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Taken from The Tablet Archives 22nd June 1968 FROM OUR NOTEBOOK BLACK AND WHITE PREACHING took place in Westminster Cathedral last Sunday for the White Fathers' centenary. Cardinal Heenan stressed how impressed he was that the concelebrated High Mass at which he was pontificating was to be the only centenary celebration. In all his years, he said, he had never known any institute, religious, secular or civic, which had not put on celebrations for their centenary. The White Fathers and White Sisters, he went on, were determined not to spend one penny that belonged to Africa. They would not squander even the fare to bring distinguished Africans over to take part in this thanksgiving Mass. This, the cardinal said, would encourage "those of us who support the White Fathers and White Sisters, because we know that the funds are put to good use ". A striking feature of the Mass was the presence of ten African priests concelebrating with the cardinal. This was done in keeping with the express wish of the White Fathers, who wanted the Africans to have the first places in the ceremony. It was symbolic of the outlook and the achievement of this missionary order, which was founded in Africa itself and has concentrated on the African field. As the cardinal put it, " they have not gone to bring a Church to Africa but to build an African Church—a very different thing indeed ". That is why they have spared no pains from the start to train African boys and young men for the priesthood. All the African priests in the sanctuary on Sunday, like the African sisters in the nave of the cathedral, are in London and Oxford for further studies. The choir and the servers, sixty strong, wearing their distinctive habit, were students from St. Edward's College, Totteridge, and Broome Hall, Dorking—the scholasticate and novitiate respectively of the White Fathers. Present in the congregation were the High Commissioners for Zambia and Malawi and representatives of the Governments of the Congo, Uganda, Ghana and Tanzania, as well as representatives of the Church Missionary , Society, the Baptist Missionary Society, and the Methodist Missionary Society. |
(source: Maurice Billingsley)
Taken from The Tablet Archives |
(source: Maurice Billingsley)
Taken from The Tablet Archives 6th December 1913 PORTSMOUTH BISHOP'S WALTHAM : OPENING OF APOSTOLIC SCHOOL The Bishop of Portsmouth visited Bishop's Waltham for the solemn opening and blessing of the new Apostolic School, erected by the White Fathers at the Priory. His lordship, accompanied by several clergy from the surrounding districts, was met at the station by the Father Superior (Rev. P. Travers), and the rector of the district (Rev. T. G. Hickey, D.D., of Eastleigh), and at the gate of the Priory received a rousing reception from the Staff and pupils. In the afternoon, his lordship, assisted by the Revv. Fathers King and O'Leary, as deacon and subdeacon, with the Rev. Father Kline (Southsea), as master of ceremonies, together with a large gathering of clergy (secular and regular), solemnly blessed the new building, which comprises spacious school-rooms, refectory, dormitories, kitchen, scullery, bath-rooms, lavatories, &c. The structure has been erected from the plans of Mr. Sanders (architect), the work, being executed by Mr. Draper (Fareham). The Rev. Dr. Hickey, at the close of the ceremony, expressed his appreciation at the large concourse of Catholics and non-Catholics present. Previously he had periodically gathered his little flock of some 27 souls in an upper room at the public inn of the village for Mass, &c. They were grateful to Mrs. Robson (a non-Catholic), the previous owner of the property, for her repeated acts of kindness to the Community. The very name of the house (" The Priory ") and the ruins of the Old Abbey close by, testified to the ancient Catholicity of Bishop's Waltham. The ceremony to-day would help to revivify the ancient Faith in the famous old Catholic historical centre of Bishop's Waltham. The visitors were afterwards entertained to tea at the Monastery. |
(source: Maurice Billingsley)