Catenians go to jail for lunch

Laurie Harding writes:

Sixteen Catenians from the Circle invited themselves to lunch at the Clink restaurant at the High Down Prison, Banstead. The establishment operates as a genuine restaurant with the object of training inmates for a job when they are released. We weren’t quite sure what to expect but everyone who attended was unanimous in their praise for the excellent service and  wonderful food that we were served.

There were a number of security checks before getting into the restaurant, which is situated within the prison itself. Photo ID was required and items including mobile phones, cameras, sharp objects and chewing gum were not allowed to be taken in. We were escorted from security as a group to the restaurant where we were locked in. The interior is furnished as one would expect for a good class restaurant with the exception of the cutlery which is plastic and no alcohol is allowed. The waiters were dressed in smart waistcoats and trousers and their attention to customers would put many restaurants to shame.

The lunch itself was three course with two or three selections for each and everyone said how delicious the food was.  Everything is prepared in house including the bread and ice cream.

At the end of lunch we had to be escorted back to security as a group and as the restaurant barred door was locked we realised that we had one person missing who turned out to be Gerry Lydon who had gone to the loo. There followed a small debate as to whether we should leave him there but on consulting Betty we decided to tell security we were missing someone - principally because he was our provincial councillor.

Everyone agreed that it was a great experience and also what a brilliant idea it was to prepare the inmates for an occupation on their release.  

Friends of Lisiecki Homes in Poland

Andrew Brzezina writes:

In the photograph I am handing over a cheque for £720 to Renata Sapieha, President of FLHIP - my charity as Provincial President.The charity Friends of Lisiecki Homes in Poland helps the most disadvantaged children in Poland.

The photographs shows members of the FLHIP Committee. Some Eastbourne Circle brothers are members and David Hiley is Treasurer.

Renata is a real Princess. I have never been kissed by a princess before and I did not turn into a frog!

Cathedral Spire Topping Out Ceremony

 

It's good to report that the new Cathedral Spire was successfully "topped out" by Bishop Kieran last Thursday. Read all about it here.

Your Editor is pleased to see that the Bishop uses the same make of camera as he does.

Diocesan Clerical Manning

I've mentioned before that prayer for vocations is one of the major ministries of the Catenian Association and is something every Circle does at every meeting. This should of course extend into our own private prayers and actions.

The importance of this is emphasized by the following summary from a recent address by Bishop Kieran concerning Diocesan clerical manning:

• The Bishop explained that since 1963 the number of priests has declined while the number of parishes has increased. The Catholic Church nationally, including the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, is facing a demographic time bomb with more priests retiring and dying than are being ordained.
• There are about 80 priests in the diocese. The diocese is just coping at the moment but the unexpected illness of 2 priests and the death of another has caused major challenges for the diocesan clerical manning pot. Put simply, the bishop said, the status quo cannot continue; something has to change.
• The ratio of priests to laity in the Diocese is 48,000 to 80 priests.
• The Bishop mentioned that he is often asked to look at sources of overseas priests, from Africa or Poland. He counselled against this approach citing the difficulties experienced by the Diocese of Southwark, who have tried this option. He also stated that we should not be exploiting Africa where, contrary to popular belief, there is a much greater shortage of priests than in UK.

With acknowledgements to Our Lady of Sorrows RC Church, Effingham.

A Rallying Cry

There has of course been one major news item this week – the riots in London and other major cities. Now, I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to associate the Crawley Catenian blogsite with my personal opinions on the topic. I’m certainly not going to opine whose fault the riots were. In any case the media are already packed with analyses far more astute than any I’m qualified to make!

However, I think I can venture that this sort of scenario is not what Jesus had in mind when (in Luke 6:20) He said “Blessed are you who are poor”: and that when He promised “for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven” He did not mean the first-century equivalent of plasma TVs and cool trainers. Neither is it just the “disadvantaged” sector of society that indulges in dangerously selfish behaviour, even if it's often manifested in ways that are less physically violent (though for that reason more insidious and therefore, in a sense, even more dangerous). As has been widely commented, our society seems to lack an overarching value system that enables us to get on together and promotes cooperation and therefore social cohesiveness. Morals are eminently practical things whether one has religious belief or not.

To go just a little deeper, I don’t think I’ll be courting controversy to state on a Catenian blogsite that, as a Christian, I believe in the fundamental role of a strong family to nurture individuals, give them a sense of identity and self-worth and an appreciation of the dignity of the human person; a worldview, in fact, that does not set the acquisition of power and material possessions as the pinnacles of aspiration but sees a deeper value to life.

Yes, all this has already been said. Let’s take the opportunity, though, to relate it to ourselves as members and wives of the Catenian Association. We belong to an organisation dedicated to the support not only of a group of people, but to the values and beliefs they (we) espouse. More accurately, perhaps, it’s an organisation dedicated to supporting us as we espouse our values and beliefs. In short, the Catenian Association provides us with fellowship as we work to build a society that recognises a shared value system: one that treasures individuals rather than being individualistic and aspires to a quality of life that is more than merely material.

We may each feel we can only make a humble contribution to that building work, but make it we must. If we each just lay a brick or two we’ll build a house... and eventually a whole Kingdom. Belonging to the Catenians and flying a public flag for our faith is a good start.

He died between the 'drest crab' and the boeuf en daube

I don't know if anyone else in Crawley Catenians knew Brian Brindley, once Chairman of the Business Sub-Committee of the General Synod of the Church of England. There is a reminiscence of him in Saturday's Daily Telegraph by Damian Thompson, who was present at his death ten years ago, .

I knew him for a few years, while we were both working for the Diocese of Chichester, prior to his defection to Rome (followed many years later by my own). He was someone not easily forgotten.

Transfiguration thoughts and thanksgivings

Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, a feast I love because it is so rich both in encouragement and in gritty reality. As our parish priest at St John’s, Horsham – Fr Terry - pointed out at Mass this morning, the disciples could not prolong their mountain-top experience with Jesus, Elijah and Moses indefinitely, but had to learn to bring the inspiration they had received back down into the valley of everyday life and, further, into the difficult times that lay ahead in Jerusalem. In the same way, this is for us a feast that fires us up with a vision of the glory of God and of the ultimate destiny of our humanity. At the same time it reminds us that in the here and now we will have to struggle, but always with hope.

For me, the white crucifix at St John’s (pictured here courtesy of the parish web site) speaks of both these elements: future hope and present comfort. When I lift up my eyes and heart to the Lord at Mass, I see a broken God-man hanging in shining-white glory. The glory gives hope; but the broken man offers me the comfort of a Saviour who has walked where I have walked and grieved as I have grieved.

When we walk and grieve with others, we are extending to them this glorious-broken comfort of the Cross. Our family has been blessed to experience a great deal of such comfort in the difficult times a child’s illness has brought to us over the past year or two. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Crawley Catenian Circle for their kind prayers, which have helped to transfigure our own experience of the challenges of daily life. I know there are many others too who are indebted to Catenian prayers and support.

The Priesthood: Alter Christus

What is a priest? What does a priest do? What makes a good priest?

These and other questions are posed to young Catholics, seminarians and priests throughout the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton in this DVD resource (£9.99) especially produced in the Year of the Priest by Mary's Dowry Productions.

"This excellent presentation is perfect for use in schools, youth groups, prayer groups, Confirmation classes and RCIA and gives a dynamic, relevant and interesting look at the priest and his ministry. Filmed on location at Brighton beach, Arundel Cathedral and Saint Pancras Catholic Church in Lewes, this important DVD resource has an accompanying question booklet for further discussion and information. Produced in collaboration with the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton.  Many thanks to the Diocesan parishes and Catenian circles that have financially supported the production of this DVD."

 The Parish Priest of St Pancras, Lewes, is Fr Richard Biggerstaff who will be moving to St John's, Horsham, next month.

Visit to Haywards Heath Circle 2nd August

Ten of us went to Haywards Heath with high hopes of winning the visitors cup. Our intelligence had reported that nine brothers from Seaford Circle would be attending. Was our intelligence correct? Did we win? Watch the video to find out.

Editor's Recommendation: Rick Stein's Spain

Having made my first recommendation recently, I'm now feeling like getting into the swing of it. So here's another:

If you love food and/or you love Spain (and I love both) then you must watch Rick Stein's Spain. Be prepared to literally drool. You can still catch the entire series on BBC iPlayer - but hurry because the whole of the series is only available until 17th August.

A Little Known Fact

It's a little known fact that the Crawley Catenian Circle also includes Horsham - where's that? you may ask. But never mind - Horsham has noticed us!

"Just" having fun

I will admit that before I got to the stage of encouraging my husband Edek to join the Catenians, I had a few mental obstacles to overcome (it took me a while to recognise a good thing when I saw it!). One of them concerned spending a certain amount of time and money (as “middle Britons” with a family, we don’t have either of those in as much abundance as we’d like) on membership of an organisation that was, as I thought, purely social. I could see the value of the Association in the days when Catholics were struggling for acceptance in the business world and needed their own network of support. But this hardly applied in the twenty-first century. Shouldn’t we join something “worthy” and do good, instead?

Before the Crawley Catenians rise up en masse to quite rightly debunk what I have just said, I will emphasise that the Catenian Association and its members actually do loads of good – for example, raising substantial amounts of money for local and national charities and supporting parishes and dioceses in a number of ways. And of course, being a Catenian doesn’t preclude membership of a charitable organisation: plenty of our members do both!

Above and beyond all that, though, I have learned not to turn my nose up at the “purely social”. Like everything else in our created world, relaxation, fun and companionship are gifts from God. Like everything else in our world, they can be horribly abused and exploited. They can be mindless distractions from the deeper realities of life or they can be grace-filled means to grow closer to Christ. One way or another, what we do in our spare time will shape us. It will either diminish us and contribute to the debasing of the world, or it will enrich us and empower us to fulfil the fundamental calling of the lay person – to order the world in accordance with God’s will. One good way of doing this is to share the warmth of the fellowship we have experienced with others (aka evangelisation).

In short, I realised that encouraging my husband to join a Catholic social network was a very “worthy” choice to make. Here’s to having fun... Cheers!

New Arundel & Brighton Vocations Blog

February 2011, Fr Gerard Hatton, then the Diocese's newest priest,
assisted at the altar by then-deacon, now newest priest, Fr David King

Fr. Terry Martin, still Parish Priest of St John the Evangelist Crawley, has already been getting moving on his new post as Diocesan Vocations Director by starting up a new blog called "I will give you shepherds ... "

The priestly vocation is a gift from God. It is undoubtedly a great good for the person who is its first recipient. But it is also a gift to the Church as a whole, a benefit to her life and mission. The Church, therefore, is called to safeguard this gift, to esteem it and love it. (Pastores dabo vobis, 41)

As Catenians, one of the things we pray for at every meeting is vocations to the Priesthood, Diaconate and the Religious Life. We should take seriously this call to prayer, and following from that our responsibility both for encouraging others to think about their vocations and for discerning the path to which the Holy Spirit is calling us personally.

Catenian Pilgrimage Banner

A new Catenian pilgrimage banner is now available for use. It features our three patron saints - St Peter, St Paul and St Thomas More. Whilst it was designed for Pilgrimages, it can also be used on many other Catenian occasions.

The Banner's first outing was during the Province 4 Pilgrimage to the Shrine of St Winefride at Holywell, North Wales, where it was blessed by the Parish Priest, Fr Salvatore.

For details of how to hire it, see the Catenian Association Website.

New Spire Installed on Arundel Cathedral

If you visit our Cathedral or even just view it at a distance from the road passing Arundel, you will see that a new spire has just been installed. It's expected that it will be a few weeks yet before the scaffolding is removed, but it's hoped to have a topping-out ceremony with the Bishop sometime this month.

Editor's Recommendation: The Sylvan Oak, Findon

It's not often your editor makes recommendations, but he had lunch today at the Sylvan Oak, Findon and was so impressed he couldn't pass up the opportunity. On the lunch-time menu any two courses were £18, so he treated himself to:

Wild Mushroom and Pea Risotto with Truffle Dressed Pea Shoots

Chocolate and Cardamon Créme Brûlée

Delicious and highly recommended!

Did you know...

... that Catena Magazine now has its own website?

http://www.catenamagazine.com/

Who was Bill Gower?

Peter Newell

Peter Newell writes:

Following the recent visit by Crawley Circle to Bexhill Circle for the annual Bill Gower Dinner, the most frequently asked question is always: Who was Bill Gower?  

Bill joined the Catenian Association in 1936 as a member of Sutton Mid-Surrey Circle. In 1940 he transferred to Wigan Circle. Returning to Sutton in 1946, he served as Secretary 1947-1949, and as President 1950-51 and 1951-1952. He transferred to Hastings in 1956, and became President in 1952. He transferred to Bexhill in 1971 to become founder Vice-President. However, due to the untimely death of President-elect Eric Stewart, Bill took over as founder President.

On the death of Bill in 1974, Bexhill Circle decided to honour his great joy of visiting other Circles by awarding a Trophy and Scroll to the Circle in Province 18 with the greatest number of visits to other circles, calculated on a per capita basis annually.

I am genuinely saddened that so many brothers are unable, for whatever reason, to visit their brothers in other Circles both within or without Province 18. To the non-visitor, a name in the obituary pages of Catena or elsewhere is just that, a name. To the regular visitor, it is a close friend, someone you have laughed with, debated with, dined with, wined with, shared with, and most importantly, a dear friend you have prayed with. Visiting must surely be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of Catenian Membership.

I know Bill Gower would have shared that sentiment with me. 

Bil Gower Memorial Trophy Dinner 1st July 2011

Eight brothers from Crawley Circle visited Bexhill for the Bill Gower Dinner. Unfortunately we didn't win the Trophy - which is given for the Circle within our Province with the highest average number of visits per member during the year - that honour went to Seaford Circle. But our Brother President did manage to win a bottle of wine in the raffle afterwards.

New Priests for St John the Evangelist Horsham

The two priests who will replace Fr. Terry Martin and Fr. Peter Andrews in September have been announced as Fr. Richard Biggerstaff and Fr. Aaron Spinelli.

Fr. Richard Biggerstaff

Fr. Richard is currently Parish Priest of St Pancras, Lewes.

Fr. Aaron Spinelli

Fr. Aaron was ordained in August 2008 from the parish of our Lady of Ransom Eastbourne and rejoices in his Filipino and Sicilian origins. He is currently Assistant Priest at St Joseph's Guildford.