With Archbishop Mennini after the Mass, along with David Chadwick, a pupil of the school who was M.C. for the Mass and who is a server here at St Catherine's as well.I was very kindly invited to Stonyhurst School for Campion Day Mass and lunch yesterday (1st December - Feast Day of St Edmund Campion). The Celebrant was the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Mennini. Mass took place in St Peter's Chapel which is looking beautiful after a £1.3 million restoration. The organ is wonderful and was given full vent, including accompanying the final hymn "For All the Saints" which the school belted out like a rugby song. Great!
I must say, I was very well looked after, especially by Dawn Johnson, the Headmaster's wife, who met me and showed me around. My thanks for the photos she sent.
I've not met the Nuncio before but he is a very genial and gracious man, going out of his way to take an interest. It struck me what a small place our world-wide Church is. It turned out in conversation that an America friend of mine who works as an Advocate on the Roman Rota knows the Archbishop's brother (although he has thirteen siblings!) and that an Italian friend of mine who is in the Diplomatic Service for the Vatican in the Nunciature in the Central African Republic (where he tells me that the poverty is appalling) is also a great friend of his.
I often find that the Church is indeed a small place - as when visiting Rome, I never fail to run into someone I know, usually from next door back home!
I must say, I was very well looked after, especially by Dawn Johnson, the Headmaster's wife, who met me and showed me around. My thanks for the photos she sent.
I've not met the Nuncio before but he is a very genial and gracious man, going out of his way to take an interest. It struck me what a small place our world-wide Church is. It turned out in conversation that an America friend of mine who works as an Advocate on the Roman Rota knows the Archbishop's brother (although he has thirteen siblings!) and that an Italian friend of mine who is in the Diplomatic Service for the Vatican in the Nunciature in the Central African Republic (where he tells me that the poverty is appalling) is also a great friend of his.
I often find that the Church is indeed a small place - as when visiting Rome, I never fail to run into someone I know, usually from next door back home!
The Archbishop with the clergy and servers after Mass
A glimpse of the newly restored St Peter's chapel
I do hope that Archbishop Mennini makes it his business to meet as many parish priests as possible, away from the hierarchy.
ReplyDeleteDid you converse with him in Latin?
And did I see an intact high altar - I couldn't quite tell.