Expedition to Westminster

Well the great day arrived - the Government interview for our proposal for Cornwall's first Catholic Secondary School (and the U.K.'s first Catholic 'free school').

After the overnight train to Paddington, we were able to celebrate Mass at the high altar in Westminster Cathedral and ask Our Lady's prayers in the fine Lady chapel.

Below- last minute preparations in Starbucks!

The meeting at the Department of Education headquarters in Great Smith Street began at 10am before a panel of four civil servants. We felt the six of us worked very well together, providing an articulate and confident response. We won't know what they decide yet until the end of September/beginning of October.

Here we are breathing a sigh of relief afterwards (our headteacher had already scooted off to catch the plane for World Youth Day in Madrid!)

But so many of you back here in Cornwall were praying that we could almost feel it.
                                     A very big thank you to you all!

Redruth Summer Lunch

Miracle of miracles: we had real sunshine. Well, there are no coincidences when it comes to the Sisters and fine weather.  The sky was Our Lady's colour.

The convent gardens were abuzz with people from as far afield as ...Camborne and Penponds.

Praise God for a fine day!

Our great feastday of hope.

Today we celebrate (one day early) the Assumption of Our Lady body and soul into heaven - the masterpiece of God's plan for Creation. Mary, the sinless one, has co-operated perfectly with the Word, her son. She is taken up to share the life of God in glory and she becomes our hope. We look to her assumption as we long for the first flower that bursts through the barren earth in Spring.

Everyone is feverishly analysing the riots in our major cities: lack of personal value-systems; no respect for authority; poor parenting etc. Certainly there are very  many young people who seem to have so little hope beyond aspiring to a few filched flat-screen TVs. This is surely a fruit of a secular, materialistic culture with no true grasp of what we are as human beings.

Two weeks ago, several hundred people in their teens and twenties travelled for the 5-day Summer Session at Woldingham (see below). They were filled with a whole-hearted love for their Catholic faith and want to live according to the highest values. They were brimming with hope. To witness them all singing the Salve Regina to Our Lady each evening would surely surprise the loudest New Atheist in the media.

St Maximilian Kolbe, the martyr-priest of Auschwitz whose feast-day is really today, made it his personal mission to make Mary known and loved throughout the world of the twentieth century. He saw the rise of dark forces -  hatred for the Church and Naziism. Through his extraordinary final act of love he had the last word on them all. He showed the power of Our Lady in our lives. She opens the door to hope, to her Son, in our lives.

The atheist way can be seen to have failed in so many ways. Human beings are made for more than flat-screen TVs. We are made, as Mary shows us most beautifully, for something far beyond this world. We are made for the life of God.

Kneeling for Communion

It is well-known that the Pope now only gives Holy Communion on the tongue to people who are kneeling.

Last month the head of the Congregation for Divine Worship, Cardinal Canizares Llovera, has explicitly seconded this. He recommends that all Catholics receive Communion on the tongue and also while kneeling:

"It is the sign of adoration that needs to be recovered. I think the entire Church needs to receive Communion while kneeling.

If we trivialize Communion, we trivialize everything, and we cannot lose a moment as important as that of receiving Communion, of recognizing the real presence of Christ there, of the God who is the love above all loves, as we sing in a hymn in Spanish.

It is to simply know that we are before God himself and that He came to us and that we are undeserving".

Certainly it is noticeable that more people in the parish here are rediscovering the practice of receiving on the tongue.
Last month the bishops of England and Wales also pointed out that all Catholics in this country have a right to receive kneeling. This would present a challenge at the moment, as the altar rails were removed in both churches decades ago.  It is going to require a little thinking about...

Explaining the revised translation

We had our last in the series of four talks in the parish hall this evening, with cakes!

The session focussed on the changes in the Eucharistic prayers and concluding rites.

It ended with the deeper emphasis on singing that the translation will usher in, as the Missal will now include more in the way of simple chants to accompany the prayers.

Following the diocesan music day last Saturday, we have decided to introduce the new 'Belmont Mass'; this setting is quite simple and dignified and draws on plainchant in a modern way. We will begin to learn it over the next few Sundays and copies of the music have been ordered for everyone. Here's hoping everyone will take to it!

Mgr Conrad Meyer and Mgr Richard Rutt RIP

Today was the requiem Mass for Canon Richard Rutt (right) at St Mary's Falmouth.

He had died just 4 days after Canon Conrad Meyer, (left) whose funeral took place last Thursday at Holy Trinity Newquay.

Both were Anglican bishops - Fr Rutt had been suffragan in St Germans (later of Leicester) and Fr Meyer assistant in Truro. They were both received into the Catholic Church after the vote for women priests - and then ordained as priests on 8th June 1995. Both were gracious and humble gentlemen who brought their own inspiring witness of faith to their respective Catholic parishes.

It was fascinating to learn a little of Fr Rutt's life. He had been stationed at Bletchley Park during the war to help with code-breaking; he could speak 14 languages (and was known to compose limericks in Latin and Greek). He spent 20 years in Korea as an Anglican missionary; he learnt to speak fluent Korean.
He was also famous for his books on knitting: he once knitted himself a mitre!
His beloved wife Joan pre-deceased him by a few years.

May they both rest in peace.
(Please pray also for Fr Conrad's wife Mary).

                                          

Fr Rutt kindly donated these copes to our parish some years ago. They are made from fine Korean silk.

Faith Summer Session

Last week the Faith Summer Session for young Catholic adults (15-30 yrs) took place once again at Woldingham School in Surrey. Nearly 300 people attended, including a large contingent from Scotland and 15 seminarians. Around 30 priests were there too (4 newly ordained).

The theme was "Love as I have loved you" The Vocation to Love; there were 8 magnificent talks both by priests and lay people. It is uplifting and inspiring to meet so many bright young people who have a whole-hearted love for the Catholic Faith and are so keen to learn more.

There are some photos here and more here (thanks to Fr Tim Finigan and Mac Mclernon)

Here is the contingent from the 'South West' including Camborne, Redruth, Truro and Newquay.

Here are the seminarians (including Fr Chris's brother)

I'm not sure who this guy is, but what a t-shirt!

The treasure of our Catholic Faith

The Gospel for this Sunday tells the parables of the treasure buried in the field and the pearl of great price. So often we not only take the amazing gift of our faith for granted, we don't feel confident in sharing it with others. The American CatholicsComeHome site presents a bold invitation to rediscover that treasure.

Apostleship of the Sea

Today we support the charity that has pastoral care for seafarers:

http://apostleshipofthesea.org.uk/cms/welcome-to-apostleship-sea

It seems to have been transformed into a highly efficient organisation in recent years.

Portreath (see image on the parish website) is the only patch of coast in the parish. The small port was formerly used for sending copper ore to Wales and receiving coal in return and for pilchard fishing.

Honouring the wisdom of Christ

Today is the octave day of the Feast of the Sacred Heart.

The English teacher-mystic Teresa Higginson (died 1906) claimed that Jesus had requested this day as a time to venerate his Sacred Head, the seat of divine wisdom and shrine of the powers of his soul (memory, understanding, will). This would bring glory to the Church and repair in some way the rejection of his saving wisdom in this modern world. Mass will be offered this evening in Redruth for that intention.

There is an increasing interest in this holy woman and moves are afoot to restart the cause for her canonisation.

More information here: http://www.sacredhead.org/