At Long Last
At last, after a horrendous month, the sun, and the Cathedral basks in unwonted light!
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A Blog from Westminster Cathedral
Welcome to Westminster Cathedral, London
Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic community in England and Wales. This extraordinary house of God was opened in 1903, and its distinctive Byzantine architecture provides the visitor with what Sir John Betjeman called "a series of surprises".
Blog Archive
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2007
(388)
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July
(33)
- At Long Last
- Bishop Challoner and the Colonial Church
- Farewell Katrina
- Comings and Growings
- A Covering of Gold
- Spot the Difference
- The Complete Picture
- Fr Tom Allan 1926 - 2007
- A Great Cathedral Friend
- The Mosaics of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel
- A Very British Summer
- An Old View
- Early Morning Reflection
- July Publications
- Farewell to John Browne
- Rorate Coeli Desuper
- Choristers' Farewell
- The Evening Sky
- To Ditchling
- The New Piazza
- News from the Terrace
- Bishops' Conference
- Portrait from Life
- Tour de France a Londres
- Consecration of the Cathedral, 1910
- Moving the Confessional
- 'Walk a Mile' Pilgrimage
- The Real Power in the Cathedral
- Stabbing outside the Cathedral
- The Beautiful Names
- Reaction to the Beautiful Names
- Summer Fair
- Dressed for the Dedication
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July
(33)
7 comments:
Was that arranged by the Latin Mass Society?
A glorious day yesterday and I enjoyed the park at lunch time!
You lot still charging for access to the tower ?
Mk 11:15-17
slap hands!
Cathedral - free to enter.
Cost to keep it open - £3,000 per day.
You do the maths!
Ok, you were truthful enough to be blunt with me, so I retaliate with an equally candid response, in all charity with the sincerest of good will...also please note that when I say you I mean the entire diocesan collective. there's no way in a million years that you'd print this so I feel I can be a bit more frank:
Why are you wasting so much money throughout the archdiocese ? why pay for so many administrators and staff and so, so many 'hangers-on' earning a wage way above what they'd be earning elsewhere when you basically cannot afford it ?
£1 million a year on upkeep for the cathedral ? and still you have all your little local gatherings for cheese and wine and charity-events that cost more to arrange than they ever make; and mutual back-patting and discussions about the pastoral ministry that hardly any of you do anyway, or the political agendas you shouldn't be involved in, ridiculous commissions on racism, family life and social issues ; or the seminars for education and evangelisation - when the churches throughout the country are emptying by the coachload every week because kids are not being taught their religion and clerics are not bearing witness to the Gospel by refusing to interact with their parish and staying in their presbyteries six days a week, yet still you lot persist in these expensive projects and missions which are blatantly lacking efficacy in all but one thing - they help make yourselves feel better , and hoodwink you into thinking you're actually doing something...
and unlike the people outside the cathedral doors; there's little stopping you lot having your 'well deserved' holidays abroad or jaunts across the country or europe to attend more congenial group hug 'something must be done' sessions. Nothing ever preventing you getting a meal in your belly, nothing stopping you doing anything you want [within reason], no financial worries, a life much more settled than many thousands who come through the cathedral doors daily...
matthew 25 dude, matthew 25...
How dare I be so rude, I dare because I was a small part of the 'hangers-on' for a long period of time - bleeding church resources dry while we all discussed what needed to be done ; while we did nothing except wring our hands and try out the new amontillado the bishop's secretary brought back with him. nice liturgies, nice new hymns, nice new friendships and plenty of publicity - but still the poor, sick, lonely, dispossessed and unloved were being abandoned; our children were being sent out like lambs among wolves with no preparation to lead a catholic life and our adult population were given no ethical or theological support and advice from the pulpit. The shame is on us!!!
Fifteen years ago I had a stand up row with a canon of St Paul's about his reprehensible actions charging entrance fees,authorising a cafeteria in the crypt just behind Nelson's tomb etc; I'd be hypocritical not to accuse the catholic church authorities of being equally culpable with their profligate waste of pastoral time and resources.
I love reading Father Mark's blog, not only is it informative but it has some wonderful views of life in the cathedral.
I was saddened by the riposte of 'on the side of the angels'
Read the Gospels, everything revolves around food and drink from the 1st miracle at the Marriage Feast at Cana when Mary exhorted her Son to help with the shortage of wine through the loaves and the fishes to the Last Supper.
Food and drink were an intrinsic part of Our Lord's Ministry, perhaps in part to His Jewish ancestry where most of the great feasts are celebrated by a meal (or not in the case of Yom Kippur).
Sharing a meal is a wonderful way of getting to know people more deeply, conversation flows, views exchanged and laughter should be heard.
Much is said that today's families should spend more time together sharing a meal. It is better to laugh over a drink or food than to argue across a barren table.
Life is short, enjoyment of life is vital. I do not want to preach but the words from the Gospel run true' Blessed is he who hears the word of God and keeps it' Do not begrudge but share.
It's great to see the sunlight. It's raining here in Florence. But I wanted to ask a question of the Cathedral. Did you know that you owned/own the second oldest Julian of Norwich Manuscript? It got taken to Westminster Abbey while we were editing it. We wish you still had it. The edition, Julian of Norwich, Showing of Love, was published by SISMEL in Florence, 2001. Does the Cathedral have a copy at least of its treasure? It came to the Cathedral by way of Bishop Bramston from Sister Rose Lowe of Syon Abbey in Lisbon and its story is fascinating.
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