THE RECTOR WRITES
25 July 2010
We profess our belief in the Communion of Saints. That word “communion” has a vibrant connotation, reminding us that as Christ is the Alpha and Omega of all time, so those who have gone before us in faith remain intimately part of our human journey. This weekend we are honouring SAINT JAMES, the patron of our parish. We thank God for his original witness to Christ in martyrdom (the first of the apostles so to suffer) but also for his ongoing concern for us here in Spanish Place. Every time Mass is offered at our altars, Saint James is with us, not as a figure from history, but as a fully redeemed Christian, deeply concerned with everything we do to try to live the Gospel. St Dominic’s dying words to his brethren could well be St James’s message to us as we celebrate his feast day: “Do not weep. I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life”.
It is no coincidence that a parish which began its life in the 1730’s in the then Spanish Embassy (what is now the Wallace Collection in Manchester Square) should have been placed under the patronage of St James. Very early tradition points to the fact that the Apostle’s body, after initial burial in Jerusalem, was removed to the borders of Galicia in Northern Spain. In the 9th century the relics were discovered and transferred four miles down the road to the place we know as Compostella and the rest is, as they say, history. Particularly at the time when the hold of the Moors over Spain was being released, St James was invoked as the Christian champion. Alongside Jerusalem and Rome, Compostella has been a main centre of pilgrimage and the well-marked routes are travelled each year by growing numbers of people. It is a contradictory phenomenon that while Europe is in so many ways increasingly secular, the ancient pilgrimage grips the imagination of more and more people. St James is still working to draw others to Christ.
This weekend also sees the annual DAY FOR LIFE called for by our bishops. This year’s theme takes up a phrase used in one of the prefaces at a Mass for the Dead: “Lord, for your faithful people, life is changed, not ended”, and we are being asked to think about the Christian understanding of death and of the care provided for those who are dying. Human death is not only a physical and psychological process: it is also a spiritual reality. Without this dimension all our attempts to understand death and dying remain limited and impoverished. In faith we know that all life has a value which cannot be measured or bargained away. No matter how short it may be, or whatever its condition, every life has a purpose and contains a grace. This is why we should not allow ourselves to be persuaded that incapacity or impairment somehow lessen the value of a person’s life or make them less able to enrich others and give glory to God in whose image they are made and continue to grow. We do not possess our lives as we possess some material object, to be used and disposed of at will. Life is a gift we hold from God who not only gives life but redeems it. “When the body of our earthly dwelling lies in death, we gain an everlasting dwelling place in heaven”.
Christopher Colven
Our Church
Our Church is right in the heart of London. It is a spiritual oasis to many people who come in for silent prayers and personal devotion. It serves the deep needs of those who desire to get away from the hurly burly of city life. On the other hand, the various parish liturgical services reflect the richness of catholic traditions and its pastoral orientation caters for all categories of people especially the young and those searching for truth.
The location of the church is not actually in Spanish Place as its predecessor used to be, but in George Street, almost at the corner of George Street and Marylebone High Street. Nearest Subway or Underground stations are Baker Street and Bond Street. For directions click here.
Access to the Church: The entrance to the Church is in George Street. The Blandford Street door does not give access to the Church.
There is no wheelchair access to the Church as yet. This has been put in hand, but there has been a considerable delay, while negotiations take place about the architecture of the Church and the best way to install the lifts that would be necessary.