The Portal October 2018 | Page 13

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.