THE P RTAL
July 2014
Then, of course, I took to it and became a server.
Come hither Page and stand by me!
“My Public School offered bursaries and I won one.
At one time I thought about becoming a priest, but after
school went to work in London. It was at St Magnus
the Martyr, London Bridge, that I met Fr Colin Gill.
One day there was no server at Thursday Benediction.
I offered myself and Father Colin responded, ‘Oh,
come hither Page and stand by me!’ Then I was invited
to have tea with him the next Tuesday at 5pm.
“Being mad about boats, I persuaded
my parents to help me buy a narrowboat
when I was nineteen. Moored on the
opposite side of the river to where we
lived at Staines, I lived on it.
to the Musicians’ Gallery
UK Pages - page 13
time. Since we started, we have received four
people, and there may be others in the pipe-line.
we do attract others
“The people we have do attract others and they enjoy
a more meditative style of worship. There are a number
of Diocesan Catholics who come to us - sometimes we
attract thirty-odd people. The local Catholic Parish of
St James is supportive in many ways.
“We are fortunate with the money. We have ‘givers’
and a bit of money coming in. If, or
when, I am ever replaced, they may need
to provide a stipend.
“As to the future: it is difficult to build
when the priest is not full-time. But we
do have younger people joining us, so
we can now start to think of a future.
We have people now who are more local
to Reading. Before, people came from
Winchester, Basingstoke and Ascot.
“At Thorpe St Mary (Thorpe Park)
there was more incense, so I attended
there. I moved to Reading in 1968 and
Tom Christie
went to Holy Trinity with Fr Brian
Brindley. My services as Server and Churchwarden Ecumenical
“For ‘Called to be One’ we are planning Evensong and
were called upon on and off, then I migrated to the
Musicians’ Gallery. I have been singing the Propers at Benediction. We hope to invite people to come and see
who and what we are. We are Ecumenical
Mass for forty years now. Holy Trinity was
as a people. In Portsmouth Diocese, we
one of five churches in the CofE that Fr
have a very supportive bishop in Bishop
Colin Stephenson held taught the Faith
Philip Egan. Also FSSP (Fraternal Society
without soda water!
of Saint Peter) are supportive.
“However, we always kept abreast of new
“As far as the Ordinariate Festival is
trends in the church, without jettisoning
concerned quite a few have responded
the Faith itself.
and will go. It would be helpful if it were
we were normative
all on one site and maybe residential - say
“One of the wonderful things about the
at half-term.
Ordinariate is the Liturgy. We used to say Fr David Elliot
about Holy Trinity Reading, ‘We were not
“Walsingham is a bit far for a day visit.
normal, we were normative’! The Ordinariate makes it Few of our people drive. Nevertheless we are going as
so nice not to have to justify ourselves.”
a Group in August.
Fr David Elliott is an old and valued friend. He
told us, “School keeps me busy. During term time I
do not have much time to do Ordinariate work. We
have the Ordinariate liturgy worked out now. School
and the Group go together quite well. In fact, we have
Christmas and Holy Week at School. As it is out of
term time, it allows us to have a small choir of day
boys. They sing on Palm Sunday and at the Triduum.
It helps the Group and it helps the School.
“One or two of our Group have moved to other
places - Bristol and, recently, to Bournemouth - but
the Ordinariate in other places benefits. Thomas is
being received into the church in a couple of week’s
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wider section of Christians
“We would like to do more ecumenically, especially
with Anglicans. Our future does not lie in attracting
Anglo-Catholics. Those who have come, have come.
Those who have not come are obviously happy being
Anglican. Our ecumenism is with a wider section of
Christians. We have moved on in the sense that we are
more bedded in now.”
Thank you Father David and the people of the
Reading Group. We had a lovely and holy day with
you. If readers are in Reading on a Sunday, it is 0915 at
St James’s Catholic Church, Forbury Road, Reading. It
is next door to the gaol!