Recollections of Blaisdon Hall
National Newsletter
Good Shepherd Mass
Westminster Cathedral 2007
Good
Shepherd Mass - Westminster Cathedral
06
June 2007
On Monday the 6th June the Catholic Children's Society (Westminster) invited children from all the Catholic schools within the Diocese who had participated in their Lenten appeal, to a special Mass in Westminster Cathedral. John Ward, my wife Sylvia and myself had accepted invitations, and we had been advised be arrive early as the Mass would be well attended.
The
Mass was scheduled to commence at 2pm and in anticipation of a good attendance
we arrived early to see hundreds of children with their teachers lined up and
waiting to be admitted to the Cathedral. The
children were good humoured, well behaved and it was good to see that the
children were dressed in their school uniforms, many carrying banners
proclaiming the name of the school and the district of London that they had come
from.
Bishop Bernard Longley
accomponied by A Bishop from Lusaka Concelebrating
In view
of the numbers attending we made our way to our reserved seats and it was
strange to see the Nave of the Cathedral completely empty with all the pews
removed to the side aisles. It quickly became apparent why this was so.
St Charles’ School, Ealing.
They were all trying to shake John’s hand when he left at the end of
Mass
The
children began to trickle into the Cathedral one school at a time and each
school was allocated a space. So great was the number of children attending the
Mass that the trickle of children entering the Cathedral now had become a
torrent. The pressure on the
available space grew and each school was urged to move closer together to make
room for those still waiting outside. The
commencement of Mass had to be delayed a little to allow everyone addmittance.
A massed
choir of children, plus musicians had taken up their positions on the Sanctuary
in front of the High Altar and the Mass commenced.
Deacon Jim Richards, CEO
of the Society at the altar table.
In the
cathedral there was upwards of one thousand children, and each hymn was sung in
full voice. Many of the schools had
produced cutout images of the Society's Logo. The Logo is children with their
hands linked together. (See example on
the Mass Sheet above)
Representatives
of each school made there way to the altar to present the money raised during
Lenten appeal to Bishop Longley and Deacon Richards. The number of children lining up to present the funds raised
to Bishop Longley and Deacon Richards indicates that thanks to their efforts the
appeal was very successful.
This was just the tail end
of a very long line of contributors
The
Mass ended with the children once again in full voice singing " He's
got the whole world in his hands."
As I left the Cathedral I couldn't help wondering if all those years ago when John Ward and I and the thousands of boys and girls who had been in the care of The Crusade of Rescue as the Society was then known, had had their lives improved by the efforts of children raising money in the schools throughout the Diocese of Westminster and if a similar Mass had been Celebrated by Cardinal Hinsley and Canon, later Bishop, Craven.
 |
