The Administrator has left the Building ...

I will be away on my long awaited Christmas break until 4 March, and so take a break from blogging.

Remember, Thou art dust ...

The picture above shows the imposition of ash at one of the lunctime Masses.

People these days take a great pride in their appearance. Even when, as in my case, the choice of what to wear is between black or black, I spend wasteful moments pondering which shoes to wear, which jacket. There's always that final check in the mirror before I go out.

Today, though, we wear something different - the smudge of ash on our forehead. Nothing could be more contrary to our worries about how we seem, what others think of us, how we need to appear at our best.

Today we are stripped of these things. For as the ash is placed upon our foreheads, we are brought face to face with a terrible reality. That we are not self-sufficient, we are not self-defining. The ugly smear of ash is the mark of our death. It is on our forehead. It cannot be avoided. There can be no pretence, no schemes, no compromise. We stand naked before the fact of our mortality. There is no other outcome.

Our society offers us so many beguiling words today: be young, be beautiful, be rich, be successful. Today we hear other words – dread and sobering words, which give the lie to the beguiling promises of society: "Remember thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return". We hear the sentence of our sins, and we see the false promises for what they are. This body, this world will pass. Here is no abiding city.

It's a shock - but a shock with a purpose. For it is God who breathes life into this lifeless dust, it is God (in his Son) who conquers death, it is God (in Jesus Christ) who makes that smear of ash a reminder of our humanity - not the characteristic of our humanity. The ash speaks to us of sin and death - but not of our ultimate destiny. It does not define us. We set this world and its promises at naught, not because we are destined for oblivion, but because we are destined for paradise.

Be shocked. But be filled with hope. It is not we are destined to become the dust of oblivion - but sin and death itself.

Burning the Palms

Fr Christopher oversees the burning of last year's palm branches, in preparation for Ash Wednesday tomorrow. This is the first year we had asked people to bring in their palms from the previous Palm Sunday. We were overwhelmed with the response, and it is a more fitting way to acquire ash (in the past, we have sent away for ash that duly arrives in plastic packets from a Church supplier!).

Fr Christopher wisely opted to use the barbeque grill on the roof terrace - there will certainly be no shortage of ash this Ash Wednesday!

Jumelage avec Notre Dame

The Westminster chaplains yesterday embraced fraternite' as we travelled to Paris to meet our conterparts at Notre Dame. Our French hosts were very welcoming, the archiprêtre (my oppostie number) even ensuring at Mass that the Organ played Vierne's Carillon de Westminster, based on the chimes of Big Ben!

Follwing a most enjoyable lunch, at which I managed to dredge up my O-level French to make a speech, and where some fine Frnech wine overcame any difficulties in communication, we were given a spectacular tour of the Cathedral. Above is the view of the nave from the organ gallery, and below the magnificent organ itself. The post of organist at Notre Dame is considered the most presigious in all France.


The galleries used to be used as a refuge for pilgrims on the route to Santiago de Compostela.

The flying buttresses, and the view from the rooves, are breathtaking, and Père Norbert proved an enthusiastic guide.

Père Norbert did not fail to point out to us his own appartment, seen behind him in the picture below.

The interior of the bell towers was fascinating; a double arcade strengthens the walls, while a wooden structure supports the great bell (le bourdon) - not touching the stone walls, to allow for vibration as the bell is tolled. The wooden beams you see below are medieval.

We were fortunate to be taken into the heart of the great building, to view areas usually unseen by the public.

Above all, it was fascinating to meet the chaplains of Notre Dame and to compare notes. In France, the state owns the building, and pays for its upkeep, but grants use of it to the Roman Catholic Church. Even the musicans are paid by the State. It is hard to imagine such a situation, continually weighed down as we are in England by the need to find our own funds for the Cathedral building and music. Yet, our self-sufficiency also grants us freedom; there is a certain amount of the 'dead hand of the State', that prevents the archiprêtre of the Cathedral from developing its resounrces as he would wish.

There were areas of common concern - security, disabled access, tourism. Interestingly, the staff at Notre Dame have begun to prepare for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, recognising that many visitors will pass through Paris.

We are seen below, together with some of the chaplains of Notre Dame, outside the house of the archiprêtre Mgr Patrick Jacquin, who is seen just to the right of the doorway below. Sadly, the noise of the city centre has driven the archiprêtre from the house, and he lives in quiter surroundings nearby. The meeting was a great success; our French colleagues complemented us on the intiative, and expressed a desire to visit London to hold a clergy conference at Westminster. Perhaps this marks the beginning of a jumelage between the two great Cathedrals!

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As an afterthought, I much prefer the title archiprêtre to my own of 'Administrator'. Having resisted the moves to change the title to Dean, as being inappropriate, I could certainly be content to be an archpriest. Such is the title of the rectors of European Cathedrals, and there is even a history of the use of the title in the English post-reformation Church. However, I am uncertain how the title falls on English ears, and so will remain an Administrator, a title borne proudly by my predecessors for over 100 years.

The Rite of Election

The Cardinal and his auxiliary bishops today formally welcomed those in Westminster Diocese who are preparing for baptism or reception into the Church at Easter. At this Rite of Election, these candidates are 'elected' or chosen by the Cardinal, and begin their final Lenten preparation for the Easter ceremonies.

The Rite of Election usually takes place on the first Sunday of Lent. However, owing to the large numbers involved, for the past two years we have had to split the ceremony between the two Sundays either side of Ash Wednesday.

I am pround that the congregation yesterday included twenty candidates from the Cathedral parish. Like other candidates, they were present in the Cathedral with their sponsors.

A choir of diocesan volunteers provided the music (above). Below the Cardinal sits with the bishops, who are (from the far side) Bishop George Stack, Bishop Alan Hopes, and then Bishop Bernard Longley and Bishop John Arnold. On the north side of the sanctuary sit the Deans - the priests who have care of a particular group of parishes, and who call out the names of those parishes represented. The eagle-eyed among you will also spot the Cardinal's biretta, top right, occuping a stall next to the Cardinal's secretary.

Our Lady of Lourdes Mass

The statue of Our Lady of Lourdes stands ready to be carried in procession for yesterday afternoon's Mass. A new venture, the Mass both marked the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes last weekend, and also signalled the beginning of preparations for the annual Diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes in July.

The Cardinal celebrated the Mass with a packed Cathedral, while the statue of Our Lady was carried by some of the famed 'red caps' (in fact 'red jackets') who work with the sick in the hospital at Lourdes during the pilgrimage.

The annual Diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes was founded by Cardinal Hume, and has remained popular. The Cathedral parish group will be led this year by Fr Christopher Tuckwell.

Mass was provided by a Diocesan choir, led by Canon Pat Browne, whose warm Irish tones are well known at Lourdes.

Dusting the Diapason - the Grand Organ Laid Bare

We recently undertook maintenance work on the Grand Organ, and I thank Simon, our organ scholar, for these revealing photographs. The work was undertaken to improve piston reliability by cleaning the metal contacts.

What sounds like a small job was increased by the fact that in order to gain access to the pistons each of the 244 keys had to be individually removed. These were (as the pictures show) very dusty, and need to be cleaned before being replaced.

The pistons had become unreliable over time because of the build up of dirt and dust interfering with metal contacts. The most surprising object found beneath the keys was a finger nail clipping!

It is about 20 years since the last major work on the Grand Organ, by Harrison and Harrison, when a similar cleaning would have been given.

The person in pictures is Andy Scott – Harrison and Harrison’s London tuner. He looks after the Cathedral's Grand Organ.


Simon was, however, pressed into service, and here he is cleaning one of the keys.

Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman

Most biographies record today as the anniversary of the death of Cardinal Wiseman, first Archbishop of Westminster. However, according to the inscription by his tomb in the Cathedral crypt, yesterday was the day.

Cardinal Wiseman, of course, died before the Cathedral was built. His funeral took place at St Mary Moorfields (by Liverpool Street Station in the City), and he was buried in a grand ceremony at St Mary's Catholic cemetery in Kensal Green (near Paddington). A contemporary illustration from the Illustrated London News (below) shows the size of the gathering. In 1907, Cardinal Bourne gained permission from the Home Secretary to remove the remains of Cardinals Wisman and Manning to the newly opened Cathedral.


Cardinal Wiseman lies directly beneath the High Altar, in the small chapel of St Edmund. His tomb is the only gothic monument in this otherwise Byzantine Cathedral, and was designed by Edward Pugin, son of the more famous Augustus Welby Pugin.


Panels around the monument depict scenes from the Cardinal's life; firstly, his consecration as Archbishop by Pope Pius IX in 1840 (below).

Below, Cardinal Wiseman presides over the first Provinical Synod of Westminster at Oscott in 1852, when John Henry Newman preached his famous 'Second Spring' sermon.

Finally, he is depicted on his death bed

Wiseman was an extraordinary man, and one of the key figures in the revival of Catholicism in this country. Born in Spain to Irish parents, he studied at the English College in Rome, becoming its Rector in 1828 at the astonishing age of 25. A fine linguist, he was given charge of the Vatican's arabic manuscripts (I recall his exotic collection of books still in the library at the English College, whch included his volumes of 'Hindoo'). In 1850, he became the first Archbishop of the newly erected Diocese of Westminster, and a Cardinal.

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During his life, his preaching, writings and example did much to advance the Catholic cause in England, and he was widely respected as a churchman and a scholar. His Cardinal's hat still hangs above his tomb, although it is much the worse for wear (tradition dictates it must stay there until it falls to the ground, at which point the great Cardinal's soul may at last enter paradise!).

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I Know How He Feels

This charming image, with its encouraging facial expression, greets us as we return to sacristy after Mass...

St Cyril and St Methodius

Usually hidden from public gaze is this large icon of Sts Cyril and Methodius, firmly attached to the wall of the long corridor in Clergy House. I do not know of its provenance, but suspect it may have been acquired by Mgr Wheeler or Mgr Bartlett, both former Administrators and notable art collectors.

Sts Cyril (826 - 869) and Methodius (815 -885) were brothers who evangelised the slavic peoples. Their genius (they laid the foundations for what become known as the 'cyrillic alphabet' still in use in Eastern Europe) meant that Christianity was enthusiastically received by the southern slav nations. Pope John Paul II declared them patrons of Europe, along with St Benedict.

Our icon has both eastern and western elements and was probably made in Russia. St Cyril is shown in the monk's habit which he assumed towards the end of his life. Fr Slawek impressively translated the Russian inscriptions above the figures. On the left 'Holy Man of God Methodius' and on the right 'Holy Man of God Cyril'.

A Constant Peril

Yet again, the Cathedral suffered damage this morning from a would-be burglar. Using a hammer, he attempted to break through the doors of the gift shop (above), and then entering the Cathedral during 7.00am Mass, he tried to force open the collection box at St Anthony's shrine (below centre). He was not successful in either attempt, but - as ever - the damage is considerable.

More worryingly, when challenged by Graeme, our security guard, he attacked him with a hammer. Graeme was able to subdue him and call the Police, but this shows the problems we now face with security. We have three or four such incidents each year, and each causes us to review our security measures, and the balance we try to maintain between allowing visitors to circulate freely while monitoring behaviour.

The Crypt Store

The Cathedral does not have a large crypt, but close to it lies this store, where rare items are kept. Twice a year we hold a 'secret tour' of the Cathedral when visitors are shown these nether regions. Above, you see the large candlesticks (over six feet tall) that were used for a Cardinal's funeral. In previous existences, the crypt store was used for storing coal, and during World War II it was an air-raid shelter.

The Two Towers

An illusion, created by a nearby office block, seems to reflect two campaniles (campanili?) on the Cathedral. There is an urban myth that Bentley did originally intend two towers for his Cathedral, but I have seen no evidence of this. A similar illusion occurred last year in a photgraph from Cardinal Place.

All Sold Out

The wonderful Roberts family were just some of the volunteers who helped make our Mardi Gras celebrations yesterday a great success; almost all the cakes they had baked are gone - and your blogger can testify at first hand to their quality! During the morning, funds were raised for our twin parish of Blessed Mother Teresa in Guayaquil, Ecuador (below). You can read more about the Cathedral's twin parish project on the website here.

Annual Mass for Altar Servers

Servers in the Cathedral Hall listen attentively to their instructions before the Annual Mass for Altar Servers. With huge numbers of children attending, the plannng of this event has to be meticulous. Sadly, the Cardinal was not able to celebrate the Mass, but his place was ably taken by Bishop Bernard Longley, auxiliary in Westminster.
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Below, the servers enter the Cathedral, a never ending file of boys and girls in many and varied robes. The servers come from all parts of the Diocese and beyond - I met groups from Leeds (in the north of England) and Wales.
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I have a particular soft-spot for this occasion as I used to come to it myself as a young altar server, many years ago now! In those days, our attendance formed part of the Chrism Mass in Holy Week, and the Cathedral was truly crowded. It was the first time I saw Westminster Cathedral, and I remember being overawed by it; a feeling, indeed, that has never left me.

Altar Serving is one of the most important ways the Church can involve young people, and I have always encouraged a large number of servers wherever I have been. I am proud that, at the Cathedral, we have a growing band of boys and girls who serve Mass faithfully every week (with their families!). For these youngsters, this is a wonderful opportunity to grow in love and knowledge of the Mass.

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There was a fine turn out of priests. Their red chasubles made for a striking scene; we celebrated a Mass of St Stephen the Martyr, who is the patron of the Guild of Altar servers.

Below, Bishop Bernard is glimpsed amid the clustered columns of the Baldacchino.

Vault Inspection III

The up-lighting of the vaults revealed the forms of the usually barely visible domes in a spectacular way. The photographs speak for themselves:
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The bare surfaces will one day be covered in mosaic - a scheme for the design has recently been developed. However, the cost is prohibitive, and those who appreciate the stark and poignant atmosphere created by the undecorated vault will be able to enjoy it thus for a long time yet!

Letter Bomb Update

The letter bomb that exploded in Victoria Street, which I reported recently, appears to be one of a series of packages sent to business around England and Wales. The Police are trying to find a connexion between them; some of the businesses are involved in the road charging scheme, others may be connected with animal testing. The BBC report is here.

Vault Inspection II

The inspection of the vaults took place during the night on two evenings this week. Although the rest of the building has been regularly monitored and repaired, no close inspection of the vaults had been made because of their inaccessibility. The new high-level platform that we hired was able to reach this far.

The Cathedral roof was weakened during World War II by bombs that fell nearby (although the Cathedral itself was not hit). Water stains on the brickwork show that some cracks were opened up. Much work was down in the post-war years; a protective copper covering was placed over the domes (giving them their familiar green appearance). Inside, a wire mesh, constructed of rectangular sections, was placed over the vaults of the domes, like an inverted sieve.

The high level platform was capable of moving around the circumference of the domes (below), enabling a thorough inspection. A formal report will be produced by our architect in the coming weeks.

In the picture below, the mesh placed over the concrete and brick of the vaults is clearly visible.

Unfortunately, on both nights, the platform malfunctioned, and our architect and his assitant were stranded for an hour! A full vindication of my decision not to join them aloft.

Snow again!!

The choristers cannot believe their luck, as the Choir School playground was covered in snow this morning.

Incredibly (although predicted), it has snowed again in London! A heavier and more widespread fall across the country than last month, but for our city it has been unheard of for many years to have two such snowfalls in a winter.

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The picture below shows the neighbourhood, with Vincent Square (the playing fields of Westminster School) top left.

Below is the view from the Cathedral Campanile eastwards, towards the House of Parliament (you can just make out the Victoria Tower in the centre) with Westminster Abbey to its left.

Vault Inspection I

The Cathedral has been invaded by a monster, a huge yellow spider that dwarfs its operators, thrusts chairs aside, and reaches up into the gloom of the ceiling vaults! In the lower picture, Tom Botting (our electrician) seems to be challenging the monster as it squats in the nave of the Cathedral.

Here it crouches, more like a scorpion than a spider!

The machine has been brought in this week to inspect the underside of the domes of the Cathedral close up. This has not been done for a long time - we think not since the restoration work done soon after the Second World War, and so I have considered it a long overdue operation. However, such an extraordinary hoist was not available until recently - the operators told me that the machine was developed in Italy just over ten years ago.

Such a close inspection demanded clear lighting, and the Cathedral maintenance team (Tom Botting and Bernie Young) constructed an extraordinary array of searchlights to illuminate the domes. The inspection takes place at night - I went in last night at about 9.00pm, and found later that Simon, our Organ Scholar, had not been idle. Hence, a mixture of photographs from us both, over several postings - focussing both on the monster machine, and on the extraordinary sight of the domed vault illuminated for the occasion. These amazing pictures above were taken by Simon, some from the high-level galleries. The one below, showing the domes illuminated, is a taster for more to come!

The Passing of the Old

An interesting letter arrived yesterday from the Law Commission, proposing the repeal of certain ancient statutes relating to London - in other words, tidying away laws which are now obsolete. Among the provisions is the repeal of the 1826 Act Geo 4 c.xiii (Westminster Bridewell), which authorised the rebuilding of a prison known as the Westminster Bridewell (shown above) or House of Correction. The prison had originally been built further west, in what were Tothill Fields, in 1618. By the 1800s, this prison was too small and insecure to ensure the safety of inmates. The Act authorised the purchasing of a new site and the construction of a new prison to replace the old. The new prison, opened in 1834, was built on an eight acre site of open ground. Initially it was intended for men and women of either sex whose sentences were less severe than transportation, but from 1850 it was restricted further to convicts of either sex below the age of 17. The total number held at any time was about 900.

The prison was demolished in 1884 to make way for the building of Westminster Cathedral. Its main door still stands, at the far end of Victoria Street, where it has been moved to the rear of the Middlesex Guildhall in Parliament Square - the only tangible relic of the sad prehistory of the Cathedral. You can read more about the Westminster Bridewell on the Cathedral website here.

Letter Bomb in Victoria Street

This was the scene at lunctime today, just a hundred yards from the Cathedral. A small letter bomb exploded in an office block just after 9.00am, and Victoria Street has been closed.

Sadly, our part of London is no stranger to terrorist attacks, having Parliament, the Police Headquarters at New Scotland Yard, Victoria Station and many government buildings in the vicinity. In my first years at the Cathedral, in the 1990s, two bombs exploded in streets nearby.

The BBC report is here; mercifully, it appears not to have been a large device. However, we must pray that this is not the beginning of a new campaign.

St Agatha

For today's feast of St Agatha, a photograph of her mosaic in the Lady Chapel, bearing her palm branch of martyrdom.

Agatha was a young girl in third Century Sicily, who refused attempts both to seduce her, and to forice her to renounce her Christian faith. She was tortured horribly - most notably her executioners tore off her breasts - but remained constant until her death. The esteem in which she was held by the early Church is witnessed by the inclusion of her name in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I).

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February Oremus

A new month; a new Oremus - the Cathedral magazine. Pictured is the foot of our statue of St Peter, a copy of the 13th century statue by Arnolfo de Cambio in St Peter's, Rome (the foot is, however, not worn away like its original, merely buffed by pilgrims' pious hands to a shiny finish!). The article marks the feast of the Chair of St Peter on 22 February. Continuing in a Roman theme, there is an interview with Cardinal Cormac about his titular church in Rome, the fabulous and art-crammed Santa Maria sopra Minerva. The Cardinal reports the 'mischevious' remark made by Karl Barth - the famous Protestant theologian - that the title Santa Maria sopra Minerva described for him all that was wrong with the Catholic Church; that it is built upon pagan practices rather than the Gospel, too accepting of insights originating outside Christianity, and that it is too obssessed with Mary! The Cardinal, of course, disagrees, and maintains that the name of his titular church describes all that is right about Catholicism!

Oremus costs £1.50 from the Cathedral or Clergy House, or by subscription to: Oremus, Cathedral Clergy House, 42 Francis Street, London SW1P 1QW, England.

Chorister for a Day

Yesterday, sixty young boys and their families were welcomed to the Cathedral, and the Choir school, to experience life for a day as a chorister. Following the success of last year's 'Chorister for a Day' initiative, we were gratified to find even more interest this year; the Master of Music, Martin Baker (below), was delighted with the results!

At a time when all English Cathedral and College choir schools are finding recruitment hard, this event is proving a successful way of raising the profile of the school, and informing parents about the advantages of a choral education for their children. There is, perhaps, something of an impression that choristers are elite, that their education is expensive, and that the demands made on them are onerous. Many parents I have spoken to in parishes around the diocese simply would not consider a choir school education for their children - it belongs to a different world, and seems beyond their reach.

'Chorister for a Day' demonstrates to parents that none of these misgivings is true. Our choristers come from the widest possible social backgrounds, and bursaries and scholarships mean that their education is almost free. They work hard, but they also have enormous fun, and wonderful opportunities - touring, performing in concerts, meeting extraordinary and distinguished people. The image of a Victorian boarding school is very out of date; the model of the Choir school is a family, and the boys are cared for and educated in a loving, nurtuting atmosphere.

The many families that came yesterday had a wonderful day. Parents were given talks and tours of the Cathedral, while the children were given some singing classes, and joined our own choristers to sing the 6.00pm Mass in the Cathedral (above). Cassocks had been provided for all of them, and as the lengthy procession of tiny would-be-choristers wound through the Cathedral, many of them all but lost in over-large cassocks, there was scarecely a dry eye in the whole congregation. The picture below comes from last year's event, but shows that they had a great time and, please God, many of their familes will wish to apply to the Cathedral Choir School, to become part of our great tradition.

The End of Christmas

The Feast of the Presentation marks the end of the Christmas season - our crib will remain up for the weekend, but will be taken down on Monday.

A Clearing of the Throat

At Masses today in our Diocese we celebrate Saints Lawrence, Dunstan and Theodore, early Archbishops of Canterbury. Following Mass, however, St Blaise steps in, and we offer his traditional blessing of the throat.

Blaise was a fourth century bishop, about whom little is known, but to whom attach several graphic tales. He used to bless animals and was famous for his healing powers - hence water blessed in his name is given to sick cattle. Bliase was eventually martyred by being torn with iron combs, and and accordingly the patron saint of wool combers. Most famously, however, he blessed a young child who was choking from a fish bone lodged in his throat. The boy recovered, and to this day the blessing of St Blaise for throats is given on his feast day.

The images show Fr Slawek (happy birthday!) administering the blessing in the Lady Chapel after 8.00am Mass.

Through the intercession of St Blaise

Bishop and Martyr

May you be preserved against diseases of the throat

and from every other infection;

in the name of the Father

and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit.

The Presentation of the Lord

This lovely Feast recalls the Presentation, by Mary and Joseph, of their baby son Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem. Jewish law required that new parents present themsleves and their child for purification after birth and dedication to the Lord, and that they make a sacrifice offering: for poor people like Joseph and Mary this was two turtle-doves.

On that occasion, the aged prophet Simeon (who had been promised by God that he should not die before he saw the Messiah) took the child in his arms, and declared:

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant

depart in peace

according to thy word,

for my eyes have seen thy salvation

which thou hast prepared before the face of all people

to be a light

to lighten the gentiles

and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

Because of Simeon's words, proclaiming the new-born Jesus to be the light of the nations, this has always been a Feast of light. By tradition, the candles to be used in the Church for the coming year are blessed, and carried in procession.

Light, of course, is a comfort. On a dark night, a light will show us the way home, and the light of Christ shines in our dark world to guide our steps and signal our safe refuge. But light also does something else; it shows things up. A car headlight on a country road will reveal the pits, cracks and debris that lie hidden. The light of Christ reveals to us ourselves, as we truly are, our strengths and weaknesses, our polish and our cracks. That light can also be a challenge, revealing to us how far we have yet to go, how incomplete and unwhole we are.

eAt all Masses in the Cathedral, we bless candles, and walk in procession (the photos show the 8.00am Mass, celebrated by Mgr Seamus O'Boyle, amnd the 1.05pm Mass celelbrated by Fr Slawomir Witon).

One Year a Bishop

Today's Feast marks the first anniversary of the episcopal ordination of Bishop John Arnold (above with the Cardinal), auxiliary in Westminster, and titular Bishop of Lindisfarne. Any such an event is solemn and splendid, but when it occurs to a friend, the occasion is even more momentous. The weeks and days before had their own surreal quality, as I watched the the Bishop-to-be first try on his mitre for size, practise keeping a zucchetto (skull cap) in place, and muse on how to wear a pectoral cross (for his first official photograph, we resorted to a paper-clip) .

Bishop John was already well known in the Diocese, and had spent eight years in the large parish of Enfield, just north of London, so there was standing room only in the Cathedral. On this beautiful Feast it was spectacular, and moving, to see the vast congregation all holding candles, with the Ordinand himself standing among the clergy of the Diocese (above). Later in the ceremony, he was called forward to the sanctuary, and having prostrated himself, had the Book of Gospels held over his head (below).

The ceremony concluded with The Cardinal accompanying his new Bishop as he walked through the Cathedral to bless the congregation, while the Te Deum was sung. Bishop John then delivered a speech which I had heard many times in the previous days as he had paced his sitting room, and which he delivered at Mass (below) without notes and faultlessly - as is his wont.

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It has been good to see Bishop John grow into his episcopal role in the past year. Knowing him well, I have been aware of the difficulty in balancing all the expectations of a new bishop; it is astonishing to observe at close hand the amount a bishop is called to do (this year, for example, our diocesan bishops will each have around fifty parish Confirmations to celebrate in the weeks after Pentecost). As Moderator of the Curia, and Chancellor of the Diocese, his administrative and legal skills are stretched to the full - and that has been a strain at times. However, Bishop John wears his duties lightly, and is a popular and superbly efficient auxiliary.
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This anniversary marks a great event in the life of our diocese. There is a photo gallery at the Diocesan Website, but I conclude with a photo of me and the the newly-ordained Bishop - one in which I take an especial pride!

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A Card for the Cardinal..

I was visiting Monsignor David Norris today in hospital, after his fall last week at Clergy House. Mgr David is always worth talking to, and is one of those people whose every word should be recorded - he was secretary to Cardinals Griffin, Godfey and Heenan, and every conversation is filled with wonderful anecdotes.

Such as today; I brought him a pile of cards from well-wishers, which prompted him to recall that Cardinal Godfrey (Archbishop of Westminster 1956 - 1963; pictured left) used to receive over a thousand Christmas cards each year, to which he would reply individually. Or rather, his long suffering secretary (Mgr Norris) was directed to do so, recalling that one year he only finished the last reply on the Saturday before Palm Sunday. Things changed with Cardinal Heenan (Archbishop of Westminster 1963 - 1975) who directed that a message be posted in the Times, simply saying 'The Archbishop does not reply to Christmas cards individually'!

Mgr Norris is making good progress, and we hope and pray that he will be returned to full health soon.