Provincial Chapter: the Beginning

Last night almost all the Capuchins of the British Province gathered at Pantasaph Friary, the oldest and largest of our houses on this isle, for the Provincial Chapter. Other Provinces send delegates from each house to the Chapter; but we're so small that everyone can participate, with only a couple of infirm brothers unable to attend. The Chapter, I should explain, is a meeting which takes place every three years, at which the friars discuss issues facing them and discern together the way God is leading them forward. Among the decisions to be made, often the most significant is the election of the Provincial Minister and his council (oddly called, 'the Definitory').

The Chapter is also a fraternal occasion, however, so after last night's initial business there was a time to socialise, to enjoy each other's company. Indeed, a lot of 'business' gets done at the dinner tables or over a drink; because our life and our work are always intermingled.

We had an opening liturgy this morning, in which our minds were focussed by some readings from writings by and about St. Francis, and from Scripture. The Provincial Minister then washed the feet of the oldest and youngest brothers, as a reminder that authority exists to serve.

The next two sessions of the day involved 'appreciative inquiry' exercises, led by Ronnie McEwan, a Marist Brother, to get us into the right frame of mind for the deliberations to follow. Thus far, however, the only 'business session' was the presentation of the Provincial's Report, and questions concerning it. I, as the minute-taker, was kept rather busy trying to keep up with the various contributions. Alas, an enthusiastic description of the beautiful view of Greyfriars garden was not done justice in my notes. The list of flowers to be seen out the window of the new chapel passed by too fast to be recorded.

It won't be flowers on the agenda tomorrow, however. Tomorrow we have the elections. Come, Holy Spirit!

A Summer Well Spent

It's been quite a while since my last post, as I've been on holiday from Preston – too busy having a good time to set down words of wisdom on my blog. So before getting down to serious business again, I just want to briefly explain where I've been this past month. It'll give me the opportunity to share some of the good things going on in the Church and the world.

First of all, I spent a week in the lovely city of Coventry, my home town. It was a good time to wind down a little and catch up with family and friends. Friars not being a familiar sight in Coventry, however, I had some interesting encounters with strangers - including a pleasant and in-depth conversation with a couple of Sikhs walking round the Memorial Park. I also got a sneak peek at the newly-renovated St. Osburg's Church, and learnt of how a couple of medieval alabaster altar-pieces have been incorporated into the new altar.



Next on my itinerary was Chapter of Mats – not the original gathering of St. Francis and his friars, nor yet the 800^th anniversary celebration in Assisi I was lucky enough to attend, but the annual get-together of the Maltfriscans. Highlights of the customarily boisterous week included excellent talks by Ant Towey and Fr. Mark Crisp, a moving drama of the history of salvation from the young 'Friscans, street evangelisation in St. Alban's (with a last-minute flash mob tacked on), and a making of some 'Rocky Road' as an illustration of the Christian life.

As if that wasn't enough, I went on to another charismatic Catholic event – the New Dawn conference at Walsingham. This was considerably larger than Chapter of Mats – the Maltfriscan gathering numbered about 150 people, whereas New Dawn garnered about 3000. The main practical difference this made to me was that more time was spent hearing confessions. But it was very encouraging to see such a large number of Catholics setting aside a whole week to praise God and listen to His Word. Needless to say, there were plenty of good speakers and preachers. I also enjoyed getting to spend time with my sister and her little family, who were also there for the week. Some amusement was caused by the occasional sight of me walking along with a toddler or two hanging onto my cord.

I then got together with the rest of my family for a lovely week in the Lake District, where we stayed in a holiday cottage on the edge of Keswick. The cottage was at the gates of the diocesan youth centre, so there was a ready chapel (in what used to be the stables, appropriately enough) for me to celebrate Mass. Other highlights were paddling a canoe across Derwent Water with my brother Simon, while some others of the family kayaked along, and walking the Coledale Horseshoe with my Dad and my brother Aidan.

Finally, after having been back in Preston for most of a week, I took another couple of nights away for my Dad's 60^th birthday celebrations. On this occasion I got down to Coventry and back by hitch-hiking. Yes, I'm glad to report that there are still some people who'll pick up hitch-hikers, although not as many as in my student days.

To finish the summer off, however, I've just been to Walsingham again, for the Youth 2000 festival. Along with the Maltfriscan community, Youth 2000 has been a support and encouragement for my Franciscan vocation since shortly before I joined the Order. This year's gathering seems to have benefited rather than lost out by its proximity to World Youth Day, with many freshly-inspired young Catholics there to spread the love.

An Image of God

You might already have seen the video below, but you probably didn't see it in the light of the following quote from G.K. Chesterton:

“A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, ‘Do it again’; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, ‘Do it again’ to the sun; and every evening, ‘Do it again’ to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” (Orthodoxy, Chapter 4)

OK, now watch the video...

The Campaign for Colourful Clothing

You may not have heard before of The Campaign for Colourful Clothing; but that’s hardly surprising, as it’s not got beyond the Catholic Chaplaincy of UCLAN until now. Like many of my ideas, it may never actually come to fruition (the Eucharistic flash mob was an exception), so I thought I’d put it out for people’s amusement and (possibly) edification.

The Campaign for Colourful Clothing is not evangelistic – it falls rather into the category of ‘pre-evangelisation’ (a useful term I first came across in an article about The Lord of the Rings). For it seeks to lift something of that blanket of dullness whereby the devil keeps many people from finding and following the Lord.

I have already written about wearing the religious habit in public. But one thing I didn't mention was how it slowly dawned on me, over the years, that my sober, penitential garb is actually quite colourful and stylish compared to the drab, misshapen clothing worn by most people in this country. It further occurred to me that this was wrong, that the religious habit was originally conceived as a modest and austere contrast to the merry clothing of medieval Europe. Back then, wearing brown made the friars stand out as poor and humble. Now, however, it is the rare person wearing something colourful who stands out from a sea of black, grey, and highly muted colours. Just have a look next time you're out in a busy street or other public place.

Old Tom Bombadill is a merry fellow;
Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.

I write this at a time of year when the amount of colour on display does go up somewhat. Oddly enough, it's just when the weather is doing a good enough job of being cheerful that many people get out their cheerful clothes. We could really do with these bright colours in the grey and damp of winter; but the prevailing fashion is for grim and grey shades. I was once told that this Western tendency to wear black, grey, and white stems from the age of the Puritans. Until then the normal thing was to wear colourful clothing (although some colours were expensive to come by). We can see this more universal human instinct in the cultures of places like Africa and India. The normality of black and grey in our society is a suppression of natural human joy. Other kill-joy changes also date back to Oliver Cromwell and his ilk: the reduction of Christmastide from 40 days to 12, and the still-extant (but not enforced) law that bans the eating of plum pudding on Christmas Day.

As someone who wears dark brown, I am far from denigrating 'drab' clothing. I appreciate the subtlety of muted shades - including grey, which no fan of The Lord of the Rings can regard as a boring colour. Black, too, has its place. But my point is that there is far too much of the dark or muted colours.

I have therefore resolved to raise my voice against this modern wrong, and start a campaign to encourage a change in fashion. I conceive this as part of a greater movement, which for the time being I shall call Making England Merry Again, and which has yet to develop. The Campaign for Colourful Clothing is but the first battle in this crusade (I use the word deliberately).

In my fond imaginings, the battle will be brought to the streets by cheerfully-dressed people wielding 'Award Cards', which will be handed out to anyone wearing colourful clothing. The cards will carry a simple message of gratitude - "Thank you for brightening up our lives". There will also be a list of the guidelines as to what kind of clothing merits an award card, and the address of a website which will give tips on good colour combinations and other ways of dressing more merrily.

Deep down, they really want to be Benedictines

As I said above, the Campaign may never actually happen. I merely put the idea out in the hope that it will be the beginning of something. But, if after all I've said, you still feel that colours like black or grey are more 'you', maybe you should join a religious order. Now there's a thought...

Flash Mob: The Text

This ‘litany’, which we used in the Eucharistic flash mob, has been a very popular element. Many have requested the text, and many who haven’t asked might still appreciate it.

Jesus Christ is in every book of the Bible…

In Genesis Jesus is...

“The Seed of the Woman”

In Exodus He is…

“The Passover Lamb”

In Leviticus He is…

“The Priest, the Altar & the Sacrifice”

In Numbers He is…

“The Pillar of Cloud by Day and the Pillar of Fire by Night”

In Deuteronomy Jesus is…

“The Prophet Like Moses”

Come and kneel before Him now

In Joshua Jesus is…

“The Captain of Our Salvation”

In Judges He is…

“Our Judge and Lawgiver”

In Ruth He is…

“Our Kinsman-Redeemer“

In I & II Samuel He is…

“Our Trusted Prophet”

In Kings & Chronicles He is…

“Our Reigning King”

In Ezra He is…

“The Rebuilder of the Broken-Down Walls of Human Life”

Come and kneel before Him now

In Nehemiah Jesus is…

“Our Restorer”

In Tobit He is…

“The Messenger of New Life”

In Judith He is…

“Weakness Turned into Victory”

In Esther He is…

“Our Advocate”

In I & II Maccabees He is…

“The Leader Who Dies for God’s Law”

Come and kneel before Him now

In Job Jesus is…

“Our Ever-Living Redeemer”

In Psalms He is…

“Our Shepherd”

In Proverbs He is…

“Our Wisdom”

In Ecclesiastes He is…

“Our Hope of Resurrection”

In the Song of Songs He is…

“Our Loving Bridegroom”

In Wisdom He is…

“The Emanation of God’s Thought”

In Ecclesiasticus Jesus is…

“Our Security”

Come and kneel before Him now

In Isaiah Jesus is…

“The Suffering Servant”

In Jeremiah He is…

“The Righteous Branch”

In Lamentations He is…

“Our Weeping Prophet”

In Baruch He is…

“The Mercy From the Eternal One”

In Ezekiel He is…

“The One With the Right To Rule”

In Daniel Jesus is...

“The Fourth Man in the Firey Furnace”

Come and kneel before Him now

In Hosea Jesus is…

“The Faithful Husband Forever Married to the Sinner”

In Joel He is…

“The One who Baptises with the Holy Spirit and Fire”

In Amos He is…

“The Restorer of Justice”

In Obadiah He is…

“Mighty to Save”

In Jonah He is…

“Our Great Foreign Missionary”

In Micah Jesus is…

“The Feet of One Who Brings Good News”

Come and kneel before Him now

In Nahum Jesus is…

“Our Stronghold in the Day of Trouble”

In Habakkuk He is…

“God My Saviour”

In Zephaniah He is…

“The King of Israel”

In Haggai He is…

“The Signet Ring”

In Zechariah He is…

“Our Humble King Riding on a Colt”

In Malachi Jesus is…

“The Sun of Righteousness”

Come and kneel before Him now

In Matthew Jesus is…

“God with us”

In Mark He is…

“The Son of God”

In Luke He is…

“The Son of Mary – feeling what you feel”

In John He is…

“The Bread of Life”

In Acts Jesus is…

“The Saviour of the world”

Come and kneel before Him now

In Romans Jesus is…

“The Righteousness of God”

In I Corinthians He is…

“The Resurrection”

In II Corinthians He is…

“The God of All Comfort”

In Galatians He is…

“Your Liberty. He sets you free.”

In Ephesians Jesus is…

“The Head of the Church”

Come and kneel before Him now

In Philippians Jesus is…

“Your joy”

In Colossians He is…

“Your completeness”

In I & II Thessalonians He is…

“Your hope”

In I Timothy He is…

“Your faith”

In II Timothy Jesus is…

“Your stability”

Come and kneel before Him now

In Titus Jesus is…

“Truth”

In Philemon He is…

“Your benefactor “

In Hebrews He is…

“Your perfection”

In James He is…

“The power behind your faith”

In I Peter He is…

“Your example”

In II Peter Jesus is…

“Your purity”

Come and kneel before Him now

In I John Jesus is…

“Your life”

In II John He is…

“Your pattern”

In III John He is…

“Your motivation”

In Jude He is…

“The foundation of your faith”

In Revelation Jesus is…

“Your coming King.”

He is…

the first and the last;

the beginning and the end.

He is the keeper of creation and the creator of all.

He is the architect of the universe and the manager of all time.

He always was, He always is and He always will be

unmoved, unchanged, undefeated and never undone.

He was bruised and brought healing,

He was pierced and eased pain,

He was persecuted and brought freedom,

He was dead and brought life,

He is risen and brings power,

He reigns and brings peace.

The world can’t understand him;

the armies can’t defeat him;

schools can’t explain him;

and the leaders can’t ignore him.

Herod couldn’t kill him;

the Pharisees couldn’t confuse him;

the people couldn’t hold him;

Nero couldn’t crush him;

Hitler couldn’t silence him;

the new age can’t replace him;

and Oprah can’t explain him away!

He is life, love, longevity & Lord.

He is goodness, kindness, gentleness and God.

He is holy, righteous, mighty, powerful, pure.

His ways are right, His words eternal, His rules unchanging,

and His mind… is on me.

He is my redeemer.

He is my saviour.

He is my God.

He is my Priest.

He is my Joy.

He is my Comfort.

He is my Lord

and He rules my life.

The Making of a Eucharistic Flash Mob

Br. Loarne, one of the friars I live with, is an ideas-machine. He’s forever coming up with new concepts and proposals, leaving me struggling to keep abreast of where he is. So it was quite unusual for me to blow him away with a new idea of my own. He’d been talking with an evangelist from our parish at Pantasaph in North Wales, and told me that they were hoping to do some sort of Catholic flash mob in their area. I suggested ‘flash-mob Eucharistic adoration’, and he staggered backwards across the room. Literally.

The idea had been long in germinating. Having been introduced to the phenomenon of flash mobs last year, the creative faculty somewhere in the back recesses of my mind started working away on the evangelistic possibilities. I looked at various Christian flash mobs, but wasn’t much inspired – except by the Alleluia Chorus one, which required more skill than I thought we had at our disposal. Besides, I wanted something more specifically Catholic. So it was at a Youth 2000 retreat, where they have continuous exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, that the idea of a Eucharistic flash mob first came to me. I use the phrase ‘came to me’ advisedly – I think it was a moment of inspiration, which do tend to happen in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament.

At the time, I think I envisioned the flash mob as a possible Youth 2000 initiative. But I let the concept stew away in the aforementioned recesses of my mind, until Br. Loarne prompted it to come out of hiding. We quickly started praying and collaborating on the idea of doing it on our own patch in Preston. Both of us were partly motivated by a dissatisfaction with Corpus Christi processions and other ‘walks of witness’, which largely fail to make any connection with non-believers. I’d also often felt, on these Corpus Christi processions, a disappointment that no one among the passers-by would fall to their knees. “There must be some Catholics among them, after all”, I thought. So the prospect of modelling the proper response was appealing.

Our guardian, Br. John, gave us permission to go ahead. I then approached the parish priest of our intended location (a street called, appropriately enough, ‘Friargate’), who also gave permission. We've recently found out that we should have asked the bishop as well; but we didn't know that at the time, so we got on with the task of organising the event. Unlike many of the flash mobs you see on the internet, ours required no musical or dancing skill; all that was required of most participants was the ability to kneel on a hard surface. But we still had to gather together our ‘mob’ – I reckoned we needed at least 30 participants to make the necessary impact. Yes, I have to break it you – those of you who thought that the people kneeling were unprepared passers-by – most of them were part of the flash mob. But not all. At least four adorers were truly spontaneous. The fact that so many people have thought it spontaneous, however, is a sign of success – flash mobs are supposed to have the appearance of spontaneity.

Recruiting people for a novel event like this was difficult, not least because we wanted to keep the details from public circulation, and we were hampered by the fact that most Catholics hadn’t even heard of ‘flash mobs’. So the initial publicity was too mysterious, and only some personal appeals to some key groups got the necessary number together. Thanks are due in particular to the university students, the Irish travellers, and the parish of St. Wilfrid’s for responding with courage. People have written a lot about the bravery of us friars; but we’re used to standing out in public, unlike the brave souls who knelt down in the middle of the street.

Flash-mobbers getting
ready for action

As I wrote above, we wanted an event that made some connection with passers-by, so Br. Loarne came up with the idea of a ‘litany’ about Jesus with a refrain of “Come and kneel before Him now.” He got the litany from a Christian video on YouTube, but adapted it somewhat. He also thought up the plan for getting the sound system in position: having it brought along by a student using it to play reggae music, who could then switch tracks when the Blessed Sacrament was exposed.

The evangelistic element was even more significantly advanced by the presence of ‘undercover agents’ in the crowd, handing out cards designed by Br. Loarne (see picture), and taking opportunities to explain the proceedings to bemused onlookers. Ever tried to explain transubstantiation to a complete stranger? Top marks to our team of evangelists. It was also important that we had a follow-up to invite people to. Happily, we already had a series of ‘seeker services’ up and running.

Now to the central element of the whole event: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. We were well aware that Eucharistic processions, the nearest precedent to what we planned, are supposed to involve cope, humeral veil, candles, and incense. But such rules are for the purpose of showing reverence to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and we reckoned that such reverence would be adequately shown by the dramatic sight of people kneeling down before Him in a busy street. Using the full paraphernalia normally (and rightly) associated with Exposition would have two related disadvantages. Firstly, it would undermine the spontaneous appearance of  flash mobs, which is how they connect with people. People do not normally walk around with candles and thuribles hidden under their jackets. Secondly, such things would serve to distance the Sacrament from passers-by, adding layers of to-them-meaningless ritual.

We had to have a decent monstrance, of course, but one light-weight and small enough. After trying a couple of churches and convents, I found the ideal monstrance in the chapel of Corpus Christi College (fittingly). I thank the chaplain for the loan of it.

One worry during our preparations was over whether we should inform the police. But we reasoned that if we didn’t block any traffic, there was little cause for the authorities to be concerned. So it was important to choose a pedestrianised venue. The spot on Friargate outside the St. George’s Shopping Centre seemed ideal; we’d already done some more low-key evangelisation there on occasions. But we only settled on it after prayer and a reconnaissance mission (in which we visited the site on the Thursday before, to check on traffic conditions and other practicalities). As it happened, a policeman did come by during the flash mob, and strolled by unconcerned. It might have been different if we’d been spectacularly successful and hundreds of people were kneeling in worship, blocking the street up. But that would have been a nice problem to have.

A whole extra dimension was added by filming the event, which we thought very important, given that it seemed to be the first of its kind. Providentially, Sean Zaniboni, a student of sound production, had recently joined our chaplaincy community, and he enthusiastically took up the idea and used his contacts in the ‘Media Factory’ to get a team and equipment together. Gerardo Gonzalez also came in to help out with filming. The manager of the Black Horse Hotel kindly let us use an upstairs room to do filming from, and another cameraman took up position in a café, while two others were free-roaming. One of the students kneeling in adoration had the sound-recording equipment concealed on her person. We did have to re-record Br. Loarne’s voice after the event, however, as it didn’t come across very clearly. And then Sean slaved for hours over the footage to put together the video in time for Corpus Christi. We should also mention Adam T., who took the photographs for us.

Br. Loarne briefing the participants

The choreography of our flash mob was simple compared to many others. At the preparatory meeting and briefing we split people into 5 groups, with instructions to arrive on the scene at different times (watches/phones had to be synchronised). The first group had to be the bravest, being the first to kneel down. I was to arrive at exactly1.15pm, and the first ‘kneelers’ 30 seconds after, once I’d elevated the monstrance. Others were to come on the scene at 1.16pm, and then at 1-minute intervals after that, so that the ‘congregation’ would slowly grow. The flash-mobbers were asked to start clapping and cheering at a certain point towards the end of Br. Loarne’s litany. Once again, the idea was to have something that seemed spontaneous, and which others could join in.

The stage having been set, it was fairly easy to walk up Friargate, as I often do, and stop and speak to one of the touts while I put on my stole. He was someone I’d met before, so he wasn’t surprised to see me. He was surprised, however, when I took out the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament and held it up. “What’s that?!” he asked. “That,” I replied, “believe it or not, is Jesus.”

A People Set Apart

My last post, in which I wrote about the religious habit being a sign that I'm set apart to God, prompted the following question from a reader:

What does it mean to be set apart to God? I'm not trying to be rude, or mean, or anything negative, but help me understand. Being set apart to God doesn't make you any more special than everyone else, does it? I mean, everyone is special in God's eyes, so it couldn't be that. But then what does it mean to be "set apart"?

That's a good question, deserving of a thorough answer. And let me begin by quoting a better theologian than me. I providentially came across this relevant passage from Pope Benedict's latest book, 'Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week':

The process of consecration, "sanctification", includes two apparently opposed, but in reality deeply conjoined, aspects. On the one hand, "consecrating" as "sanctifying" means setting apart from the rest of reality that pertains to man's ordinary everyday life. Something that is consecrated is raised into a new sphere that is no longer under human control. But this setting apart also includes the essential dynamic of "existing for". Precisely because it is entirely given over to God, this reality is now there for the world, for men, it speaks for them and exists for their healing. We may also say: setting apart and mission form a single whole. (p.86)

This describes very well the way in which consecration is a 'setting apart'. And the following words of St. Peter supplement those of his current successor, by making it clear that this applies to all Christians, not just the members of religious orders:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

It is baptism that consecrates the Christian to God, that raises him or her into a new sphere no longer under human control. So all the baptised are 'set apart', and this poses a bit of a puzzle with regard to 'consecrated religious' like myself. In what way are we more set apart?

I find it very helpful to reflect on how consecration into a religious order is not a sacrament; rather, the Church teaches that such consecration is rooted in and flows out of baptismal consecration. It is no more than an expression of our baptism – but it is a special expression. The way I see it is that religious consecration expresses more visibly and makes more obvious those things which are true for every Christian.

This is how I came to understand the place of the religious vows – poverty, celibacy, and obedience. All Christians should see God as their only treasure, and place all that they have and are at His disposal, relying on Him to provide for them. But the religious vow of poverty makes this inner attitude more obvious and immediate. All Christians should love God above and before all others. But the vow of celibacy makes the primacy of this relationship more obvious. And all Christians should accept God as their Lord, following his will in all things, finding their freedom in Him. But the vow of obedience brings the obedience we owe God into greater relief, by trusting that His will can be revealed through members of His Church.

These inner attitudes, whether expressed through religious vows or not, are aspects of Christian consecration – our 'setting apart' to God. The role of the religious brother or sister is to display this consecration more openly. Hence it is fitting that many religious wear a habit. The Christian's baptismal consecration always ought to be visible, even if only through the way he or she lives. So those whose gift is to be all the more visible will often wear something to make their consecration as obvious as can be.

To summarize, I see it in terms of the Sermon on the Mount. All Christians should be both 'the salt of the earth and the light of the world'(Matt 5:13-14). But the role of the laity lays more emphasis on being the salt, on being that subtle, unseen presence which gives flavour to everything else, which is often noticed only by its absence. Whereas for religious the emphasis is on being the light of the world, the city on a hill-top that cannot be hidden.