Catholics were among those who remembered the war dead on Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday. In an address at the annual Remembrance Service for the Greater London Authority at City Hall, Cardinal Vincent Nichols spoke on the demands placed upon Christians by that day: “To honour the living; to strive for peace; to heal the wounds of conflict; to work for justice.” Remembrance was, he said, an opportunity “for each one of us, to renew within ourselves the desire to serve”. Paul Mason, Bishop for the Forces, urged Catholics to pray for the departed at war memorials, saying in a sermon on Sunday that “not to pray for them would betray the solidarity and communion we share with them in Christ”.
The new cypher of Camilla, the Queen Consort, is the work of a former monk of Worth Abbey. The monogram, combining the initials of “Camilla Regina”, was designed by Professor Ewan Clayton, a Brighton-based calligrapher and tutor at the Royal Drawing School, who grew up near Ditchling in East Sussex, where he was a member of the artists’ guild founded by Eric Gill. After training in calligraphy, Prof Clayton lived at Worth in the 1980s first as a layman and then as a monk, and was later a consultant in Silicon Valley. He worked on the new cypher in collaboration with Tim Noad, who designed the King’s cypher unveiled in September.
A former Carthusian monastery is among the 13 sites listed as “saved” by Historic England in its new Heritage at Risk Register. The Coventry Charterhouse, founded in 1381 and dissolved in the Reformation, was added to the register in 2013 when the poor condition of its roof threatened to damage its “exceptional” wall paintings. A £4 million restoration project began in October 2019 to turn it into a visitors centre, with repairs completed in May this year. Malmesbury Abbey, a twelfth-century Benedictine foundation which is now an Anglican church, has been added to the register after it was found to need repairs costing £3.5 million.
A Catholic church in Staffordshire could remain closed after parishioners failed to return after lockdown. St Charles Borromeo in Measham, part of the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, did not re-open immediately after lockdown and saw limited attendance at occasional Masses. Despite a “use it or lose it” appeal from the parish priest Fr Peter Wade, the church has not seen a significant increase in numbers. The Diocese of Nottingham said that it had not taken a decision on the future of the church, but a parish meeting on 23 October discussed the possibility of closure.
The Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin, has said that the Church “must be more confident and prophetic in the dialogue between faith and culture in Ireland”. In an address to the 2022 graduate class in philosophy and theology at St Patrick’s Pontifical University, Maynooth, the archbishop said that the synodal process was prompting “prayerful discernment and discussion” about the Church, while noting that some see “a potential threat to the stability and certainty of Church teaching”. He encouraged the graduates to engage in the Synod to develop “a vision and manifesto for the future which is both ancient and new”.
On Safeguarding Sunday this weekend 20 November more than 2,000 churches across the UK will pledge to protect vulnerable people in their congregations and show what they are doing to make their churches safer. In the wake of reports from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and increasing revelations of abuse taking place in church settings, the national Safeguarding Sunday campaign will help churches across all denominations to learn from past safeguarding failings and ensure they are safe for everyone. The event is organised by Christian safeguarding charity Thirtyone:eight and marks the start of National Safeguarding Adults Week on Monday. Justin Humphreys, joint chief executive at Thirtyone:eight, said, “Recent reports have highlighted the massive failings of our Church institutions over the years. While we cannot and should not ignore abuse that has happened within the Church, we know many churches and faith ministries want to do this right.”
Ampleforth College has met all of the independent school standards and national minimum standards during a recent “progress monitoring” inspection according to the latest Ofsted report into the school. “We welcome this confirmation that Ampleforth College has good safeguarding processes and culture which we are determined not only to maintain but continue to improve,” the school said. “Safeguarding is not something that is ever completed; as society and culture change, so do the challenges to keeping children safe and equipping them to flourish.” In addition, having joined the school initially for four terms as head before retirement, Robin Dyer, now serving his tenth term, is retiring at Christmas. Peter Roberts has been appointed as the new head and he will take up the post in January, at the start of the spring term. Chair of governors Edward Sparrow said: “We are very pleased to have attracted Peter to Ampleforth. Peter is one the UK’s most successful and experienced independent school heads, with an outstanding record at King's Canterbury from 2011 to 2022 and at Bradfield from 2003 to 2011.” Mr Roberts said: “This new chapter for the school, starting after the welcome news from Ofsted, will be one of consolidation and confidence. I will continue to ensure best safeguarding practice and the excellent pastoral care of every pupil.” He added: “The Benedictine approach has always been important to me and my personal journey of faith has been a long one and deeply aligned with all that Ampleforth stands for.”
This year’s Cardinal Winning Lecture will be given by Dr Paolo Benanti from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, an expert on artificial intelligence who has advised Pope Francis on the subject. Dr Benanti’s talk will be titles “RenAIssance? Challenges of Artificial Intelligences to education and formation and will be held in the University of Glasgow’s Bute Hall on November 19. Places are free, but registration is required. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cardinal-winning-lecture-2022-registration
Pact is working with parishes to support prisoners at Christmas through Operation Elf that enables parents in prison to give a gift to their child, or children, at Christmas in the form of a £15 gift card. Gift cards are donated by individuals, groups, schools and parishes across England and Wales. Pact hopes to support the parents of 2,000 children who will be attending Pact family days in more than 60 prisons over the coming weeks. prisonadvice.org.uk/operation-elf
A service was held at St Martin in the Fields in Central London on 10 November to commemorate the lives of homeless people who died in London over the past year. More than 100 names read, mostly people who had died on the streets, in hostels and shelters, as well as some who managed to move on to more settled lives but who still relied on homelessness services. Staff and volunteers of homeless charities who supported people experiencing homelessness and who died over the past year were also remembered. Rev’d Richard Carter of St Martin’s and Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, chair of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission, were speakers. The Choir with No Name, Streetwise Opera and the Gavin Bryars Ensemble led the music with a packed congregation. The service can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/stmartininthefields
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