Embraced by a saint...

Near the pulpit is a very special window. It's special, not because it's of rare artistic value or of great age.  In fact, as stained glass, it's very nice but not remarkable.  No, it's special because of the occasion it commemorates.  This is the story:

In 1983 I was a newly-ordained priest. In November of that year, it was my privilege to be in Rome to take part in developing The Book of Divine Worship. During that time an invitation was extended to celebrate Mass with His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, in his private chapel. After we had said Mass, and in those few moments I had with the Holy Father, he told me that he remembered considering the request for my ordination, and he described how he came to an affirmative decision. For me, our brief conversation was an experience which will be treasured forever. At the conclusion of our time together, I asked him if I could take his blessing back to the people of my parish. His very simple words remain precious to me: "With all my heart, I bless you and your people." He then embraced me, and I knew that I was forever "home in my Father's house."

The world has now learned that Bl. John Paul II will be canonized next April, on Mercy Sunday, forever to be known as St. John Paul II.  

Here are a few pictures showing the details of the window.
 

The Coat of Arms of Bl. John Paul II is at the top,

connected by the grape vine to our parish symbol of the Pelican.

 

 

The words spoken to me by the Holy Father:

 

The date and place:

 

Detail showing the Pelican (a symbol of the Atonement):

 

The name of the parish and the date of its founding:

 

And here is the picture of the occasion which is commemorated in the window.

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus

Marie Thérèse Martin was born into a family of very faithful Catholics, and she was the youngest of five daughters. Her father was a watchmaker, and her mother, Zelie, who died when Thérèse was four, was a lace maker.

While still a child she felt the attraction of the cloister, and at fifteen obtained permission to enter the Carmel of Lisieux, taking the name of Sr. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. For the next nine years she lived a very ordinary religious life. There are no miracles or exceptional experiences recorded about her. She attained a very high degree of holiness simply by carrying out her ordinary daily duties with perfect faithfulness, having a childlike confidence in God's providence and merciful love and by being ready to be at the service of others at all times. She also had a great love of the Church and a zeal for the conversion of souls, and she prayed especially for priests.

She died of tuberculosis on September 30, 1897, at the age of 24, and was canonized in 1925. She has never ceased to fulfill her promise: "I will pass my heaven in doing good on earth." Her interior life is known through her autobiography called The Story of a Soul. Pope John Paul II declared her to be a Doctor of the Church in 1997.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who hast said, Except ye become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven: Grant us, we beseech thee; in meekness and lowliness of heart to follow the footsteps of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, thy holy virgin, and so at last to come unto thine everlasting kingdom; where thou livest and reignest, with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

St. Jerome the Grouch

St. Jerome's Cave, Bethlehem.

I deeply admire St. Jerome, the great biblical scholar, monk, and grouch extraordinaire. He certainly didn’t hold back his thoughts.

On the study of Hebrew he wrote, “From the judicious precepts of Quintilian, the rich and fluent eloquence of Cicero, the graver style of Fronto, and the smoothness of Pliny, I turned to this language of hissing and broken-winded words.”

On worldly women, he railed against those who “paint their cheeks with rouge and their eyelids with antimony, whose plastered faces, too white for human beings, look like idols; and if in a moment of forgetfulness they shed a tear it makes a furrow where it rolls down the painted cheek; women to whom years do not bring the gravity of age, who load their heads with other people's hair, enamel a lost youth upon the wrinkles of age, and affect a maidenly timidity in the midst of a troop of grand children.”

Even the clergy of Rome didn’t get a break. He said, “All their anxiety is about their clothes.... You would take them for bridegrooms rather than for clerics; all they think about is knowing the names and houses and doings of rich ladies.”

No wonder he ended up living in a cave.

The Holy Archangels

O Everlasting God, who hast ordained and constituted the ministries of angels and men in a wonderful order: Mercifully grant that, as thy holy angels always serve and worship thee in heaven, so by thine appointment they may help and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Angels are pure, created spirits. The name angel means servant or messenger of God. Angels are celestial or heavenly beings, on a higher order than human beings. Angels have no bodies and do not depend on matter for their existence or activity. They are distinct from saints, which men can become. Angels have intellect and will, and are immortal. They are a vast multitude, but each is an individual person. Archangels are one of the nine choirs of angels listed in the Bible. In ascending order, the choirs or classes are 1) Angels, 2) Archangels, 3) Principalities, 4) Powers, 5) Virtues, 6) Dominations, 7) Thrones, 8) Cherubim, and 9) Seraphim.

St. Michael
The name of the archangel Michael means, in Hebrew, “who is like unto God?” and he is also known as "the prince of the heavenly host." He is usually pictured as a strong warrior, dressed in armor. His name appears in Scripture four times, twice in the Book of Daniel, and once each in the Epistle of St. Jude and the Book of Revelation. From Revelation we learn of the battle in heaven, with St. Michael and his angels combatting Lucifer and the other fallen angels (or devils). We invoke St. Michael to help us in our fight against Satan; to rescue souls from Satan, especially at the hour of death; to be the champion of the Jews in the Old Testament and now Christians; and to bring souls to judgment.


St. Gabriel
St. Gabriel's name means "God is my strength". Biblically he appears three times as a messenger. He had been sent to Daniel to explain a vision concerning the Messiah. He appeared to Zachariah when he was offering incense in the Temple, to foretell the birth of his son, St. John the Baptist. St. Gabriel is most known as the angel chosen by God to be the messenger of the Annunciation, to announce to mankind the mystery of the Incarnation. The angel's salutation to our Lady, so simple and yet so full of meaning, “Hail Mary, full of grace,” has become the constant and familiar prayer of all Christian people.


St. Raphael
Our knowledge of the Archangel Raphael comes to us from the book of Tobit. His mission as wonderful healer and fellow traveler with the youthful Tobias has caused him to be invoked for journeys and at critical moments in life. Tradition also holds that Raphael is the angel that stirred the waters at the healing sheep pool in Bethesda. His name means "God has healed".

Newman's pulpit

Whenever I speak of my conversion to the Catholic Church, I always reference the great influence of Blessed John Henry Newman upon me, especially his "Apologia pro vita sua" which I read during my undergraduate studies.

While on our recent pilgrimage to England we were able to visit Littlemore, just outside of Oxford. It was there that Newman made his retreat when he resigned as Vicar of the University Church, St. Mary's, Oxford, and it was there that he was received into the Catholic Church on 9 October 1845, by Blessed Dominic Barberi. While we were there, I had the great privilege of saying Mass in the little chapel where Blessed John Henry Newman entered into full Catholic communion, and where he received his First Holy Communion as a Catholic layman.

While we were in Oxford we visited the great University Church where Newman served for some years as Vicar, and it was from the pulpit pictured here that he preached his magnificent sermons, which drew huge crowds and which led many people to say, "It was as though one of the ancient Church Fathers had come into our midst."

St. Lawrence Ruiz & Companions

The mixed-race child of a Chinese father and a Filippino mother, Lawrence Ruiz grew up and married a local Catholic girl. They had three children, and lived a simple life on his modest salary as a clerk working for the local parish. What they lacked in material things they more than made up for in their deep Catholic faith. Living something of an anonymous life, known only to their immediate circle of family and friends, life was good but not extraordinary. That is, not until a false accusation was made. And then, life as Lawrence Ruiz and his wife knew it, no longer existed. Everything was turned upside down as he made the nearly-impossible decision to run from his accusers. He was completely innocent, but he paid a very heavy price, which involved leaving his beloved wife and children and the only home he knew.
 
Lawrence made his way to a ship which was headed for Japan, and his travelling companions were three Dominican priests, a Japanese priest, and a layman who suffered from leprosy. They arrived in Okinawa and made no secret of their Catholic faith. And for that, they were arrested and tortured mercilessly. They were dragged off to Nagasaki, where further sport was made of Lawrence and the others, in an attempt to get them to deny Christ. They remained steadfast in professing their love for God and His Church. Lawrence had already had a false accusation made against him, but this accusation - that he was a Catholic - was an accusation he was happy to confirm, no matter what the consequences. And the consequences were brutal. He and his companions were hung upside down while having heavy stones tied to them; they were held under water until the moment before they would drown; they had wood splinters driven under their fingernails. But through it all, their hearts were filled with love for God and forgiveness for their persecutors.
 
When they finally died from their tortures, the bodies of Lawrence and his companions were burned and the ashes were thrown into the sea. Their faithful witness, however, fed that great burning fire of God's love, which continues to burn to this day.

O Almighty God, by whose grace and power St. Lawrence Ruiz and his Companion Martyrs triumphed over suffering and were faithful even unto death: Grant us, who now remember them with thanksgiving, to be so faithful in our witness to thee in this world, that we may receive with them the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

St. Vincent de Paul

St. Vincent was born of poor parents in a little village in France, in about 1580. He was able to go to school, which was run by a community of Franciscans, and it was there that he learned the value of humility and poverty, and the importance of serving others. Young Vincent was a good student, and in fact, he made such good progress that when he was in his fourth year of school, a wealthy man chose him to be a tutor for his own children, and Vincent was able to continue his studies at the same time, using the money he earned to pay for his education. When he was about sixteen, he went to the University for his theological studies, and he was eventually ordained to the priesthood.

St. Vincent was a very young priest in 1605, and he was travelling on a ship off the coast of France, when the ship was attacked by a band of pirates. They were Muslims from north Africa, and they captured St. Vincent and carried him off to Tunis, where he was sold into slavery. He lived as a slave for about two years, but then he managed to escape. Having gained his freedom, he went immediately to Rome to give thanks to God, and he then returned to France. Once again he became a tutor for the children of a wealthy family, and it was during that time that he had an important experience which changed the direction of his life.

There was a poor servant in the household who was dying. St. Vincent went to him to hear his last confession and to prepare him for death, and as he visited him, St. Vincent realized that the poor and those who worked in service to others really hadn’t been receiving very much spiritual care. When he brought this to the attention of his employers, they urged him to do what he thought best to remedy the situation. He began to a great ministry to the poor, preaching missions so they could know the Gospel, and he founded a religious community for men and also another for women, whose purpose was to serve the poor.

St. Vincent’s work was recognized throughout the Church, and although many wanted to honor him, he himself remained completely humble, continuing his work for the poor. He became known as the Apostle of Charity, continuing his work, until he died at the age of eighty. His work continues through the communities of priests and sisters which he established, and also through the Church’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which encourages laypeople to join in the work of alleviating the needs of the poor.

O God, who didst endue thy blessed Saint Vincent with apostolic virtue, to the intent that he should preach thy Gospel to the poor, and stablish the honor of the priesthood of thy Church: Grant we beseech thee; that we may so hold in reverence his works of righteousness, that we may learn to follow the pattern of his godly conversation; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Ss. Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs

The commemoration of St. Cosmas and St. Damian is one of the most ancient feasts of the Church, and these two martyrs have been honored in the East and West in many ways, including the building and dedication of churches in their honor in many places, including Rome and Constantinople. Along with St. Luke, they are the patron saints of doctors. Although we cannot be certain of the details of their lives, the information that has come down to us is of very early origin.

Saints Cosmas and Damian were venerated in the East as the "moneyless ones" because they practiced medicine at no charge. They were twin brothers, born in Cilicia (in what is now Turkey). They studied in Syria and became skilled physicians.

Since they were prominent Christians, they were among the first arrested when the great persecution under Diocletian began. Lysias, the governor of Cilicia, ordered their arrest, and they were beheaded in about the year 287. Their bodies, it was said, were carried to Syria and buried at the ancient Syrian city of Cyrrhus, which then became known as Hagioupolis – the City of the Holy Ones.

They were venerated very early and became patrons of medicine, known for their miracles of healing. The Emperor Justinian asked the heavenly aid of these saints, was cured by their intercession, leading the emperor to give special honor to the city of Cyrrhus where their relics were enshrined. Their basilica in Rome, decorated with beautiful mosaics, was dedicated in the year 530. They are named in the Roman Martyrology and in the Canon of the Mass, testifying to the antiquity of the celebration of their feast day.

Cosmas and Damian were not only ideal Christians by their practice of medicine as an act of Christian charity, but they also testify to God's blessing upon the science and art of healing, affirming the Christian understanding of the physical and spiritual unity of each person.

Almighty and Everlasting God, who didst enkindle the flame of thy love in the hearts of thy holy martyrs Saints Cosmas and Damian: Grant to us, thy humble servants, a like faith and power of love, that we who rejoice in their triumph may profit by their example; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

The latest "Crusader Times"

If you'd like to know what's going on at The Atonement Academy, have a look at the latest Crusader Times. You can read it at this link.

Our Lady of Walsingham

In 1061, so the story goes, the lady of the manor of Little Walsingham in Norfolk, a widow named Lady Richeldis, prayed to our Lady asking how she could honour her in some special way. In answer to this prayer Mary led Lady Richeldis in spirit to Nazareth and showed her the house in which she had first received the angel's message. Mary told Richeldis to take the measurements of this house and build another one just like it in Walsingham. It would be a place where people could come to honour her and her Son, remembering especially the mystery of the Annunciation and Mary's joyful 'yes' to conceiving the Saviour.

The late eleventh century and all through the twelfth and thirteenth century was the era of the crusades, which saw a growing interest in the sites consecrated by the human presence of Jesus in the Holy Land. But now pilgrims need not go so far; in England itself there was a 'new Nazareth' built by one of their own countrywomen.

The actual house from Nazareth was moved – perhaps even miraculously – to Loreto, and we find that the measurements of the house in Loreto and the house in Walsingham are the same.

Why venerate a house? Because it was there that the Word-made-Flesh lived as Man with mankind.

O God, who through the mystery of the Word made flesh didst in thy mercy sanctify the house of the blessed Virgin Mary, and wondrously place it in the bosom of thy Church: Grant that being made separate from the tabernacles of sinners, we may become worthy to dwell in thy holy house; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

St. Pio of Pietrelcina

St. Pio was born in 1887 in Pietrelcina, a town in southern Italy. His family were farmers, and his father worked also as a shepherd to support the family. In fact, when St. Pio was a boy his father was gone for periods of time because he had come to America looking for work, sending money back to his family. When St. Pio was 15 he entered the novitiate of the Capuchin Friars and made his first vows when he was 19. He suffered several health problems, but he was eventually ordained at age 22 on 10 August 1910, and was known after that as Padre Pio.

He had been a priest for about eight years. One morning he was praying before a crucifix, when he received the stigmata. He is the first priest ever to receive this outward mark of union with Christ Crucified – St. Francis of Assisi was a deacon. In fact, because this became a source of curiosity for so many people, Padre Pio was forbidden from having any public ministry for some years, even having to say Mass privately. This was a tremendous burden for him, but he accepted it in complete obedience to his superiors. But as word spread, especially after American soldiers brought home stories of Padre Pio following WWII, the priest himself became a point of pilgrimage for both the pious and the curious. He would hear confessions by the hour, reportedly able to read the consciences of those who held back. He was able to bi-locate, levitate, and heal by touch, although he himself never understood or emphasized these gifts.

People always seem to be most fascinated with these dramatic gifts, but the foundation of St. Pio’s life was his total love for Jesus, especially in the Blessed Sacrament, and his life of prayer for others, especially prayer for healing – both spiritual and physical healing. In fact, in 1956 he founded the House for the Relief of Suffering, a hospital that today serves about 60,000 patients a year.

St. Pio died in 1968, and people continued to report many miracles and healings that had come through his intercession. Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1999, and then in 2002 he was canonized in the presence of more than 300,000 people who gathered in Rome for the Mass.

O Almighty God, who hast compassed us about with so great a cloud of witnesses: Grant that we, encouraged by the good example of thy servant St. Pio of Pietrelcina, may persevere in running the race that is set before us, until at length, through thy mercy, we may with him attain to thine eternal joy; through Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A simple writing desk...

It has been said that Bl. John Henry Newman "wrote himself into the Church." If there is any truth in that, then it took place on this desk, where he wrote his Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. It was 1845, and he had been at Littlemore for the previous few years. He was undergoing spiritual suffering, and he was eating so little that he was described as "ghostly thin." He stood at this desk to write, the writing surface adjusted to be at a slight slope, and by the time he finished the work he knew he would enter the Catholic Church.

Is it possible to know something of the man simply from a piece of furniture? Objectively speaking, perhaps not; but I cannot deny the overwhelming sense of Newman's journey as I laid my hand on the surface of the desk where his own hand had laboured, and where his heart searched out and found its home.

It was on 9 October 1845 that Bl. John Henry Newman was received into the Church by Bl. Dominic Barberi. On 10 October 1845 an altar stone was placed on this very desk, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered -- the Mass at which Bl. John Henry Newman received his first Holy Communion as a Catholic layman.

He never again used this desk as a place to write. He said he could not, knowing that it had been used for so great a Mystery as the Mass.

A Catholic Pilgrimage to England

Our Catholic Pilgrimage to England was a most wonderful and spiritual experience, with a depth and meaning that exceeded what could imagine. We left San Antonio at mid-day September 9th, arriving in London on the morning of September 10th. The following pictures and brief notes do not form an exhaustive account of our time, but touch on particular highlights, especially the places in which we celebrated our pilgrimage Masses.

St. Etheldreda's Church, London

We celebrated the first Mass of our pilgrimage at the Church of St. Etheldreda. St Etheldreda’s Church was the town chapel of the Bishops of Ely from about 1250 to 1570. It is the oldest Catholic church in England and one of only two remaining buildings in London from the reign of Edward I. It was once one of the most influential places in London with a palace of vast grounds. It was like an independent state, the Bishop of Ely’s place in London or Ely Place as it is now called, and its chapel took its name from one of England’s most popular saints of the day, Etheldreda.

The High Altar at St. Etheldreda's Church

Our visit to Westminster Abbey was all too brief, but we all had the overwhelming sense of stepping into the heart of British history. Benedictine monks first came to this site in the middle of the tenth century, and the Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066. It is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs. The present church, named officially as The Collegiate Church of St Peter, was begun by Henry III in 1245, and is one of the most important Gothic buildings in England.

The West Entrance of the Abbey

The interior of Westminster Abbey

Later on the first day of our pilgrimage we took a very long walk through Hyde Park, with the double purpose of staying awake until bed-time, and more importantly to visit the site of the Tyburn Martyrs. From 1535 to 1681 Tyburn was a place of cruelty, torture and execution for men and women who suffered on Tyburn Tree for their religious belief. According to the laws of the land in force at that time, it was an act of high treason to be a Catholic priest, or to associate with Catholic priests. The 105 Catholic Martyrs of Tyburn suffered death because they chose to remain faithful to the Pope as the true Head of the Church on earth.

Exterior view of the Chapel of the Tyburn Martyrs

The marks the site of the Tyburn Tree, which served as the gallows.

On our walk through Hyde Park we saw the beautiful Albert Memorial, which is located in Kensington Gardens, directly to the north of the Royal Albert Hall. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband, Prince Albert, who died of typhoid in 1861. The memorial was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the Gothic Revival style.

Deacon Orr, standing in front of the Albert Memorial.

The gilded statue of Prince Albert, beneath the ciborium which crowns the memorial.

We made a visit to St. Paul's Cathedral, which is the masterpiece of the architect, Sir Christopher Wren. It is on the site of the original church dedicated to St. Paul the Apostle, founded in AD 604. The present Anglican cathedral, dating from the late 17th century, is designed in the English Baroque style, and was part of a major rebuilding program which took place in the city after the Great Fire of London in 1666.

St. Paul's Cathedral, London.

The interior of St. Paul's Cathedral, London, showing the Choir and High Altar.

The centre of the Catholic Church in England is Westminster Cathedral in London. Dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Cathedral was designed in the Early Christian Byzantine style by the Victorian architect John Francis Bentley. The foundation stone was laid in 1895 and the fabric of the building was completed eight years later.

Westminster Cathedral.

The galero of Cardinal Hume, handing in the Chapel of Ss. Gregory & Augustine.

And what would a visit to London be without seeing the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace? The crowds were huge, the glimpse was brief, but it's all part of the necessary local colour, and it seems to be the one thing people ask if you saw.

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

Standing in front of the Queen Victoria Monument.

We went to the infamous Tower of London, and considering the past horrors it had seen, it was somewhat disconcerting to see signs for "Gift Shop" and "Cafeteria" right next to places where prisoners had been tortured and put to death. But such is the passage of time. For us pilgrims, it was a place where we remembered and sought the intercession of such men as St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher.

The so-called "Traitor's Gate" to which prisoners were brought by boat
on the River Thames, and through which they went to imprisonment and death.

Deacon Orr seems to be enjoying the Tower a little too much!

The Bell Tower, in which St. Thomas More was imprisoned.

We celebrated Mass at the magnificent St. James, Spanish Place, which traces its roots to the time when the Spanish ambassador and his household -- Catholics all -- had a Chapel in which Mass was offered, even though it was illegal outside its walls. It became a place where English Catholics could find the comfort and grace of the sacraments, unavailable to them elsewhere.

St. James, Spanish Place, London.

Our first journey outside London was to Windsor Castle in the county of Berkshire. The castle is notable for its long association with the British royal family and for its architecture. The original castle was built in the 11th century after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I, it has been used by succeeding monarchs and it is the longest-occupied palace in Europe.

At the foot of the Long Walk, looking towards Windsor Castle.

The London Oratory was founded in 1849, the year after John Henry Cardinal Newman established the Birmingham Oratory, when Newman sent Frederick Faber and some companions, including Thomas Francis Knox, to start an Oratory in London. We celebrated one of our pilgrimage Masses here.

The facade of the Brompton Oratory, London.

The High Altar at the Brompton Oratory, London.

Mass in the St. Joseph Chapel, Brompton Oratory.

In front of the Newman statue, outside Brompton Oratory.

As we entered the city of Canterbury, we went first to St. Martin's Church, which is the oldest church in continuous use in England. St Martin's was the private chapel of Queen Bertha of Kent in the 6th century before Augustine arrived from Rome. Queen Bertha was a Christian Frankish princess who arrived in England with her Chaplain, Bishop Liudhard. King Æthelberht of Kent, her husband, allowed her to continue to practise her religion in an existing church, which is mentioned by the Venerable Bede.

St. Martin's Church, Canterbury.

We saw also the ruins of what was once the great St. Augustine's Abbey, which included a large school and a library of more than two thousand manuscripts. It is now in ruins, a victim of the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII.

The ruins of St. Augustine's Abbey, outside Canterbury.

Founded in 597, Canterbury Cathedral was completely rebuilt from 1070 to 1077. The east end was greatly enlarged at the beginning of the twelfth century, and largely rebuilt in the Gothic style following a fire in 1174, with significant eastward extensions to accommodate the flow of pilgrims visiting the shrine of Thomas Becket, the archbishop who was murdered in the cathedral in 1170. The Norman nave and transepts survived until the late fourteenth century, when they were demolished to make way for the present structures.

The main gate into the precinct of Canterbury Cathedral.

Inside Canterbury Cathedral.

The site of the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket.

The West End of Canterbury Cathedral.

We headed to Salisbury, a place very special to me. JoAnn and I lived there for two years while I was studying at the Theological College next to the Cathedral Here's a view of the magnificent Cathedral as we were nearing the city.

Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Salisbury.

Beautiful Salisbury Cathedral -- it was here that I often played the great Fr Willis pipe organ, and frequently served as Sub-deacon on Sunday mornings. I came to love this cathedral so much that in my spare time as a student I would give tours to visitors.

Standing on the north side of the Cathedral.

A view of the choir stalls on the south side.

The tombstone of St. Osmund, Founder of the Diocese of Sarum (Salisbury).

Number 23 The Close, where JoAnn and I had our flat when we were living in Salisbury. It was the home of Archdeacon and Mrs Basil Wingfield-Digby, who were very gracious to us while we lived on the top floor (where the dormer windows are). Our view was of the north side of the magnificent Cathedral, and we were just a few steps from the Theological College.

23, The Close - we lived under the gables while in Salisbury.

This is the Theological College where I studied in Salisbury. The main building was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and the beautiful flint chapel at the side was designed by William Butterfield.

It was in that chapel that "the incident" took place, which I recount as a warning to my servers.

I was the thurifer, and we processed into the chapel with suitable pomp. I was swinging the thurible with great skill, including a few 360-degree circles. We began up the steps to the altar, and the edge of the base of the thurible caught the step, causing incense, flaming charcoal, and sparks to fly through the air, burning the sanctuary carpet as it all landed in front of me.

19, The Close - my Theological College in Salisbury.

Just outside the Cathedral Close is the lovely little Catholic Church of St. Osmund, designed by Pugin, where we celebrated Mass for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Mass at St. Osmund's Catholic Church, Salisbury.

No trip to Salisbury would be complete without having a look at the ancient and eerie Stonehenge.

We then proceeded on to Bath and Bristol.

Exterior view of Bath Abbey.

Interior view of Bath Abbey.