One of my closest priest friends was appointed to Corpus Christi church in Maiden Lane in January. For those of you who don’t know where that is, it is between Covent Garden and The Strand, right in the heart of Theatreland.
Like the other Central London parishes, Fr Alan’s Sunday congregation is not large, although you’d be surprised at where small Peabody housing estates are tucked away – there are five alone in the environs of the Cathedral! But during the week the numbers at lunchtime are extraordinary. He regularly hears an hour of confessions before the 1.05 Mass and has a constant stream of callers at the door wanting to see him on various different matters as outside of the times for liturgies the church is left open and the entrance to the presbytery is in the porch. Thus, you can watch the world go by as you sip your coffee in the old Covent Garden Market. You can enjoy the street performers by the crêperie or the musicians on the lower ground floor. You can be nostalgic for Routemaster buses and live out the dream of driving a tube train in the London Transport Museum. And then you can turn down Southampton Street, take the first right into Maiden Lane and walk down the steps into the cool and calm interior of Corpus Christi.
It is such a contrast from the world outside and for those of you who have visited Rome in particular you will know that the smaller churches have that sense of peace which is often lost in the great basilicas. And in each, and in all our churches dotted around the centre of London, there is the light burning symbolising that the Eternal One is present amidst, and perhaps in spite of, the frantic activity outside.
In the Gospel Jesus is “praying alone in the presence of His disciples.” That can’t have been easy as they often misunderstand him, argue about who is the greatest, worry about where to get food and drink, ask for positions of honour in the Kingdom, let Him down…badly. And yet He finds peace and the ability to speak with His Father among these people. My mum used to have a prayer in the kitchen called, “Lord of pots and pans and things.” And when my dad was a junior clerk his office was right next to the typing pool and he learned to block out the noise of the incessant rattle of keys. He maintains that the ability to block out “background noise” was the secret to 53 years of marriage!
For those of you who do have access to a church during the day I would urge you to imitate our Saviour and make a visitation in the middle of an ordinary day. If you don’t, then just take a moment somewhere that is quiet. And let’s all remember that for some people the only visitation they can make is when they come to Mass at the weekend and let’s help to create that peace by keeping our conversations outside.
To help us seek those moments, with the World Cup on and England flags abounding, the wonderful Good Counsel Network has come up with this little prayer to say every time we see the emblem of St George: “Great St George, Patron of England, slay the dragon of abortion and give Mary back her dowry.” A few moments of calm throughout our busy day, if God can hear us over the vuvuzelas… Fr Kevin
