THE P RTAL
May 2015
Page 23
Treasures of Ushaw College
Ronald Crane reviews a recently published book
As Jackie
Ottaway and I travel the country visiting Ordinariate Groups, and interviewing important
people; there are sometimes opportunities to spend time with friends. On a recent visit to Durham to
interview Professor Paul Murray, our friend Dr James Kelly invited us to visit Ushaw College. We were given
a tour of the place, spending time in the magnificent library. A reception was followed by a lecture and a
lovely supper. It was a most enjoyable afternoon and evening.
The Seminary at Ushaw is, alas, no-more. The
premises are to be, we hope, become part of Durham
University. But: what of the treasures of Ushaw? The
few that we saw on out visit were enough to take our
breath away. They were stunning. Th e ring found inside
St Cuthbert’s tomb. Placed there in the thirteenth
century probably by a bishop; silver tableware from
Douai (the forerunner of Ushaw) buried to keep it safe
from those who would destroy beautiful things; and
medieval vestments from the court of Richard III.
In the Library we were privileged to see and handle
Cranmer’s Prayer Book, annotated by the man himself;
more than sixty books printed prior to 1501; books from
Durham Priory that had been destroyed during the
dissolution of the monasteries between, as well as the –
now famous – Book of Hours, used by King Richard III. We
read letters by Newman, saw first editions of many works
from England and the continent. Catholic authors as well
as protestant ones including Luther and Robert Southwell.
Imagine my delight when Dr Kelly sent me a copy of
a new book which he has edited entitled, “Treasures of
Ushaw College”. The book is as wonderful as the treasures
it describes. The text is carefully written by various
experts in the required fields. It is beautifully illustrated
with some stunning photographs in full colour.
One hundred and sixty pages of some of the most
precious treasures the Catholic Church has in this
country. They deal with Recusant times, times when
the church was prescribed, right to the eve of Catholic
emancipation. It is indeed a labour of love. It is something
all those interested in the history of the Catholic Church
in England from the Reformation until now ought to
have and to read. This is more than a Coffee Table book.
I have used it as an aid to meditation as well as to lean
about the various subjects covered. If you are in any way
interested in how the Catholic Church came to be as it is
today in the UK, you need to read this book. If you are
interested in beautiful things, especially from the “old
times” until now, you need to read this book.
Moving to the Chapel we saw the wonderful building
itself containing that magnificent brass eagle lectern. It
Treasures of Ushaw College is edited by dr James Kelly
is by Pugin and cased a real stir at the Great Exhibition and published by Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers Ltd
of 1851. We were also instructed in the rules of the in 2015 in association with Durham University. ISBN
game of “Cat”, played at Ushaw from its earliest days. I 978-1-85759-934-3, price £20.
cannot say that I fully grasped the essentials of it!
Letter to the Editor
From Fr Jonathan Redvers Harris
Following the recent correspondence about leaving
the “Protestant” Church of England and not looking
back, it’s perhaps worth remembering that all citizens
of England are, on one level, parishioners of their
national church.
Yes, the “special place” of the Anglican
Communion, proclaimed by Vatican II, is more
questionable in the light of recent developments,
but Anglicans are not simply seen by the
Catholic Church as Protestant, having “Catholic
traditions and institutions” (Decree on Ecumenism).
Many of us had our faith nurtured in the CofE
contents page
as “the ancient Church of this land, catholic and
reformed” (Revised Catechism). Although those of us
in the Ordinariate believe we have fulfilled part of that
claim in returning to the rock of Peter from which
we were hewn, we continue to maintain, in keeping
with our spiritual patrimony, a healthy interest in the
affairs of our Anglican brothers and sisters, and not
least in keeping open an ecumenical bridge.
Fr Jonathan Redvers Harris
Isle of Wight
Apology
Last month we gave the wrong Post Code for the
Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It should be B44
9SR. We apologise for an inconvenience caused.
The Editor of The Portal