Saturday, October 17, 2009

"A new springtime...

...in the Church" - a phrase that we've heard in recent years, and on an Autumn evening in London it was suddenly gloriously,joyfully evident...crowds in front of Westminster Cathedral, voices raised in a great hymn,a splendid procession as four days of prayer were brought to a climax, and a shower of rose-petals poured down from the balcony...

As the relics of St Therese were slowly carried out as the pilgrimage around Britain concluded, it was clear that something rather dramatic had happened. We have rediscovered, on a large scale, that popular Catholicism which has always been part of our heritage and too rarely makes its presence felt. It was good to be there. As the H. Father said at his inaugural Mass, looking back on the crowds that had packed Rome for the farewell to John Paul II and the events that followed:"The Church is alive and the Church is young"...

I was on my way to record some broadcasts for Premier Radio (now available nationwide - it started as a London-based Christian radio station), and thought I would cut across the Cathedral piazza. Not possible. Vast crowds and I was caught up in them, part of a memorable event in London's Catholic history...

BTW, you can hear the radio talks in the week beginning Nov 2nd, broadcast as "Thought of the day" at about 8am and again 10 am...

1 comment:

Frabjous Days said...

Hear, hear. It was wonderful.