Yesterday, while in London for the CIEL Mass and Conference at the Oratory (as always, fun), I found myself with half an hour to kill near The Victoria Railway Station (as our Court Circulars describe it). So I dropped into that large red-brick church nearby which is such a triumph of Edwardian taste over Byzantine intention. Two things struck me.
The Sanctuary now seems to lack the small altar 1970s in front of the original altar. The lines of vision are such that it appears that Crucifix and six candles are on the original altar; in fact they are behind it. Good news: it looks better. Bad news: no evidence of a Benedictine arrangement.
More bad news: papers and periodicals used to be laid out at the back, and I (and, I think, quite a few other right-thinking people) used to sit in one of the seats nearby and read the Tablet without paying for it. Now they've all disappeared, and live in the shop. I did think of taking one and sauntering off into the Cathedral to read it , but desisted out a desire not to be arrested for shop-lifting.
Oh, darn. I was there, too, and would have loved to have identified you to say 'Hi'. Or possibly, given the situation, 'Salve, magister...'
ReplyDeleteWhere were you sitting?
In the back row of chairs. Perhaps I should go to these events labelled!
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