“[I am] God’s little artist, a seer of strange beauties, a teller of harmonies, a diligent worker,” writes Gwen John, inspired by the example of St Thérèse of Lisieux’s Little Flower. “Strange Beauties” is a retrospective of the Welsh painter’s work and personal writings currently on exhibition at the National Museum Cardiff. A rare and privileged glimpse into a life where creativity and contemplation meet.
This July, Jenn and I journeyed to Rome as part of a Jubilee Year pilgrimage with a group of colleagues from St David’s Catholic College.
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This week I had the joy of taking a group of students to the University of Oxford open day. In a few quiet moments, I had an opportunity to pray at the Oxford Oratory on Woodstock Road.
“This church has played a part in the life of many prominent Oxford Catholics. The Jesuit priest and poet Gerald Manley Hopkins served as a curate here. The Newman Society, Oxford University’s oldest student association, was founded here in 1878 (then named ‘the Catholic Club’). Margaret Fletcher founded the Catholics Women’s League here in 1905. J.R.R. Tolkien attended daily Mass here, and the church’s dedication almost certainly inspired Evelyn Waugh when writing Brideshead Revisited.”
— Source: oxfordoratory.org.uk
In the years leading up to my conversion, I gradually became fascinated by Thomas á Kempis’s devotional text, The Imitation of Christ. I encountered it first in the letters of the young Samuel Beckett, and next in the interviews of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, and then in all kinds of other unexpected places. Among them, this 1877 letter from Vincent Van Gogh to his beloved brother, Theo:
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On Holy Thursday, we visit St Peter’s Square and enter St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. We spend time in prayer at the Altar of the Crucifixion of Saint Peter; at the Chapel of the Sacrament; and at the Tomb of Saint Peter the Apostle underneath the Main Altar (Saint Peter’s Baldachin).
“Mary arose and went with haste” — Luke 7:39
In July and August, I accompanied the Archdiocese of Cardiff and the Diocese of Menevia on a two-week pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal. I acted as one of the Team Leaders joining over fifty other pilgrims on the journey, including Archbishop Mark O’Toole and five young pilgrims from St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College in Cardiff.
The first week was spent in the Diocese of Porto, exploring the rich cultural history and life of the Church from our local accommodation in the town of Aguda. Our second week was spent in Fàtima, where we visited key historical sites and welcomed Pope Francis to a public prayer service before the Shrine. The trip culminated in World Youth Day itself, a major event that hosted around 1.5 million pilgrims to a communal all-night vigil and Mass.
The pilgrimage was one of the most personally and professionally satisfying events of my life and career. I moderated a Q&A between pilgrims and the Archbishop where a range of challenging topics were discussed with patience, openness and nuance; and it was a privilege to lead an Examen in a Chapel of Reconciliation in Fátima itself. The places and people we encountered helped to broaden and deepen my understanding of the universal Church; the happy and excited atmosphere of some of the events was like nothing I have experienced before; and it was a joy and a reward to spend time building so many meaningful relationships with my fellow pilgrims. I will be forever grateful for this opportunity, and the many graces it has afforded.
Here are a few images from the trip.
(more…)“All important things in life are simple.” — Arvo Pärt
In July, Jenn and I travelled to Estonia to visit the Arvo Pärt Centre in Laulasmaa. Pärt is the most-performed living composer in the world, and his life and work played a key role in the development of my faith. We even saw Arvo Pärt and his wife Nora shopping at their local village supermarket! Included here are some images from our day, although we did not take any photographs of or approach the Pärts out of respect for their privacy.
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