On Saturday 31 May, about 17 Knights and Dames and their guests squeezed into St Margaret’s Chapel in Edinburgh Castle for Mass celebrated by the Right Reverend Jeremy Milne, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh. Following the Mass we all went to for afternoon tea in the Castle tea Rooms where we had a special table for us all.
The chapel itself only holds 20 people, so this was a great intimate occasion. Our thanks to thanks to all involved in organising the event. It is hoped that another event might be held in Glasgow next year.
We welcome our new elected Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. We pray to the Holy Spirit to guide him in his work. As Pope Leo said in his first homily:
it is essential that we too repeat the words: ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ (Mt, 16:16). It is essential to do this, first of all, in our personal relationship with the Lord, in our commitment to a daily journey of conversion. Then to do so as a Church experiencing together our fidelity to the Lord and to bring the Good News to all.
May God bless the Holy Father and guide him in his ministry.
This time last year, some of the members of the Association were in Rome on a pilgrimage. We were part of an audience with Pope Francis. This was a memory which came to mind when on Monday the sad news came through of the death of Pope Francis. Some of us will have been given our honour by him.
Along with many people worldwide, I am sure we were struck by his simplicity and the tenor of his encyclicals, which were addressed to the world. His drive for serving everyone was real. In his many travels around the world, he demonstrated the reach of the Church. He touched many hearts.
The 32nd Portsmouth Diocese Mass and Celebration for our diocesan knights and dames took place at St. John’s Cathedral, Portsmouth on Thursday 5th September. Mgr Vincent Harvey was the principal celebrant and Mgr John Nelson our speaker at the luncheon attended by 30.
The photo shows Dame Karen Foong DSS, Chair and Director of the National Conference of Ongoing Formation Directors for Clergy, after being invested by the Rt. Rev. Patrick McKinney, Bishop of Nottingham in St. Barnabas Cathedral, Nottingham.
The Investiture of Timothy Rutherford KSS took place at a Mass of the Holy Angels with Rite of Investiture at the Association of Provincial Bursars’ Conference on 2 October 2023, at the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick. The celebrant was, the Rt.Rev. Ralph Heskett CSsR, Bishop of Hallam.
Timothy’s wife, Viki, is on his right, and Amanda Francis DSS on his left
We held our annual dinner on Thursday 5 October. Although the attendance was slightly lower than usual, there was a very happy and joyous atmosphere. This was contributed to in large part by our Guest of Honour, Archbishop Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham. He had celebrated Mass beforehand in Westminster Cathedral.
During dinner, the Archbishop made the award of Knight Commander of St Gregory the Great to Peter Horgan one of his parishioners.
We all very much enjoyed the Archbishop’s speech to us, see text. After dinner, he mingled and chatted with guests to the delight of all. We are happy to report that the food was of excellent quality this year.
History was made at this year’s annual Mass for Knights and Dames in the diocese of Portsmouth, held for the first time at the Cathedral of St Michael and St George in Aldershot. This is the only Catholic cathedral in England to have been formally inaugurated by Queen Victoria! The silver trowel she used for the ceremony for what was then to be the Anglican church for the Army is on display in the porch. The church was handed over for use by the Catholic church in 1973 and is an impressive building with memorials to heroes dating back across two centuries.
Bishop Paul Mason, Bishop of the Forces, celebrated the Mass and preached. A special guest was the winner of the essay project organised by the Knights and Dames for boys and girls at Portsmouth’s Catholic secondary schools. Pupils were invited to write about St Gregory or St Sylvester, the two great saints after whom our Papal orders are named. Kelechi Mwenge, of Bishop Challoner School, Basingstoke, came with his parents to receive his prize from the Bishop.
Kelechi’s essay on St Gregory the Great included an account of the famous “Not Angles but Angels” story when St Gregory met Anglo-Saxon slaves in Rome and described how the subsequent mission led by St Augustine “marked the beginning of a Christian civilisation that profoundly influences the English people and left an indelible mark on their history”. He concluded “May St Gregory’s zeal for the faith inspire and guide us in our own spiritual journeys”.
At the traditional lunch held by Knights and Dames after Mass Bishop Paul spoke of the work of Catholic chaplains in the Forces and of the support and trust that today’s young soldiers, sailors and airmen find in the Church. The Church is there for them, an unchanging source of truth and strength.
Association of Papal Orders in Great Britain 