Swings, moves and unknown wives

Amazing, isn't it, how quickly you get back into the swing of things? It's only Wednesday and it feels like I've never... well, you know the rest.

Fr Tomy has gone back home to Kerala for his holiday. He was really excited in a Fr Tomy kind of way, so nice to see. So now it's Fr Patrick and myself for a few weeks.

Parish-wise things are a little quieter in August. Time to ponder perhaps...

The arrival of Archbishop George is giving some clergy food for pondering. There is some talk of impending clergy moves following his episcopal progress through the diocese in July, a process he intends to conclude in September. Archbishop Peter only really seemed to move priests when necessary - retirement etc. It'll be interesting to see if +George takes a more, um, proactive approach.

Family tree-wise, I discovered that a cousin of my dad who we always thought was a bachelor, actually married while working in Athens. Not only that, but I've been in touch with his wife's half-brother, who is alive and very active as a ceramic artist in Cape Town. Her two siblings bring the number of people on my family tree to 2,700 precisely!

Back

OK I'm back in harness, arrived back in the parish on Thursday. Buildings still standing, people still here!
I had a great break, spending one lovely half with my family and the other half off on my jaunt to Munich and Bavaria. Loved the places, but unfortunately I got hit by some very wet weather, especially on the day I decided to go into the mountains to visit the famous castles of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, the so-called "mad King Ludwig". We saw Linderhof in all its sunlit beauty, but during lunch the sky darkened, and the heavens opened for three hours non-stop torrential rain with added thunder and lightning for effect. And all my day-tour group were in t-shirts n stuff, including me.

I got absolutely soaked right through, in a way I can't remember since being at university 40 years ago... After the 40 minute walk down the steep hill back to the village everyone steamed in various cafes before the joys of an hour's coach ride back to the city. Never has a hot shower been so welcome...

Munich is a very fine city, sort of Germany with a southern European twist. Lots of Baroque and Rococo architecture, some of which I found really beautiful, some rather heavy and uninspiring. So my pics show the famous Neuschwanstein Castle at about 2pm, just as the heavens were about to burst open and dump their wet contents on me and hundreds of others. The second one is only a couple of hours before, showing the lower Alps with the Zugspitze in the distance. The last pic shows the Jesuit church of St Michael in Munich - one that I did like!
More pics later, plus some thoughts on what happened on our streets while I was away. 

Time for a break...

Today I have that sense of pleasant panic, if there is such a thing, that tells me I'm off on my hols. Yes, I've got loads to do before I take off tomorrow, first for time with my family, and then some time off away for myself. In the last few years I've gone back to a habit of the 1990s when I was also in a very busy parish, and took off for a week on my own. This year I'm going to Munich and Bavaria.

As priests we so often come across as a collar first and a person second. I know that's how it is, but it's good also to just be nobody, melt into the background and relax. Some priests go so far as to claim another profession if asked on holiday what they do. I don't go that far, but I don't offer the info unless directly asked. All clergy know that opening line "I know you're on holiday, but do you think I could just have a little word....?"

So I won't be around for a fortnight. Thanks to all readers for your support. Visits continue to rise - roughly 700 a month a year ago, and over 1,000 now. UK visitors far outnumber everyone else, but other top nationalities in descending order are USA, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, France, Russia, Italy, India, and the Philippines.

See you soon.

Re-laying and renewal

Since I came to these churches seven years ago I've always felt that the carpet in my sitting-room is a lovely colour - but not in that particular room. We did a lot of decorating about three years ago, but didn't touch the carpets. But this week all that has changed.

It all started with redoing the kitchen in the Parish Hall, including the flooring. Then we realised that the tiles in the servers' sacristy and toilet were coming up, and so put the same flooring down there. Then, well, the little carpet in the presbytery downstairs loo was really grotty, so we put the same stuff there. And then... a brainwave. Take the carpet up in the sitting-room and re-lay it in my bedroom immediately above, where it looks much better, and of course is a great fit. Then bring the rug out of the parish office and put that in the middle of the very nice now exposed wood-block floor in the sitting-room. Finally, get some hard-wearing carpet for the office and reception room, and some bedroom carpet for two rooms upstairs.. 

So with some careful interior re-cycling we've managed to spruce the place up without spending a huge amount. And I should point out that one of the above-mentioned now gone bed-room carpets we believe to have been original to the house, ie 50 years old... 

All a bit like renewal in the Church - some bits new, some bits recycled, a little inspiration, a little planning, and hope it's OK for a while!

The apple or the tree

So I've been reading the so-called "Cloyne Report" today. This looked into the handling by the diocese of Cloyne in Ireland of allegations of child-abuse by priests. It strikes me that there is something in common between this report, the current phone-hacking scandal with its ever-widening implications, and other events such as the financial melt-down. Besides all being scandals, they all involve institutions or individuals who believe themselves to be safe from disaster, immune to the ills of the human race. Banks, politicians, journalists and publishers - and people in authority in the Church - can so easily see themselves at the best as "it'll never happen to me" and at worst as "it can't happen to me".

The apparent shocking lack of concern for victims in the handling of various abuse cases in different parts of the world, sometimes in favour of the protection of the good name of individual, diocese or the Church in general, is worthy of the condemnation it has received. It's akin to the fact that the very newspapers which have delighted in exposing the wrongs in society, now find themselves exposed. 

I like the word "systemic" - in so many things in life, the Church included, we have to look at the system that produces the individuals or institutions. Mind you, we may have to - sometimes - be open to the possibility that somewhere along the line the system may include us. 

Let's get organized

And now it's time for some more music. This evening I watched one of my favourite modern classical pieces from the Proms, Janacek's "Glagolitic Mass". The Mass ends with an organ piece followed by a final orchestral piece. They have to be two of the most exciting moments in twentieth century music. Here is Andrew Davies conducting and Simon Preston on the organ at a previous Proms.



And secondly, also on an organ theme... At the end of the wedding I celebrated up at Belmont Abbey three weeks ago, the organist, Tony Hemson, a friend of mine let rip with Widor's "Toccata". Here it is, played on the organ at one of my favourite American churches, the Catholic cathedral in Newark, New Jersey.

Bridges

Busy, busy, busy - a longer gap than usual between postings. So today a quirky one.

I do like a nice bridge. Today I went down to Pembroke Dock for the burial of parishioner Anne Bermingham. After the interment we went for a cup of coffee to a nearby hotel which overlooked the Cleddau Bridge. That's the high-level one that spans Milford Haven, joining the town of that name to Pembroke. It famously buckled or collapsed or something not long after it was originally built. Its high and gentle arc is elegant, if now a little stained. The first Severn Bridge, the Humber and both Forth Bridges, the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, the Rialto in Venice, the Golden Gate in San Francisco - there's something special about a good bridge. It joins together, it leaps into space, it unites the separated.
Bishop Edwin Regan of Wrexham has as the motto on his coat of arms "A fo ben bid bont" - "let him who would lead be a bridge". The ancient Roman title "Pontifex maximus" taken over by the Popes means "great bridge-builder".

A friend of mine in Canada, a great mixer of metaphors, when discussing a particular step on the way to the priesthood told me that he'd burn that bridge when he came to it. 

But what do we make of the experience of anyone approaching us at St Brigid's along Crystal Glen from Heathwood Road. For, along our street you cross two bridges on branches of the Roath Brook - without even knowing it! "I'll cross those bridges without knowing it"....hmmm.... what does that mean?

The pictures show two of my favourites - the Skye Bridge in Scotland, joining the Isle to the mainland in a way which only adds to the beauty of the landscape, which I have seen, and the Millau Viaduct in France, 800 feet above the Tarn valley - which I haven't... yet.

Matters pastoral, family and priestly

Friday evening we hosted the annual Mass for people from parishes where there is regular Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. This is always a lovely celebration even if numbers were a little down this year.   

On Saturday I had an enquiry from a lady about becoming a Catholic. It looks like we may have at least five prospective converts for next Easter, which is great, and it's still only July. 

Sunday was a scorching day weather-wise and we were invited to a parishioner's house for a lovely lunch. It was almost too hot to sit in the garden so we relaxed in the conservatory before and after. I always have thought to share a meal is just about the best way to get to know parishioners. 

This weekend it was the turn of Christ the King parishioners to be urged by me in the homily to "sign up" to the Vision we have been developing this year. As at St P and St B last weekend, we passed the signature book around as I spoke, and most seemed to sign. I have a sense that this pastoral project is slowly gathering steam, and I hope that by the autumn we will be able to make real decisions and start action to put the vision into place. You can see the statement on the parish website.

Yesterday, Monday, my nephew and his fiancee came to visit along with my brother-in-law. I always like to see my family, and this visit was particularly to firm up the liturgy for their wedding next month which I am celebrating in Cambridge. That's the church, Our Lady and the English Martyrs or OLEM, in the picture. I'm really looking forward to it, and I'm sure I'll be posting more about it...  Then in the evening I had a very interesting chat with someone in connection with another of the plans I've got bubbling under. I would love to have a small 3 Churches choir that could sing music from the great tradition of church music that we have. 3 or 4 part Masses, motets, anthems, whatever.... I'm sure we could muster maybe 16 folks from our churches (plus a few friends maybe) to sing on a small number of occasions in the year. We'll see...

Then today we had the first Fraternity of Priests meeting for quite a while, what with the new Archbishop's installation, Sts Peter and Paul and a clergy funeral. Eight of us met at Caerphilly and we had a good time with our usual hour prayer/hour lunch/hour sharing format. During the last part it was suggested that we pray with one of our number who's had a trying time pastorally speaking, and that was very special, as it always is on the occasions when we do it. A group of priests praying with and for a brother is a great blessing. Thank be to God. 

Red hot June

Just checked stats for June - hooray!  Visits to this site passed 1,000 in June, 1,056 to be precise, a record for my little site. Pages viewed passed 1500, also a record, and pages viewed today passed 100, also a record I think.  All these don't count unknown numbers of people who view the blog on the parish website. Seems to have been helped a lot by my Coldplay posting a few days ago, which got linked to on the Coldplay fan site. I don't suppose festivals like Glastonbury often get compared to pilgrimages. Good night - and thank you!

Faith in Russia and Oxford

A happy St Peter and Paul feast day to everyone. In this week of feasts - Friday is the Sacred Heart, and we had Corpus Christi on Sunday - and further to the interesting Eucharistic video from Preston, more news of an Eucharistic nature comes from a rather unexpected place - Russia!  Zenit.org today has an item about what is going on in St Petersburg. 

"JUNE 28, 2011 The streets of St. Petersburg became witness to the Real Presence of Christ on Sunday, after 93 years in which there had not been a Corpus Christi procession. The Eucharist was processed along Nevski Avenue, carried under a canopy and followed by a series of banners with images of Our Lady and saints, and a group of Dominican religious and numerous priests, Vatican Radio reported. Archbishop Paolo Pezzi, of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, carried the Eucharist. That archdiocese includes St. Petersburg.

According to the organizers, the historic procession was viewed with satisfaction by leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church, as a manifestation of love for the Eucharistic God."

A Corpus Christi procession down the main street of St Petersburg, formerly Leningrad. My picture shows the same street during the Russian Revolution where Communism was born... Amazing!

I notice that the Dominicans seem to have organized or animated this beautiful event. I am a great admirer of the Order of Preachers, to give them their proper name. So here is their new British vocations video, featuring among others Fr Timothy Radcliffe, who was formerly the Master of the whole order. Much of the video is filmed at Blackfriars, their formation house in Oxford. And let's not forget that in past centuries they had a monastery in Cardiff, whose remains are in the Castle grounds (see picture right).
Lastly, folks, a little push today and tomorrow and this will be record month for visits to this blog-site. Previous record was this January - so come back tomorrow!

Belmont and Glastonbury

Yesterday, Saturday, I dashed up to Hereford to conduct the wedding of the daughter of good friends of mine. Unlike here in Cardiff, the weather was beautiful and Belmont Abbey looked wonderful. However, the crashing tones of Widor's Toccata were hardly fading on the organ than I was back in a taxi to the station and home to get ready for evening Mass at St Paul's.

By late evening I was ready to relax, and turned on BBC2 to see Coldplay at Glastonbury. I've listened to Coldplay more than any other band in the first decade of this century. I wasn't disappointed last night - they were on top form, serving up all the favourites, mixed with new songs from their forthcoming album. Particularly wonderful was their sequence of three encores. "Clocks" got 'em going, then they moved into their anthem "Fix You" and finally a new song "Every Teardrop a Waterfall". Fantastic - and I couldn't help noticing the parallels with religious occasions like pilgrimages. Crowds with a common purpose, music full of feeling, an overwhelming sense of community.  Chris Martin even repented at one point of having just made a mistake. I love many kinds of music - always have. This was sheer enjoyment for the thousands and thousands who were there - and for me. Fr M approves.

To catch highlights of Coldplay at Glastonbury follow this link to iPlayer. Put it on full screen - and turn up the volume.  The three encores are at about 29:00.

The Body of Christ

Corpus Christi - the Body of Christ. The one whom we receive to become more deeply who we are.

I celebrated Mass with the whole school (minus year 11) at Corpus Christi High School today. A congregation of 800 teenagers is not always the easiest to celebrate with, but it seemed to go OK this morning. A good sign was that the teachers felt it was the "easiest" feast-day Mass for a while. After Mass they have a free day with loads of different activities available, including Corpus Staff's Got Talent! It's a great school, and I told them all at the end that the whole Catholic community of north Cardiff is proud of them and loves them.

On the way home I called in to Waitrose to collect a cheque for just under £200 for St Brigid's. They have 3 charities each month who receive a donation in proportion to how many shoppers drop their little green tokens in the appropriate box. I don't know who nominated St B's - but thank you very much. And thank you Waitrose.

Now, we haven't had a flash mob video for a while, so here's one with a difference - what you might call a very Catholic one, specially for the Feast of Corpus Christi... enjoy. Fr M approves.

A new shepherd

So, at long last Archbishop George has been installed as seventh Archbishop of Cardiff - my fourth boss since ordination. I tell you - I didn't wash my hand all evening after the Mass yesterday because I gave the sign of peace to one cardinal and three archbishops!

But seriously it was a beautiful celebration in my opinion. 

Fr T and I took a taxi into town and joined the huge gang of clergy robing in the crypt of the chapel opposite the cathedral, where the (digital) bells were ringing out. At 11.20 the clergy started to process in, but we canons (ahem) loitered outside as we were to form part of the main procession, just before the bishops of England and Wales. And so I took my place in the Canon's Stalls (hooray!).

Eventually at the stroke of noon Archbishop George arrived at the doors and knocked hard on them. Soon the Bull of Appointment was being read and accepted, and he was being led to his cathedra or throne and receiving the crozier from Archbishop Peter, his predecessor. We canons were one of the groups to welcome him personally so I got to shake hands. He has a charming smiling face. And so the Mass progressed in a very dignified way. I was sat behind Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor and Archbishops Nichols, Longley and Smith - and grandstand view.

Afterwards we all strolled over to the Marriott for a hot buffet lunch, and we got home soon after 4.

When the archbishop was seated on his cathedra he was alone for a few moments, and I thought about how lonely a position it must be at times. The buck truly stops there in many aspects of church life. Then a little later the thought occurred to me that behind this wonderful ceremony, hidden as it were, lay scenes of some fishermen called by the lakeshore of Galilee, an intimate supper on a Thursday evening in Jerusalem, and another gathering in Jerusalem when a gale started to blow. I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide George, that the Father will shepherd him so that he can truly shepherd us, and that he will know that Jesus walks by his side through every moment of the times to come.

A 2 cappuccino morning

So Thursday morning I paid one of my infrequent visits to "town" ie Cardiff city centre. First call, the CTS - Catholic Truth Society, to lash out on all the stuff needed for the new translation of the Roman Missal. 3 big missals, 3 temporary inexpensive ones for September-November, 1 medium size missal for school Masses etc and 1 small version for pilgrimages, study etc, plus several hundred pew-sized cards for the people's bits of the Mass. Total? Heading for £1,000. Canon Peter Collins, parish priest at the Cathedral next door popped into the shop. I must have looked a little pale, as he offered me a coffee, so we had a quick chat, mainly about our new boss and the Installation on Monday.

Then onwards to the Cardiff Story, the new museum installed in the Old Library. Followers may remember I recorded an interview for one of the video displays here back before Christmas. So I literally went in search of myself. Lad on duty at the door wasn't sure what I was on about when I said I was looking for the section concerning immigration. Another young attendant suggested I might be looking for the children's section downstairs... which indeed turned out to be correct. Yes - and there in a section called "Settling In", or something like that, is a video console on various religious aspects of Cardiff's history and life. I watched myself for a minute, then answered 3 questions on Irish immigration (correctly, thank goodness), and continued on to hear me talking about Corpus Christi, followed by another 3 questions. This leads to a section with Shelagh Maher, a former parishioner of mine from St Cuthbert's in the Docks. Sorry, the Bay. 

The young attendant there stopped me and asked if I had been in a  few days before, coz she knew me from somewhere. I pointed to the 6 or 8 photographs on the wall behind her, at which point she squealed "Oh it's you". Fame at last. Awash with celebrity and to recover for the second time that morning, I slipped across to Cafe Nero in House of Fraser for another coffee. Cardiff's fastest most efficient barista was on duty, a marvel to behold, serving three at a time politely and efficiently. 

What's your order of preference for Nero, Costa and Starbucks? That's mine...

Through a glass darkly

I just watched Terry Pratchett's TV film about assisted dying on iPlayer, and found myself crying at the screen, not a common thing.

The programme followed two men going to Switzerland to die. Pratchett was accompanied by his assistant, who seemed disturbed by the whole thing. When we went to view the actual death of one of the men, although the assistant was there, we didn't see his reaction. We did see the dying man gasping for water, quickly denied him by the Dignity helper. Sir Terry was asked his reaction within moments of the death, and replied "I'm fine" - with tears in his eyes. A few moments later he told the camera how he'd been at something so beautiful. And at the end of the programme he claimed that the man whose death we witnessed was the bravest he had ever met. Really.

As a priest I have been present at a good few deaths. I have to say that they are some of the most awesome moments in my ministry and life. Those moments, even though sometimes surrounded with such suffering by all, are filled with an aura, as if something is happening on a plane that is different to anything else we encounter in this world. I am deliberately trying not to use specifically Christian language here. Here we are dealing with something other, touched by a preciousness that surely all can appreciate.

Yet the euthanasia agenda elevates the so-called rights - actually the desires - of the person involved to a sacredness higher than any sacredness that Christians or anyone else for that matter would want to give to life itself. 

I found this programme with its specially composed music and its strange Doctor Who-like background for Sir Terry's pieces to camera disturbing. I was very tempted to turn off my computer, but wanted to see how they handled that sacred moment of death. 

Horrific. 

The picture shows the tomb of the first person on my family tree, Jenkin Williams 1650-1728, my father's mother's father's father's father's father's father's father. It just seemed appropriate to remember nine generations who would not have doubted the sacredness of life. We must all be on our guard against the drip-drip of attacks on life, at its beginning and its end. I feel it is on these issues that we will be judged in years to come.

A new tongue?

Preparing for Pentecost, reflecting on the gift of tongues or languages given to the apostles, I thought that maybe one of the tongues that would be given to the apostles today would be Twitter-language. So here's a video you may have seen, called "Follow" - the Gospel according to Twitter. I like the clever and poignant use of the "Unfollowed" button - and especially the end...

One up to Archbishop George

Well, our clergy meeting with Archbishop-elect George went well in my opinion. We started with Mid-day Prayer and then the Archbishop introduced himself via the beautiful Philippians reading : "I want you to be happy in the Lord", and then shared with us his life story. After a lunch-break we continued with a question-and- answer session, in which he spoke at some length on vocations. Throughout the day I felt his approach was pastoral and scriptural, spiritual and solid. We ended with a "Holy Half-hour" in the church, with Archbishop George leading a meditation on the Road to Emmaus. 

So, a new start, a new language and maybe atmosphere... we'll see. I greeted him pointing out I am his Judicial Vicar. He expressed a hope that I wouldn't report him to Rome. Well, not so far anyway!

George - the first

So - big day tomorrow. Our new Archbishop, George Stack, is meeting with all the clergy of the diocese. We're gathering for 11am and starting with prayer. Two sessions will be separated by lunch, and then we finish with another period of prayer, this time in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament.

I'm really looking forward to the day, as there are several good omens about it. First. that it's happening at all! Second, those two times for prayer. As I have posted before, I know little about Archbishop George, and have never met him, so I go with a clean sheet. What will get written on it - well come back in the next few days and find out...  Meanwhile, pray for him and for all priests. 

Mega mime

After flash mobs comes mass lip-dubs. In a tea-break flit around other blogs, I came across this little gem from the American city of Grand Rapids. A cast of hundreds sing along to the classic "American Pie". The rehearsals needed boggle the mind, as it is all filmed in one long take, but I enjoyed this swoop through American city life and general "have-a-nice-day-ness". As usual, a double-click on the video will open it up to full width.

The wonders of Pontargothi

Bank Holiday Monday was going to be wet, but drying up from the west. So, having accepted an invitation for a day-out somewhere, we headed west, and I did some quick homework in Simon Jenkins' "Churches, Castles and Houses of Wales". I thought we could combine a Place of Interest with maybe Llansteffan or Laugharne. My eye fell upon a church I'd never heard of before - Holy Trinity, Pontargothi (3 stars in Simon!), so off we went.

We turned off the A48 past the Botanical Gardens and crossed the Tywi to the little village of Pontargothi between Carmarthen and Llandeilo. A mile down a green narrow lane brought us to this Victorian wonder set in what looks like a field. A chap who'd made loads of cash from metalworking in Swansea built a big house and wanted his own English-speaking Anglican church as opposed to the Welsh-speaking parish one. So he built himself one, upsetting the local bishop who wouldn't consecrate it. So the neat field is actually an unused graveyard. 

The plainish exterior hides an interior that can be called stunning. It's decorated with murals from floor to ceiling, in a tasteful monochrome reddish-brown on cream, They acquire some gilt and colouring as they get closer to the altar. Restored about 5 years ago, I found the church absolutely delightful. But that wasn't all.

We were greeted by Maldwyn, born and bred locally, who knew and loved every single thing about his church. He was charming and helpful, as was a lady who was serving tea, coffee, Welsh cakes and Scotch pancakes. You were invited to take your mug and wander around the church... So wander we did, mug in hand and Maldwyn at hand to answer all questions. He even said that there was a belief that the local Catholic bishop had stepped in to consecrate the church! I may look into that...

Umm, what else? Morning coffee at one local pub was OK, lunch at another - also OK. But what a wonderful church - building, welcome, everything. Holy Trinity, Pontargothi - Fr M really approves.