Such A Splendid Evening Now Gone.
Story By Uncle Monty.
Photos & GraphicsBy Alex Albion.
...
Out under the dark overcast sky it was raining like furious
catz and dogz. Yet such, did not deter any of the hundreds
of Catholic devout and faithful folkz from making their steady
and determined way to St. Patrick’s at London’s Soho Square
to be present at the evening “Concert in Thanksgiving” on what
was then The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. No, indeed!!
...
It was also primarily a thanksgiving concert to give many thankz
to those many who have generously and unselfishly already given
£2.4 million toward the £3 million appeal to refurbish St. Patrick’s
and to excavate its basement to make a new community centre be-
neath the old and historic church. Such a church centre will provide
the much-needed new space to engage further parish activities and
to help feed more of the homeless and poor that St. Patrick’s has
always endeavoured successfully to serve without fear or favour.
...
St. Patrick's will shortly close down for a year or so to allow
for the physical excavation to actually take place. But another
£600.000 is needed to be raised to complete the appeal in order
that such will cover the final cost of such a major undertaking.
When the basement becomes the new community centre, it will
also provided extra space to feed extra homeless folkz and for
doing the daily religious work of the church under the skillful
and experienced hands of its parish priest the Rev’d Father
Alexander Sherbrooke. I was also at the splendid concert to
make a little speech in open praise on the wonderful works of
feeding the homeless and caring for the poor that is is the
heart and soul behind much of St. Patrick’s well-known
and diverse Catholic ministry.
...
The Men of St. Patrick's Singers.
...
Where ever you sat or stood inside St. Patrick’s you couldn’t help
hearing the splendid singing and delightful music at the "Concertin Thanksgiving," unless you were sadly stone deaf or totally
disinterested in such beauty to one's ear and mind.
...
Soprano Breda McKinney, shown at the above caption photo,
set the superb quality and tonality of the whole splendid
evening now gone by her lovely presentations of ‘Vidit smim
dolcem natum,' .'Magnificat,' and Cuccini’s Ave Maria.
.
Along with Katie Musselbrook and Hannah Bannister,
who so professionally and deeply sang ‘Laudamus Te.’ Those
three fine sopranoes belonged to the 12-member female and
male St. Patrick’s Singers. They were a joy to hear!!!
...
They are not to be confused with the St. Patrick’s Gospel
Choir, who were also there at the one and half hour concert.
And, who with loud shrill, and also somewhat disconcertingly
at times for me, sang 'Thou O Lord, Glorious,' and 'Mary did
you know?' I personally much prefer the solemn, classical, and
graceful to the high-tempo and ear-spilling American gospel-
style of religious singing. All hell and brimstone does nothing
for me, especially when my ears ache and I need then to put
my fingers in my old and fragile ears ... to block out the noise!
...
However, I was pleased with gifted organist Stefan Bednarczyk,
who played with much polish like he did with Herbert Howells’
Psalm Prelude No. 1 .and Priere a Notre Dame from
Boellmann’s Suite Gothique on his demanding and
sturdy electronic organ at St. Patrick's.
...
Sopranoes Katie Musselbrook and Hannah Bannister.
...
Let me now write a few nice words about the priestly man
I know at St. Patrick's. He is Father Alexander Sherbrooke,
who has been the driving force in shaping the charcater
and direction of St. Patrick’s for more than 7 years now.
As a much respected and beloved parish priest, he is a man
whose background is quite fascinating to say the least.
From England’s Dorset he hails, along with 20 years in the
Catholic priesthood, Father Alexander is a towering figure
not only physically speaking, but also in his spirituality,
religiosity, and personal integrity. We also "sing from the
same songbook or hymn," he tells me ... when we agree
with each other's point of view which we so oftentimes do!
Being at St. Patrick's, many visitors assume he must be
Irish. When he tells them he is not, he adds jovially that
on entering the Kingdom of God, he'll then be Irish!!
...
I first got to know him almost 5 years ago. What I have
learned about him impresses me no end. After studying
in Rome, he spent much time working closely with
in India he also met Diana, Princess of Wales. She, Diana,
seemed to like Father Alexander and he was later asked
by her to do the burial of the dead baby of Diana’s closest
friend Rosa Monckton at Kensington Palace. He did so.
.
As for Diana, I almost believe that had she been Catholic,
instead of the quintessential Royal Anglican that she was,
I think they would have possibly made her some kind
of saint!! Or at least "Blessed." I really do.
...
He is also an Old Etonian having gone to Eton but without the
slightest sense of him being toff. Off to Australia he went, too, to
attend the World Youth Day at Sydney last year and since his
days as a young seminarian he has made periodic pilgrimages to
Medjugorje.
But best of all, his active parish ministry among the London homeless and the poor speaks wonderful volumes
no matter what ... I have after all been both a recipient and
a witness to such good deeds from St. Patrick's.
...
Father Alexander Sherbrooke with some
of his devout parishioners at St. Patrick's.
...
What also speak volumes for him has been his ability to help raise almost £2 ½ Million for St. Partick’s present appeal that
needs to raise another half milion or so to complete the £3 million
(originally £4 Million) appeal that he started from scratch.
...
Only a priest of his standing could even come close to
that with his loyal congregation standing firmly behind
him without a doubt. With our mutual friend Bishop
Bernard Longley of Westminster having now been called by the
Holy Father to be the next and ninth Archbishop of Birmingham,
I would love, like many others, to see Father Alexander take the
place of Bernard Longley to become the next Auxiliary Bishop of
Westminster. But then who am I, as an avid and avowed Anglican,
to even suggest such a thing? Right! I speak then just as a personal
friend of Father Alexander and not as an official spokesperson for
him or for the Holy Catholic Church. Indeed not!!
So please excuse me then ...
...
When he asked me to give a little speech at the “Concert in
Thanksgiving” I could hardly say "no," of course, to him. After all,
this was the same man who had helped to feed me, along with his
wonderful St. Patrick's volunteers, when I was hungry and then
also homeless and a stranger back in London after more that 38
years away in America and China after losing everything in my cat-
astrophic house fire and without a penny of insurance! My fault!
...
I was also given spiritual food at St. Patrick's. It is easy to feed
the belly, but without caring to give food to the mind and soul
of the homeless person. Under Father Alexander, I got all
three in one!! Bless his name, I say!
...
And while at the concert, it was nice to also see again Tim
and Maria Church, whose daughter Francesca Church did
the lovely artwork for the concert programme cover that
showed her artistic talents and her Catholic devotion in
"The Mysteries of Light" she so artistically rendered. It was
good also to chat again with the young Vincent Gardiner, who
I first met some two years ago when he graduated from St.
Patrick's School of Evangelisation (SPES) in the presence of
then Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-
O'Conner, who has since retired. Vincent seems so at home
with his faith-based Catholicism that one might almost think
he wants to be priest. If so, so be it! John Bason, Chairman of
St. Patrick's Fundraising Board, who sat right behind me, was
such a pleasure to personally meet. He opened the concert
with his concise welcome, which was good for us and John.
He also told me that my own little speech was "heartfelt"
and I was surprised at the handclapping by all the folkz
at the concert when I had finished my unscripted speech.
Then, I met soprano Breda McKinney, who kindly agreed
to let me photograph her so that she would make the
caption photo to this little blog story of mine - "Such A
Splendid Evening Now Gone." She was part of that
evening splendour, I might add. I must admit, too, that
I have a soft spot for all sopranoes that I hear and meet.
And, many from around the world I have heard
and met I am pleased to say! Bravo!!
...
At last the drenching rain outside had stopped for awhile
as I left the concert and walked to get to my No. 1 bus on
London's busy Tottenham Court Road to get back to my
home base. The bus was packed even at almost 10:00pm
and passengers looked so sad and so empty to me. There
was a blankness in the tired faces I saw and a refusal to
speak a word to others on the bus. Yet, like robots they
screamed into their hideous cellphones like talking mon-
keys in a closed zoo. But for me, I could still hear those
sopranoes at St. Patrick's as I stood squashed between
loads of immigrants and babbling foreigners as they beg-
an to stampede themselves on the already overcrowded
bus. I then lamented to myself, "such a splendid even-
ing now gone," as I resisted the London bus mob.
...
Faithfully, Uncle Monty.
+Edward The Confessor, 2oo9.
.
:: INVISIBLE LIVES AND RAINY DAY ::
How many do we not know?
Those who are among us,
just off the radar.
Amongst these are the abused,
rough diamonds, stars who,
because of you and me
May never be.
So: open your eyes and I then hope
and pray that through argument
and reason
And the abandonment of emotional
treason that you enable me to open mine.
.
How many shall we see?
When the blindfold is lifted, shifted,
discarded and so to conclude
Hand in hand coming full circle,
I see, with you as my witness ...
A thousand and one invisible
lives in every cloud.
STEPHEN FARRELL-WOOD
of The Big Issue.
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Modelling On The Back Street Was She!
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{Click on any image to Enlarge}
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Remembrance Day.
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