Catholic community!
Although sport lay at the heart
of the ancient Olympics and seems
to be the sole focus of the modern
Games, it was in fact merely the
vehicle used to celebrate people’s
achievement and to unite fragmented
groups and nations.!
Never before has Britain, and especially
our local communities in
the South East, needed such a vehicle
to bring people out of their
increasing isolation into a place of
belonging.
Sport has a tried and tested
record of being able to accomplish
this and for this reason if for no
other we should sit up and take
note.
Belonging and community as a
by-product of the 2012 Games may
seem like a pipe dream to some,
but be encouraged, this journey is
already in progress.
For example, over the past year
or so, different groups within the
Christian community have been
meeting together. So have the
three Catholic London dioceses of
Southwark, Westminster and
Brentwood, as well as disability organizations
from across Britain.
The purpose has been to encourage
Christians to engage in some
way with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
and the 2012 Games.
Under the banner of More Than
Gold, the umbrella Christian charity,
opportunities to engage with
social justice and the area of disability
are on offer to practically
build a more united kingdom
within Britain, and especially
London.
A meeting with Catholic secondary
school pupils brought to light
the original purpose of what the
Games were, and still are, all
about.
When asked what legacy they
desired to see from the Games,
they responded with “peace on
London’s streets, in our homes and
in our hearts”. This was back in
2009, before the riots.
Clearly, these pupils were feeling
the growing fragmentation
within their own communities and
homes.
The dioceses of Southwark,
Westminster and Brentwood have
been encouraging individuals,
groups and churches to practically
celebrate 100 Days of Peace, 50
days prior to the Games beginning
and 50 days after the Paralympic
Closing Ceremony.
A special peace vigil to launch
these 100 days will take place at
St Martin’s-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar
Square. Prayer and reflection interspersed
with times of silence
will run from 11:00pm on Friday
8 th June through to 11:00am on
Saturday 9 June.
The vigil is being organized by
the three diocesan Justice and
Peace Commissions along with
agencies such as Cafod and Pox
Christi.
It will culminate at 11:00 am
with an hour of prayers and anthems
for peace led by the Archbishop
Vincent Nichols, Bishop
Richard Chartres of London, and a
number of nationally renowned
choirs.
Another message which will be
uppermost in the world’s mind
once the 2012 Games end with the
Paralympic closing ceremony is
that every human body, irrespective
of ability, has incredible potential
and must therefore be
treated with the deepest respect.!
Paralympian Stefanie Reid told
young people at Wembley Arena
for Flame in March, “God is not
limited by things like physical disabilities,
or social stigmas, things
that we may see as limitations.
When you look at your life, see the
endless possibilities, and have the
courage and determination to pursue
them.”
Charities such as HCPT and Faith
and Light, along with diocesan disability
agencies, have recently
been coming together to find ways
of raising the dignity of people
with disabilities so as to bring
about greater social inclusion for
all.
In doing so they are discovering
a fresh and more vibrant expression
of solidarity and collaboration
among themselves.!
As the Olympic Torch makes its
way through the streets of Britain,
may it be a reminder to everyone
of the original purpose of the
Games, namely to bring greater
respect and unity among peoples.!
The Paschal candle raised at the
Easter Vigil each year symbolizes
the unity as Catholics worldwide.
Surely anything that even mildly
mirrors this and gathers those with
no understanding or exposure to
community, especially those less
advantaged than ourselves, is no
bad thing.
To find out more, visit
www.peacelegacy.org.uk
www.catholic2012.com
www.morethangold.org.uk
Key dates
July 27: Olympic Games
opening ceremony
August 12: Olympic
Games closing ceremony
August 29: Paralympic
Games opening ceremony
September 9: Paralympic
Games closing ceremony
Page 6

The Pilgrim June 2012
Behind the scenes
t more than sport
More than Gold events
June 8–9, St Martin-in-the-Fields: Peace vigil
July 2, Westminster Central Hall: EveryBody has a Place conference, bringing together
the topics of disability, theology and sport.
Key speakers include Professor Baroness Sheila Hollins, Professor John Swinton
and Dr David Jones, with powerful testimonies expected from Paralympians.
July 8, Aylesford Priory: National Day of Celebration of Disability. A celebration of sport,
art, and music and the breaking open of God’s Word through drama.
Page 7

Features The Pilgrim June 2012
Who do you call if you have a problem
Nana Anto-Awuakye
Bags packed, I was ready to
head to Terminal Oneat
Heathrow for a flight to Johannesburg.
It’s never easy leaving
the family behind. I always
miss them and they miss
me. My son Matthew has a
huge map of Africa on his
bedroom wall and he had
stuck a pin in South Africa.
I was only going to be
away for five days, but
that’s five days of my careful
routines falling by the
wayside.
I knew father and son
would do father and son
things, like staying up and
watching the football on TV
and chomping on crispsand
banishing the veg basket
and fruit bowl.
I had written a list for
Matthew, reminding him
about brushing teeth in the
morning and evening, practicing
his spellings and
reading a chapter of his
book each evening before
bed.
“Who shall I call if there
is a problem’” he asked
me before I left. My heart
slightly flipped. What a
grown up thing to say.
Funny how these little
moments signal childhood
slipping away, as children
start to realise the reality
of the grown-up world.
With a big hug, I reassured
him that he didn’t
have to worry because
Daddy will take care of
things. Yet he insisted that
I write down my sister’s
number and the number of
my good friend who lives in
the next street.
My visit to South Africa
took me the short distance
from Oliver Tambo Airport
to the airport hotel, where
I had been invited to run a
series of media workshops
for the bishops in southern
Africa.
I wasn’t sure what to expect,
and had to brush up
on how you address a
bishop or an archbishop.
There was no need to have
worried so much. The
group was welcoming and
very affable and really
eager to understand better
how towork withthe
media in their respective
countries.
Over dinner, there was
much laughter. I didn’t
know that once you got a
group of bishops together
they could be so jolly.
There was also serious
talk about the politics and
economics of each other’s
country. The erratic
weather and shortage of
rain was common to all of
them.
It was a cause of great
concern because their
communities had been unable
to plant and grow anything
during the last
planting season. Imports
of maize from neighbouring
countries that had better
harvests were feeding
many people in their respective
dioceses.
Early every morning the
bishops celebrated Mass in
our small conference room,
where the workshops were
being held. It was truly a
beautiful and inspiring occasion
seeing a small conference
room turned into a
house of God as the morning
sunshine sparkled its
rays through the windows.
Half way through the
week I got to speak to my
son, and he enthusiastically
told me all the things
he shouldn’t be doing.
I imagined my husband
hovering over the telephone
receiver wanting to
prise it from his hands.
When he finally got his
chance to speak, he
laughed off Matthew’s
litany of forbidden
activities.
“All’s fine here love,”
he said. “We can’t wait to
have you back home.”
As the week progressed I
couldn’t help but relate my
son’s question to the work
of the bishops. “Who shall I
call if there is a
problem’”
It was clear that the bishops
in southern Africa had
formidable tasks to cope
with in their respective
dioceses. But they did so
knowing that they were
not alone. For if there was
a problem, they knew they
had the support of neighbouring
bishops. They
would be ready to join
them in tackling the challenges
that faced them.
Sing choirs of angels – and let’s rock
Musician Maeve Louise Heaney,
who teaches theology at Santa
Clara University, California, will
be leading a workshop at the International
Eucharistic Congress
in Dublin this month. She argues
that God can be discerned in all
types of music – even rock.
In contemporary culture, music
plays such an important space in
people’s lives. It is often, as someone
said, “the unwritten theology
of those who lack or reject any
formal creed.”
But how do we as Catholics deal
with this The problem manifests
itself mainly in two ways. Firstly,
it is in the passionate debates
about styles and appropriate music
in our liturgies and celebrations.
Secondly, it is in the need for
discernment and understanding in
relation to music born of and enjoyed
beyond those sacred spaces.
I believe a greater understanding
of music’s potential outside of
the liturgical forum could better
equip us to deal with it inside.
A healthy Christian world-view
enjoys an understanding of the
world as good: made by God,
loved by God, and somehow even
doted with the potential to carry
us deeper into the grace of God:
“The world is charged with the
grandeur of God”, as Gerard Manley
Hopkins said.
This is foundation of our sacramental
life: matter is good; water
can purify us; words can consecrate
us. Music is one of God’s first
gifts to humanity. Can it not also
share in this sacramental potentiality
In a beautiful book on the
presence of God in the arts called
Real Presences, George Steiner
Contemporary symbols: Chris Martin of Coldplay
describes contemporary culture as
living “the time of the epilogue”.
This is a moment in which verbal
and conceptual understanding has
lost its communicative strength, in
the light of which we are in need
of the arts which present God to
us differently.
Could this not be why so many
people find in music what they
struggle to grasp in words
Music is a specific symbolic
form, which works in our human
experience and understanding in a
powerful way: it is embodied,
dynamic and relational.
These are its strengths. It may
not always explain what it is up
to, but often, something happens
in and through music that cannot
happen through words.
As musicologist Charles Seeger
once wrote: “music…does not say
so, it does so.”
I believe if we want to take seriously
the task of the transmission
of our faith to future generations,
it is essential and urgent that we
seek to understand music’s particular
way of working in human
living.
Only then can we start to bridge
the gap between the worlds of
lived faith and that of musical performance
which western culture
has accepted as normal for so
long.
The creativity of the human
spirit is born of our participation
in God’s life and freedom.
That music moves, shifts and
changes is a sign of healthy artistic
sensibility, and therefore, to paraphrase
Blessed John Henry Newman,
could it not even be a sign of
our “perfectioning”
The rock, pop, hip-hop or indie
music we overhear from the ipods
of the younger generations might
disturb us.
But we are invited to explore
what it is of life that is being
discovered, expressed and transmitted
therein, and of course to
discern it.
As with all things, “by their
fruits you will know them.”
But discernment implies a fundamental
openness of disposition
to appreciate before one can
decide.
And this, in turn, requires a
commitment to dialogue between
composers and musicians and ministers
and theology.
And I perceive this to be emerging
now in many initiatives across
the globe.
Page 8

The Pilgrim June 2012
Features
What is the best way to pray
John Pridmore
When I’m giving talks the question
I probably get asked the most is:
what’s the best way to pray
And I always reply that there
isn’t any one way to pray. There
are lots of ways: the Mass, the
rosary, reading the Bible, or just
sitting in silence.
However, each of us has to find
the way that suits us best. But
you will only find this out by trial
and error.
Just because I stand in front of
hundreds of people in churches or
at conferences and talk about
prayer doesn’t mean that I don’t
find it difficult. Trust me, I do.
Sometimes I experience great
peace and joy when I pray; but
other times it’s like pulling teeth.
I see prayer as the oxygen of
the spiritual life. It’s how we
communicate with God. If there
were any way of finding joy and
peace without praying, then I
would have found it by now.
If we don’t pray, then we allow
all sorts of negative feelings to develop
inside of us. I know that if I
skip prayer I get irritable and restless
and I’m not as attentive to
the people I meet.
If I pray, I’m a nice person; if I
don’t, I’m not. When I pray I get
Father Victor Darlington
We are all familiar with Psalm
23. We sing it joyfully during
Mass and with sadness at funerals.
Its words have helped me
immensely in my prayer life,
especially during times of worries.
When faced with life’s challenges,
this psalm also strengthens
and encourages us. The
shepherd image is a very strong
one in both the Old Testament
and the New Testament.
The shepherd tends his flock.
He guides and protects them
from danger. He is always with
his staff, a symbol of protection
and guidance.
At some point in Old Testament
history this role was
abused, and prophet Ezekiel
prophesied condemnation
against the wicked shepherds of
Israel, who abandoned their
flock
The Lord himself is to become
the true shepherd of his
people, who leads his flock and
ready to die for them.
St. John in his gospel, took
this image, and presented
Christ as the “good shepherd,
who laid down his life for his
sheep.” This understanding is
unique and different from the
hired shepherd, who flees at
the approach of danger, and
abandons the flock at the hands
more energy to love, more energy
to give, more understanding and
more wisdom. Prayer gives me a
clarity.
One of the things I’ve found in
my own life is that when I pray to
know God more and understand his
plan for me, he answers me. But
if I pray for material things that I
don’t really need he doesn’t answer
me.
The most important thing in
prayer is not the words you use
Praying with Psalms
of enemies.
The Church over the years
adopted this shepherd image as
part of her understanding of
her leadership role. The shepherd
is the pastor. Today we
talk about pastoral work of the
Church, and we also use the
term flock for the people of
God.
The crosier is the pastoral
staff of the bishop. With it,
he defends the Church, her
doctrines and, most importantly,
he serves and leads the
flock under his care to green
pastures, where they can find
repose.
The bishop is like the good
but honesty. Pray how you feel,
not how you think you should feel.
If you feel angry or depressed or
bored, tell God. Make this part of
your prayer. Don’t pretend to be
praying for something you think
you should be praying for or for
The Lord is my Shepherd
shepherd who came not to be
served but to serve and to
guide Christ’s flock. Priests also
model their pastoral leadership
as shepherds in the footsteps of
Christ the good shepherd.
I have found myself able to
draw strength from the image
of the shepherd, who says: “I
am your shepherd; there is
nothing you shall want”.
As my shepherd, it makes
sense for me that he guides me
along the right path. And even
though all is not well, even
though I walk through the valleys
of darkness, those things
that bring me fear and worries
are subjected to his power.
The crook he holds in his
hands gives me comfort and
safety.
Although the worries never
go away, gradually I begin to
learn to trust again, and allow
the good shepherd to truly take
his proper place and role in my
life.
Perhaps he has other plans
for me. Perhaps I need these
ups and downs, these mountains
and valleys of life, so I can
identify more with the difficulties
and struggles other face in
daily life.
Or perhaps it’s a wake up call
for me to accept God’s presence
in my life through participation
in his sufferings by
uniting mine with his.
your sick auntie who you don’t really
like.
I often tell people not to be too
serious with God. I believe he has
a sense of humour. I’ve never subscribed
to what I call the sackcloth
and ashes spirituality.
Be yourself. Don’t try and be
some kind of plastic saint, sating
what you think God wants to hear.
God wants you to be honest and
speak from the heart. He’s not a
headmaster telling us we must do
this or that.
One thing I’ve discovered is
that you can’t have peace in your
life without prayer. I’ve tried
every way of getting out of prayer.
But I’ve realised that if I don’t
pray, I don’t have any peace.
I think of prayer as wasting time
with God. But I’ve realised that
you don’t have to spend an hour
and a half on your knees, like
some of the saints did.
We can make what we do a
prayer. For example, if you are a
mother looking after a child, or
you are doing boring work in an office,
you can offer this to God.
Just say to God that you don’t
have the time to set aside to pray,
but you give him your actions as a
prayer.
For anything good that we do in
our life can become a prayer.
Page 9

Features The Pilgrim June 2012
Bookcase
My favourite book
Emma Geiringer, a student at the Holy Cross
and Richard Challoner Federated Sixth Form,
New Malden, says William Golding’s The Lord
of the Flies is a book that gives you much to
think about.
The fictional tale of a group of British schoolboys
stranded on a desolate island after their
plane crashed is an unforgettable read.
The exact reason for them being on the
plane is not specified, but we can assume it
was because they were being evacuated from
the unspecified nuclear war taking place.
A hierarchy quickly develops after the boys
appoint Ralf as their leader. But it isn’t long
before their improvised, self-created society
descends into chaos, ultimately resulting in the
death of three of the boys.
As well as having a page-turning plot, there
are many parallels that can be drawn from the
themes in the book. We see the natural savagery
of humans and the destruction of democracy,
represented by the smashing of the conch
shell, which had been used to keep order and
symbolise civilisation.
I would definitely recommend this book to
readers of any age, as it is not only entertaining
but also thought provoking as the events
and characters remain on your mind even after
finishing the book.
Film review
.
Another Earth (12a)
Directed by Mike Cahill
Films and books can be
more than entertainment
The cast of
Downton Abbey
By Martin Tapsell
In Another Earth promising teenage driver
Rhoda (Brit Marland) crashes into and kills a
pregnant wife and her son, leaving her
husband John comatose.
Rhoda serves four years in prison but then,
guilt stricken, traces John (William Mapother)
through a crash shrine note and offers to clean
for him. An uneasy but cathartic relationship
ensues with the initially unsuspecting John.
When a planet identical to earth appears in
the sky, contact is made. It seems to totally
replicate Earth 1. It’s like a place where we
might replay our hand and avoid tragic mistakes.
So John and Rhoda aim to visit Earth 2,
which may symbolise Heaven.
The ending of the film is inconclusive, but it
raises the question of a parallel universe, and
by implication the free will mankind has to
commit good or evil.
Martin Tapsell is the author of Kent
Cinemas Revisited
Prayer book
exhibition
Monarchy and the Book of Common Prayer
Ends 14 July 2012 Tuesday - Saturday
& Bank Holiday Monday 4 June.
Bishop Paul Hendricks
Did you watch the TV series Downton
Abbey last autumn My diary gets rather
full, but I made a point of recording
every episode, so I could watch it later.
There was such a lot to it, in terms of
the range of different characters and the
way they relate to each other.
For instance, a man is discovered dead
in the bedroom of one of the unmarried
daughters of the house. Those who happen
to know have to decide what to do
about it. And in this they also reveal
something of their own attitudes and personalities.
But, more to the point, so do we. We
find ourselves agreeing or disagreeing
with this or that person, perhaps wishing
they’d acted differently, and wondering
what we would have done in their position.
Any good story does something like
this. Whether we realise it or not, the
way we respond tells us something about
ourselves.
Many years ago, when I was still in my
first parish, I went to see a film adaptation
of Dickens’ book, Little Dorrit — and
for the next few weeks you might say I
was living a sort of double life.
I was doing all the usual things a priest
does, saying Mass, visiting the sick, daily
prayer, and so on. But in between these
things, as you might say in the background
of my mind, I was still thinking
about all the characters in the film.
I mulled over the choices they’d made,
wondering what would have happened if
they’d chosen differently.
You won’t be surprised to hear that I
went back to see the film again, and it
wasn’t long before I’d read the book as
well. This in turn gave me something to
think about, comparing how the characters
had acted in the book and film versions
of the story.
And again, just as important, what my
own reactions told me about myself, even
though I may not have been able to put it
into words precisely.
Is this anything profound, or is it just
entertainment Perhaps something in between.
Consider Arthur, one of the main characters.
He returns to England after
twenty years in China, doing a job he
hated, but obedient to his parents’
wishes.
He meets his childhood sweetheart and
is shocked to find that she is really silly
and shallow. The idea he had of her was
only a illusion.
He falls in love with a beautiful young
woman, but realises that she loves someone
else. He puts his feelings on one side
and does all he can to reconcile her father
to the marriage.
On the wedding day, the bridegroom
casually tells Arthur that he himself is “a
disappointed man”, cynical about his
work and evidently fairly casual even
about his marriage.
He expresses envy of Arthur, who has
“clearly never been disappointed”.
The shallowness of this comment,
amounting almost to cruelty, brings home
by contrast the strengths of Arthur’s character.
He has suffered so much, been imposed
on in different ways, had various disillusioning
experiences — and yet remained
steady in doing what is right, always
looking for the best in people and in situations.
This is just one of many examples, from
that one book. Taken together, they gave
me as much to reflect upon as anything
I’d read for quite some time.
There are so many other books I could
also mention. But perhaps you can get
some idea why I believe that there can
certainly be a significant spiritual dimension
to novels, films and other forms of
what we normally think of as “just
entertainment”.
This exhibition traces the close
relationship between royalty and
religion from medieval to modern
times. It tells the story of the
Book of Common Prayer and its
importance in national life.
This story is illustrated with
books, manuscripts and objects,
many of which have royal or
other important provenances.
The centrepiece of the exhibition
will be the 1662 revision of
the Book of Common Prayer.
Other highlights of the exhibition
include:
A 1549 printing of the Book of
Common Prayer
Medieval illuminated manuscripts,
including the Book of
Hours of Richard III Queen
Elizabeth I's personal prayer
book and a copy of the book of
private devotions compiled for
Queen Elizabeth II in preparation
for her coronation.
The Book of Common Prayer
used at the wedding of Queen
VictoriaCharles I's own handwritten
revision of State Prayers.
The exhibiton is curated by
Hugh Cahill, Deputy Librarian,
Lambeth Palace Library and
Brian Cummings, Professor of
English at the University of Sussex.
Professor Cummings was
founding Director of the Centre
for Early Modern Studies, 2004-
8. He was previously Fellow of
Trinity College, Cambridge, and
has held visiting fellowships in
California and in Munich. His
books include The Literary
Culture of the Reformation:
Grammar and Grace (OUP, 2002),
and The Book of Common Prayer:
the Texts of 1549, 1559, and
1662 (OUP, 2011).
Currently, he holds a Leverhulme
Trust Major Research
Fellowship for 2009-12, researching
his next book, The
Confessions of Shakespeare.
In October 2012 he will give
the Clarendon Lectures at Oxford
University.
Page 10

The Pilgrim June 2012
Feature
School days: The Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe
Home Dartmoor
Job Retired politician. Now freelance writer and
broadcaster
School La Sainte Union Convent, Bath
Favourite subject Latin
Worst subject Chemistry
Favourite teacher Sr Mary Evangelista
Favourite school dinner Sunday roast at boarding
school
Guilty secret On my final evening a group of us
crawled out of the physics lab on to the roof and
signed our names on the chimney pot. I expect
they washed off years ago, but sometimes I
wonder…
What lessons about life did you learn I learnt
never to be discouraged by set backs and that you
have to work for what you want from life.
What do you wish I had been told Not to be in
such a hurry
What did you do immediately after leaving
school I read Latin at university.
What career advice would you give toa young
person
If you get it wrong first time, change. Don’t be
afraid to try new avenues.
The man who
became a butterfly
Living with
ME – finding
help from
prayer and a
simple smile
Laverne Hunt
Jean-Dominique Bauby was
the successful editor of Elle
Magazine in Paris, regarded
as a man who had the world
at his feet. Then all that
changed one day.
Whilst taking his son for a
drive he suffered a stroke and
feel into a condition called
“locked in syndrome”. He
became a prisoner of his own
body.
He could hear absolutely
everything but could only
blink one eye in response. His
entire body was paralysed and
he was unable even to
breathe unaided. He never
spoke again.
His whole world was seen
through one eye that would
scan every detail before him.
He could not change his perspective
unless he was physically
moved in a wheel chair.
All he could see were images,
as if millions of photographs
were flashing before him.
A specialist nurse worked
out a way to communicate
with him by using the most
commonly used letters in the
French alphabet When she
read out a letter, he would
blink once for yes and twice
for no.
Jean-Dominique had been
considering writing a book
before that fatal day. Even
though he could only blink, he
was still determined to do
this.
He instructed the nurse to
call his publisher and tell her
of his plans. The publisher
found the ideal person to edit
his book and between she and
his nurse the book was
written.
As you can imagine, it was
an emotional and painful journey
for him and the nurse and
editor to construct this book
one letter at a time. It became
a labour of love.
His book was published in
1997 and called The Diving
Bell and the Butterfly. Its title
comes from him feeling like
he was underwater, weighed
down by a diving bell and separate
from other people, but
his imagination allowed him to
experience again the joy and
lightness of a butterfly.
Through his imagination, he
takes the reader to various
places and remembers all the
beauty he had experienced in
his life. Two weeks after the
book was published he died.
The film of the book, made
in 2007, and directed by
Julian Schnabel, gave tender
insight into how visitors feel
when they visit someone who
is ill.
Somehow they felt apologetic
for living in completeness,
somewhat bewildered by
his condition. Many did not
know what to say.
Many just cried, particularly
his children. If life was not
cruel enough, the medical
team decided to sew up his
left eye, as it was of no use
and they wanted to concentrate
his energy and focus
through one eye.
Jean-Dominique demonstrated
that the human spirit
knows no boundaries. He was
not a great believer in God,
but he invited a collaboration
of a universal love to come to
his aid. People all over the
world prayed for him.
The Diving Bell and the
Butterfly raises important
questions about our purpose
in life, our quality of life –
even euthanasia.
And it can make us reflect
on how easily it is to take our
memories for granted.
Father Jeff Cridland,
parish priest of St
Finbarr’s, Aylesham,
describes what it’s like
to live with Myalgic
Encephalopathy (ME).
ME first became
noticed in England in
1995. I wish understanding
had spread
more quickly as it
might have saved me
being told at the ME
Clinic in Maidstone in
2009, “You have had
this for 15 years.”
I would get a weariness
that was almost
overwhelming. I had
time out and then
badgered the medics
once a year.
The answer came
via a mum writing in
The Times – I realised
I had every symptom
that she mentioned.
My experience has
led me to conclude
that ME is a totally
physical complaint.
Sufferers don’t all
have the same symptoms.
All have the weariness
but some have
huge mood swings and
have difficulty concentrating.
I still suffer from
have wobbly knees.
They are fine when I
first get up, but I have
to hold the banister in
the evening and can
sometimes be seen
wobbling along.
Laughing and talking
to myself makes it
easier.
You have to accept
your limitations –
especially how much
energy you have –
then you can start
pushing the illness
back.
For me, pushing it
back meant accepting
that I could only
engage in activity,
including washing,
eating, exercise and
work, for seven-anda-half
hours a day.
Like every other
illness, you hear the
stories of others.
When I told my
story, I was amazed by
how many came forward
and told me they
had had ME and got
over it. Many had had
a far worse time than I
did and had still come
through.
If someone is always
getting weary, if their
knees vary, if they
start suddenly getting
really cross and above
all, if they get a pain
in their right thigh,
they might have ME.
If it is a possibility,
help anyone suffering
with ME to move towards
prayer. Not lots
of prayers – they use
energy – but prayer
which includes acceptance
and a smile.
Page 11

The Pilgrim June 2012
Focus on faith
A scientist and her journey of faith
Dr Raquel Taveira-Marques tells
Eileen Cole how leaving Portugal
to study in London led her to
become a Catholic.
Dr Raquel Taveira-Marques
“When I came to do research at
University College London for my
PhD in developmental neuroscience,
I soon fell in love with the
city and also something I hadn’t
bargain for: the Catholic faith”,
says Dr Raquel Taveira-Marques.
Raquel had found that she could
get through life quite happily
without addressing larger questions
about the existence of God.
Her father, although not a practicing
Catholic, sometimes commented
that there was a spiritual
side missing to her life.
“My parents didn’t baptize us as
children. They wanted us to find
out and make up our own minds
about the faith,” she says.
So at the age of 12, Raquel and
her brother and sister took themselves
off to the parish priest in
Lisbon and asked for instruction in
the faith. Because the priest
wasn’t sure that they were seriously
intending to get baptized,
and because the Church was not
adequately prepared to deal with
situations like this, he was hesitant
to give them any instruction.
After that, the only connection
she had with the Church was when
she occasionally went to Mass with
her grandparents.
It was sometime after she
moved to London in 2003 to study
for her doctorate that her interest
in Catholicism was reawakened.
She moved into Ashwell House, a
student’s hall of residence run by
Opus Dei, and during the summer
stayed in Newman House, the
Catholic chaplaincy residence for
London University.
The philosophy classes she attended
at Ashwell House made her
realize the existence of something
greater beyond reason and the
earthly world.
“Then suddenly, for no particular
reason, I started to attend Mass
four years ago. On reflection, I
remember that my father was ill,
I was far from home and felt I
could help him in some way by
doing this,” she says.
Field of study: Raquel studied developmental neuroscience in London
“I observed people at Mass and
found them very loving, peaceful,
and particularly attentive at the
moment of the consecration. And I
loved the singing!”
Nevertheless she says she had
real fears about receiving instruction.
“I had many questions. What
will this do to me How will it
change me I’m already a grown
up. Will becoming a Catholic
be compatible with me being a
scientist”
She went on retreat at Wickenden
Manor in West Sussex and
came away with answers to her
questions.
“There was so much to take in.
Luckily, I was able to have a good
conversation with the priest. He
told me that science and faith are
perfectly compatible, and that the
light of God helps us to get things
clear.”
She says she realised that science
may answer the question
‘how’, but not the question ‘why’.
A friend, who used to help in-
struct her, taught her the faith
through the mysteries of the
rosary. “This meant I learnt while
praying, So it would often take us
two hours to pray five mysteries!”
When she went to see Pope
Benedict XVI in Hyde Park and
Birmingham, she was deeply
moved by the experience and
how joyful the crowds were.
She was wondering when she
would be ready to be baptized,
and then a few “coincidences”
occurred.
“I asked something of God and
the solution appeared before my
eyes, trivial, small, but meaningful.
Solutions became clearer
when I prayed.”
She became catechumen in
2010 and was fully received into
the Church the following year.
“I still have doubts, but feel
comfortable with them”, she
says. “But they no longer constitute
a struggle for me. They just
lead me to want to know more.
It’s part of the journey.”
Page 12
Papal visit: Raquel went to Hyde Park to see Pope Benedict XVI