THE
P RTAL
October 2018
Page 13
Eucharist is a memorial meal or a sacrifice, but could
not bring herself to give a satisfactory answer to her
own question. it across. Dora also mentioned Stations of the Cross
for children, “It is the most wonderful journey you’re
going on with the stations of the cross.”
After lunch, we were all placed into smaller groups –
that is to say of about eight hundred people in each(!).
We went to the group addressed by Dora Nash on
‘Preparing Children for the Sacraments of Initiation’. A
confession here – for Ronald this was the highlight of
the Congress, saving Bishop Barron. One has seen many
programmes for Children’s
First Communion; many
of then bordering on the
dangerous. Our second group that first afternoon was about
Eucharist and Unity. It turned out to be a plea for
inter-communion in mixed marriages, that is between
Catholics and Protestants. Now it is difficult to be
against mother nature and apple pie, but we felt the
session was too full of sentimentality and spec ial
pleading.
How can people kneel
at the same altar, if they
are not “in communion”?
Mrs Nash was not to be
The speakers were Fr
tempted into such territory.
Dominic Robinson SJ;
She gave us a programme
The Revd Callan Slipper
to assist children into the
(CofE); Major David
full life of the Church that
Evans (Salvation Army);
was orthodox and exciting.
The Revd Neil Stibbens
We did manage to get a
(Methodist); and Canon
brief interview with Dora.
John O’Toole (RC). It
She knew all about the
was disappointing that
Ordinariate. She told us
Mgr Keith Newton, our
that children need to be
Ordinary, was not one of
a priority for everybody. She continued, “Because if the speakers, as he represents the one group in the
we don’t want to lose future generations of children Catholic Church that is, as one could say, ecumenism.
we need to really form them in the faith from the
beginning, and not just leave it to chance and bits of
Saturday began with the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop
school things here and there.” Ronald said, “You didn’t Edward Adams, reading a letter to the Congress from
leave out sacrifice, which is music to my ears.”
the Holy Father. You may hear this on this web site;
www.catholicnews.org.uk/Home/Special-Events/
Dora replied, “I know well this is one of the things Adoremus-National-Eucharistic-Pilgrimage,
along
you see. I think is partly a theological thing. It hasn’t with many of the other speeches.
been a very popular idea, but also, I think people do
find it difficult. So, I think it’s partly a lack of faith in
One suspects that for most delegates at the
that, and partly a preserved difficulty like the Trinity. Congress, the highlight was Bishop Robert Barron.
People shy away from things if it’s a bit mysterious. He is an inspirational speaker and held the Congress
And think they can’t teach it to children and its not the spellbound. His two talks are also on the above web
case at all, it’s not the case, you can always find a way site for you to hear. Do make sure you listen, it will not
of doing it visually or telling a story, you can always get be a waste of time.
Oscar Romero ... continued from page 9
concerned not to confront the government or the death His canonisation ought also to be an opportunity for
squads; when St John Paul II (who always had a good some to seek forgiveness.
relationship with Romero) came to El Salvador a few
Fr Ashley Beck’s booklet
years after his martyrdom, he insisted on breaking away
“Oscar
Romero
- Martyr for Faith”
from his official itinerary to pray at Romero’s tomb. He
is available from www.ctsbooks.org
was, frankly, hated by many in the Church. What we
On Monday 8 October, from 6.30pm in Our Lady
see as we celebrate this month his being raised to the
of Victories church in Kensington, the organisation
altars of the Church is how sanctity endorsed by the
Catholic Voices is organising a special evening
People of God (Romero has been venerated as a saint
marking the canonisation, focussing on Romero as
by the people for many years in Latin America) ‘wins’
a sign of unity. Admission is free but you need to
in the end; all of us have the opportunity this month to
register by emailing [email protected]
be helped by Oscar Romero’s life, teachings and death.