Uncategorized

For reasons beyond our control, the livestreaming of the Sunday 12noon Solemn Mass is temporarily suspended. In its place, the Sung Mass at 10am on Sundays will be livestreamed. We hope that in the near future we shall be able to return to the Solemn Sung Mass for the Sunday livstream. Please watch the posts here for further news on this.

If you are an adult living in the Cathedral parish, or come regularly to the Cathedral for Mass, and desire to become a Catholic or want to explore the Catholic faith, then you are welcome to join the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) Course which will commence in September.  This Course is also for Catholics who were baptised as young children but did not move on to receive their First Holy Communion and Confirmation, as well as for those baptised in non-Catholic communities of faith.  For further information and to enrol please contact Fr Vincent Mbu’i on chaplains@rcdow.org.uk (please note that Fr Vincent is presently on leave and returns at the beginning of September) or speak to one of the priests after Sunday Mass.

Every September up to six boys join Westminster Cathedral Choir School (WCCS) in Year 4 as choristers.  Becoming a chorister offers a boy the opportunity to sing in a world-famous choir, and to join a thriving, inclusive, independent school for boys age 4 – 13.  All choristers receive generous scholarships, supplemented by means-tested bursaries worth up to 100% of fees.  Contact Lucy Auger to find out more.  Telephone 020 7798 9081 or email lauger@choirschool.com.

Following the recent plenary meeting of the Bishops of England and Wales in Cardiff, all Catholics are invited to return to Mass at Pentecost.  The invitation states that: ‘the reasons which have prevented Catholics from attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation no longer apply‘ and that (…) ‘”Virtual viewing” of Mass online does not fulfil the Sunday Obligation (…) It has always been the understanding of the Church that when the freedom of any Catholic to attend Mass in person is impeded (…), because of situations such as ill health, care for the sick or legitimate fear, this is not a breach of the Sunday Obligation‘. To read the entire document, please go to:  https://www.cbcew.org.uk/spring-plenary-2022-resolution-returning-to-mass-at-pentecost/ .

The Bishops’ text will also be available in full in the June edition of Oremus, the Cathedral magazine

A Preparation Course for couples who wish to be married is planned to take place on the evenings of Thursdays 12, 19 and 26 May and 9 June from 7.30 to 9.30pm. The Course concludes with an afternoon session from 2 to 5.30pm on Saturday 18 June, followed by attendance at the 6pm Vigil Mass, at which the couples will be blessed.

It is expected that couples will attend all the sessions. For further information, or to register for the course, please contact Fr Brian O’Mahony (brianomahony@rcdow.org.uk) or Julie Hanssen (juliehanssen@rcdow.org.uk).

The Cathedral is delighted to announce that Suzi Pendlebury has been appointed as Cathedral Architect, succeeding Michael Drury after his 25 years in the role. She is a highly experienced conservation architect with the firm Caroe Architecture, having worked on a number of high profile repair projects including the major re-roofing of the dome at Ickworth House which is in the care of the National Trust. She is also Architect to the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Norwich and has been overseeing grant-aided repairs at a number of Catholic churches in the diocese of East Anglia, notably the fine Victorian church of St Mary, Great Yarmouth.

Announcing the appointment, Fr Witoń said: ‘We are delighted to have Suzi joining our team at the Cathedral. Her knowledge and experience of repairing important historic buildings will be a great asset to us as we embark on new phases of repair’.

Suzi grew up in Kent, initially captivated by Augustus Pugin’s church of St Augustine in Ramsgate, and went on to study not only further buildings by him but also those of the great ecclesiastical architects of the 19th and early 20th centuries, alongside the main architectural curriculum. She has worked across a range of sectors in sensitive environments  and, following an award-winning refurbishment of the 1927 housing for working women in Hampstead Garden suburb, moved to work with Purcell Miller Tritton. There she focussed on works of conservation, repair and sensitive adaption including projects for English Heritage, the Royal Parks and the Palace of Westminster. In 2012, she joined Oliver Caroe, working as his deputy at St Paul’s Cathedral and assisting with other buildings in the firm’s portfolio, such as Ripon Cathedral and York Minster, along with her own appointment for George Gilbert Scott Jnr’s Catholic Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Norwich.

She notes: ‘I am delighted to be appointed to the role of Westminster Cathedral Architect. Through all my work I enjoy conserving, repairing and keeping our built heritage thriving through careful interventions. Working not only with churches and cathedrals but with other buildings of high significance, I have built a broad understanding of the ever-changing challenges and opportunities that face these places, as they continue to serve us as our needs and expectations evolve through time. The work of the St Anne’s Gate Practice hitherto has brought the Cathedral to a turning point where it is now possible to fully develop and realise a plan for the future, serving as the Mother Church for our faith in England and Wales. It is a great honour to be able to serve Fr Witoń and the team caring for the Cathedral and its complex of ancillary buildings, conserving their past and ensuring their future’.

On Monday 28, Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 March, the Cathedral itself will be closed to allow filming to take place and all services will take place in Cathedral Hall on Ambrosden Avenue. The Hall will open at the usual time of 7.30am and remain open throughout the day for private prayer, closing after the 5.30pm Mass.

Mass will be celebrated at the usual times of 8 and 10.30am (Latin), 12.30 (not livestreamed) and 5.30pm (Sung); Vespers will be sung at 5pm; and there will be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 1.15 to 4.30pm.

Confessions will not be heard during this period, but the extended confession hours will begin on Thursday 31 March.

We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your co-operation.

At St Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Friday 25th March, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, the Holy Father, Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at 5pm (4pm GMT).

On 25th March 1984, Pope John Paul II consecrated Russia and the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In unity with the Holy Father, the Act of Consecration will also be made at the same time at the Ukrainian Cathedral of the Holy Family.

Cardinal Vincent will also celebrate Mass in Westminster Cathedral at 5.30pm, also making the Act of Consecration will during Mass.

All are most welcome to attend.

At all Masses on Sunday 20 March, we will welcome Laila Asfoura, who works with the Friends of the Holy Land, and is a member of the Charity’s local committee in Bethlehem.  Laila will speak about the special challenges in Bethlehem arising from Covid-19.  There will be a retiring collection to support the most needy Christians in the West Bank, Gaza, Israel and Jordan.  For more information on the work of FHL or to make a donation, visit www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk or telephone 01926 512980.