London is a town of amazing contrasts. For example, you will find ancient and modern together.
By now most people recognize "the pickle" shaped building which appears in all recent movies and TV shows based in London. Looking fora livelier area, I hopped on the tube for Holborn. I found to my delight a small Catholic church St Ambrose and St Cecilia I believe [correction: St Anselm and St Cecilia], which Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in course. I spent a little while there before moving along into the busy streets.
Now a pint before moving along to find something to eat.
It is a bit strange to hear "American Pie" in a London pub.
… and some people singing along.
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Have a great excursion, Fr. I look forward to some great photos !! In your charity, please pray for a beloved priest, Monsignor Patrick Flood, 90, who passed away this past week and had his funeral Mass yesterday. A wonderful Irish priest. He heard confessions until just last year, and if I’m not mistaken in the past, he said a traditional Mass for our group a time or two. A wonderfully humble man who preferred to be called Father Pat all his priestly life.
RIP. I will pray for him.
I dearly miss English beer and a pint at the pub, an experience that simply cannot be had in the states.
That’s St Anselm & St Cecilia, the successor of the Sardinian Embassy Chapel.
Ooooo-that ‘pickle’ is a real uuuuggggly building!
Looks more like a pine cone…. : )
Nice to see that church again. For some years I was in London for one Sunday every month not far from there and I attended Mass there before work. It always impressed me to see so many nurses present and presumed that there must have been a big hospital nearby.
Incidentally the unusual building is known as the Pickled Gherkin and is not far from Tower Bridge.
I always find it amusing that Americans love the song American pie, considering it was written by a Canadian!
That church has an unusual design in the front. It almost looks like it was meant to have a rood screen!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Re has the info on the ugly building.
Dear passerby,
The song, “American Pie” was written by Don McLean. Don was born in New Rochelle, NY. Please tell me how that accident of birth makes him Canadian?
John Lacroix, born in Canada,
but now a proud American by
naturalization
I was just singing to Madonnas version of American pie last nite lol
I’ve always been intrigued by the British blending of the modern and the ancient. Sometimes the effects have been stunning…other times, not as much. However, despite these progressive inclinations, they have so steadfastly maintained many masterpieces of architecture that were old when some of our “classics” were just being built on this side of the pond.
An eye to the future with a hand on the past; very English.
Interestingly enough, the anti-spam word here was “Identity”. Anyway, apparently that pickle building is “award winning”…
Wonderful photos, Father. Thanks for sharing them.
I lived in London for 6 months as a student back in 1990. I loved every minute of it, and I look forward to going back some day.
Mr. H
http://www.allhands-ondeck.blogspot.com/
English singing \”American Pie\” in English pubs is mentioned in this song…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5h4PFBuzvw
The church you attended is not St Ambrose and St Cecilia but St Anselm (former Archbishop of Canterbury in the good old days