Issue 50 - The Pilgrim - June 2016 - The newspaper of the Archdiocese of Southwark

Issue 50 June 2016
Misconceptions
about marriage
Page 5
On pilgrimage
to Kent
Page 6 & 7
Learning
to forgive
Page 11
A new auxiliary bishop for Kent
By Greg Watts
Father Paul Mason has become
the new auxiliary
bishop for Kent. He was ordained
by Archbishop Peter
at a Mass in a packed St
George’s Cathedral.
For the last two years, Fr
Paul has been episcopal
vicar for Kent, which consists
of the deaneries of
Canterbury, Chatham,
Dover, Gravesend, Maidstone,
Thanet, and Tunbridge
Wells. He was
appointed to the role following
the retirement of
Bishop John Hine.
Archbishop Peter said, "I
am very happy that the Holy
Father has once again appointed
a third auxiliary to
Southwark, and I am sure
that as Paul begins this new
stage in his ordained ministry
he will work with the
clergy, religious and lay
faithful of Kent with the
same energy and enthusiasm
he has demonstrated as a
priest.”
Bishop Paul said, “Although
I have been working
as episcopal vicar for Kent
for just over two years, I
still experienced something
of a seismic shift when the
nuncio, Archbishop Mennini,
handed me a letter saying
that Pope Francis wished to
appoint me as Auxiliary
Bishop for Southwark.
“Southwark is a wonderful
diocese with great energy
and diversity where the
clergy are not only very supportive
but also a delight to
work with. I look forward to
continuing my ministry with
Archbishop Peter and to do
all I can to support and promote
the Catholic faith and
help share the love and
mercy of God, particularly
to the people of Kent and
the Medway.”
Born in North Shields,
Tyne and Wear, Bishop Paul
studied at Kings College,
London, and then worked in
Turin for Olivetti before
joining Hewlett-Packard.
He began his training for
the priesthood in 1992 at
the Venerable English College
in Rome and was ordained
in 1998.
Following three years as
an assistant priest at St John
the Baptist, Purley, he was
appointed full-time hospital
chaplain at St Thomas’ &
Guys Hospital Trust. He also
took on a national role for
healthcare chaplaincy for
the Bishops’ Conference of
England and Wales.
In 2012 he became pastoral
director of Allen Hall
Seminary and director of
Southwark Ongoing Formation.
He has taught courses
on medical ethics and sacraments
at St Mary’s University,
Strawberry Hill, and on
faith, values and culture at
King’s College, London.
He has also served as an
Apostleship of the Sea cruise
chaplain, spending a fortnight
on board P & O’s Aurora
in the Mediterranean.
“The contract with the shipping
company classifies the
priest as an ‘entertainer’.
This didn’t worry me. They
could have called me the
chief bottle-washer so long
as we get the opportunity to
provide this ministry,” he
said.
The weekend
that Fatima
came to
Kidbrooke.
A statue of
Our Lady of
Fatima and
the relics of
Jacinta and
Francisco,
two of the
visionaries,
being
carried in
procession
from
Kidbrooke
Green to St
John Fisher's
Church for
an all-night
vigil.
Afterwards
the statue
visited St
Michael’s,
Mitcham,
Our Lady
Immaculate,
Tolworth, and
St Pius X,
Norbiton.

Editorial
The relic of St Thomas
was venerated at
Westminster Cathedral
The Pilgrim June 2016
Relic returns
to Canterbury
By Greg Watts
A relic of St Thomas a Becket, one of the patrons of
Southwark Archdiocese, has made a tour of London
and Kent.
The fragment of bone believed to be from the the
former Archbishop of Canterbury’s arm was brought
to the UK by the president of Hungary, where it has
been kept for 800 years.
The relic was venerated at a Mass at Westminster
Cathedral celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols,
Archbishop of Westminster, and Cardinal Peter Erdo,
Archbishop of Esztergom in Hungary. Other relics of
the saint from churches in London and Kent were
also venerated.
Later, the relic from Hungary was taken to Westminster
Abbey, Rochester Cathedral, and, finally,
Canterbury Cathedral, where Fr Valentine Erhahon
of nearby St Thomas’s church, celebrated Mass in
the crypt.
St Thomas was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral
in 1170 by four knights sent by King Henry II. While
studying in Paris, Thomas had become friends with
Lukas Banfi who later became Archbishop of
Esztergom. After Thomas’ martyrdom, Archbishop
Lukas founded a church and dedicated it to the
memory of the martyr.
Messages in children’s stories
By Bishop Paul Hendricks
I was very pleased when I heard that
the 1980s children’s TV series Moondial
has just been re-released on
DVD. It features Minty, a teenage
girl whose father has recently died.
Staying with her aunt for a few
days, she hears that her mother has
been badly injured in a car accident
and is now in danger of death. Initially
unable to visit her mother,
Minty can’t bear to be cooped up
with her aunt, so she finds temporary
escape in the grounds of a
neighbouring stately home, Belton
House.
As she wanders around, she experiences
various sensations that suggest
she may be picking up echoes
of the past, in particular from some
children who are in one way or another
trapped and looking for release.
She discovers an ancient sundial,
with the figures of Chronos (time)
and Eros (love), and unexpectedly
finds herself transported back in
time. She meets Tom, a Victorian
servant-boy who is bullied by the
other servants and is evidently suffering
from consumption.
Minty speculates as to whether
the sun-dial might really be a moondial,
with access to a different sort
of moon-time that behaves differently
to sun-time.
On another occasion she meets a
girl called Sarah from an earlier
century still, whose face is badly
disfigured by a birthmark. Miss
Voles, the woman who is supposed
to look after her, keeps her a virtual
prisoner.
She and the children of the area
both fear and bully Sarah, because
they think she has the mark of the
devil. They tell her that if she sees
her reflection, the mirror will break
and the devil will come and get her.
Some days later, a Miss Raven arrives
as a lodger in Minty’s aunt’s
house. Identical in appearance with
Miss Voles, she says she’s a ghosthunter
and Minty senses that in
some obscure way she’s seeking to
“trap” Tom and Sarah, just as Minty
is looking for a way of releasing
them.
Meanwhile, Minty’s mother remains
in a coma, possibly able to
hear what is said, but unable to respond.
Using a cassette recorder,
Minty tells her the story of her experiences
at Belton, hoping that hearing
her voice will encourage her
mother to return to consciousness.
She feels obscurely that the fate
of the children and of her own
mother are somehow linked, giving
her an additional incentive. I won’t
go into the details of how this is resolved,
partly because it makes
more sense dramatically than
logically!
It works for me, though, rather in
the same way that a traditional
ghost story does. In a sense it’s better
to leave things suggested rather
than fully explained. The best way I
can put it, is to say that the story
feels right psychologically.
Part of the solution comes when
Tom and Minty finally persuade
Sarah to overcome her fears and to
look into a mirror. She can then realise
that she is neither cursed nor
ugly, but is in fact beautiful and
quite able to lead a normal life.
In this and in other ways, the
story does say something about
different forms of imprisonment,
about love and mutual concern, and
about the desire to see wrongs put
right.
There is also an idea that has
echoes in other stories (for instance,
The Children of Green
Knowe and Tom’s Midnight Garden)
that there can be a link between us
and those who have gone before us,
so that our lives are somehow intertwined.
Perhaps, on a human level,
an echo of the reality that we call
“the communion of saints”?
The Archdiocese of Southwark
Archbishop Peter Smith
020 7928-2495
archbishop@rcsouthwark.co.uk
www.rcsouthwark.co.uk
Area bishops
Episcopal vicar for Kent
Bishop Paul Mason
01732 845486
episcopalvicarkent@gmail.com
the
2012Pilgrim
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December 2011/ January The newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, covering south London and Kent
The Pilgrim,
Archbishop’s House
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Editor: Greg Watts
pilgrim@rcsouthwark.co.uk
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Bishop Paul Hendricks
020 8643 8007
bishop.hendricks@gmail.com
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020 8297 9219
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Page 2

The Pilgrim June 2016
Canterbury
to Rome
pilgrimage
A group of 120 parishioners from St
Thomas’ Church in Canterbury
have made a pilgrimage to Rome
Led by Fr Valentine Erhahon, the
group contained young people currently
preparing for confirmation
and those having been confirmed in
the last five years now on the
young mentors award programme
for confirmation.
Fr Valentine presented Pope
Francis with a painting by Charlotte
Galt and a drawing book of
letters written by children from
the parish.
Jesuits run marathon
Learning about
seafarers
Pupils from St Peter’s Catholic Primary
School in Sittingbourne learnt about how
Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) port
chaplains live out the seven corporal
works of mercy in their ministry
supporting seafarers.
AoS London officer Roland Hayes gave
an assembly at the school using AoS’ new
Year of Mercy schools resource, produced
with the help of The Pilgrim editor Greg
Watts.
The resource provides specific examples
of how the charity’s chaplains live out
their faith by providing spiritual and practical
support to seafarers in need. One example
is clothing the naked.
AoS director of development John
Green said, “A number of Catholic
parishes around the country support our
work by providing seafarers with woolly
hats, socks and other clothing. These
items might seem unimportant, but if you
are at sea in freezing weather, they can
really make a difference.”
Next month is Sea Sunday when parishes
are asked to support the work of AoS.
Rotherhithe
club burgled
Westgate ashes
to be reburied
News
Thieves stole charity money when they broke
into the social club at St Peter and the Guardian
Angels Church in Rotherhithe.
The money had been collected for the British
Lung Foundation and a local woman suffering
from cancer.
Chair of the social club Michael Hannon said,
“The charity money was for my daughter’s
fundraising, and we had stored it in the cellar
where I thought it was safe.”
Ashes from the memorial garden at St Peter’s
church in Westgate are to be reburied in St
Augustine, Ramsgate.
The ashes of around 60 people were buried in
the garden between 1997 until 2010. St Peter’s
church closed in 2014 when it was merged with
nearby Birchington to form Holy Family parish in
Thanet.
Canon David Caine, parish priest of Holy
Family, said, “We hope to bury all the ashes in St
Augustine’s, but if a family wants to bury their
ashes somewhere else, that’s fine.”
Young people
meet at cathedral
Over 300 young people and their parents and
catechists gathered together at St George’s
Cathedral to coincide with the Jubilee event for
young people in the Vatican.
The afternoon began in the Amigo Hall with
Archbishop Peter who led everyone through the
Holy Door. He encouraged everyone to live a life
of faith and pray daily.
The afternoon continued with catechesis,
testimony, prayer, music, and a chance to meet
other young Catholics. It finished with a renewal
of baptismal promises.
A team of runners from Jesuit
Missions completed the Virgin
London Marathon to raise money
to send medical supplies to Syria.
Novices Jacques St Laurent
and Benjamin Eckmans ran in
Womble costumes. “I missed
not being able to see the great
London landscape as I went
around the course as I could really
only see my feet and the
road in front of me” said
Jacques. “But in compensation I
got huge cheers and photo calls
from the crowd all the way
around for the costume.”
Fellow novice Chris Brolly was
pleased with his time of 3hrs
43mins. “The crowd was fantastic.
One chap misread my T-
shirt which read ‘Jesuit
Missions’ and called out ‘Come
on Jesus!,’ which made me
smile!”
Head Boy Marcus Edwards-Laing and Head Girl Akosua Bonsu with Bishop Paul in the reception following the blessing
of the new chapel at St Thomas More Catholic School, Purley.
Page 3

News
We want your news!
Email your stories to
pilgrim@rcsouthwark.co.uk
or telephone
0208 776 9250.
Page 4
DJ Twin B
inspires
students
Former Christ the King Sixth
Form College student Radio
1 DJ Twin B has said that his
success is because of his
education.
Speaking to current students
at a London mayoral
election event at Deptford
Town Hall, he said, “I’m
from the same circles as
you, and I travelled the
same journey as you.”
The DJ – real name Alec
Boateng – studied A-levels in
computer science, business
studies and maths at the
college.
“I discovered my passion
for music while I was studying
at Christ the King,” he
said. “I used a lot of things
that I learnt in business
studies to develop and build
my career in music. It’s all
about using the right parts
of your education. I went
back to university in later
life.”
Close encounters with outer space
Students at The Holy Cross
School in New Malden have enjoyed
an interactive experience
of astronomy.
They got to handle a fragment
of 4.3 billion year-old
meteorite and a 1.2 billion
year-old piece of Mars.
The samples were provide by
the UK’s Science and Technology
Facilities Council, which
provides science outreach programmes
to inspire young people.
They were collected in the
1960s and 70s during some of
NASA’s first manned space
missions to the Moon.
Home for
church
mural
needed?
A new home is being sought for a
mural in an Eastbourne church due
for demolition.
The mural depicts scenes from
John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and
measures 30 metres. It is painted by
the famous artist Hans Freibusch,
who is well-known for his murals at
St John, Waterloo, St Alban the Martyr,
Holborn, and elsewhere.
Anyone interested in rehousing the
mural should contact Freda Matassa
on freda@matassa-toffolo.com
The Pilgrim June 2016
Altar server award
Les Walker, who has served on the altar at Our
Lady of the Sacred Heart in Herne Bay for over
30 years has been awarded the Southwark
diocesan Fideliter Servienti (Faithful Servant)
award. The award was established by Archbishop
Peter as a means of recognising the faithful
work done by so many people in the diocese.
Housing charity Mass
A celebration Mass for the Catholic Housing Aid
Society’s diamond jubilee took place at St
George’s Cathedral.
The event was part of a programme to mark
the 60 years since Maisie Ward and Molly Walsh
founded the charity in 1956.
The Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Peter
and the homily was given by the Rt Revd James
Langstaff, Bishop of Rochester, and chair of
Housing Justice.
Mayoral assembly
Students and staff from Notre Dame School in St
George’s Road attended the 2016 Mayoral
Assembly at the Copperbox Arena with 4,000
other people from London.
The group consisted of nine Year 10 girls who
are a part of the housing committee and 20 Year
7 and 8 girls from the gospel choir. The Year 7
and 8 girls joined a group of two hundred other
students from around London to perform in the
choir which provided entertainment for the
evening.
The students heard mayoral candidates Sadiq
Khan and Zac Goldsmith speak about their plans
for housing, employment and other key issues in
London.
KPMG visit Camberwell school
Students at Sacred Heart School in Camberwell
were taught the secrets of giving a good
presentation when accountancy giant KPMG paid
a visit.
The students learned about physical, social
and emotional body language when giving an
effective presentation. By the end of the
workshop they had identified eye contact, no
fidgeting, and audience interaction as some of
the key features of a successful presentation.
A number of the students stayed behind after
the workshop to take the opportunity to speak
with the KPMG associates. They received advice
on working for a professional services company,
work experience and school leaver
opportunities.
Holocaust survivor
tells his story
Students from Richard Challoner School in New Malden listened to a
moving testimony given recently by Holocaust survivor, Zigi Shipper.
Mr Shipper’s testimony was followed by a question and answer
session to enable students to better understand the nature of the
Holocaust and to explore its lessons in more depth. Questions
ranged from whether he thought he wouldn’t ever survive to what
his views were about putting former Nazis on trial.
Chris Doran, history teacher
and director of sixth form studies,
said, “Zigi Shipper’s optimistic
and selfless commitment
to young people is an inspiration
to staff and students. It was a
privilege for us to welcome Zigi
to our school and his testimony
will remain a powerful reminder
of the horrors so many
experienced.”

The Pilgrim June 2016
Feature
The tenth in a series by Fr David Gibbons, director of the diocesan Centre for Catholic Formation, in which
he looks at liturgies other than Mass which we sometimes attend, such as baptisms, weddings and funerals.
Some misconceptions about marriage
Getting Married is too expensive.
According to recent press reports
the average cost of a wedding is
£24,000. However, nearly all of this
expenditure is for the wedding reception
and the costs are inflated
by couples wanting to keep up with
the Joneses as we say.
But there is no need to spend so
much money on these extras, and
the marriage ceremony itself in
church will only cost hundreds, not
thousands, of pounds. It is the ceremony
of Matrimony in church itself
which is the important thing, not
the reception. Have the courage not
to want to outdo your friends; instead
have a simple, low key and
low cost reception in the church hall
afterwards.
Father, will you bless our
marriage? Couples often ask priests
this question, but it doesn’t really
mean anything in a Catholic context.
If you are engaged to be married,
ask the priest to make an
appointment to begin preparing you
to get married.
If you have been civilly married in
a register office without a dispensation
from the bishop to marry outside
the Church, ask the priest to
convalidate your marriage by coming
to church for a wedding ceremony
(the preparation procedure is
the same as if you are not married).
If you have had a “traditional” or
tribal marriage, make an appointment
with the priest to see what is
needed for the Church to recognise
it. If you have been married for, say,
25 years or 50 years and want to
mark the event, ask the priest for a
blessing on your anniversary; there
is a special Rite for this in the new
Order of Celebrating Matrimony.
A Catholic can’t marry a non-
Catholic or a non-baptised person.
This is not true. There are special
rules and regulations which have to
be followed, issued by the Bishops
of England and Wales. For example,
there cannot be a nuptial Mass if
one party is not baptised.
A Catholic needs permission from
the bishop to marry a non-Catholic.
But if a Catholic wishes to marry a
non-Catholic, or get married in, for
instance, a Church of England
church, this can be done as long as
you go and see your parish priest.
Let him sort out the complications.
It is, also, very important that the
couple discuss thoroughly the difficulties
that may ensue from having
different beliefs and are clear about
bringing up children. The diocesan
Marriage and Family Life team organise
special pre-nuptial sessions
for inter-faith couples to assist with
this.
A non-Catholic must become a
Catholic first. Again, not true. If
the non-Catholic wishes to become
a Catholic, fine. He/she can enrol
on the parish RCIA programme. But
as we have just seen it is possible to
marry a non-Catholic as long as the
Church’s requirements are
observed. The non-Catholic party
should not be compelled to be
baptised or received into full
communion if he or she doesn’t
want to do this.
Marriage is too difficult, impossible
even. The vows of Christian matrimony
are indeed demanding: “for
better, for worse, for richer, for
poorer, in sickness and in health, to
love and to cherish till death do us
part”. But if you get married in
church according to the sacrament
of matrimony – as opposed to
merely going to the register office –
then Christ is also present, giving
you His grace, his strength to enable
you in your future life to live up to
those promises.
Through the sacrament Christ will
help you “to forgive one another, to
bear one another’s burdens, … and
to love one another with supernatural,
tender and fruitful love.”
“Here let me say a word to fiancés. Have the courage to be
differ ent. Don’t let yourselves get swallowed up by a society
of consumption and empty appearances. What is important is
the love you share, strength ened and sanctified by grace.
You are capable of opting for a more modest and simple
celebration in which love takes precedence over everything
else”. - Pope Francis Amoris Laetitia.
Page 5

Feature
Making a pilgrimage in Southwark
The Pilgrim June 2016
To mark the 50th edition of The Pilgrim, Fr Marcus Holden, rector of St
Augustine’s, Ramsgate, explores pilgrimages in the Archdiocese of Southwark
The Southwark Archdiocese should
be one of the great centres of
European pilgrimage. South London
and Kent has had this status before
and there is no reason why it can’t
be so again. We’ve inherited a
tradition of saints and shrines that
goes back to the inception of
Christianity for the English.
I’ve just completed the
production of a new documentary
called To Be a Pilgrim. It’s all about
the Canterbury Way running from
London to the shrine of St Thomas
Becket in Kent. One of things I
realsed was that along the lanes,
paths and roads of our diocese,
sometimes hidden or obscured,
there remains the footprint of one
of the greatest pilgrimage routes of
all time.
Pilgrimage is never just about the
destination but also about the
journey and along the Chaucer route
from Southwark to Canterbury you
also can find many places of
significance, of sacred traditions
and inspiration.
There are the shrines of St Alfege
at Greenwich, the holy places at
Rochester of St William of Perth, St
Paulinus and St John Fisher. You can
continue on to Faversham which
honours Ss Crispin and Crispinianus
and nowadays the shrine of St Jude
the Apostle of hopeless causes.
If you drop down to the parallel
Winchester route through Kent you
stumble across the holy well of St
Edith at Kemsing, the living shrine
of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St
Simon Stock at Aylesford and many
more places besides.
There has been a particular
revival in interest in walking
pilgrimages, probably inspired by
the Camino Santiago de Compostela
in Spain to the shrine of St James
the Apostle.
Yet surprisingly per mile there are
more places to see and more stories
to tell along the Way of Thomas
Becket than on the Way of St James.
Many are working to revive the
walking pilgrimage and we’ve been
collaborating ecumenically with
Canterbury Anglican diocese and the
green pilgrimage network to
develop the route.
The Way of St Augustine
Last year we inaugurated the Way of
Augustine which is a one-day
walking route between Canterbury
and St Augustine’s Shrine in
Ramsgate. It is now sign posted for
walkers and is 17 miles long. It can
be trekked in a day but some choose
to take two days, staying overnight
in one of the route’s many medieval
inns or daring to undertake what is
now called ‘champing’ from ‘church
camping’ (sleeping in disused
medieval churches)!
You can either begin at Ramsgate
and follow the route that St
Augustine and his first missionary
monks took to Canterbury in 597AD
or you can begin in Canterbury at St
Augustine’s chair and first shrine
and end at the coast with devotions
at his new shrine on the Thanet
coast (this latter way is reminiscent
of pilgrims who make one final day’s
journey to Finnister or Muxia to visit
the landing place of St James after
arriving at Santiago).
Along the way of St Augustine you
can visit various important places
including St Martin’s church known
to St Augustine, Minster Abbey and
the shrine of St Mildred and St
Augustine’s cross which marks the
place of the saint’s encounter with
King Ethelbert of the Saxons.
Pilgrims have a passport and can
receive stamps at various points and
it is even possible to complete part
of the route between Fordwich and
Grove Ferry by hired canoe or boat.
Pilgrimages were like religious
holidays in medieval times, they
were penitential and devotional but
they were also adventures and filled
with fun, food and
discovery. Many today
are finding the spiritual
and human benefits of
making pilgrimage and it
is hoped that over the
next few years from our
Catholic shrines in the
archdiocese we can
revive awareness of our
great heritage and
increase participation.
Page 6

The Pilgrim June 2016
Feature
The holy door where
Christianity entered England
Thanks to Archbishop Peter and
Pope Francis, pilgrimage in
Ramsgate has received a boost
from the opening of a Holy Door
for the Jubilee year of mercy.
Hundreds of people attended
the opening of the door on 24th
January. People came from
across Thanet, and from much
further afield. Numbers were
swelled by retreatants at the
Divine Retreat Centre, based in
the former monastery across the
road, and everyone was able to
join the procession through the
Door.
The Door overlooks the English
Channel and the churchyard. With
an emphasis on the works of
mercy, pilgrims are especially
reminded to pray for the dead as
they come from the churchyard
into the shrine-church.
The solemn opening was
performed by Abbot Cuthbert
Brogan OSB, of Farnborough
Abbey, who also presided at
vespers sung by the nuns of
Minster Abbey with our community
chant choir the Schola Augustini.
The service began with prayers
read by Abbot Cuthbert, followed
by a reading from the Gospel of
Luke, and an excerpt from the
papal bull Misericordiae Vultus
written by Pope Francis.
Everyone sang hymns as they
processed out of the church by
the main door, along the street,
and round into the churchyard.
Once there, Abbot Cuthbert struck
the Door three times with his
crozier, and opened the door.
Everyone re-entered the church
through the Door.
Holy Doors are great places of
pilgrimage, and have indulgences
attached to them. They emulate
the Holy Door at St Peter’s in
Rome, which was opened by Pope
Francis in December. The Holy
Door provides a focus and tangible
way of engaging with the Year of
Mercy.
They are symbolic on many
levels. Going through the door
symbolises our resolve to reform
our lives and align them towards
God. Jesus described himself as
‘the door’, meaning that it is
through him that we attain
eternal life.
When the door was opened it
was struck, which symbolises
Moses striking the rock to bring
out water to drink, just as the
door is a way of enabling God’s
mercy to wash over you. The
opening of the door symbolises us
removing obstacles in the way
between us and God.
Since January many thousands
of pilgrims have been able to pass
through the Ramsgate shrine door
and have been inspired to receive
and carry out the message of
God’s mercy. The Holy Door will
be open until 20th November
2016, when the Year of Mercy will
close.
THE SOUTHWARK
SEMINARY FUND
48 Dale Road, Purley, CR8 2EF
Tel: (020) 8660 3815
Please help train our future priests by
contributing to the cost of educating
our students at St John’s Seminary
Wonersh. The Diocese have 21
students in training at a cost of
£20,000 per student each year. The
Southwark Seminary Fund augments
the annual Ecclesiastical Education Collection. Please send
your donation/legacy either through your parish priest or
directly to Canon James Pannett at Purley.
Page 7

Education
The Pilgrim June 2016
Giving young people a voice
Jessica Gjeloshi
explains the role of
the Youth Executive
Board in the diocese
of Southwark
During this year, we are called as
Catholics to celebrate the Jubilee
Year of Mercy. Pope Francis in his
message to us all has said that this
time is “meant for everyone: people
of every age, from far and near”.
It is important to remember that
faith is for people of all demographics.
Although our faith may stem
back two thousand years it should
still resonate with the youth in the
Catholic community and allow them
all to connect with it on a personal
level.
The Youth Executive Board (YEB)
is a group which aims to act as a
voice for the young people within
Catholic education across the Southwark
diocese, allowing them to play
an active role in the work of the
Church within their own community.
Its formation was requested by
Archbishop Peter himself and it
works throughout the year alongside
the Diocesan Education Committee
and the Education Commission to
make Catholic education as valuable
as possible.
The students who represent the
board come from various schools
across the diocese. The group meet
three times a year to discuss their
personal experiences being educated
in a Catholic school and what
they feel they have gained from it.
Jacinta, a member of the board,
described the YEB’s meetings as “a
chance to constructively critique issues
concerning education in our
diocese”, which then enables the
group to think of a plan of action to
tackle any concerns raised.
Edward, also a member of the
YEB, said he felt that as part of the
board he is able to make decisions
that can help thousands of students'
education.
Edward’s comment sums up the
primary goal of the YEB which is to
enable students themselves to make
relevant changes to their own
schooling and to the schooling of
others, giving young Catholic people
the power to make a change to their
own community.
A topic discussed in YEB’S last
meeting was how students felt they
had benefited from their sex education
lessons and what they felt
could be improved to make
The members of the group spoke
about how they felt there were a
great deal of improvements that
could be made to the way the subject
tackled and the information, or
lack of, that was being put across to
students.
Other things discussed were the
way in which religious education
lessons are structured once students
reach sixth form and what they
hope to achieve in them through the
qualifications that can be gained at
the end of their time in school.
Another topic discussed was the
question of how schools in the diocese
could come together through
the celebration of their patron
saints’ feasts days to build a
stronger sense of community.
By making these decisions, members
of the YEB are able to develop
a range of interpersonal skills which
can take them throughout life. They
gain skills which will enable them to
work alongside others as a team towards
a common goal and within the
group build on their leadership skills
by taking on roles such as chair, vice
chair and secretary.
The vice chair of the board,
Pamela, said that she feels its “up
to us all to do what we can to make
a change.” Through these changes
to Catholic education we can make
students’ time in Catholic schools
more rewarding and enable them to
feel closer to their faith by being
active in the work of the Church.
Mass matters more than rugby
By Lucy Russell
Last month I noted a remark from
Edgar’s rugby coach: “What are you
doing to that kid?” It was a comment
made when his dad explained
he wouldn’t be able to make away
games this season, because of his
first Holy Communion preparation.
Edgar made his first Holy Communion
on the Feast of Corpus
Christi, along with 11 other children,
during a beautiful Mass at St
Thomas’ in Deal.
I love the liturgy. A school friend
once likened going to Mass with
taking an indigestion remedy:” It’s
like taking antacid for the mind and
soul. I go in feeling stressed out,
and emerge calm.” Mass is the most
profound encounter we can have on
earth with Jesus.
The word “liturgy” originally
meant a “public work” or a “service
in the name of or on behalf of
the people.” In the Christian tradition
it means the participation of
the People of God in the work of
God. It says in Psalm 119:164 that
the people of Israel interrupted
their work “seven times a day” to
praise God.
Jesus, who was Jewish, took part
in the liturgy and prayers of his
people. He taught his disciples to
pray, and gathered them in the
upper room to celebrate the liturgy
of all liturgies: the gift of himself in
the last supper, when he said, “Do
this in memory of me”.
The liturgy is a remembrance of
the Last Supper. Jesus continues his
work in, with, and through his
Church today through the liturgy.
In the New Testament the word
liturgy refers not only to the celebration
of divine worship, but also
to the proclamation of the Gospel
and to active charity.
Going to Mass does many things
for me. It gives me time to sit quietly,
reflect and pray. It’s a rendezvous
with Jesus that reminds me
that God loves me. It inspires me to
go out afterwards and keep trying.
The fact that the format of the
Mass remains the same, with the
same prayers, can also be of great
comfort at difficult times. I have
always found Catholic funeral
Masses easier to bear, because I can
hold on to the structure of the
liturgy: the format and prayers. I
know what is coming next, and so I
don’t feel as though I am in free
fall.
The first Communion Mass at St
Thomas’ was followed by a party for
the whole parish community. The
word religion actually comes from
the Latin word “religare”, which
means to bind or connect. What the
Church offers is a bond with other
individuals, which helps to connect
us all to the wider universe.
There are times when we all
need a bit of togetherness. Together
we can make a difference,
together we are stronger. There is
a strong sense of community at St
Thomas’. After the Sunday Masses,
everyone comes together for refreshments,
older and young.
There aren’t many other places
where that happens.
I enjoy watching Edgar play
rugby. But being present for
Edgar’s first Holy Communion was a
different, and far more moving experience.
St Theresa of Avila said:
“Let nothing disturb you, let nothing
frighten you, all things pass
away: God never changes.”
So in answer to Edgar’s rugby
coach, what I hope we are giving to
Edgar (and James) is faith and spirituality,
and the knowledge that
rugby, and everything else, will
pass away. But God will always be
there.
Page 8

The Pilgrim June 2016
Europe and the common good
Fr Ashley Beck, assistant priest at St Edmund of
Canterbury, Beckenham, and lecturer in pastoral ministry
at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, continues his series
exploring modern papal encyclicals
On the feast of Pentecost, we
celebrate the coming of the Holy
Spirit on the disciples and, like
the whole of the season of Eastertide,
this leads us to reflect
about, and to celebrate, the nature
of the Catholic Church.
The Holy Spirit dwells within
the Church as a guarantee of
truth, of freedom from error.
That is what we mean when we
say that the Church is infallible in
its teaching ministry. Much of this
ministry is articulated in the ministry
of the Vicar of Christ, which
is why we talk of the pope being
infallible.
So Pentecost and the weeks
following are a good time to
think about the subject of my
monthly articles this year, encyclical
letters from the popes of
the last century.
Pope St John XXIII, as many of
you will still remember, was only
pope for five years, having been
elected at a great age, and many
saw him as a stop-gap or a “caretaker”
pope: but in those years
he achieved a tremendous
amount, above all by calling the
Second Vatican Council, which
opened only a few months before
he died of cancer in June 1963.
But two of his encyclical letters
are also very important and we
will look at the first this month,
Mater et Magistra, issued in the
summer of 1961. The letter’s
opening words are a good Pentecost
statement: “Mother and
teacher of all nations - such is
the Catholic Church in the mind
of her founder, Jesus Christ.”
For us it might not seem a very
striking description but it actually
sets a tone in addressing the
“nations” which strikes the
reader as somewhat warmer and
more ‘motherly’ than had been
true in the recent past (the pope
actually got the phrase “Mother
and Teacher” from Innocent III in
the Middle Ages).
The letter celebrates the 70th
Pope John XXIII meeting President
Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1959
anniversary of the letter of Leo
XIII, which we looked at in March,
Rerum Novarum, seen as the beginning
of the modern tradition
of Catholic Social teaching, and
the pope addresses social issues
in the light of Catholic moral
teaching.
As with all papal encyclicals,
there is a lot of emphasis on continuity.
That is why the anniversaries
of Rerum Novarum are
seen as important. But at the
same time the tradition grows
and develops as the Church responds
to changes in the world,
to history.
The change in tone is crucial,
reflecting Pope John’s overall approach
of warmth and a desire
for reconciliation, but there are
two big ways in which the letter
shows a shift, a movement, in
Catholic teaching.
The letter is significant in
many ways in the rather complicated
world of Italian politics in
the late 1950s and early 1960s
which is too big a subject to be
looked at here. But one thing the
pope does is to endorse moves
towards what we call the “welfare
state.”
He welcomes what he calls “an
increase in social relationships”
and “a development in man’s social
life”. Drawing on the writings
of the Jesuit anthropologist and
theologian Pierre Teilhard de
Chardin, the pope welcomes a
sense of interdependence in the
human family. This means that
when the state intervenes to help
people it is a good thing “even in
matter of such intimate concern
to the individual as health and
education, the choice of a career,
and the care and rehabilitation of
the physically and mentally
handicapped.”
In the years immediately after
the Second World War the Church
in some places had seen welfare
state policies as a sign of centralised
state control and an undermining
of the place of the
family (partly because of what
had happened in Communist and
Fascist countries).
For most Catholics 15 years on
this was less of a threat. The
pope’s endorsement is important
all these years later at a time
when many of the services associated
with the welfare state are
no longer provided in the same
way, if at all, a change generally
criticised by Catholic bishops and
charities.
The second important development
- and very topical in this
month - is over international relations.
Pius XII after the war had
reminded Catholics that the sovereignty
of nation states cannot
be absolute. It is only relative
and there needs to be international
bodies to stifle national
aggression.
Pope John takes this further,
specifically endorsing intergovernmental
organisations: “The
demands of the common good on
the international level include:
the avoidance of all forms of unfair
competition between the
economies of different countries;
the fostering of mutual collaboration
and good will; and effective
co-operation in the development
of economically less advanced
communities.”
Mater et Magistra was written
three years after the signing of
the Treaty of Rome, which set up
the Common Market, the EEC.
Italy had been a founder member
of the common European institutions
set up from 1950, and Pope
John’s words are an endorsement
of the ideals and aims of the EEC,
which has grown into the European
Union.
Of course Britain was not a
member of the EEC in 1961. But
it is hard to square the pope’s vision
with the outlook of the
“Leave” campaign in the current
EU Referendum debate in this
country. His vision should help to
guide as we pray about how to
vote.
By Fr Daniel O’Leary
Into every life, the wise ones say,
comes one shining moment. It is a
moment of glory. The curtains part,
the vision is granted, and something
is changed forever.
That single experience, in one
way or another, stays with us always
and colours the whole of our lives. It
is the timeless time when the veil is
drawn from the mystery of our existence,
when our essence is disclosed
to us, when we discover – even if
only fleetingly – who we really are.
It is a highly personal moment of
truth.
Your one bright and shining moment
may have to do with naming
what or who you really love; with
revealing to you the job or relationship
that is slowly destroying you; or
with becoming aware that all your
decisions and reactions spring from
a deeply hidden anxiety, anger or
fear.
Or it might be that you need no
longer be afraid because you are
loved unconditionally by a God who
delights in you; that, without a
doubt, the universe and life itself
are safe places for yourself, your
children and all you love; that
everything that has ever happened
to you is not happen-chance but
part of a carefully crafted love
story.
Feature/Column
Have you experienced
a shining moment?
In the popular film
‘It’s a Wonderful
Life’, George Bailey
experiences a
shining moment
The Leaven
Carmelite Secular
Institute
CALLING ALL
Single and widowed women
Seeking to dedicate
their life to God
Through vows in secular society.
Contact: The Secretary, The Leaven,
c/o The Friars, Aylesford ME20 7BX.
Tel: 01883 742488.
Email: kinman@ouvip.com
www.theleaven.org.uk
It might be that your shining moment
happens when God comes to
you usually disguised as your life, in
all its bits and pieces; that apart
from one or two cherished beliefs,
nothing matters very much. You realise
that it is in our weakness and
sinfulness that we are strongest of
all and that we are indestructible
and untouchable as long as we remain
close to God.
The human life of Jesus in time
and space was one of the brightest
shining moments in the history of
creation. In the fullness and totality
of his very own humanity lies the secret
passage to the heart of God.
And, therefore, likewise with us.
It is during our most desperate, ecstatic,
despairing, joyful, routine,
hopeless times that those luminous
moments of clarity surround us with
transparency.
We are held in a threshold between
two phases of our lives – not
to do with the chronological time of
years and decades but with the
kairos-time of falling into mystery,
of falling in love with God.
These moments heal and transcend
the damaging religious education
of our childhood days and
liberate us into the belief that we
are all gods-in-the making, that
even from our murkiest and most
sinful encounters with evil, God can
bring light.
Page 9

Features
The Pilgrim June 2016
Author examines the arguments for the divinity of Christ
In a new book, Faith meets Forensics, Paul De Marco argues that there is plenty of scientific proof to explain the divinity of Jesus
We often hear that “faith is blind”
and atheists cite the lack of scientific
evidence as the reason why
they don’t believe in a supreme
being. Our generation has seen unprecedented
advances in science
and technology and so it’s perfectly
reasonable that they would ask for
this.
The three-hour period of darkness
and the earthquake on the day of
the crucifixion provide one piece of
evidence that Jesus was God. Many
have attributed this to an eclipse
but this couldn’t possibly have been
the case.
A total solar eclipse is a very rare
event, happening at any point on
Earth only once every 360 years, so
the probability of one occurring in
Jerusalem on the day of the crucifixion
would be 1 in 131,490. However,
a total solar eclipse can only
last for 7 minutes and 31 seconds,
which is the longest period it can
take for the moon to pass over the
sphere of the sun.
Also, this phenomenon can only
happen at the time of a new moon
and the crucifixion happened at
Passover time, which is always celebrated
at the time of a full moon.
The darkness also couldn’t have
been caused by a lunar eclipse, because
the darkness from a lunar
eclipse can only be experienced on
the night side of the planet and
Jerusalem at midday was clearly on
the day side of the planet.
There’s geological evidence for
earthquakes having hit Jerusalem in
both 31 and 33 AD and this event is
also recorded in the writings of
Phlegon in his History of the
Olympiads. Twenty significant earthquakes
have struck Jerusalem from
the Qumran earthquake of 31 BC
which killed 30,000 to the 1927 Jericho
earthquake. So this represents a
severe earthquake every 97.9 years.
The probability of one striking
Jerusalem on the day of the crucifixion
would therefore be 1 in
35,758. But even if the darkness had
been caused by a total solar eclipse,
the probability of there being both
an eclipse and an earthquake on this
day would be 1 in 131,490 x 1 in
35,758 or 1 chance in 4.7 billion.
The messianic prophecies provide
further evidence. King David lived
from 1040 to 970 BC and made the
astonishing prophecy that the hands
and feet of the Messiah would be
pierced and that lots would be cast
for his clothing.
This is remarkable as the first
recorded use of crucifixion was 500
years later in 519 BC when Darius I
of Persia crucified 3000 men in
Babylon.
Isaiah lived from 740 to 680 BC
and prophesied that the messiah
would be born to a virgin, but also
that he would be “pierced for our
transgressions.”
The prophet Micah lived from 750
to 696 BC and predicted that the
Messiah would be born in Bethlehem,
which is incredible as this village
only had a population of
several hundred even at the time
Jesus was born.
Then we have Zechariah who in
519 BC prophesied that the Lord
would be priced at 30 pieces of silver
and that these coins would be
thrown into the house of the Lord,
“to the potter.” This is precisely
what Judas Iscariot did and the
chief priests used the money to buy
the potter’s field as a burial place
for foreigners.
The divinity of Jesus is also endorsed
by the miracles attributed to
him, which were also described by
the historians Josephus and Tertullian.
Josephus was born only four
years after Jesus died and would
therefore have had access to people
who had actually been cured by
Jesus and who had witnessed the
phenomena at the crucifixion.
The most spectacular miracle was
the raising of Lazarus four days
after his death, which showed that
he had power over life itself.
The miracle of multiplication
at the feeding
of the 5,000 would have
seen about 15,000 fed
from just five loaves and
two fish, if women and
children are included.
The conversion of between
450 and 690 litres
of water into wine at
Cana, showed that Jesus
could change a substance
at will and is a reflection
of the transubstantiation
of the bread and wine at Mass.
The empty tomb presents yet
more compelling evidence and several
hypotheses to explain the disappearance
of the body. The
post-resurrection appearances of
Jesus over a period of 40 days, including
appearing to over 500 people
at one time, adds to the weight
of evidence.
So too does the behaviour of the
disciples who, subsequent to the
resurrection, gave up their lives and
suffered martyrdom proclaiming
that Jesus was the Messiah. What
could possibly have motivated them
to do this, unless they had actually
seen the resurrected Jesus?
Taken singly, each piece of evidence
presents a case for his divinity,
but when brought together they
provide an overwhelming burden of
proof.
Faith meets
Forensics is
available through
www.lulu.com for
£4.99 or as an
ebook for £1.99.
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Page 10

The Pilgrim June 2016
Features/Diary
Learning
to forgive
Barry Mizen, whose sixteen-year-old son Jimmy
was murdered in Lee in 2008, says forgiveness not
revenge should be the response to violence
What does mercy mean for us? What
is expected of me? What do I expect
of myself?
Like all else in life we have a
choice, we have freewill. We can
choose to commit to acts of mercy
or not. However, if we do, we also
need God’s grace to encourage and
enable these thoughts, and actions.
Perhaps one of the hardest of the
works of mercy is to “forgive all injuries”.
It goes completely against
all expectation of modern society.
Following the terrorist attacks in
Paris, the response of President Hollande
was to say they would be
“merciless.” Many of the most popular
of films have been about revenge,
not forgiveness. We only
have to think of The Godfather and
Gladiator.
They are great cinema and give us
a sense of the power some individuals
possess Unfortunately, some people
are unable to distinguish
between a film and everyday life.
Some act as if they are Don
Corleone, or Maximus Decimus
Meridius.
These are some of the thought
patterns that lead to actions of violence
and death on our streets. The
number of murders committed in
England and Wales in the year up to
September 2015 went up 14 per
cent.
What about the majority of us
that want our thought patterns to
lead to actions of mercy? Perhaps an
answer lies in the most well known
of prayers?
When we pray the “Our Father”
we acknowledge the greatness of
God. To forgive, it is a conscious decision,
a deliberate thought.
Following the murder of my son
Jimmy, I have never had a desire to
do to the perpetrator what he did to
him. I thank God for that and that I
believe is forgiveness.
Forgiveness is unique to each of
us. However, it’s something we
don’t talk about in detail, when
someone says I forgive does that
mean, “Hey, no problem, don’t
worry about it, forget it?”
This would seem to be the
way the media portray it, and if we
say we have a faith, we are
Christian, then it is deemed that’s
why we forgive. That’s what we
have to do.
Then Peter came and said to him,
"Lord, how often shall my brother
sin against me and I forgive him? Up
to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I
do not say to you, up to seven
times, but up to 70 times seven.”
I don’t think this means we have
to say countless times “I forgive
you,” but we do have the power
over my thoughts, we can drive ourselves
with thoughts of revenge, or
we can drive ourselves with
thoughts of forgiveness.
I don’t want to do to you what
you did to me, and I do it for myself,
I do it for those close to me, I
do it for those I love. I do it for
Jimmy.
Following his murder, I was determined,
with God’s grace, not to be
beaten by what happened and to do
whatever I could to prevent more
damage being done to my family. A
major part of that was to not let the
negative thoughts springing into my
mind take hold.
If I am plotting retribution, if I am
always sprouting revengeful words,
it will have a huge impact on those
around me. It will eventually destroy
my family, and none of us
wanted that.
As my wife said to the press the
day after Jimmy had been murdered:
“Anger breeds anger, and bitterness
will destroy my family if I'm
not careful - and I won't allow
that.”
Forgiveness or revenge starts with
a thought, which leads to an action.
We have a choice. We have freewill.
I choose forgiveness.
School days
Sadie Bromley
9: “The Marriage of Faith and Reason, a talk by
by Sebastian Morello, 7:30pm – 8:30pm, Amigo
Hall.
DIARY - JUNE
Home: Guildford.
Job: Teacher of Art and Design and Photography,
Richard Challoner School, New Malden.
What secondary school did you attend?
Colne Primet High School, Lancashire.
Favourite subject? PE, I just loved being outside!
Worst subject? Maths, mostly because the teachers used to put you on the spot
in front of the whole class and I used to get so scared I get it wrong in front of
everyone that I found every lesson very stressful.
Favourite teacher? Mrs Mann, French teacher but also my form teacher for five
years. A very lovely, kind caring lady.
Favourite school dinner? A pudding called Angel Delight, which was
blancmange. I haven’t eaten it since school but I always remember it tasting
really yummy – probably all the E numbers in it.
Guilty secret? I am addicted to giant chocolate buttons and will easily eat a
whole packet to myself.
What lessons about life did you learn? Life is too short to sulk about things. If
things don’t go the way you expected, then you just have to get on with it and
make the most of the situation. And I usually find that when you look back life
has a way of working things out for the best any way.
What do you wish you had been told? To spend more time with the ones you
love.
What did you do immediately after leaving school? I went to work in North
Wales teaching Sailing, climbing, surfing, kayaking and mountaineering.
What career advice would you give to a young person? I would ask them,
“If money was no object then what would you do?” I would encourage them to
follow their dreams and passions instead of chasing money. To do a job you love
every day and feel that what you are doing is worthwhile and fulfils your life –
then that is worth more than anything.
11: The Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT)
information morning for those interested in
becoming volunteers, 9.30am – 1pm, Amigo Hall.
For more information, email
Thomas.Brindle@prisonadvice.org.uk
or call 0203 031 6869.
11: “Atheism and the Death of Reason,”
a talk by by Sebastian Morello, 7:30pm – 8:30pm,
Amigo Hall.
11: Study day for new and potential catechists,
the Centre for Catholic Formation, Tooting Bec,
10:30 am – 4:00pm. Cost: £10 (which should be
met by the parish). The sessions will include the
vocation of the catechist, prayer, safeguarding,
practical guidance, and the different areas of
catechesis. To book a place ring 020 8672 7684 or
email office@ccftootingbec.org.uk
18: Celebration of Marriage annual Mass,
St George’s Cathedral, 3pm. Please contact
marriage2014@virginmeadia.com for further
details.
23 – 25: “Called to Care” conference, organised
by the Health and Social Care Advisory Group of
the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, St
Mary’s University, Twickenham. Speakers include
Duncan Selbie, chief executive, Public health
England; Paul Farmer, chief executive, MIND; and
If you have an event, please e-mail
details to us at
pilgrim@rcsouthwark.co.uk
Cardinal Vincent Nichols. For more information,
email Nicholas.johnson@cbcew.org.uk
25: Summer Youth Day, The Friars, Aylesford.
Join groups from the diocese and Southwark
Catholic Youth Service for a day of conversation,
games, music, art, and drama. The day begins at
10 am and concludes with Mass at 6pm.
Cost: £10. Please book in advance.
Call Jean on 01227-272900.
28: Mass to celebrate Catholic education in Kent,
The Friars, Aylesford, 1pm, followed by light
lunch. For more information,
email wmonaghan@kcsp.org.uk
Page 11

The Pilgrim June 2016
Focus on faith
A mystic and prophet
BEC REVIEW
Each term, bringing you reviews of the new books,
CDs, DVDs and websites in the areas of
evangelization, catechesis and faith formation.
BEC REVIEW is now available as a download from our
website or by contacting us for your copy.
By Brenda Abbot
Father Eric Doyle was born in Bolton
on 13th July 1938, the son of a millworker
and was baptised in St Edmund’s
church, where he later served
as an altar boy.
Inspired by a book he had read on
the life of St Francis, he entered the
Order of Friars Minor at the age of 16
when he took the name Eric.
He made his solemn profession the
day after his 21st birthday and was
ordained on 16th July 1961, which required
a dispensation in view of his
young age. Studies in Rome followed
during the period
when the Second Vatican
Council was in
session. Here he
trained as an ecclesiastical
historian and
gained his doctorate
in 1964 with the highest
possible marks.
Responding to the
Council’s call for religious
orders to return
to the charisms of
their founders, he was
at the forefront of the
renewal process in the
English province, lecturing
widely in Franciscan
spirituality.
He was instrumental in the Order’s
return to a more fraternal way of living
in small communities and was a
founding father of the Franciscan
Study Centre in Canterbury, which
opened in 1973.
He devised and implemented a new
Franciscan studies course which introduced
students to the great heritage
of their order, a course which
has subsequently become the foundation
year of formation for all those
entering the Order. Yet, theology for
Fr Eric, as for the great scholars of
his order, had to be practical and
have a contemporary relevance if it
was to have any meaning at all.
Sought out as a retreat-giver, lecturer,
speaker and broadcaster, Fr
Eric’s net covered a wide area. He
taught not only at the Study Centre,
but also at Wonersh Seminary, the
University of Kent, and St Bonaventure
University in New York.
From 1971 until 1984 he was a contributor
to Anglia TV’s The Big Question.
One reviewer wrote: “Eric, to
be plain, is quite simply the best allround
performer working in television
today… Eric is, quite simply, the man
to follow. The length, breadth and
width of his discourse… is quite colossal.
I quite simply demand that you
do not fail to join me, and thousands
of like-minded fans, in watching
Eric’s saltatorial displays each
Wednesday night.”
Without oversimplification
the threemember
ecumenical
panel sought to engage
in ordinary language
with their
viewers about the
theological and social
questions of their day,
something at which Fr
Eric excelled. He was
also a welcome regular
contributor to BBC
Radio 4’s Prayer for
the Day.
Fr Eric made a lasting
impression all on
whom he met and many recall him
with affection and anecdote. Witty,
erudite and extremely likeable, he
preached and taught with humour
making light of his great learning, yet
the profundity of his message was always
clear, whether he was addressing
a group of young children or an
international gathering.
His vision was always Christ, seen
through the Franciscan lens, whose
littleness and humility he strove to
follow with joy and enthusiasm, and
which were infectious to those
around him. He loved to walk through
the streets of Canterbury in his habit,
when he would show visitors around
the little stone house at Greyfriars on
the River Stour, where the first Franciscans
had settled in 1224.
During the course of the 750th anniversary
celebrations of their arrival
in Canterbury Fr Eric became the
first Catholic since the Reformation
to speak from the pulpit in Canterbury
Cathedral, addressing a crowd
of thousands.
A keen ecumenist he worked tirelessly
in this area and numbered
many of the hierarchy amongst his
friends, notably Cardinal Basil Hume,
Bishop Alan Clark and Archbishop
Robert Runcie.
A visionary, Fr Eric described the
now familiar World Youth Day inaugurated
by Pope John Paul II nine years
before the first event in Rome in
1986, and many of the conclusions
which he reached in the 1970s are
now echoed in Pope Francis’ Laudato
Si’.
The Franciscan vision of the unity
of all creation, of the brotherhood
and sisterhood of humanity, and of
the interconnectedness of everything
in the cosmos in Christ through whom
everything has been created, lay at
the core of his belief.
Fr Eric described an “evangelical
primacy" now coming to fruition in
the current papacy and he would
have been a great advocate of the
Year of Mercy because for him kindness
(one of his favourite words) was
so important.
His writings, which remain apposite
today, are insightful and inspirational
and possess a mystical quality. In his
short life Fr Eric published over 100
articles and two books.
Sadly, all of his homilies, neatly
written by hand, and the half-finished
manuscript of a book on Christology,
have disappeared. It would be
a significant find indeed if these
were ever to come to light again.
Many people were affected and
saddened by Fr Eric’s sudden death
at the age of only 46.
He was buried at the Friary in
Chilworth on 31st August, 1984 where
the church was full to overflowing,
and where over 100 priests concelebrated
his requiem Mass. In 1985 an
ambo was erected in the chapel of
New Hall School in his memory.
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