I was disappointed to receive a record number of returned copies from the last issue which prompts me, once again, to appeal to all readers of the Newsletter to let us know if you no longer wish to receive copies or if you change your address. The high cost of postage (soon to rise substantially higher, we hear!) is quite a drain on the Guild’s resources and whilst this is offset slightly by those who kindly send in donations, it seems a great shame that so many copies are returned unread and unwanted each time. Maybe with so many having access to the internet and e-mail the Newsletter in its present form is becoming ‘out of date’. However, I have no doubt that the vast majority still wish to receive it as it is and I am happy and willing to continue receiving and sharing with others all your Guild news. So get ready with your pens and let me have some articles. These should be sent to Mr C. E. A. Merritt, 8 Venetia Road, South Ealing, London W5 4JD.

This is the address for the Newsletter (articles and donations) only. All other enquiries about the Guild, including orders for Guild goods, should be addressed to:

The Hon. Secretary
Archconfraternity of St Stephen
c/o St Joseph's,
High Road,
Wembley,
Middx.
HA9 6AG.

NOTE: Our address at Wembley is for correspondence only.

There is no one there from the Guild to deal with telephone messages or personal callers.

Bishops' Conference - Liturgy Committee

We are delighted to announce that Anthony Ogunseitan, a member of the Central Council of the Archconfraternity, and our Immediate Past President, has been invited to become a member of the Liturgy Committee of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. It is to be hoped that this will enable him to voice at the highest level the particular interests and concerns of altar servers and also ensure that we are kept up to date with liturgical developments. We congratulate Anthony on this appointment, and wish him well. He serves regularly  at Westminster Cathedral.

Report on the 2001 AGM

The AGM of the Archconfraternity was held at St Vincent’s Convent, Carlisle Place, London SW1 on Monday 3 December, 2001. It was fairly well attended with members attending from a variety of Parishes in the London area many of whom took the opportunity to purchase Guild goods that would be required for St Stephen’s Day.

Elections were held for positions on the Central Council. Tony Hawes is the new President, taking over from Anthony Ogunseitan. This is a first for Tony having held the position of Hon. Secretary for many years. Former President Michael Chute was elected Vice President. Members elected to the remaining positions on the Central Council are John Ahern, who was on the Council several years ago, Michael Moriarty & Nicholas Tilbury who were both co-opted onto the Council last year & Anthony Ogunseitan our outgoing President. The votes were counted by Canon Danny Cronin & Fr Gregory Moore the Diocesan Directors for Westminster & Southwark.

The Central Council for 2002 consists of the following members:

Hon. President:
Anthony J Hawes   (Palmers Green)
Honorary Vice President:
Michael Chute        (Brook Green)
Hon. Treasurer:
Paul Diston      (Angmering-on-Sea)
Hon. Secretary:
Michael O’Leary (Lincolns Inn Fields)
Business Manager:
John Ryan      (Pinner)
Goods Manager:
Mr Kevin Bryant  (Underwood Road)
Elected Members:
John Ahern       (Isleworth)
Mark Brophy     (Lincolns Inn Fields)
Nicholas Chinnon   (Grays)
Michael Moriarty     (Ely Place)
Anthony Ogunseitan (Westminster Cathedral)
Nicholas Tilbury (Westminster Cathedral)
Co-opted Member:
Mathew D’Souza    (Stamford Hill)
Honorary Counsellor:
Dannie McElligott   (Camden Town)

Members attending the AGM were able to see a video of the Rome trip made by Anthony Ogunseitan. The opportunity was taken to remind everyone of the Annual Mass for Altar Servers at Westminster Cathedral on 9 February 2002 & the Annual Dinner which will be held at Brook Green on Wednesday 8 May 2002.

Michael O’Leary
Honorary Secretary.

Annual Guild Dinner - Wednesday, 8th May, 2002

As we reported in the Autumn 2001 edition of the Newsletter, this year’s Annual Dinner will be held on Wednesday 8th May.
It will follow the successful pattern of recent years, being held at the Parish Centre of Holy Trinity Church, Brook Green, London W6. Catering will again be in the skilled hands of Mary Connell and her team. A full bar service will be available and soft drinks will be included in the price of the tickets, which remain at just £12.50 each.

The Guest of Honour will be Fr Kit Cunningham IC MBE, Rector of the historic Church of St Etheldreda, Ely Place in the City of London. His famous church is the oldest Catholic Parish Church in England, having started life as the London Palace of the Bishops of Ely. William Shakespeare (no less!) referred to it several times in his plays.

If you live within the M25 area you should receive an application form with this Newsletter. Those living further afield will be equally welcome – if you have no application form please write to Mark Brophy, Guild Dinner, Archconfraternity of St Stephen, St Joseph’s, 339 High Road, Wembley, Middx HA9 6AG.

Cardinals First Westminster Mass For Altar Servers

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor celebrated the annual altar servers Mass at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday, 9 February. More than 1,250 altar servers packed the cathedral, leaving standing room only for parents and friends.

It was the first time that the Cardinal, as the Superior General of the Archconfraternity of St Stephen, had participated in the event and he confessed himself gratified to have seen the cathedral packed with so many servers, not only from the diocese of Westminster but also from others including Southwark, Portsmouth, Brentwood and Liverpool.

Before the Mass started, the Cardinal said it was a truly splendid sight to see the cathedral packed with so many altar servers and during his homily he said:  “Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ – dear young and not so young friends who are altar servers of the Guild of St Stephen. It is lovely to see so many of you here today from all parts of the country who have come to serve.
“I was reading your renewal of commitment that you are going to repeat soon after I have finished speaking.  You are going to say:  ‘I offer myself to God almighty, to Blessed Mary, our mother, to our holy patron, St Stephen and I promise to do my best to serve regularly, with reverence and understanding to the glory of God, the service of His church and my own eternal salvation’.

“Now, that is some promise!  You are going to serve regularly – not just now and again when the sun is shining but every week.  Unless something impedes you, there you are – John, Mary, Joseph, Catherine – whatever your name may be, you are there.  Because this is something you are giving to God.  This is something you are giving to the church – namely YOU.
“So, every week you are there and, d’you know, the people in the parish, they like to see you there.  They get to know you even though sometimes you are not able to meet them. But they like to know that you are there helping the priest who is, in such a special way, the one who presides at the Mass for everyone in the parish.

“So, first of all you are going to do your best to serve regularly and then you are going to serve with reverence.  And what does that mean?  I came across a boy some years ago but he didn’t really serve reverently.  He kept fidgeting.  He kept turning his head and occasionally, on a very bad day, he would start whispering.  Reverently means to serve with something of a prayerful heart because your  service is your prayer. And this actually can be seen by the way you behave on the altar. For instance, making the sign of the cross. You don’t give a vague wave of the hand, you do it properly because you are saying ‘In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’. You are praying.  And even when you are doing the practical things that you have to do – like holding the book, or giving the cruets to the priest – the water and wine at the offertory.  You are offering yourself, too. And that shows in your face.  Shows in the way you behave and in your attitude on the altar because you are aware that you are not just serving the priest, you are serving God – you are serving Christ.  I think that is good when that happens – when you serve with reverence and understanding and full realisation of what you are doing because, dear altar servers, at the heart of your belief is our belief in Jesus Christ who is present in the word that is spoken to you and in the Holy Eucharist – The Mass – where he is present truly, body, blood, soul and divinity.

“When you serve with understanding in a sense you are understanding that you want to follow to serve Jesus Christ in your life so that each time you serve you say your own prayer, not only the prayer of the Mass which is THE prayer; the biggest prayer but also don’t forget to make up your own prayers. Like, ‘Jesus, I love you’ or, like St Stephen, ‘Lord into your hands I commend my spirit’ – the prayer that Jesus said on the cross. Then prayer becomes part of your life. You are not just saying prayers you are saying: ‘Lord, I am speaking to you. Lord, I love you, Lord forgive me – I want to follow you.’ That is what it is all about – you are following Jesus Christ.

“And I want all of you who are here today and all the altar servers in the diocese to be like that.  Altar servers to serve, not only regularly and reverently but also with a full realisation of offering themselves to Jesus Christ – to believe and love and hope in Him – the most important thing in your life.

“I am delighted that you have come here today and I want you to know that the priests of the diocese – and there are many if them here today – they need you to help them doing their special work as priests.  I want you to know now much you are appreciated and I want to thank you for your service but also encourage you to do it even more regularly, even more reverently, even more realisation and understanding of what you are doing.

“And my last word is this: the Lord has a task for each and every one of you.  It doesn’t matter who you are.  You are all different and yet you are bonded together in faith.   As a young person He has a special plan for you.  He knows and you want to know what to do.  So ask him:  ‘Lord what do you want me to be in my life?  What do you want me to do?’ “When you do that you can be fully at peace because you will be in the Lord, before Jesus Christ and He will be your Lord and your Master.”
Newly-elected President of the Archconfraternity, Anthony Hawes, KSG,  thanked the servers for attending this special Mass and he made a point of thanking the Cardinal at this his first official engagement as Superior General of the Guild.

New Director Appointed For Our Guild In Westminister

Following the resignation of Canon Daniel Cronin, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor has appointed Fr Kevin Jordan (33) as the new Westminster Diocesan Director of the Archconfraternity .

Fr Jordan, who attended his first meeting of the Central Council of the Guild on Tuesday, March 5th, expressed his delight at being given such a challenge by the Cardinal.

“It is very exciting to have been given this position,” he said.  “It is a challenge to have been given this opportunity of working with young people in the diocese who are obviously so dedicated to the church and interested in serving it in any way they can.
“It is our responsibility to develop that – not only for those who are serving now but also for those who will come along in the future.  Perhaps we can help them to do even more – who knows what potential these young people might have?”
Fr Jordan, whose primary post is that of Chaplain at Westminster Cathedral, is also Chaplain to St Vincent de Paul Primary School and Chaplain to the 1st Battalion, Scots Guards.

Centenary of the Archconfraternity: 2005

Yes! In 2005 we will be celebrating the first 100 years of our Guild. Perhaps more importantly we will also be looking forward to a healthy and thriving Guild to take us on into the next 100 years. The Central Council is forming a Centenary Committee to consider a fitting range of events which we hope will take place in various parts of Great Britain in our Centenary Year

Centenary: St Stephen Mosaic Proposal

Among the projects under consideration for our Centenary Programme is the installation of a mosaic of the Guild patron saint, St Stephen, on a wall on the sanctuary of Westminster Cathedral in London. The estimated cost is likely to be some £15 000.
Stephen Hickman, an administrator at the Cathedral, who attended a recent Central Council meeting, would be liaising and co-ordinating if the proposal proves feasible.

Reg Newton - RIP

Sadly, Reg died on 8th October 2001, aged 75. He was one of those Catholics who is ever willing and consequently seems to be taken advantage of in the service of the Church. Reg was an altar server at St Patrick’s Walthamstow for almost 50 years, and Parish MC for a long time. For some 12 years Reg dealt with about 95% of all the orders for Guild Goods, consigning some 300 parcels and packets every year. One could be forgiven for thinking ‘that’s about 1 per day’, but life is never that simple. Peaks and troughs is the pattern with perhaps 50 or more orders coming in during December  (peaking as Christmas nears and Branches realise that they will need more medals, etc for an enrolment planned (or perhaps not quite planned!) for St Stephen’s Day. Some years things would go smoothly – thanks to Reg’s excellent organisation, but sometimes his work would be compounded when stocks of goods ran out and there was an unforeseen delay with our suppliers. Once we ran out of Bronze Medals because one of the tools for their manufacture disintegrated and had to be replaced causing several weeks’ delay. Another time Handbooks were not available ‘from stock’ at the publishers because they were being reprinted. Such supply problems would double Reg’s work when orders could only be sent out incomplete with ‘balance to follow’. Not only did Reg send out the Goods – he also maintained the invoice records to ensure that remittances were received.

All this was achieved even though Reg’s health deteriorated slowly over several years. Neither his breathing difficulties nor his hernia problems made dealing with the Goods orders any easier, but Reg soldiered on almost oblivious to the difficulties (or so we thought). We are also indebted to his wife, Maureen, who supported Reg in his work for the Guild.

In other matters too, Reg gave invaluable service to the Archconfraternity. As a member of the Central Council he frequently ‘knew someone’ (largely as a result of his active membership of the Knights of St Columba) who could supply some goods or service at a much lower price than we could obtain from other suppliers. Reg also worked for the Guild as a Member of the Brentwood Diocesan Lay Council for many years.

We thank Reg for all his work for the Guild, and we thank Maureen for the invaluable support she gave him. More importantly we thank God for his kindly providence in giving Reg to us. May his soul rest in peace.
P.A.D.

News from the Branches

Archdiocese of Westminister

St Peter & Paul Northfields

Our Annual Feast day Mass was special for five of our servers who had been preparing since the summer holidays for their enrolment. It was also special for all the other servers who turned up in good numbers for the Mass and all had been prepared beforehand by John McCarthy, who was on holiday from University. Each server had something to do, whether it was reading, bidding prayers, carrying the gifts or torches, etc. all carried out their duties very well indeed. Fr Tom Quinn, our Parish Priest, enrolled GARETH BRADY, TOM FYANS, RYAN GRIFFIN, PABLO ROBBINS and ALEX WILD, and a party was enjoyed afterwards in the Parish Hall for the servers and their friends and families. Two of our servers who were on holiday at Christmas received their medals from Fr Tom on 13th January. They are ALEXA JACKSON and WILLIAM JOHN. Now the next group is busy preparing for enrolment and sometime before the summer holidays we will have another enrolment.

Fifteen of our servers went up to London by Underground for the annual Mass for Altar Servers at Westminster Cathedral. They met hundreds of servers from all over the south who came together to renew (or anticipate!) the promises they made when they were enrolled. Apart from the huge number of young servers who graced the Cathedral, our servers were interested that everyone else was not wearing the white albs and liturgically coloured girdles to be found on the sanctuary at Northfields!

After the Mass our servers were able to take the lift to the top of the Cathedral’s Bell Tower. We hope to have an even bigger group for next year’s Mass.

C Merritt and J McCarthy

St Anselm & St Cecilia – Lincolns Inn Fields London WC2

St Stephen’s Day 2001 saw the largest number of Altar Servers enrolled into the Guild at any one time for many years: 15 in all plus 2 more several weeks later. They are all aged between 8-10 years & are enthusiastic Altar Servers. They were presented with their Bronze Medals by Fr Charis Piccolomini our Parish Priest at the 10.00am Mass & then had their Christmas party afterwards with thanks to some of the Parents. The Altar servers concerned are: Danny O’Hara-Green, Charlotte Collins, James Reidy, Hugo Simpson, David & Michael Fernandez, James & Charlotte Smith, Samantha Herron, Elifer Obengiou, Alan Lee, Guiseppe Jones, Rahyul Malabanan, Robert Glazier, Emily Ragandap ,Tom Whitehorn & Marvin Lopez.

We also are lucky to have several older Altar Servers, Khris & Alison Mendoza, Ryan & Roylan Bonayon, Maria-Lisa Geyer & Danoob Dalili who are in their teens & Mark Brophy & Laurence Cove who are in their twenties & have been awarded their Silver Medals. Maria Lisa & Danoob also sing in our Choir.
Mark, Ryan, Roylan, Khris, Danoob & Maria-Lisa went with the Guild to Rome & enjoyed it very much.
Michael O’Leary M.C.

ARCHDIOCESE OF SOUTHWARK

St John Fisher, Merton

In November, after training for six weeks on Friday evenings, 7 servers, KARL FERNANDES, ALEXANDER PIERKARSHI, MARIA ROGAN, JAMES and DANIEL TUNEY and JOSHUA and BEN BELL, served their first Masses on our sanctuary, being allocated to 4 of the 5 Sunday Masses. On the feast of our Patron, 18 servers took part in Mass at which 8 were enrolled into the Guild by our Assistant Priest Fr Michael Sileshi who hails from Ethiopia and was ordained last August by Archbishop Michael Bowen at St George’s Cathedral, Southwark. Our latest servers to join the Guild are: DANIELLE & JOSHUA ALLEN, LAURA SHERIDAN, BEN SMITH, CONOR JOPNES, DALE WALTER, REBECCA LANNING and KATHERINE KENT.

Finally, four of our newer servers were very impressed and privileged to have been among so many fellow servers at the Cardinal’s Mass at Westminster Cathedral – a magnificent occasion!

Robert Roy, Parish MC

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Faversham, Kent.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a small Carmelite Parish in East Kent, looked after by the Friars from Aylesford Priory.
Attached to the church is the National Shrine of Saint Jude, visited by many hundreds of pilgrims every year. We have a team of twenty-four altar servers assisting our priests, Father Anthony Pelan O.Carm., the Parish Priest,   Father Dennis Lynch   O. Carm. the Shrine and Kent Prison Chaplain and Father Kevin Alban O. Carm. the Shrine Director.

The parish was affiliated to the Archconfraternity in November 1981. We have developed a tradition since joining the Guild of holding special Guild Masses on the last Sunday of each liturgical year, the Feast of Christ the King and Diocesan Youth Day. All Our Altar Servers renew their promise to God and the Parish during all Masses that week-end, and new servers are enrolled and merit presentations awarded. The enrolments and most awards take place during a solemn sung High Mass, the family Mass at 10.30am.

This year's Guild Ceremonies were particularly special for us. We had three new servers enrolled, one server received a 5-year certificate of Merit and no less than four of our senior servers attained the landmark of 10 years of faithful service and were presented with their Silver Medals. It was a great occasion for the parish and we were very pleased to welcome Tony Roberts the Diocesan Guild Secretary to the celebration.

John Barnes Parish MC.

Just a Thought

Each edition of this Newsletter costs the Archconfraternity over £300 plus a lot of time and effort in preparation, printing, enveloping and postage. While we are delighted to do this as a service to servers throughout Britain and overseas, we do need to try to ensure that it goes to the right people.

We would be grateful if every one of our readers would take a few moments to consider:

• Do you still wish to receive the Newsletter?
• Do you regard it just as your personal copy or do you pass it on or at least share its news with other servers in your Parish? (You ought to!)
• Are you the most appropriate recipient, or is there someone else in your parish to whom it should be sent instead?

If your response to any of these questions suggests that your name should be deleted from our mailing list, or replaced by another, more appropriate, name, PLEASE let us know.

A little time spent by you could help to reduce our costs and ensure that our Newsletter reaches the right people.