Saturday 11 April 2009

I am approaching the end of my Easter holidays now and it is only Holy Saturday. On Tuesday I return to Chavagnes via liverpool, Nantes andand Ryanair.

I have had a wonderful holiday tempered a little in that I combined the holday with Lent, a time of penance. Nevertheless, God in His Providence allowed the holidays at this time, amd I made the most f them within the parameters mentioned.

I am attending all the liturgical celebrations of the Easter Triduum at St Mary's University College, which is less than 200 yards from where I stay during breaks at the Christian Brothers' community at Twickenham. The singing is good, but quite obviously the lovely little choir there has not the time to practise several part singing as does the choir at Chavagnes.

Yesterday I saw and heard on TV the singing at the state Church funeral of those poor people who lost their lives in the terrible eartquake in Italy. The lovely Gregorian Kyrie Eleison repeated there would be well known to the boys at Chavagnes. The Gregorian Chant sung in part at daily Mass and more fully on sunday Masses, and the glorious rendition of Compline o Monday nights are just two features of the singing accomplished there by the boys, all of whom are involved.

Please excuse the speed with which I write these blogs. I want to let my friends and others know about some of my experiences at the unique school in which I serve in a voluntary capacity, thanks to the kindness of Mr McDermott and the Christian Brothers who have given me the opportunity to serve as a Christian Brother there. I am concerned because I have had published in Australia and the United Kingdom several articles drawing on my wide, long experience and the academic qualifications obtained at four universities, including Cardinal Avery Dulles' university, namely the Jesuit Fordham University in New York City. I do not want my blogs which are not crafted with all the time and care which I put into published articles to spoil my reputation as a writer. I do want people to know what an excellent school Chavagnes in it educational programme which gives such an opportunity for truly all-round, Catholic education. It by any measure is really outstanding at that.

There is a Christian Brother, who has spent several years in Brother's Schools in Africa, staying at Twickenham for a few days on his way back to his native Gilbraltar. He remembers Archbishop Nicholls when he was at his old school, a Christian Brothers' School, St Mary's in Crosby. The number of past students from that college who have made a great contribution to Brtitish life is very large. One such is the current president of Trinity College, Oxford, according to either The Tablet or The Catholic Herald.

Archbishop Nicholls, the new Archbishop of Westmisnter, is like the present Archbishop, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, a past student of the Christian Brothers.

I have much more to say but no time at present to stay them. I wanted to speak about an article about British education in The Daily telegraph recently and an article by Archbishop Nicholls, in which he comments about Catholic education Au revoir! A Bientot! More to come.