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ECCESIA SANCTI
PATRICII, SOHOENSIS.
By Uncle Monty.
Photos By Gary Day
& Alex Albion.
Part 2 of 2.
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Just two days before The Ascension, I stood up before
a huge gathering of folkz to make a little speech about
St. Patrick's feeding the homeless at London's Soho
Square. My 500-word presentation was short and
sweet and for once in awhile, I got something right as
the crowd approvingly applaud of my speech as I
bowed to the archbishop seated right at my right as I
left the podium. His Grace, Archbishop Vincent Nichols
of Westminster - shown above with me as he squinted
his eyes due to the camera flash - immediately got up
himself from his archiepiscopal chair and warmly shaked
my hand and expressed much approval of my little speech
about the feeding of the Soho homeless. Along, it seemed,
did his assembled diocesan clergy also approve. And
more importantly, so did the hundreds of invited
benefactors and guests, too!
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Some Early Arrivals At St. Patrick's Reopening.
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The subject of homelessness resonates with those who
have never experienced homelessness because they in-
trinsically fear, I suspect, that they could be vunerable
to such a situation themselves or maybe it's their own
sense of guilt or their emotional desire help those less
fortunate than themseleves. Whatever, as I spoke, I
could feel the vibrations from them, if you will, as the
gathered people listened closely to every word I
spoke duriing my speech while perfect silence ensued
to the point of hearing even a pin drop. I was thrilled
and enthused as I spoke carefully from my
prepared five-page text with my open heart.
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The Archbishop of Westminster Arriving For
St. Patrick's Solemn Mass of Reopening of
which His Grace was the Principal Celebrant.
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Here then is what I said at The Reopening
of Old St. Patrick's:
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I'm Monty.
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"I am delighted to be back at wonderful St. Patrick's
where I first came as a homeless person some 6 years
ago to eat dinner among the many other homeless
that St. Patrick's has freely fed under the priestly
guidance of the good Father Alexander Shelbrooke
and his voluntary kitchen staff.
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"The newly-excavated and spacious basement centre
beneath this historic parish church is a crowning achieve-
ment of the extraordinary and marvellous restoration made
possible only by the generous and steadfast benefactors
of St. Patrick's.
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"The new centre will help serve even more of the homeless
in the future thanks to those of you who responded over-
whelmingly to the parish's £4 Million Appeal in
this 21st century.
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"As a result of that, we now also see the gracious presence
of His Grace, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster
along with the visiting American auxiliary Bishop
James D. Conley of Denver, Colorado.
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"Along with such priestly servants, I want on behalf of
the many homeless to recognise and to thank deeply
the St. Patrick's benefactors who have given unceasing
support to feeding the homeless and the hungry like me,
and who happens to be yet a sinful Anglican, seeking
not just food per se, but also spiritual comfort and
warmth that the good Father Alexander has so freely
and so kindly given to me and to those many
homeless of various faiths and creeds from
around the world.
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"St. Patrick's is an welcoming haven open to all home-
less men and women no matter their skin colour, their
nationality, their belief, their nature, their ideology
and/or their personal situation.
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"It is therefore just and proper to give deep thanks
to those God-fearing benefactors that have made it
possible for me and many other homeless to par-
take in the whole spiritual body of St. Patrick's.
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"And above and beyond just being fed good and
wholesome food, we have also been consistently fed
with spiritual and godly abundance to nurture our
being and our worth despite our given plight.
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"Therefore, I then say, BRAVO to all the kind and
thoughtful St. Patrick's benefactors as I stand here
humbly and happily before you all at what
I call "The New St. Patrick's."
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"Bravo, again say I. And thank you one and all for what
you have done in the good name of Father Alexander
and the Archdiocese of Westminister.
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"I'm Monty, the sinful and once homeless Anglican.
Thank you all again ...
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( F I N I S )
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His Grace, Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Stands At Centre.
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American Auxiliary Bishop James D. Conley
of Denver, Colorado, with Uncle Monty.
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When I was homeless, not only did St. Patrick's help feed
me but did also Anglican St. Martin's Connextions. And so
did Mother Teresea's Missionaries of Charity at where I
also stayed as a resident for several weeks that included
providing me a bed and a shelter over my head. Then came
kindest Contessa Maria, who ensured I was fed when all
else failed. I then eventually moved to Sheltered Housing
due only to my age as an old age pensioner or senior citizen
and not becasue I was homeless per se. My old age saved
me from being forced to sleep on the streets since I had no
desire to be a rough sleeeper until my life's end. I was given
sheltered housing solely based on my then 62 years of age.
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Had I not been elderly, it is doubtful I would have gotten any
off-street accommodation other than perhaps at some homeless
hostel that can be a living hell for many homeless to say the least.
But St. Patrick's, despite being an avid Anglican myself, also
provided the essence of Catholic spirituality and working faith
that other places didn't. St. Martin's, though Anglican, doesn't
advertise its faith to the homeless which is such a shame.
Our Catholic friends make no apology for their Catholicism
unlike many of those who profess Anglicanism as their faith.
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To feed the body of the homeless with food means nothing,
if there is no benediction or confession of one's faith. All too
many homeless charities fail or refuse to offer or recognise
the meaning of faith in their secular and humanist works.
One wonderful except is London's Housing Justice, which
is Christian-based and faithful to the Word of God.
Hallowed Be Thy Name!!
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On the other hand, The Big Issue is also a prime humanist
example of its refusal to recognise the importance of faith.
That's because The Bird Brothers, who run it, disavow their
Catholic religion for greedy money and secular adoration at
the expense of the homeless that they have exploited at every
turn for the Bird's own material gain and godless benefit.
All the money in the world will not save the end for The Bird
Brothers even though they have become stinking rich off the
backs of the homeless over the past 20 years. They're
doomed, if they only knew it. And damned forevermore
by their open rejection of faith and of God.
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Group of Seven English Catholic Priests
Among Others At Reopening of St. Partick's.
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With his regular congregation of 700 worshippers, Father
Alexander Shelbrooke, the Dorest son of a Catholic mother
and an Anglican father, is the driving force behind the success
of St. Patrick's at Soho Square or SOHOENSIS. His
commitment to feeding the homeless is a personal mission
that speaks quietly against the loud hum of London's
crowded city that is now more like Africa than England
with the mass immigation of immigrants swarming all over
the once quintessentially British City. Today, London is
a city that no longer belongs to the British but instead to
a whole and horrible crowd of immigrants and Muslims
and foreigners who have also invaded not only the city,
but the whole country under the socialist agenda of
the ever-dreadful New Labour under vile Tony Blair.
Better for England, had he never been born!!
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Two days after my little speech I was back at won-
derful St. Patrick's for the Solemn Mass of The
Ascension with the Principal Celebrant, His Emience,
Cardinal George Pell of Australia and Archbishop of
Sydney. I was delighted to also find myself being in-
vited to the superb dinner as a dinner guest with His
Emience, the eminent cardinal. Such also gave me
a first-hand opportunity to engage in conversation
with Cardinal Pell, who impressed me by his
down-to-earth style and manner and was easy to
touch base with. I so enjoyed meeting him along with
the fine 5-course dinner that was fit for any Prince of
the Church let alone for a sinful Anglican like me!!
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It's Whit Sunday and I've been off to Anglican worship
and to attend this afternoon's social event and also an-
other welcome dinner with friends this evening. Now
that I have returned, I have now completed this story
- ECCESIA SANCTI PATRICII, SOHOENSIS -
and hopefully my readership will enjoy it as much
as I have in writing it ... just for you!
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For a different view of St. Patrick's, read architecture
critic Kieran Long's fascinating take on St. Patrick's in
his superbly written piece - "Good Works HQ."
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Spirit in the City
22-25 June 2011
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Faithfully, Uncle Monty.
+Pentecost/Whit Sunday, 2011.
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Feedback & Comments
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Uncle Monty Happily With The White Friars.
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Speech of Thankz.
By Uncle Monty.
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{ Click on any image to Enlarge }
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