NOVEMBER 2009

Travelling through France this summer, I stayed for a night at the priory of the Brothers of St John at La Chaise Dieu, in the Auvergne, with the superior of the priory whom I had met in Lourdes last year. The town is famous for its 14th century Abbey of St Robert, which was the Mother Church of the order of black monks, a semi-eremitical order founded by St Robert de Turlande in the 11th century. It is not the abbey, however, that provides the most interest but two other things within the Abbey Church of particular interest to members of the Guild of All Souls.

On the northern outer wall of the Choir is an unfinished 15th century wall painting of the Danse Macabre or the Dance of Death, an example of a motif which became popular after the outbreak of the Black Death. The frescos show death personified as a skeleton leading people from all walks of life to the grave. The parade strictly follows precedence of contemporary society, with Adam and Eve preceding all: the pope then the emperor, the legate, the prince, the cardinal, the high constable, the patriarch, the knight, then the abbot, the townsman, the merchant, the lady, ending with the lawyer, the minstrel, the clerk, the ploughman, the monk, the innocent child and the pilgrim. Such paintings were produced to remind people of how fragile their lives, how vain the glories of earthly life were and how important it is to be prepared for death at all 3 times. "It is yourself", says the fifteenth-century text below.

The other thing of interest is the beautiful series of Flemish tapestries above the choir stalls. These tapestries are made up of scenes from the life of Christ surrounded by scenes from the Old Testament beginning with the Annunciation to the Last Judgment. Such tapestries were, of course, used for teaching and the brother who showed them to me pointed out many allusions and illustrations which could be so easily missed. The final tapestry of the Last Judgment is particularly impressive. Christ holds in his hands a lily symbolising mercy and a sword symbolising judgment. Such themes were common for Christians in the past but are ones which are often ignored today yet every Sunday we say 'He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead'.

We indeed face judgment, but God is merciful. However, unless we have attained sanctity in this life we will need a period of purification to prepare us for the presence of God. The Holy Souls as they are called need our prayers as a sign of our love and our solidarity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it this way: 'All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified are indeed assured of eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to archive the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven (para 1030.)

We should pray for our departed loved ones regularly and not just on the anniversary of death. The most important occasion for praying for the dead is during the offering of Mass that they might receive forgiveness of their sins and all the benefits of Christ's death. Why not ask your priest to offer Mass with the particular intention of the departed member of your family? Or perhaps you might offer the recitation of the rosary once a week for them or recite Psalm 129 (De Profundis) a psalm of faith and hope.

In the Intercession paper Father Corbett has written about offering his first Requiem in our Guild Chapel at Walsingham after his ordination. Please remember that priest members of the Guild are always welcome to use the Chapel for Requiem Masses. Perhaps a Requiem could be offered there if a Parish Pilgrimage to Walsingham is longer than the normal weekend.

Speaking of the Guild Chapel of St Michael and the Holy Souls; you may have noticed that access to the Chapel is not very easy for those in wheelchairs. Although there is a ramp to the door there is still a step to be negotiated which may prevent some people from using the Chapel. The Guild Council is aware of this and would like to redesign the entrance for easier access for the disabled. However, it seems this will cost a large amount of money to achieve the necessary alteration. The first quotation we have received is in the region of £14,000. It has been suggested that members may like to make donations towards this project. Please make any cheques payable to 'The Guild of All Souls' and mark the envelope clearly 'Chantry Chapel Access' and send to the General Secretary.

All members of the Guild are welcome to the AGM and Annual Requiem at St Stephen's Gloucester Road on Thursday 12th November at 6.00 pm and I hope to see many of you there. With prayers and best wishes

+ Keith Richborough

MAY 2009

            The Litany in the Book of Common Prayer contains the suffrage:
                    From lightning and tempest; from plague pestilence, and famine; from battle and murder and from sudden death – Good Lord, deliver us.
            When I was younger I used to think that phrase ‘from sudden death’ was an odd one. Don’t we all want our end to be quick? The thought of a lingering painful illness is not pleasant. Isn’t it better to die suddenly of a heart attack after a long and active life without an extensive period in hospital or a long process of loosing one’s independence? Of course, the phrase is not about a quick end but about dying unprepared and certainly in one sense the whole of our Christian life is a preparation for death.
            The recent very public dying and death of the ‘Big Brother’ celebrity Jade Goody has reminded people very clearly that we are not immortal. Despite what fame, wealth or success we might achieve in this life, death comes to us all at some point in our lives to take it away. Whatever we might think of the events surrounding her death we should rejoice that she prepared for it by asking for baptism for herself and for her children. Above all else the Guild of All Souls reminds us of the reality of death. On its own that would not be good news but the Guild also reminds us of the great Christian doctrines of the Communion of Saints, to which we belong by virtue of our baptism, and also the hope of resurrection.
             Preparation for good death should be an essential part of our Christian life. That should not be a morbid thought for a follower of Jesus as our destiny must be to share our life with him. We must not lose sight of the hope of heaven nor the dread of hell. ‘Be prepared’ is the motto of the scouts and it is also a good one for members of the Guild.
           There is another preparation for death which is also important though too often forgotten. – the preparation for our own funeral. Do the members of your family know your wishes? Have you made it clear that you would want your funeral to take the form of a Requiem Mass? If you have not made it clear your wishes may not be followed. Most priests have had the experience of relatives insisting on a short service at the crematorium when the priest knew the deceased would have wanted to be commended to God during the offering of Mass for his or her soul. To help you the Guild produces a small leaflet called ‘Upon my death’. In it you can make clear to you relatives exactly how you would like your funeral to be conducted. In fact this often proves very helpful to those who have task of orgainising a funeral. The leaflets are available free from the Guild Office. Don’t put it off. Request one today and put it with other important documents or give it to your Parish Priest for safekeeping.
           Finally, I commend to you the newly published edition of ‘A Lay Achievement – The Story of the Guild of All Souls’. This publication, giving the history of the Guild, has been rewritten and brought up to date. It has been produced in a very attractive form and I hope will be widely available in many parishes but particularly those of which the Guild is Patron or in which there is a branch of the Guild. These are also available from the Guild Office
           With best wishes as you continue to celebrate this joyful Easter season
                                + Keith Richborough

May 2008

A few months ago I was present for the fist time at a performance of Edward Elgar's oratorio 'The Dream of Gerontius'. It is based on a poem by John Henry Newman and tells of the journey of Christian soul through death to judgement. I must say I found it an incredibly emotional experience and wondered how anyone could not be moved by the truths of the catholic faith. In the first half of the performance Gerontius is dying. Like most of us, I suspect, he approaches death with both fear and hope. The second part is in the afterlife where he travels towards the awesome presence of God. As he comes before God he cannot bear the holiness of his presence and sings:
 

'Take me away, and in the lowest deep
There let me be,
And there in hope the lone night-watches keep,
Told out for me.
There, motionless and happy in my pain
Lone, not forlorn, -
There will I sing my sad perpetual strain,
Until the morn,
There will I sing, and soothe my stricken breast,
Which ne'er can cease
To throb, and pine, and languish, till possest
Of its Sole Peace.
There will I sing my absent Lord and Love: -
Take me away,
That sooner I may rise, and go above,
And see Him in the truth of everlasting day.
Take me away, and in the lowest deep
There let me be.'
 

But the angel leads him from God's presence to purgatory and sings:

'And Masses on the earth, and prayers in heaven,
Shall aid thee at the Throne of the Most Highest.
Farewell, but not for ever! brother dear,
Be brave and patient on thy bed of sorrow;
Swiftly shall pass thy night of trial here,
And I will come and wake thee on the morrow.
Farewell! Farewell!'

There is the catholic doctrine of purgatory. It is a doctrine that is rich and comforting. I have heard far too many clergy at funerals either simply rehearsed a potted biography or worse give the impression that the deceased was so virtuous that he or she is already in heaven. No doubt this is all for the benefit of the mourners but it completely ignores the fact that most of us die as believing sinners. We know we need preparation for our hoped for destination with God. As catholic Christians we should ask nothing more than the prayers of our fellow Christians when we die. Why bother to pray for the departed if you think they have already reached their heavenly destination?

Archbishop Michael Ramsey put it succinctly in his splendid little book 'Introducing the Christian Faith' when he wrote:

'The fact of God's holiness, and the need for us to become holy like him, precludes the idea that the mere event of death enables a sort of moral jump from our present imperfection to a final perfection. Hence we believe in a growth, a purgation, a movement onwards, a being made perfect, after death; and if there is any pain of purgation there is (can we doubt?) the joy of growing fellowship with Christ.'

It is our Christian duty to pray for the Holy Souls in purgatory, that is why the Guild was founded in 1873 and it continues to be the reason for our existence.

May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.

+Keith Richborough

May 2007

It is a huge privilege to have been elected President of the Guild of All Souls at the last AGM in November. I follow in the footsteps of many illustrious predecessors, not least the last president Bishop Edwin Barnes. Our gratitude for all Bishop Edwin has done was expressed at that meeting though he will, of course, continue to be closely associated with the work of the Guild as a former President.
Since its foundation in 1873 the Guild has achieved a great deal; Requiem Masses and prayers for the departed are now a common part of the life of the Church of England. However, attendance at many funerals makes one realise how much teaching is still necessary. Often they seem little more than an opportunity to rehearse the perceived virtues of the deceased or play a selection of their favourite records instead of calling the congregation to pray for the repose of their soul and commending them to God's mercy.
This year your Council agreed to support financially the work of Pusey House in Oxford. In return the priests resident there have agreed to produce a number of substantial tracts over the next five years in furtherance of the objects of the Guild in encouraging prayer for the departed and promoting the two great doctrines of the Creed: 'The Communion of Saints' and 'The Resurrection of the Dead'. Each year an essay will be produced which initially will be printed as a pamphlet but with the hope that finally all the tracts will be published by the Guild in book form. This is an exciting and important project for us. We hope this first essay will be available by All Souls Day. Father William Davage, the Librarian at Pusey House, will be preaching at the Annual Requiem at St Stephen's Gloucester Road, which this year will be on Thursday 3rd November at 7.00 pm. Please put the date in your diary; it would be encouraging to have a larger number of members with us.
The Right Revd. Keith Newton SSC
Bishop of Richborough and President of the Guild of All Souls