Chilly windy rainy… then just windy. Then rainy again.
Having sent my article for the paper, I headed into town to meet the wonderfully persistent Anna Arco of the UK’s best Catholic weekly, The Catholic Herald, for lunch.
This isn’t from today, but I include it anyway.
After lunch and walking to the offices of The Catholic Herald, we passed a little slightly hidden church, St. Mary Moorfields.
I was delighted to find Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
I then had the chance to meet some of the other staff, along with their leader Luke Coppen.
I visited as well the nearby cemetery of Bunhill Fields where, among other notables, there are buried John Bunyan, Daniel Defoe, and William Blake.
The pilgrim on Bunyan’s tomb.
Wesley’s chapel is across the street.
Then off to a pub I know at Seven Dials where I met a reader of this blog who SMS’d me at the
right moment.
Then a tube ride and a stop at Tesco for salad stuff.
I ask prayers for an improvement in my health.
When I am out and about tomorrow, God willing, I will eventually have to land somewhere for a rest and pint.
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Envy….hope you are well. Remember that Guinness is good for you.
St Mary Moorfields is in an odd place. Or is it more odd to have the shops on the sides of the building? Guessing it is a holdover from the days when Catholicism had few rights in England.
Your discover of St. Mary Moorfield’s reminds me of a time I was in the ninth arrondissement in Paris; we had just left the Gare du Nord, and had a short layover, so we stopped for a bite to eat. It was lunch hour, so all was dust and heat and crowds. On top of that, we had our two little children with us and two heavy suitcases, all of whom couldn’t avoid getting jostled at every turn. Stress was above all my companion. Emerging from the underground store up a flight of stairs, we ended up in a busy alley. I looked up and saw directly across the way a stately edifice, easily missed among the swarming cafés and stores, with the words etched in its stone, “St. Louis d’Antin.” A Catholic church! I went inside with my little daughter to visit Jesus, and was most delighted to discover adoration was underway, with a respectable number of adorers in the pews. The church within was impressive. The contrast between the worldly hustle and bustle outside and the quiet serenity inside couldn’t have been greater. And for my soul, weary from travel and worries, this was like a gift to me dropped from the heavens. The stress left me after that…
Prayers for improved health. Take good care, Fr. Z.
“The stranger who finds himself in the Dials for the first time…at the entrance of Seven obscure passages, uncertain which to take, will see enough around him to keep his curiosity awake for no inconsiderable time…” – Dickens
Never doubt, Fr. Prayers are there for your health.
Loved this bit: “a rest and pint”. You must have some Irish heritage. I always knowed it!
Have a great time in London. If a visit to the Brompton Oratory can’t cure you, nothing can!!!
Praying! Get well soon!
Get some Vitamin C, Fr. Z! Of course, I’ll be praying for your health and safety.
I’ve never been to London, but the pictures give me reason to want to visit one day! Happy and safe travels, and as you asked – prayers for an improvement in your health. Wanda is right! (Vitamin C) And honeycomb is a natural antibiotic. It’s delicious, and it will give you an immunity boost! Take care:)
Prayers coming your way. Please take care.
Dear Father, Prayers for your health. If you are feeling well enough to go out and about today, there is an EF Mass at Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, (runs parallel to The Strand) every 2nd Friday at 6.30pm and every Monday at 6.30pm. It’s almost next door to Rules (trad English food but you’d need a benefactor or take out a bank loan), Simpsons in the Strand (also trad), or Joe Allen if you are in the mood for a burger. Wish I was in London. It would be my pleasure to host a good meal. Eat well and keep fit. Best wishes.
Prayers sent, and thank you for my kind of tourist itinerary!
That would be PICTURES of my kind of tourist itinerary! Sorry.
Thank you all for the greetings and prayers. I am not better today, alas.
May you return to good health soon, Father.
Teaguytom, the current church at St Mary Moorfields dates from well after emancipation, so I don’t think the reason for the pecularities of its design are directly related to denial of rights, or a wish or need to keep a low-key and discreet appearance – I think it’s the third (certainly the second) church on the site (one of the predecessors, which was a little grander in external appearance, served as a Pro-Cathedral for a time, in the mid/late 19th century). As I understand it the inclusion of the shops in the front (which I agree is a really odd thing, and I know of no other instance of this in the UK!) was necessitated by reasons of space and/or land ownership when the current church was constructed (early 20th century).
It is the only Catholic church in the formal City of London (ie “square mile”/financial district); although in fact the boundaries of the City changed in the mid-1990s; prior to that time there were none.
Chilly windy rainy… then just windy. Then rainy again.
In London?!? No. Come on.
I am visiting the Pilgrim Virgin statue of OL Fatima today. I’ll pray for your health.
Prayers! Get well soon!
Praying that you’ll feel better, Father Z….hope it’s not serious!
Thank you, Father, for giving us such good material to think about, even when you aren’t feeling well…. earnest prayers for your rapid recovery!