THE P RTAL
April 2015
Joanna Bogle DSG
The gathering
of Ordinariate clergy at Westminster
Cathedral Hall in February was marked by a great atmosphere
of good cheer and friendship, and a superb talk by Mgr Mark
Langham which placed the Ordinariate’s mission in the grand vision
of the New Evangelisation. And there was also excellent coffee!
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A round-up
of the month
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This last was provided by the Ladies Ordinariate Group
– using a splendid new coffee-machine. And before you
start saying boring things about how-patronising-towrite-about-ladies-making-coffee, please hold your
breath and don’t bother. We LOGS are an intelligent
group of women, with busy professional lives, who
recognise that neighbourly service isn’t beneath us and
that a good chat over coffee is a good start to the day.
And, just for the record, Mgr Keith Newton joined us
in the kitchen and helped to get the machine working
and Anselm and Alphege and Dunstan was as great
properly. It’s all teamwork in the Ordinariate.
as their eagerness to learn more about Wiseman and
A bonus during the day was that LOGS members had Manning and Vaughan – and who taught me a huge
time together to talk over some of our latest ventures: the amount as well.
London-wide schools project is now well under way, and
And these nuns are such enormous fun! Our laughter
the first packets of pupils’ work have arrived at Precious
Blood Church; our annual visit to the Vocations Centre at one point got just a little too loud, and we tried to
in Kent is organised, and meetings for the next months shush ourselves: rather embarrassing if someone had
will tackle issues ranging from the state of the Church had to hurry over to beg these white-clad Dominicans
in Zimbabwe to the work of university chaplains. We’re to quieten down a bit.
even reasonably well ahead with our Autumn plans for
Scholarly, amusing, hard-working, dedicated to
a weekend event at Walsingham, and booking a slot
to sing carols at London Bridge station. As we all have youth work and to education, these sisters are going
working lives – to say nothing of homes, families, and to play a crucial role in the mission of the Church in
parish and other community responsibilities – LOGS the years ahead. And so, too, I think, will the women
seems to run on that curious fizz of extra energy that of the Ordinariate.
comes from tackling something that has a sense of
On April 23rd, your correspondent is giving a talk
being part of a new adventure.
at the Amigo Hall, St George’s Cathedral, as part of a
During the afternoon session, your correspondent series on “Common objections to the Catholic Church”,
had to hurry out to meet a group of nuns. The tackling, among other topics, the question of the
Dominican Sisters of St Joseph, from Lymington in Church’s attitude to women. 7.30pm. Come and join in.
Hampshire, were in London, and I had promised to
take them round Westminster Cathedral.
The picture on this page shows FrChristopher
Pearson with the Dominican sisters – a cheery and
Some of the talks I give in the Cathedral are for noisy greeting on the cathedral piazza at the end of our
teenagers, whose knowledge of history is abysmal. tour, with hugs all round. Fr Christopher welcomes
Some are to groups of interested Catholics with a the sisters annually to Precious Blood church for
general grasp of things from Henry VIII onwards, but a Prayer Walk along the Thames. More about that,
distinct vagueness about anything before then. What a and their annual Walk to Walsingham here: www.
joy to be with people whose knowledge of Augustine dominicansistersofstjoseph.org
contents page