St John Fisher...

...a great hero of the Faith, is still inspiring new generations.

The chapel at the John Fisher School, Purley (where my brother went to school) with was consecrated on Thursday in a glorious ceremony - Archbishop McDonald of Southwark spreading sacred oil from a silver ewer on to the altar, priests anointing the walls with crosses, a great choir of boys singing magnificently....

A church is usually consecrated as soon as all its debts have been paid, but although the school chapel was paid for long ago, and has been in full use for many years, it had never been consecrated - so the school took the opportunity of the chapel's 50th anniversary to do it. A long line of priests, many of them former pupils of the school, filed in to the packed chapel, and the congregation was led by the Mayor and Mayoress of Croydon. Bishop Howard Tripp, a former John Fisher pupil, blessed a portrait of St John Fisher which hangs at the back of the chapel - it dates back to the mid-19th century and has just been restored, there's a whole story attached to it - and we sang the School Hymn which was written by the founding headmaster and has splendid lines about the saint "Loyal to England and Christ's earthly Vicar, death found thee fearless..."

Afterwards, a buffet lunch in the school hall, and lots and lots of old friends meeting and talking...I met Gwen, with whom I was in the Girl Guides, oh a lifetime ago (we both got our Queen's Guide badges within months of each other) and Mother was hugely enjoying meeting people and reminiscing...

Like many another school chapel across Britain, this one is packed with important memories for so many people.