Association of Papal Orders in Great Britain

On Thursday 1st September 2022, Bishop Philip celebrated the annual mass of St. Gregory the Great for Diocesan Papal Knights and Dames of the Equestrian Orders of St. Gregory the Great and St. Silvester at the Cathedral. They were joined by others from our neighbouring dioceses. A total of 45 attended, the best turn-out ever.

At the luncheon afterwards a project and competition for our schools on St. Gregory and St. Sylvester was launched by Joanna Bogle DSG with the proposal to invite the winners to the 2023 celebration to receive their prizes.

We then heard ‘Bamenda the first 50 years’ a brief history of our Diocese’s involvement with the Diocese (now a Archdiocese) of Bamenda led by Colm Lennon KSG assisted by Fr’s Bernardine Nsom and Peter Codd. It was in 1974 that Bishop Derek Worlock then bishop of Portsmouth initiated a diocesan twinning with bishop Paul Verdgzekov the first bishop of the recently created diocese of Bamenda, the capital of the North West Province in Cameroon, West Africa, a practical demonstration of the Vatican II document ‘Gaudium et Spes’ (Hope & Joy).

Priests went from Portsmouth to serve in Bamenda and over the past nearly 50 years more than £1million has been raised by Portsmouth parishioners for projects that have been successfully implemented in the areas of Faith, Health, Education and Social Welfare. Currently there are six priests from Bamenda now serving in parishes across the Portsmouth Diocese.

Our annual dinner took place on Thursday 7th October in the Vincent Rooms, Vincent Square. The evening started with Mass at 5.30pm in Westminster Cathedral, celebrated by our Honorary President, Cardinal Vincent Nichols. We were honoured to be allowed to process into the Cathedral in our robes and uniforms, to our reserved seats before Mass began. As it was a Thursday evening we had the privilege of hearing the full choir of cantors and choristers sing the Missa prima: sexti toni-Croce and Stravinsky’s Ave Maria during Mass.

After Mass we walked the short distance to the Vincent Rooms where we enjoyed a splendid dinner of beautifully flavoured smoked salmon followed by  delicious breast of guinea fowl.

HE Cardinal Nichols was our Guest of Honour at the dinner. There was a vibrant, joyful atmosphere to the evening. Here is a selection of photographs which reflect that.