ARCHBISHOP'S PASTORAL LETTER ON THE PAPAL VISIT

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

We have been very blest indeed by the Visit of Pope Benedict during those four marvellous and unforgettable days. His presence has brought such joy and given a great boost to so many. I am immensely grateful to Her Majesty The Queen for extending the invitation to Pope Benedict to come on a State Visit to the United Kingdom.

There is so much to talk about. But at this point I offer some brief initial reflections.

The Holy Father has given us new heart for our mission. In our Cathedral he spelt out that task. He said we are to be witnesses to the beauty of holiness, to the splendour of the truth and to the joy and freedom born of a living relationship with Christ.

We have glimpsed the beauty of holiness especially in the moments of prayer during this Visit. The holiness of God is reflected in the reverence shown in the liturgies, in the actions of the Mass, in the music and song we have offered and most vividly in the silence of prayer. The beauty of this holiness permeates us from within as ‘heart speaks unto heart’. I will never forget the richness of the silence of 80,000 people at prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in Hyde Park. I hope every celebration of Mass contains times of shared silence in which we can draw close to the Lord.

We witness best to the splendour of the truth of our faith when we follow the example given by Pope Benedict. In speaking of our faith he was always so gentle and courteous, so sensitive to the achievements and anxieties of his listeners, so clear and reasoned in presenting difficult points, so humble and open-hearted. We must strive for these same qualities when speaking about our faith, in witnessing to its truth.

The Holy Father has also asked us to witness to the joy and freedom born of a living relationship with Christ. He certainly did so himself, with his own serenity and unfailing generosity of response to both individuals and great crowds. We can do the same, day by day, as long as our focus remains on the Lord and, particularly, in his power to forgive and heal us. We find our joy and freedom in the saving sacrifice of Christ. From it we draw the strength to be generous and self-sacrificing ourselves. Young people, too, gave witness to this joy and freedom. Outside our Cathedral they exclaimed their desire to be saints in the third millennium! Their pathway will be that of heartfelt prayer and generous service.

With the blessings of this Visit we can be more confident in our faith and more ready to speak about it and let it be seen each day. A small step we can all take is to be quicker to say to others that we will pray for them, especially to those in distress. Prayer is the first fruit of faith in the Lord and we grow so much by giving prayer its place in our homes and in our hearts. Even the simple step of more regularly using the greeting ‘God bless you’, gently and naturally, would make a difference to the tone we set in our daily lives as would the more frequent use of the Sign of the Cross. Making faith visible is so much a part of the invitation the Holy Father has extended to us all.

In these ways we can begin to respond to the urging of the Holy Father ‘that the Catholics of this land will become ever more conscious of their dignity as a priestly people, called to consecrate the world to God through lives of faith and holiness.’

I thank everyone who worked so hard in preparation for this Visit, through difficulties, doubts and criticism. I thank all who came to show their love for the Holy Father. Travelling with the Holy Father in the Popemobile gave me a unique experience of the joy, delight and love in the faces of so many. I thank God for our Pope and for all the blessings of this Visit from which we have so much to ponder and learn for a long time to come.

+Vincent Nichols

Archbishop of Westminster

REMINDER - Wednesday 29th SEPT - CONCERT "O MICHAEL"

Renaissance choral music for the Feast of Saint Michael featuring three monumental works from the early 16th century:

TAVERNER Mass ‘O Michael’
ISAAC Angeli, archangeli
DE LA RUE Credo ‘Angeli, archangeli’

All of which are gloriously complemented by more intimate festal settings, from gregorian chant to motets and hymns, including:

CLEMENS Concussum est mare
WILLAERT Tibi Christe, splendor Patris
JOSQUIN Benedicite omnia opera
PORTA Factum est silentium
PALESTRINA Venit, Michael Archangelus

Performed by HEXACHORD, Director Simon Lillystone

on WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 29 at 7:30pm in the
CONVENTUAL CHURCH OF SAINT JOHN OF JERUSALEM


This concert inaugurates the St John’s Concert Series, arranged in collaboration between St John’s Hospice and the Order of Malta.
The series aims to raise funds and awareness for the only independent Hospice in Central London.

For more details of future concerts please click the "St John's Concerts" link in the sidebar.

REPORT ON THE VICTORY MASS - FEAST OF OUR LADY OF PHILERMO

The Feast, last Wednesday the 8th of September, was celebrated with great joy in a packed church, in the presence of Their Excellencies the Grand Prior and the President of BASMOM. Canon Christopher Tuckwell, Administrator of Westminster Cathedral and Canon Daniel Cronin were very welcome guests in choir. The High Mass was celebrated by the Chaplain to the Grand Priory, Monsignor Antony Conlon.

Following Mass devotions to the icon of Our Lady were accompanied by Schubert's Salve Regina.  A new page of images and the history of the Icon of Our Lady of Philermo may be seen here.

During Mass, Mr Neil Ward made his Promise of Obedience, and Mr Raoul Fraser was invested in the Order as a Knight of Honour and Devotion. There were also three investitures in the Order Pro Merito Melitense after Mass, which was followed by a Reception in Fortescue House.

PAPAL ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE OF GREAT BRITAIN IN ADVANCE OF THE STATE VISIT

ARCHBISHOP NICHOLS ON THE PAPAL VISIT

Archbishop Vincent Nichols has written in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, commenting that the forthcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom is a chance to 'see that faith in God is not a problem to be solved but a gift to be discovered afresh.' Below is the text of His Grace's letter, which will assist Catholics to be correctly disposed to participate fully in the Papal visit.

Photo courtesy Mazur/Baranik/CNN

'The visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom is, without doubt, uniquely historical. The invitation for the Visit has been extended by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and it is she who will greet the Holy Father on his arrival on September 16th 2010. This Visit, therefore, marks a new phase in the long and complex history of the relationship between the monarchs of this land and the Papacy.

Pontiff and Queen share some profound concerns: about the well being of people around the world, about the role of Christian values and teaching, about the importance of stable institutions for the well-being of society. I am sure they will have much to reflect on in their time together.

After this opening ceremony of welcome, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Holy Father then celebrates Mass in Glasgow before travelling to London and to the residence of the Apostolic Nunciature.

The second day of his visit is dedicated to reaching out to many different facets of society. It begins with an event celebrating Catholic education and the part it plays in the education service of this country. The Holy Father will be able to address every school in the land, by means of an internet connection, and invite children everywhere to follow the events of his visit and to support him with their prayers.

St Mary’s University College, Twickenham, where this event is taking place, is also a training site for the forthcoming Olympic Games, in 2012. This will give an additional dimension to this event, appealing to the interest of many people in sport.

Later that morning, the Holy Father will meet with leaders of different sectors and enterprises who are themselves men and women of faith, drawn from the different faiths present in this country. He will speak with them of the importance of faith in God as shaping and inspiring effective leadership for the common good.

On the afternoon of Friday 17 September, Pope Benedict will visit Lambeth palace, the residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and then go to Westminster Hall, the great historic hall in the seat of power in London. There he will address the political, civil, diplomatic and enterprise leadership of the United Kingdom. Westminster Hall is the place in which St Thomas More was condemned to death in 1535 for his adherence to the Catholic faith. The event will be full of historic and contemporary resonance.

This day will come to a close in Westminster Abbey, with the recitation of Evening Prayer in company with all the diverse Christian communities of the United Kingdom. The Holy Father and the Archbishop of Canterbury will pray together at the tomb of St Edward the Confessor, the King of England who died in 1066 and was the refounder of Westminster Abbey. He represents the deep and shared Christian roots of these lands.

The next day the Pope will celebrate Mass in Westminster Cathedral, visit a home in which the elderly and dying are cared for and lead a vigil of prayer in Hyde Park, the great open space at the heart of London.

Sunday 19 September sees the Holy Father go to Birmingham to celebrate Mass and the proclamation of the Venerable John Henry Newman as Blessed. This is such an important moment in this Visit. Cardinal Newman’s beatification holds before the Church a scholar of great distinction, a poet of considerable merit and a parish priest who was deeply loved by all who knew him. He was a man who understood that mind and heart had to go together in the great enterprises of life, the greatest of which is the search for God and for that life-giving relationship with Him. Newman spoke and wrote eloquently of this inner personal search and of the joy it brings. He expressed the emptiness of life without God in these terms:  

‘If I looked into a mirror, and did not see my face, I should have the sort of feeling which actually comes upon me, when I look into this busy world, and see no reflection of its Creator.’

The overall hope which we entertain for this Visit may be expressed very simply. We hope that the illuminating presence and words of Pope Benedict will help many in our countries to see that faith in God is not a problem to be solved, but a gift to be discovered afresh. For many in our society, faith has become a problem, something to be kept hidden or removed from the public forum. Yet the truth is very different: faith in God brings such richness and joy to human living. It is the liberation and guide for which we search, the source of inspiration and endurance, the fount of forgiveness and compassion.

The invitation to faith is, of course, deeply personal. For this reason, the motto chosen for this Papal Visit is the same motto chosen by John Henry Newman for his coat of arms as a Cardinal: ‘Heart speaks unto heart.’

I hope and pray that this Apostolic Journey of Pope Benedict XVI will bring great blessings to this land, and to many who follow it throughout the world.'

+Vincent Nichols

Archbishop of Westminster.

SEPTEMBER 8th. NATIVITY OF OUR LADY, THE 'VICTORY MASS'

The Icon of Our Lady of Philermo, as she would have appeared 
annually on this day in Malta, wearing the festal 'dress' given by
Grand Master Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (16th to 18th centuries)

Wednesday 8th September is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the day upon which the Order of Malta particularly honours the Mother of God under the title of Our Lady of Philermo.

It is also the Anniversary of the lifting of the Siege of Malta in 1565, the victory over the Ottoman forces attributed to Our Lady's gracious intercession.

The Annual Victory Mass will be celebrated in the Conventual Church at 6.30pm, followed by a Reception in Fortescue House, to which all are welcome.

The choir Cantores Missae will sing Missa 'Ave Maris Stella' by Victoria, and motets 'Ego flos campi' by Alonso Lobo and 'O sacrum convivium' by Giovanni Croce. The Salve Regina will be to a setting by Schubert.

PAKISTAN - PLEASE CONTINUE TO HELP

photo © AFP.com

Malteser International, the Order of Malta’s International Relief Service, is continuing its assistance to Pakistan’s flood victims. The mountain districts of  Swat and Kohistan are often difficult to reach as roads and bridges have been destroyed and relief teams are forced to abandon their vehicles and proceed on foot. The Order of Malta’s medical teams are working with five Pakistani health units. Moreover, two mobile clinics offer daily services to the inhabitants of villages and towns where access to health facilities cannot be assured. Skin diseases, diarrhoea, pneumonia, dehydration and anaemia continue to be widespread. Medical treatment is accompanied by hygiene awareness sessions and the distribution of water purification tablets.

photo © Associated Press

The latest figures given by the Pakistani government report over 17 million victims of the severe floods, covering a vast area stretching from the Chinese border to the mouth of the Indus River. A total of 1.2 million houses have either been damaged or destroyed.

Last weekend, Malteser International organized an assessment in the Punjab. The idea was to provide medical assistance for at least three months with three additional teams carrying out similar tasks to those in northern Pakistan.  Unlike Swat and Kohistan, Punjab is in a lowland area and the waters tend to recede more slowly than in the mountainous regions. In the long term, Malteser International will be involved with disaster risk reduction. In Swat, several health units will be rebuilt and re-equipped and, together with existing centres, prepared to resist any future disasters.

“Medical supplies and equipment are absolutely insufficient so far,” reports Roland Hansen, head of the Asia Department at Malteser International”. To date, Malteser International’s operations in Pakistan are estimated to have cost over three million Euro. “But,” Hansen concludes, “even  the most elementary needs are still far from being met”.

This short video, courtesy of Russia Today, gives some idea of the tragedy of the situation. Nothing can give an idea of the scale.

PLEASE! CLICK HERE TO GIVE AID

VIDEO OF GRAND MASTER'S VISIT TO HOLY FATHER

As we draw to the close of what has been a busy summer in the Conventual Church, we can perhaps allow ourselves a post which is not directly relevant to the daily life of Saint John's Wood.

It has been brought to our attention that there is a video available, which you can watch below, of the annual audience granted by His Holiness Pope Benedict to His Most Eminent Highness the Prince and Grand Master, accompanied by members of Sovereign Council, on the 25th June 2010. The evident intimacy and warmth even within this formal setting is something of which the Order may be justly proud, and which allows it to strengthen and develop its missionary work fully conformed to the mind of the Church.

It is good to see this report as we await with joy the visit of the Holy Father to these shores. The report is lent further local relevance for us by featuring the homage of Fra' Duncan Gallie, Member of Sovereign Council, and Chancellor of the Grand Priory of England and Vice-Chancellor of the British Association.

Please remember to pray for the Holy Father every day, and also for the Grand Master and the spiritual and humanitarian work of the Order of Malta.

Our Lady of Philermo, pray for us

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us

SAINTE JEANNE JUGAN, LITTLE SISTER OF THE POOR

Sainte Jeanne Jugan, pray for us.

Monday was also the first year's celebration of the feast of Sainte Jeanne Jugan, foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor, canonised last October by Pope Benedict. Click here to read more about her. The Sisters first came to London from Brittany and opened their first home here in Portobello Road in 1869.

In recent years the Conventual Church has developed links with the Little Sisters at Saint Anne's Home for the Elderly in Stoke Newington. Several of the sisters and residents joined us for the visit of the relics of Sainte Therese last year, and our Chaplain Emeritus, Canon McDonald, is now Chaplain at Saint Anne's Home.  Some members of the Order joined the Sisters and residents on Monday morning for this joyous feast, a sung Mass in the beautiful new chapel, followed by devotions at the new statue of the Saint in the grounds, and a delicious barbeque buffet lunch in the dining room and garden. Rarely does one see such a happy atmosphere in an old-people's home.

The New Chapel (Photo courtesy The Architect's Journal)

Saint Anne's Home provides residential care for 34 elderly people, as well as some self-contained flats for the  more self-sufficient, and a day centre for people in the local community.  The constitution of the Sisters ensures that they may not make any investments, the money they collect must be spent directly on the poor, relying entirely on Divine Providence. Their funding comes from local authority grants, private donations and the appeals around parishes and offices with which many Londoners are familiar.  Saint Jeanne laid great store by the humility of begging for alms for the poor, and this remains a great part of their life today. It is in recognition of this extraordinary work that the Holy Father will visit the Little Sister at Saint Peter's Home in Vauxhall later this month.

Please consider making a donation to the Little Sisters and their work. You may send it to: Mother Josephine Storey, Saint Anne's Home, 77 Manor Road, Stoke Newington, London N16 5BL. For more information, or to become a friend, telephone 020 8826 2500.

AUGUST 30th - BL. ILDEFONSO CARDINAL SCHUSTER, OSB

Today is the feast of Blessed Alfredo Ildefonso Cardinal Schuster, OSB, Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta.

Memorial

He was born in Rome of Bavarian parents on 18 January 1880 and was baptized Alfredo Ludovico Luigi. He entered the Benedictine monastery of St Paul-Outside-the-Walls when he was 11, and in 1896 began his novitiate, taking the name of Ildefonso. He made his solemn profession in 1902. After studying philosophy at Sant' Anselmo (Rome)  and theology at St Paul's Abbey, he was ordained a priest in 1904. 

He was appointed Archbishop of Milan by Pope Pius XI on 26 June 1929 and created a Cardinal on 15 July. In 1933 he was invested Bailiff in our Order. A few days before he died, he withdrew to Venegono seminary. 

His last, moving words were to the seminarians: “You want something to remember me by. All I can leave you is an invitation to holiness...”. He died a few days later on 30 August 1954. His cause for canonization was introduced in 1957 by his successor, Archbishop Giovanni Battista Montini, the future Pope Paul VI. When his tomb was opened on 28 January 1985, his body was found to be intact. He was beatified on 12 May 1996.  

The Collect

Almighty God, through your grace,

Blessed Alfredo Ildefonso,

by his exemplary virtue built up the flock entrusted to him.

Grant that we, under the guidance of the Gospel,

may follow his teaching and walk in sureness of life,

until we come to see you face to face in your eternal kingdom.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.          

SUNDAY 29th AUGUST - PASSION OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

Salome with the Head of the Baptist by Caravaggio, 1607

The Feast of the Decollation, or Passion of our Blessed Patron was this year displaced by the occurring Sunday. Whereas the Nativity is a Solemnity which would take precedence over the Sunday, this Feast does not, even in the oratories of the Order.

In the Conventual Church, as part of the monthly day of Recollection on Saturday (with excellent conferences given by Father Rupert McHardy of the London Oratory) the Feast was observed by sung votive First Vespers, and during Holy Hour the singing by Schola Baptista of the glorious English early Tudor motet 'O Baptista vates Christi' by Hugh Aston (born 1485).

"O Baptist, Prophet of Christ,

who arose greatest among those

born of women,

whom we entreat in this temple

with concordant voices,

be on the side of us, thy people.

Defend this choir,

whose members we are

and whose leader and best patron

thou art after Christ,

lest the smoke of anger harm us;

let love be in our hearts.

Thou art nothing without God,

who chose thee alone

among so many mortals

to be a witness to our hope,

the true preacher of the word of God,

pointing out the Son of God..."

Holy Hour was followed by veneration of the relic, which was also present on the altar for the Mass of the Sunday.

The Grand Prior was present on Sunday, and thus able to greet everyone on this patronal feast which we share with the Hospital.

SUFFRAGE OF THE PASSION OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

Misso Herodes spiculatore, praecepit amputari caput Joannis in carcere : quo audito, discipuli ejus venerunt, et tulerunt corpus ejus, et posuerunt illud in monumento.

V/. Gloria et honore coronasti eum, Domine.

R/. Et constituisti eum super opera manuum tuarum.

Oremus. Sancti Joannis Baptistae Praecusoris et Martyris tui, quaesumus Domine, veneranda festivitas, salutaris auxilii nobis praestet effectum : Qui vivis et regnas cum Deo Patre in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deum, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

VISITORS FROM AUSTRIA - SAINT JOHN'S WOOD

Last night, the final evening of their visit to London, our guests from Malteser Hospitaldienst Austria came to Saint John's Wood to see the Hospital and Conventual Church. The Grand Prior was present to welcome them to the home of the Order in England, as were the Chancellors of both the Grand Priory and the British Association.  The heavy rain prohibited us from beginning our visit in the courtyard to look at Brampton House and the facade of the church, but failed entirely to dampen the spirits of our guests!

Following a talk in the afternoon given by the Commissioner on the founding of the Hospital and the history of the Conventual Church (again splendidly translated by Tina Andracher!), Holy Mass was celebrated by Father Peter Newby in Latin and German, ending with the singing of the German hymn "Segne du Maria." We were joined by several of the Sunday faithful and Companions, including some very useful German speakers! Mass was served by both English Companions and volunteers from Malteser Austria.  Our photographer was serving, hence the lack of photographs of this part of the afternoon.

Following Mass, everyone repaired to Fortescue House for a splendid buffet supper and a visit of some of the Order's artefacts led by the Grand Prior.

Our guests return home to Graz tomorrow, we wish them a safe journey, and offer them our thanks for all the fun we have had together over the past week. Click photos to enlarge.

Talk on the history of the Church and Hospital

Malades and Helpers at the Reception

Friends and helpers

The Grand Prior with some of the Malteser volunteers and the Sword!

VISITORS FROM AUSTRIA - TOWER OF LONDON

On Tuesday morning our visitors were taken to the Tower of London, in a visit organised by Sean Armstrong.  Again they arrived by river-boat, thankfully not to Traitor's Gate! We were greeted by the Governor of the Tower, Major General Keith Cima, who most graciously arranged for us, as we were Catholics, to enter his residence the Queen's House. Here we were able to visit the cell at the bottom of the Bell Tower where St Thomas More was held prisoner in dire conditions for the 15 month prior to his execution on Tower Hill. This part of the Tower is not normally open to visitors, so this was a great privilege. After a brief prayer in the cell, we then visited the tomb where the saint's body, but not his severed head, are buried in the crypt of the chapel. The Yeoman Gaoler showed us around and gave most interesting and informative talks.

We then, thanks greatly to the courtesy shown by the Tower authorities to our guests our Lords the Sick, jumped the queues for a private visit of the Crown Jewels, and those who could manage the stairs (including some Malades) were taken up to William the Conqueror's chapel of Saint John in the White Tower, where all kings until Charles II spent the night in vigil before their coronation. It is also the place where the Order of the Bath was founded.

After our long and fascinating morning's visit, we were treated most generously to a delicious lunch in the offices of Norman Rose in Southwark, courtesy of Simon Cox, the husband of one of our Dames, in a roof-top dining room with wonderful views across the City and Tower Bridge.  Our guests left us by bus to go to visit Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace, with the boundless energy of youth!

We are very grateful to everyone who made this visit such a success, and also to our guests whose presence allowed several of us to take a morning of work to play at being tourists in our own city! Click pictures to enlarge.

Order of Malta Gun of 1607 on the lawn before the White Tower 

The Governor, Major General Cima, addressing our visitors

The Yeoman Gaoler addressing the party before the Queen's House

In St Thomas More's cell

The Saint's tomb (reliquary)

Group photograph before Tower Bridge

The Bridge opening!

Saint Thomas More, pray for us.
Saint John Fisher, pray for us.

VISITORS FROM AUSTRIA - TOUR OF THE CITY

Father Peter Newby, Rector of St Mary Moorfields, led our guests on a short walk around Catholic London which took in the location of his church's predecessor, the first cathedral built after the Restoration of the Hierarchy.  The site was later sold and the proceeds paid for the building of Westminster Cathedral.  We then moved to view one of the few remaining pieces of London Wall, built by the Romans.  The original Roman work can be seen at the bottom of the present wall outside All Hallows Church.  

Negotiating one of the many very narrow side streets of the City the group arrived at the site of the former Augustinian friary in Austin Friars where the Netherlandse Kerk now stands.

Moving on again we arrived at the Blue Plaque recording the birthplace of John Henry Cardinal Newman in Old Broad Street. As Fr Newby pointed out, the London into which he was born was transformed into a very different City by the time of his death in Birmingham.

The Bank of England and the Royal Exchange were next to be viewed before a stroll back to the Church with glimpses of the 'Gherkin' and the Stock Exchange building on the way.

It had been planned to have afternoon tea in the Church Hall, but access down the stairs proved impossible for the wheelchairs and Father kindly put the Sacristy at the disposal of the party, with all the helpers assisting in bringing the tea things up from down below in a relay of efficiency.

Many thanks to Fr Newby for his interesting talks en route and the hospitality at the Church. Click photos to enlarge.

Site of the Pro-Cathedral of old St Mary Moorfields near Finsbury Circus

The Roman masonry at All Hallows London Wall

The visitors enjoying the talk at Austin Friars

Pilgrimage to the soon-to-be-Beatus' birthplace in Old Broad Street

Afternoon tea in the Sacristy at St Mary Moorfields!

SUNDAY 22nd AUGUST - MASS FOR MARIA MARTINHO RIP

The anniversary Mass intention for Maria Martinho was offered by Father Sloan at the Sung Mass on Sunday 22nd August. Maria, an old friend of the Order and of Saint John's Wood community and veteran of many Order pilgrimages to Lourdes and other holy places, died after a long and valiant battle against cancer on 20th August 2008.

In 2007 whilst in Walsingham with the Order she already knew that her condition was terminal and lamented the fact that she would never be able to fulfil a lifelong ambition to meet His Holiness the Pope. Our then Hospitaller, Peter Loyd decided that we should make this happen.

Within days tickets to the General Audience had been arranged, flights and hotels booked and plans set in train to ensure that she would meet Pope Benedict. As the accompanying photographs show, she did to, her great delight!

Maria lived for more than a year after this happy meeting, far longer than her doctors had predicted and was even able to take part in the annual pilgrimage to Lourdes in May 2008.

Many people yesterday remembered Maria, and having prayed for her soul, some 25 toasted her memory after Mass in Fortescue House.

Requiescat in Pace.

VISITORS FROM AUSTRIA - GREENWICH PICNIC

We have been very pleased to welcome a group of visitors from Graz, on holiday to London, six Malades with their helpers from Malteser Hospitaldienst Austria.

They arrived on Friday afternoon, and on Saturday a group of members of the Order from the Conventual Church and Companions, under the leadership of John Tabor, arranged a picnic in Greenwich.

Fra' Richard Cheffins, who lives in Greenwich, gave a guided tour of the town, the historic market and the Royal Naval College, and delivered a most learned talk, simultaneously translated with an enviable skill by Tina Andracher, the group leader.

It was disappointing that the fire of two years ago aboard the Cutty Sark has resulted in continued scaffolding on this glorious tea-clipper, with which some of our guests, well versed in British maritime history, were already familiar. The spire of Hawksoor's magnificent anglican church of St Alphege was also shrouded in scaffolding, the bane of every tourist's life!  The glorious baroque interior and the organ console played for many years by Thomas Tallis (and also by the princesses Elizabeth and Mary Tudor), was however open to visitors. We were, nevertheless, blessed by the weather which although threatening to rain at any moment remained warm and fine.

After a lunch on the grass by the colonnade of the College Brewery the group visited the Painted Hall, the former dining hall, and Chapel, before repairing to the Trafalgar Tavern for a pint. An order of 18 pints at the bar caused no evident surprise!

Further reports of the visit will follow before our guests' return to Graz on Thursday. Click photos to enlarge.

Disembarking from the Riverboat

In the Greenwich Hospital Market

Fra' Richard's Morning Office

In the Exhibition

Lunchtime

Fra Richard's talk

The Painted Hall

Photographers

The College Chapel

Group photograph outside the Chapel

At the pub

COLLECTION FOR HOLY PLACES

We have received a letter from the Commissariat of the Holy Land, the Franciscan Office charged up by the Holy See to collect funds from around the world for the Holy Places in Jerusalem, acknowledging the Good Friday Collection of £140 in the Conventual Church.

Many thanks to all those who gave to this cause to protect and maintain some of the most holy things in our religion.

REPORT - FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION OF OUR LADY

The Grand Priory of England's copy of the Icon of Our Lady of Philermo

The Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, falling this year on a Sunday, was celebrated in a packed church by Father Richard Sloan, Chaplain of the Hospital.  The Mass was followed by a picnic lunch for members of the Order and the faithful in Fortescue House and garden.

We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the glorious celebration of the Feast at altar and board.

PAKISTAN - ORDER OF MALTA CLINICS IN THE SWAT VALLEY

Following the devastating floods in Pakistan, Malteser International is providing medical care for more than 1,000 patients per day in the Swat valley in its Basic Health Units as well as via mobile clinics.  The Order's medics have been present in the region since the earthquake in 2005, so it is well placed to undertake the emergency help now needed.

"The safe storage of drinking water is essential especially in those areas where diseases have already occurred," explains Dr. Juergen Clemens, Senior Desk Officer Pakistan at Malteser International. "Furthermore it is a high priority to care for the children who have a weaker immune system than adults. Therefore we vaccinate the children against measles and tetanus."

Photographs courtesy of Malteser International

To read more about the Order's work in this region click here.

Please give all you can to support this aid project. Please also pray for this work and for the people of Pakistan, and for the souls of the many thousands who have died.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE ONLINE