A varied weekend

Last weekend we were present at the 40th anniversary of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Westminster Cathedral. Cardinal Cormac celebrated the Mass, without stretching out his hands exuberantly or speaking in tongues but he managed to get an enthusiastic round of applause from the congregation who had come from all over England and even from Scotland. There were talks and testimonies during the day, including ecumenical speakers from other denominations and most significantly Fr. Raniero Cantalemessa, the papal preacher. Most of the 2,000 strong congregation were older Catholics, though there was an event in the evening for the younglings... Interestingly there seemed to be an inverse proportion between age and behaviour, the adults being more ready to dance and flail their arms about. On Sunday Fr. Tim Finnegan and Msgr. Stark led a pilgrimage group to St. Patrick's to venerate the relics of two Tyburn martyrs on their way to Tyburn convent. They venerated the relics of St. Cuthbert Mayne and St. Oliver Plunkett, the first and last martyrs from seminary abroad.