The Catholic Weekly 31 May 2020

19 31, May, 2020 catholicweekly.com.au Now is the time to pray rather than falling into procrastination and putting spiritual exercises off. to see what was afoot (any- one who inquired was given a Miraculous Medal or a rosa- ry, and a prayer card). There was little about St Patrick’s, I thought, that could surprise me. But Father Sherbrooke and his people have now outdone themselves. The parish had long helped the homeless who depend on whatever they can beg from those going to fashionable West End restaurants, theaters and pubs. With those venues shut down by the Wuhan vi- rus, many were in desperate straits. So Father Sherbrooke and the parish stepped up, per- suaded two well-regarded restaurants and the Pret- a-Manger chain to provide meals and sandwiches, and in recent weeks have been feeding over 200 people a day, some of them twice a day. Meals are served and lav- atory and shower facilities are available in the church’s undercroft; the volunteers who staff this work of charity and solidarity take appropri- ate measures to ensure that St Patrick’s doesn’t become a centre for spreading infec- tious disease. At the centre of this strik- ing example of Christian ser- vice is the Eucharist. Mass is celebrated on the sidewalk in front of the church and Eu- No time like right now to pray A parish of the New Evangelisation shows what’s possible I ’d heard about Father Al- exander Sherbrooke long before we met in June 2011; Father Sherbrooke had been a mentor for young friends of mine who had worked at St Patrick’s Church in London as pastoral assis- tants and catechists. When we finally got to know each other in person, I had that wonderful experi- ence of knowing, almost in- stantly, that here was some- one with whom I would remain in serious (but also rollicking) conversation – someone on whose friendship I could rely as spiritual ballast. What Father Sherbrooke has done at St Patrick’s in his 17 years as its pastor is little short of miraculous. Soho Square, where the parish is located, is in Lon- don’s West End, a thoroughly decadent part of the city that caters to every imaginable hu- man appetite. The church’s roof was penetrated by a Luft- waffe bomb during World War II and the parish was in tough shape, pastorally and financially, when Father Sher- brooke arrived. Then came the miracles of grace, channelled through constant prayer, hard work, pastoral imagination, and support from the pastor’s many friends and followers. Today, St Patrick’s is the thriving centre of the New Evangelisation in one of the unlikeliest neighbourhoods of one of the world’s most di- verse cities. Beautiful liturgy in a mag- nificently renovated church, adoration of the Blessed Sac- rament, a prayer-line the af- flicted can call for spiritual as- sistance, an extensive ministry to the poor, and a catechetical school that’s trained dozens of young Catholics for work in the trenches of 21st-cen- tury evangelisation fill out an exceptional pastoral program – all of which is fuelled by the parish’s intense Eucharistic and Marian piety. I’ve been a frequent guest at St Patrick’s over the past nine years (and had hoped to return in late May). On one occasion, I was permitted to pour the gravy at the Christ- mas dinner the parish hosts for those who would other- wise have no Christmas din- ner. On another, I participat- ed in an Advent procession through the streets of the West End: a statue of Our Lady of Walsinghamwas borne on the shoulders of parishioners, amazing those who came out of the local pubs and shops charistic adoration follows, typically accompanied by the rosary. A prayerful reading of the Scriptures, the tradition- al lectio divina , is available for those who wish to participate; so is Confession; both are conducted in special tents. Those who come to the church to be fed are also of- fered spiritual sustenance in a printed weekly program that includes suggestions on how to pray, biblical readings, and simple meditations. Evangeli- sation and catechesis are thus wedded to service of the poor. The glue that binds it all together is the deep Catholic conviction and intense spiri- tual life of Father Sherbrooke, which inspires a generosity of spirit and a passion for mis- sion in others. At St Patrick’s in Soho Square, truth and mercy meet, as they’ve met in the lives of Father Sherbooke, his parish staff, and the vol- unteers. There is something quite biblical about this, as those who’ve been reading the Acts of the Apostles with the Church during this strangest of Eastertides will recognise. Evangelisation, which must always include the witness of caring for the Master’s lost sheep, is the new normal in the Catholic Church. It was the new normal at St Patrick’s years before COVID-19. And that prepared the parish for its extraordinary work in extraor- dinary times. George Weigel is the Distin- guished Senior Fellow and WilliamE. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Centre in Washington “Man is created to reverence, praise and serve God our Lord, and by this means save his soul.” F ather Piotr Kruk OP made this counsel of St Ignatius of Loyola clear to students at Campion College’s student retreat in March. For three days at the Benedict XVI Cen- tre in northwest Sydney, a group of students gathered to reflect, pray and deepen our faith at the start of the aca- demic year. In a talk titled ‘The Hu- man Person, Virtue and Freedom,’ Campion’s presi- dent Dr Paul Morrissey also highlighted that all our de- cisions are deeply motivat- ed by happiness and a desire for fulfilment. As he said to us, in our pursuit of the “good life”, which is ultimately only found in Our Lord, we find freedom in doing that which is truly good. This true good is found in the reverence, praise and The glue that binds it together is the deep Catholic conviction and intense spiritual life of Father Sherbrooke, which inspires a generosity of spirit ...” service of God who is our ultimate fulfilment. Simple enough isn’t it? But as mil- lennia have shown, this is no mean feat at the best of times. Considering recent events we know all too well, the world has collectively found its own hardships to suffer, and this rubs off on us all. It’s all too easy to forget our primary concern of pursuing that “good life” and actively living out Ig- natius’s counsel in these times. I know this and am no strang- er to it. The creature comforts of life are even more present now: I spend 20 minutes on Facebook here, or watch an- other needless video there. Soon enough, prayer life and faith take a back seat and an awful lot of time is spent fill- ing up the days with trivial matters. It’s because of this danger, the danger of slipping into needless vices, that Dr Morrissey’s insights into vir- tue can’t be stressed enough. It’s not a matter of doing the least we can for God and tick- ing the ‘faith boxes’, because virtue requires us to active- ly lead lives of faith fuelled by the burning fire of love – love being the form of all virtue. Yet to live the faith is hard. To strive for virtue requires sacrifice, but if we think on what we can achieve through even the small sacrifices, there’s much to be said. We are seeing, far and wide in this age of technology, a new way to live out the faith. One might not be able to visit the sick or go to Mass in per- son but instead of scrolling Facebook, I can now watch Pope Francis’ private Mass in Rome or say a Rosary with a friend in another state. Instead of going back to YouTube I can listen to the wisdom of an esteemed aca- demic, all frommy own room. All this is to say that there is capacity for much to be done and, at times such as this, an obligation for us to do it. Don’t now fall into lazy hab- its, however small, because they will only grow, even when life returns to normal, and this we must avoid. So, find ways to make sac- rifices, big or small, so that you may find new ways to pray. Pursue new ways to grow in virtue. The call re- mains ever the same. Rever- ence, praise and serve God. Although it may seem like a terrible time, it remains for us to strive for that “good life”. Use this time well, for if we can stay resolved in faith and virtue now, howmuch more will we be able to do so when the madness settles down. Aidan Shogren is Campion College’s Chaplaincy Coor- dinator George Weigel Columnist Original, innovative, creative: Fr Alexander Sherbrooke. Aidan Shogren Find ways to make sacrifices, big or small, so that you may find newways to pray. Pursue new ways to grow in virtue. The call remains ever the same.” COMMENT