Great kids, healing legs and Moody Blues

It's the First Holy Communion season, and yesterday we had the Thanksgiving Mass that Christ the King parish always has a few weeks after the actual First Communion. This year, it was held in St Brigid's, so that the party that goes with it could be held in the Hall. Next Sunday, it's the turn of St Brigid's and St Paul's. They have the biggest group since I have been here - I think it's 21 or so. For us priests there is always a lot to watch out for to make sure that everything goes well on these occasions, so they're quite demanding. One of the most important jobs is to support the catechists, who are, of course, all voluntary. We're very lucky in the 3 Churches to have excellent ones.

My leg continues to improve slowly. It's a matter of getting the wounds to heal over, and they're classed as ulcers now. Well, actually I should say "it" as one of the two has healed over already. The nurses are very pleased with progress, so I hope the second one won't take long. What's annoying is that the bottom end of the tubigrip which goes over most of my foot rides up under the foot and makes it painful to walk on. Then I say to myself Shut up Matthew - that's nothing compared to people who are in real pain. Like the man whom I anointed today at one of the Homes in our parishes. Once again, I am made aware of the sacredness of these last moments of human life, and the privilege it is to be able to help a fellow human being on their last journey.

More on the music nostalgia front... After Roxy Music - the Moody Blues. I remember circa 1970 buying a Moodies LP (Wot's that??) in City Radio in Hills Terrace - or was it Roath Radio - one was there and one was in the Morgan Arcade... With their orchestral effects, mellotron etc the Moodies were oh sooo progressive. Anyway, their biggest single was "Nights in White Satin" and here they are performing it only a few years ago.  As with Roxy, if anything it sounds better now! At the time we lads thought it was much girlier than the LPs and wouldn't be caught dead listening to it...

 

Oil, candles, ice-cream and unity

A good weekend, starting with our Mass with the Sick on Saturday morning. Many said that there seemed to be a very special atmosphere in the church, which I sensed too. As the sick came up for anointing, especially two parishioners who have particularly difficult conditions, I was strangely aware that it wasn't just my hand reaching to hold and anoint theirs. Jesus is so strongly present in the sick and suffering, and in our reaching out to them. They show us what Mother Teresa used to call his "distressing face".

Pentecost, and I was at Christ the King for Sunday Masses. I suggested that the Paschal Candle is outed after this day, not because it has disappeared, but because the light is to burn in each of us - we are all paschal candles now. In describing what happens at the Easter Vigil, the thought also came to me that as the darkness slowly disappears with the lighting of our own candles, we get to see the flickering image of one another's faces. Seeing each other in the light of Christ - a nice thought...

Monday and I had a day off, welcoming my sister visiting for the day. It was scorching and so we headed for the Bay. A pizza, a stroll, a coffee, a stroll, an ice-cream, a stroll. Lovely day.

And so to today, and a small ending for me as I chaired my last meeting as chairman of our local Churches Together organization. I've always been committed to local ecumenism. I believe that Vatican II leaves us no choice, in fact! But besides that, it's great to broaden your horizons, and, indeed, fly the flag for the Catholic Church. I must say in our local set-up I've met nothing but a welcome and appreciation for being involved. I'll miss being chair. Well, sort of - it's one less hat to wear, and I sometimes think I end up wearing too many.

Sand genius

The Fr M award for unlikely YouTube megavideo (viewed over 14 million times) goes to the winner of "Ukraine has got Talent" 2009, Kseniya Simonova. This lady is astonishing. She is an artist with sand, and what she does with it is unbelievable. As her act goes on, people come and go across her screen, historical figures flash past, and human situations are evoked. Some of the themes she handles bring the audience to tears as she touches their history of war and communism. I've never seen anything like this, and I suspect you won't have either. After watching the first video, you can find a few others of her in the other rounds of "Got Talent". I particularly liked one where she depicts everyday scenes of family life and characters that we have all met...

The Ukraine certainly does have talent.

Take the Ferry

Time for a music posting. From sixth form on, through university and then seminary and after, one of my favourite bands was always Roxy Music. In fact, a few days before I went off to seminary I went with my friends to see them at the Capitol (remember the Capitol?). A kind of pre-seminary stag night, I suppose... Eno, Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay and the inimitable Bryan Ferry - their music lasts and I still listen from time to time. Their first ever single, in 1972, was "Virginia Plain", and I was delighted to come across a video of them still performing it live over 30 years later, because, you know what, it actually sounds better now than then! Ferry, Mackay and Manzanera are all playing, and it speeds along at a cracking pace. Ferry was always a great entertainer and the audience absolutely loved it by the look of them. So, if you are of a certain age, and even if you're not, and you want to know what kind of stuff your reverend blogger was, and is into - then pin your ears back for Mr Ferry.

Bishop's move

And so, the Peter Smith years slowly ebb away... Tomorrow, in order to mark the Year of the Priests, the priests of our diocese were due to all celebrate Mass together at the Cathedral and then have a meal in one of the city centre hotels. Now the celebration has also taken on the role of our farewell to Peter who has been our archbishop for 9 1/2 years. I was in his company yesterday, and he said he was moving at the end of next week, in preparation for his installation as Archbishop of Southwark on 10th June. 

The Vatican Council had much to say about bishops and their role in the diocese. A pastor, a father, a special relationship with his priests etc etc. None of us, I suppose, fulfils all the expectations put on us. He also confirmed that the present consultation on the city of Cardiff will continue.  
The nurses continue to take care of my leg for me. They gave me a huge prescription for dressings, creams, tubigrips and goodness knows what. The chemists didn't have enough of most of the stuff. As I'm feeling better in myself, I don't mind the long haul that it's probably going to be to get rid of the aftermath of my infection, cellulitis, whatever...

Fr James goes away on Saturday for a fortnight. I'll have help on the weekends but not on weekdays. So we'll have a reduced Mass timetable and I'll be kept on the go etc. So I don't want any bother over this fortnight OK?!

LIttle angels, iPlayers, nurses and canon lawyers

Busy, busy as usual. Lovely First Holy Communions at Christ the King on Sunday. Everything went well. Also on Sunday, lots of people listened to the broadcast of our first recorded "Celebration". I caught it on iPlayer later, and thought it all sounded good. At some points I thought the singing sounded thinner than it was on the night. Darryl and Geoff's intro to "Do not be afraid" came across beautifully, and added a touch of class, if that's possible or appropriate in an act of worship!

We had a Christ the King parish meeting about the reorganization proposals on Sunday afternoon, and people expressed their views very well.

I reported to the nurses today, who I like and trust a lot. Thank goodness, the nasty little wounds on my ankle are slowly shrinking, and the leg swelling is not quite so pronounced now. So I seem to be on the mend, but the nurse observed, peering down at my foot "these things can be little divels" which I took as nurse-speak for "it might be a bit of long haul to clear these wounds". They gave me a huge prescription for ongoing self-care. As long as I know where it's going, I'm fine. I'm seeing them again Thursday. Good news is that most of the time I'm feeling much more myself over the last few days. 

Tomorrow I've got a meeting of the officials of the National Tribunal for Wales, my canon law body, to review the first few years of our working together and plan for the next stage of our development.

And the winner could be....

So, we had our canons' meeting, which was an unusual experience. We were told that the Vatican wanted a list of three nominations (which, of course, they can totally ignore if they wish!). So, eventually, we came up with them. The atmosphere was a slightly eerie combination of solemnity and bonhomie.

Meanwhile, the old foot is slowly getting there. Made my return visit to the nurses, where we found that the original infection has cleared up, but it has caused some cellulitis and stuff, so more care needed for that, and so my left leg is bound up like Lazarus.

We've held two open meetings for St Brigid's and St Paul's about the proposals for the future in Cardiff. Not a huge number turned up, but a good discussion, carried out in good spirits. I encouraged folks to get involved, to send in their thoughts, and, if they wish, also to be creative in suggesting alternatives. 

Amazing goings on in the government. I feel a real sense of us entering a new phase of national life. In fact, the impression I get is a bit like the atmosphere with us canons on Wednesday - a mixture of solemnity and bonhomie. So the question is the same in both cases - where is it all going?

Meanwhile, in this Year of the Priest, I found a video about my seminary in Rome, the Beda. The college has changed in some ways since the 70s, but the place looks the same. The lower age limit is now 30 - it was 24 in my day, and I was "illegal" at 21! Anyway, take a look, it's only 2 1/2 minutes... It's part of a series on Rome, some of which also look interesting.

PPs, PMs, and ready-loaded canons

Wow. Great evening with the BBC at St Brigid's. Everything went very well - music, readers, a good crowd - everything. Karen, the producer, was pleased too. Fr M happy PP.

And while we were enjoying ourselves, Britain got a new Prime Minister!  I tell you what, it's all happening.

Well, the fun continues tomorrow when the canons of Cardiff, including yours truly, gather to propose a list of three candidates to be considered as our next Archbishop. We are one of the bodies whose view is sought. Each canon is asked to suggest three names anonymously, and then the three top names are forwarded to the Nuncio in London.

Well, actually, I haven't really got much of a clue who we should have! I've been checking out the form by looking up all the bishops in England and Wales on their website. Hasn't got me much further. Fr James suggested that I shoud pray about it. Hadn't thought of that! So I'll have a bite for supper now, and have a chat with the Lord. I can't tell you what He might say, because the voting and result of the august canons' deliberations is... shhhhhh... secret.
Picture shows canons' stalls at Lincoln Cathedral - couldn't find a pic of Catholic ones!

A Spanish smile

I enjoyed this little video that I found on Fr Tim Finigan's blog. It's in Spanish, but with English subtitles. It brings together an elderly priest and a group of young people who remind us of the good that priests do, and what we can do about it.

Made me smile as I wait for the old foot to get back to normal!
Double click to get the full width on Youtube.

Foot, vote, and flowers

At last found out why I haven't been feeling 100% for a while. I've got an infection in a graze on my ankle. I hadn't paid much attention to the graze from a while back, stuck a plaster on it etc. Then my left foot got swollen and red, and yesterday when I took off the plaster it was all yucky. The surgery gave me an appointment in 45 minutes and diagnosis instant. So, antibiotics to the rescue - and I'm already feeling the difference. I was told to try and keep the offending foot elevated - and in my mind I was instantly transported back 10 years, to when I broke the other ankle, and had all that business for months. Anyway, isn't it great how just knowing what is wrong itself makes you feel better in some way?

As I was going to the surgery, Rhodri Morgan was canvassing outside the shops in Llanishen, because today, of course, is election day. I think that the Conservatives will win, and that Labour do a bit better than we might expect - and the Lib Dems a little worse. Though there has been a lot of fuss about them, especially in the media, I'm not sure how many will actually vote for them in the booth...  We'll see.

Meanwhile, a good blog I came across is one by Fr Stephen Wang, a Westminster priest who is currently Dean of Studies at Allen Hall seminary in London. Stephen blogs about what's going on in the world today, or as he puts it "looking across the landscape of contemporary culture." Good, intelligent, and Catholic. Fr M approves.

So here to finish is a little fun thing I found on Fr Stephen. Grow your own garden! Click here to go to the site, then just click on the black screen or drag your cursor across it, and watch those flowers grow!  Enjoy.

Red face

Fr M embarrassed. In my posting about the transfer of Archbishop Peter, I got what happens here in Cardiff from here on in wrong. Sorry folks!

As it is a transfer, not a retirement, Archbishop Peter remains here as administrator (ie restricted authority) until he takes up his post at Southwark, on or before 10th June. It is then that our consultors elect an administrator to keep things ticking over, until a new archbishop is appointed.

Don't worry, I'm just a canon lawyer who is supposed to know these things. Well, come on now, archbishops don't get moved every week...

A day with Harry and Oliver

Need a break from pastoral planning and episcopal roundabouts? Where better than a day in the edge-of-the-Cotswolds? So, took off after Mass for the famous village of Lacock in deepest Wiltshire. It's an unbelievably pretty little place frozen in time and completely owned by the National Trust, to whom it was given by the last member of the Talbot family. Unfortunately half of Britain had also decided to descend on this Mecca on May Bank Holiday. However, the village held its own very well against the swelling tide of cars that spilled into the reserve car park and beyond. Jewel in Lacock's crown is the Abbey - a convent for Augustinian nuns that was taken over at the Reformation  by a posh landowner, who converted into a fine house, having pulled down the rather in-the-way-church.

Loads of kids around, coz scenes from the first two Harry Potter films were shot there, but also bits of various Jane Austen and other 19th century novels were also filmed here. 

Unusually, a lot of the original monastic rooms survive, especially the beautiful cloisters.

After a tasty pub lunch, we meandered through Wiltshire and Somersetshire greenery to a living monastery, Downside Abbey. Now why this wow-factor place is not better known I don't know. If its huge nineteenth century Gothic church were in some cute English town, it would be crammed with visitors. As it was, other than two other tourists and some young prospective pupil and his mummy and daddy being shown round, we had the place to ourselves. One of England's best kept secrets, and all the better for it.  Said a prayer to St Oliver Plunkett, who, as regular readers will know, has his shrine there (left, on an old postcard). Beautiful. 

A cup of tea on the way back, and once again aware of the countless wonders of nature and of human ingenuity in our country.  

I didn't see this one coming

We have had a surprise announcement this morning, that Archbishop Peter has been appointed Archbishop of Southwark in London. The previous archbishop there resigned before Christmas on health grounds, and I wondered at the time whether Peter would be in the running. With everything else that has been going on, the question fell off my radar. He will be installed there on 10th June. His authority here in Cardiff ceases today.

So, an era comes to an end. Peter came to us after the events surrounding the last years of Archbishop Ward's ministry here. Southwark is his home diocese. 

Within eight days our diocesan consultors (ie the eight deans plus one or two ex officio members) have to meet to elect a diocesan administrator until we get a new archbishop. The administrator has quite wide powers, but not to make any changes that would be permanent, such as appointing parish priests etc. 

Some diocesan officers lose their position in these circumstances, such as the Vicar General, who is Mgr Bob Reardon at the moment. The VG's authority flows from the bishop's, so - no bishop, no VG. Others carry on, such as the Judicial Vicar (ie me!) as justice must always be available. I do lose one of my other hats, though, as chairman of the Council of Priests. This is a body advisory to the bishop, so - no bishop, no council.  

We congratulate Archbishop Peter, whom we shall miss, and seek the guidance and protection of the Holy Spirit over the coming months.

Clearing the background

Annoying tickle in the throat, but basically back to normal! Thankyou for asking.

Now, we have been plunged into reflection and discussion about these proposals for the future of the Church in Cardiff. I'm already fed up with thinking about it really, but of course, it's completely new to parishioners.

Very quickly two areas that need clarification have emerged. Firstly, because we have been running a "cluster" here at the 3 Churches for almost six years, people naturally assume that this is the kind of thing envisaged across the city. In fact, what is planned is something much lower key, at least in the immediate future, with co-operation between independent parishes the order of the day. So we are, in fact, five years ahead of the game, you might say...

The second area where there is a lack of information is more our responsibility. It has quickly become clear that many parishioners simply are not aware of the many, many areas of parish life where our three churches are entwined, united or mutually dependent.  

We are going to tackle these gaps by putting out some fact sheets to help people come to their own conclusions.

I must say I enjoyed the point one St B parishioner made, that the laity are being given 6 weeks to reflect and discuss, whereas the clergy have already taken about a year and a half! Touche!

Quite a weekend

I'm a bit better, thanks, and have managed to put a small fortune into Lemsip's pocket.

Our Landings day I enjoyed a lot. Just over 20 people came and our visitors took us through everything we need to know, really, in order to set up the programme in our parishes. And what impressive and pleasant people they were - it's always a great pleasure to meet good, solid, ordinary Catholics doing their bit for the Church. I was sorry to see them leave, and have a feeling I'll be seeing more of them. The one staying here in the Pres, Pat, had founded a Catholic men's group - very similar to what I have had in mind, except that his meets in the evening. They regularly get about 20 men along, and I listened carefully to how it all started. Hmmm... See how the Lord gives you these little "side-blessings" when you start to move with Him!

However, it was a long day, from 10 until 4 and I was not feeling very good by the end. A quick rest and it was on to 6 o'clock Mass at St.P.  We had to read the English and Welsh Bishops' statement on child abuse. I have no problem in doing that, and very much agree with its contents, it's just that it all leaves such a bad taste in the mouth, doesn't it?

Well, with hardly a pause it was then on, at the end of Mass, to Archbishop Peter's proposals for the future of the Church in the city of Cardiff. We clergy have known about the contents of this for weeks, including its bombshell for us here at the 3 Churches - the dissolving of the cluster in favour of two new ones, namely St Brigid-St Paul-St Philip Evans, and Christ the King-St Teilo-Our Lady of Lourdes. As you can imagine, I have a lot to say about this proposal, and we have six weeks or so to talk about it, so watch this space, but one aspect is already emerging quickly as a flash-point. In the letter containing the proposal, it talks about building on current exisiting good practice. Hmm, in our case, by dismantling it! I think people are going to really let rip at that one...

So, interesting weeks ahead.  Please feel free to add your comments on this or anything else, on this blog.

One last thing - my best feel good moment this weekend, especially after the abuse letter and my feeling poorly, was the lady who came out of 10.30 Mass at St B first in order to give me a peck on the cheek  and a hug. "That's to say thankyou for being one of the good guys." Small, but what a lot it meant this weekend...

Lot of it about, Father

Woe is me! Woke up yesterday feeling yucky. Bit shivery, head spinning and a touch of the old nausea... great. To make it worse, I had a really busy day ahead, including a burial (which you can't postpone!) and appointments with parishioners (for whom I didn't have a phone number). Bit better today, helped by a lovely wedding at Christ the King at lunchtime, but still feeling wobbly...

The folks who are leading our "Landings" day tomorrow have all arrived and we all went out to the pub this evening to sort out the practicalities. All we need now are the people.

On Sunday we have two things to announce. We priests have to read out the Message from the Bishops of Wales and England on Child Abuse, and then at the end of Mass parishioners are going to tell the congregations about the archbishop's proposals for reorganizing the parishes in the city. There are a few hot potatoes there, and they directly affect us, so we'll see how it goes down!

A saintly reminder

Well, it's not every Tuesday that you get given the relic of a saint. This morning one of our regulars at Christ the King slipped me a very old looking small metal box inscribed with IHS on one side and MARIA on the other. When I eventually found my way into the container, it revealed a letter from the priest who had given it to my benefactor, saying how it had come into his possession. Then I gently unwrapped the relic itself, which is sewn into another piece of parchment that guarantees its authenticity.

St Oliver Plunkett was Catholic Archbishop of Armagh in the dark years of the seventeenth century. Devoted to his flock, he was eventually tried and executed for treason at Tyburn. He suffered the utterly inhuman death of being hanged, drawn and quartered. His severed head ended up in Drogheda, near his birthplace in Ireland, where it is enshrined in St Peter's Church (pictured right). The remains of the rest of his body were taken to the English Benedictine Abbey of Lamspringe in Germany until the situation quietened down in Britain, when they were transferred to Downside Abbey in Somerset.

While his body was in Germany, it was clothed in an alb and red girdle, and it is of a small piece of that girdle that I am now the possessor. Strangely enough I have a sort of link with St Oliver. In 2000, ten years ago, I broke my ankle very badly while on holiday in Drogheda. I did it on the feast of the Assumption (bad choice of day, Old Nick!) but the evening before, I had been to Mass at St Peter's, where I saw the amazing shrine of the head of St Oliver. I've always thought of Our Lady as the one who stopped my fall down the stairs being much, much worse. Perhaps this is St Oliver Plunkett's way of saying  "But don't forget about me too!"

Easter hothead

Blimey - 2 lunches out in four days. Really living it up! Thursday, my sister came down for the day and we went out to the Maenllwyd in Rudry. Sun was shining and so we sat out on their patio with its lovely view. Unfortunately, the gentle breeze that was blowing made me forget how strong the sun was. Result - one sunburnt head. Owch!  Fr M has hurting head for a few days. Now don't scoff unless you are yourself short of hair up top!

Anyway, ventured farther afield today to meet up with some friends from way back in my Ledbury days. 1983-1986 I was parish priest in this very nice old English country town. Also in the parish was the smaller village of Much Marcle, and hidden down a side lane there, was our goal today, Weston's Cider. In my day this was simply where some great cider and perry was made, that you could buy at a humble shop. Nowadays there is a Visitors Centre and shops, and you can eat and drink at Scrumpy's Bar and Restaurant etc etc. 

I had some beautiful lamb in Scrumpys, the converted stables block. And very nice too. Fr M approves. And, of course, I stayed out of the sun. 

Got home and Fr David, administrator of our National Tribunal phoned to say he was stranded by this surreal ash thing that's going on. Stranded, yes - but in Tuscany.... Tough life, eh?

Easter Gold

Well, I watched the famous TV debate last night. Brown fairly predictable, I thought, with the addition of a few spooky smiles, Dave a bit disappointing maybe, and Cleggo well yes a bit sort of charismatic, but I'm not sure about the content. It'll be interesting to see if the two others turn their guns on him more next week...  

Meanwhile tonight we had a beautiful occasion. Billy and Rita, the organizers of our September pilgrimages, celebrated their Golden Wedding during Lent, and we fellow pilgrims thought it would be a good idea to have a get-together. So I invited them simply to a Mass, then we plotted a bring-and-share supper for afterwards. B & R were quite overwhelmed, I could tell, and it was a lovely evening with about 55 or 60 there I think, many from recent pilgrimages, but also quite a few from the earlier years too.

As always, excellent organization and help from the folks in our 3 Churches.

P.S. No, that wasn't our hall tonight in the picture, left, just an amazing Asian Golden Wedding thing I found on the net!

An Easter weekday

Mixed sort of day... Morning sunny but chilly, and off to St Paul's for 9.30 Mass. But wait, who's that lurking in the corner of St B's car park?  It's the gas man!  We started a service contract few months ago for the central heating that we installed two years ago in the presbytery. The guy who inspected the system pointed out that the main tap on the mains side of the meter was very stiff and very old and very rusty, needing replacement. A few months later, and two nice gas-men turn up unannounced for the replacement of said tap. I arrive at St P's with five minutes to spare before Mass.

When I get back the gas men are waiting for Johnny Plumber but I have only 10 minutes before I'm off to Thornhill Crem for a funeral. There's usually a Mss or service in the Church or Funeral Home before the crem or cemetery, but this time that was all there was. The deceased gentleman was one of twelve, so there were big family numbers there. Thornhill isn't my favourite place, especially not for a proper service, but they are a lovely family, and, of course, even if they weren't, they deserve the best we can do. 

Afterwards, I ask the undertakers to drop me off at St Peter's in Roath, where we are having our first post-Easter Fraternity of Priests meeting. Seven of us had a good session, with our usual hour's prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, hour soup 'n' cheese lunch and hour chat. We discussed how we had celebrated Holy Week and Easter, and the lads were interested in our wonderful Mass of the Lord's Supper on Maundy Thursday. Then, naturally we moved on to aspects of the current abuse crisis in the Church. Quite varied views really, but all in good spirits. We mustn't forget the good priests out there doing their best...

Back for four o'clock and the "post-mortem" meeting on the above Mass of the Lord's Supper. Great group of people in the steering group, and over a cup of tea we discussed the good stuff, and ways it could be done better in the future.

Then I relax for half an hour with another cup of tea and last slice of a Simnel cake that a kind parishioner gave us at Easter, before a meeting with a new applicant for annulment. Very pleasant chap, but it looks like we will have to pass this case over to Clifton diocese, as the other party plus almost all the evidence will be there. We have in canon law the concept of competence, which here means the ability of a tribunal to handle a case. The tribunal covering the place where a marriage happened can do it, or the one where the other party lives. The tribunal where the applicant lives or where the majority of the evidence might be, if that is somewhere different, can also do it, but only on certain conditions. I'll have a word with my colleagues in Clifton, Bristol in a day or two, to see how the land lies. While I am with the gentleman, Baptism Preparation is going on in one of the other rooms, and one of the catechists tells me the TV that they use for a DVD isn't working. "Oh dear" I respond, and get on with the problems of someone's broken marriage, by now looking forward to the end of my appointments for the day...

The picture shows the original design for St Peter's, complete with spire (Come on, Fr Myers, how is it you didn't stick one of them on top of that bare tower?)