THE P RTAL
November 2014
UK Pages - page 12
Good things
come in small boxes!
Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane
visit the Black Country Ordinariate Group
O
ne of
UK Pages
those family sayings was on the lips of Ronald’s cousin June. She would say, “Good things
come in small boxes”. We were reminded of this when we visited the Black Country Group recently. It
is not a large group, and like many other Ordinariate groups, it has suffered from its members drifting away
to become – in effect - Diocesan Catholics. Yet despite this, the Group is in good heart and its monthly mass
is beautiful, holy and a pleasure to attend.
Adrian Whitehurst, Carole
The group meets at noon on the
Whitehurst Michael Ewing the Catholic
third Sunday of each month at
amd Tony Whitehurst Choirmaster
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour,
Tony Whitehurst is the Catholic
Cannock Road, Wolverhampton,
Choirmaster at Our Lady of
where the Parish Priest is an old
Perpetual Succour. He attends
friend, Fr Stephen Goodman. It
the Ordinariate mass every
was good to see him again and
month and acts as cantor. He told
catch up.
us that he loved the Ordinariate,
Deacon Mel Harwood
and continued, “But I am biased
an old friend, Paul Davies
because I have a personal interest in it. My
After mass, we all moved to the sacristy
Mother was a convert from the CofE before
where, with Fr Goodman, we enjoyed coffee
she married my Father. This was frowned
and biscuits. We chatted with another old
upon and several members of the family
friend, Paul Davies. He was concerned at the
refused to attend the wedding. She told me
distance he and his family have to travel to
about the CofE, about the different prayers
mass. It is a round trip of fourteen miles, and Janet Lungley
and so on.
impossible by ‘bus on a Sunday.
“To me the Ordinariate was a
“However”, he told us, “the
logical conclusion. I am proud to
local Catholics have been very
help. It is a wonderful opportunity
welcoming, and Fr Goodman is
for groups to come over and join
wonderful! Sometimes we join the
the Catholic Church. Many Roman
Birmingham Group, so we get an
Catholics do not appreciate what
Ordinariate mass on the first and Paul, Deanna and Dot Davies
the Ordinariate is all about. That
the third Sundays of the month. Birmingham
is a shame. I am also interested in ecumenical
is, of course even further for us to travel.
matters, and I have become very involved in
this locally.”
“As far as the Ordinariate nationally is
concerned, we join in when we can. The
After coffee, we were invited to a local
Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Walsingham of
hostelry for lunch. As readers of The Portal
course, the Pilgrimage to Rome, and we are
will know, we are never ones to turn up our
going on the Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
noses at Sunday lunch, or any other meal for
Michael Ewing
with Mgr Keith Newton and The Portal in
that matter, so we went along.
November. We attended the Festival at Westminster
Cath