Now that I have been retired from full time work for a couple of years, I have been doing some travelling. In the parishes I have visited whilst on holiday, naturally the serving has come under a 'critical eye'! It's interesting to note that where the Guild Medal is in evidence the standard of serving is pretty good but where there is no Guild (and sometimes even no servers) the celebration of the liturgy falls somewhat short of what we can reasonably expect. This says something of the influence our Guild has on our Parishes and it would be interesting to receive observations from others on this subject.

Once again, my thanks to those who have sent in articles and/or donations. These are always most welcome and they help to keep the various branches of the Guild in touch with each other. All items of news or articles of interest to servers, and donations towards the costs of the Newsletter, should be addresses to:

The Editor
Mr C. E. A. Merritt
8 Venetia Road
South Ealing, London W5 4JD.

The Hon. Secretary
Archconfraternity of St Stephen
PO Box 568
London
WC1A 1YT

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please note our new address, given above. It should be used to avoid delays in all general correspondence for the Archconfraternity, and in particular for ordering Guild Goods. For over fifty years the parish at St Joseph's Wembley has very kindly acted as our post box to receive incoming mail, but for many years we have had no one at that address to deal with correspondence or queries. Despite our pleas, branches pester the Parish Secretary with telephone enquiries, so we have set up a Post Office box close to the home of our Hon Secretary where correspondence can be picked up at regular intervals.

PLEASE NOTE THE NEW ADDRESS AND ALWAYS USE IT TO CONTACT THE ARCHCONFRATERNITY. Co-operation will be valued and appreciated.

We take this opportunity to thank both the Parish Priest and the Parish Secretary at St Joseph's, Wembley for their kindness in continuing to act as our postal address for so many years (and for putting up with quite a lot of aggravation and inconvenience as a result). May God bless and reward them both!

REPORT ON THE 2002 AGM

The AGM of the Archconfraternity was held at St Vincent's Convent, Carlisle Place, London SW1 on Monday 2 December 2002. 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.

Three places on the Central Council were up for election at this AGM: Mark Brophy and Nick Chinnon had both completed three years on the Council and there was one vacant place previously occupied by John Ahern who resigned earlier in the year. Mark and Nick were both nominated again and also Paul Langton from Ely Place. As no other members were nominated elections were not necessary and Mark, Nick and Paul were all appointed to serve on the Central Council for the next three years.

Hon President:
Anthony J Hawes (Palmers Green)
Honorary Vice President:
Michael Chute (Brook Green)
Hon. Treasurer:
Paul Diston (East Preston)
Hon. Secretary:
Michael O'Leary (Lincolns Inn Fields)
Business Manager:
John Ryan (Pinner)
Goods Manager:
Kevin Bryant (Underwood Road)
Elected Members:
Mark Brophy (Lincolns Inn Fields)
Nicholas Chinnon (Grays)
Paul Langton (Ely Place)
Michael Moriarty (Ely Place)
Anthony Ogunseitan (Westminster Cathedral)
Nicholas Tilbury (Westminster Cathedral)
Southwark Representative:
Brian Young (Bexley Heath)
Co-opted Member:
Mathew D'Souza (Stamford Hill)
Honorary Counsellor:
Danny McElligott (Camden Town).

Fr. Gregory Moore led the prayers at the AGM. After 25 years as Diocesan Director for Southwark Fr. Moore has stepped down and is succeeded by Fr. Stephen Boyle.

The AGM agreed to send a message of support to our Superior General, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor who had been experiencing adverse media attention during a very difficult time for him.

Provisional plans for the Archconfraternity's Centenary year in 2005 were outlined. These will include a national Mass which will probably be held somewhere in the Midlands and a celebration at Sacred Heart Convent in Hammersmith where the Guild was founded. Other events to celebrate the Centenary will include a trip to Rome, Centenary Dinner and a possible M.C's Conference. The placing of a mosaic of St Stephen in Westminster Cathedral is also being discussed. Announcements on the Centenary events will be made as details are finalised.

The opportunity was taken to remind everyone of the Cardinal's Mass for Altar Servers at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday 8 February 2003, the Senior Servers' Dinner in Holborn on Wednesday 19 March 2003, the National Altars Servers' Pilgrimage to Walsingham on Saturday 28 June 2003 and the Annual Guild Dinner at Brook Green on Wednesday 2^nd July 2003.

Michael O'Leary
Honorary Secretary

WILL MARRIOTT, KSG, RIP

We are sad to report that after over 30 years service to the Archconfraternity as Goods Manager, Will Marriott died in January, aged 98. When he retired from being a Barclays Bank Manager, his brother, Canon John F Marriott who was then National Director of the Archconfraternity, asked him to 'help out' with orders for Guild Goods. He did this with dedication, characteristic efficiency and cheerfulness and was awarded the Papal Medal of a Knight of St Gregory for this work. When he was in his 80's Reg Newton, RIP was appointed to take over most of the heaviest work, but Will continued to deal with orders for Silver Medals until he was in his mid-nineties. By then he did not get out much and had to rely on others to take parcels and packets to the post and to go to the Bank. Eventually he, and his wife May, moved into a retirement home, where they spent two happy years until Will died peacefully. We commend his soul to our Lord, and may his eternal soul rest in peace, in the company of St Stephen and all the saints.

P.A.D.

GUILD GOODS

In recent years the volume of orders for Guild Goods has increased, and the burden on our Goods Manager, Kevin Bryant, is heavy. He has to balance his work for the Guild against other calls on his time like his own career and serving and working for his own parish community in a number of ways. Goods are always despatched as soon as possible but sometimes delays are inevitable. Please allow at least four weeks' time for any orders. Requests for urgent treatment make for an additional burden on our limited resources, and add to delays in sending out goods to other people. Please be considerate!.

A Price List for Goods is in the Shop.

CARDINAL'S MASS FOR ALTAR SERVERS

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor celebrated our annual Servers' Mass at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday, February 8, attended by more than 1,200 members of the Archconfraternity.

He took as the theme of his homily a letter of the alphabet, something he had done for many years when addressing groups of altar servers in his former diocese of Arundel and Brighton.

"So, today, I am taking the letter H," he told the servers. "What does H stand for? Well first of all, it stands for 'head'. You have all got heads which means that you think and you learn. And I hope that all of you, when you serve at the altar, that you think and learn what you are doing because when you serve and when you are at the altar you are, in fact, learning about Jesus Christ; about His life and about what He does for us and about His Presence - His Presence in the Word that is spoken to you when you listen to the Gospel or the Lesson. Also, His Presence in a special way in the bread and wine, when He becomes truly present on the altar.

"I want you to think about what you are doing - even thinking about the instruments that you use - the thurible. Why do we incense the altar? Because it is like a prayer - incense rising up to God - our prayer. Why do we carry candles? Because Jesus is the light of the world and the candle is a sign of Jesus as the Light of the World.

"Bread and wine, you know, because the bread and wine are to become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Yes, learn. Use your head to learn and understand the mystery that you are serving. And as you get older you will understand more and more and it becomes more and more precious to you. That is HEAD.

SERVING, SUNDAY AFTER SUNDAY

"The second H is 'hand'. You have all got hands. You all use your hands. I just want you to think that when you serve at the altar you use your hands that you are serving Jesus Christ in the church because, you know, I want to thank you all today for all that you do in the different parishes, when you are there, Sunday after Sunday, maybe weekdays too, that you are there to lend your hands, your service to the Church. When you serve the Church, you are serving Jesus Christ and when you are helping, helping others, you are helping Christ and when you serve at the altar you are, in a special way, serving Jesus Christ just as he serves us - Jesus, who gave his life for us. So, 'HAND'.

LOVE OF SERVING

" The last H. I wonder if any of you can guess what this H is? So, you have got the head to learn about Jesus. You have got the hands to serve the Church - to serve Jesus. Well I will tell you - the last H is 'HEART'. Ahah! I can see that some of you are nodding your heads - you got it!

"The heart, because the point about serving is not only that you are, as it were, doing a valuable service - a good job. At the heart of your service is your heart because your prayer, your love of Jesus is why you are doing it, ultimately. You say to yourself: 'Why am I serving? Because I've been invited to - because I want to - because I believe and love Jesus Christ.'

"So, don't forget, my dear altar servers, that at the heart of your service - at the heart of your celebration, at the heart of your altar serving, is your love. Jesus came on earth because God loves you so much that He gave us Jesus and He asks of us in return, our love and when you serve, it shows in a special way, it seems to me, that you are showing your love for Jesus Christ present in the Church.

"So keep up your serving. Keep it up with your intelligence, your learning with your head and be generous with your hands - your service. Even sometimes when you find it difficult and you feel: 'Oh I wish I didn't have to get up this morning' or 'I have other things to do'.

"Be faithful with your service to the Church and above all remember your heart because He loves you so much - so much that He gave us Jesus. Jesus who is still with us in His Word, in the Sacrament, in His Spirit - that we want to love Him and when we love Him then we grow closer to Him and that, after all, is what we want to do so that when we serve Him in this world in all our ways, He will say 'Well done'. At the end of our time when, in many, many years' time you will have to end your life, what will Jesus say? He will say: 'Well done, good and faithful altar server, enter into my joy.'"

Michael Moriarty, FCIJ

ANNUAL GUILD DINNER 2003

The annual guild dinner will take place in Holy Trinity Church, Brook Green, Hammersmith on Wednesday 2nd July. As you may see, this year we have decided to put the date back from the usual time in May to allow more servers, who in May would have been in the middle of revising for exams, the opportunity to attend. We hope to see some new faces attending this year, along with our regular supporters, so if your parish has not been before, or if you have not attended a Guild Dinner for a while, I would encourage you to attend. This is a good opportunity for servers to meet those from other parishes. There will be a 3-course meal which will be finished with coffees. Full details are given on the 'flyer' enclosed with this Newsletter for all recipients within the area of the M25 motorway However if there are any queries, please send them to me care of the guild mailbox. PO Box 568, London, WC1A 1YT.

Mark Brophy

Entertainments Committee

NATIONAL ALTAR SERVERS' WALSINGHAM PILGRIMAGE IN 2003

Many of you will remember the very successful National Altar Servers' Pilgrimage to Walsingham in May 1998. Over 400 servers came from dioceses all over the country, together with their families and friends and thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful day.

As our 1998 pilgrimage was so popular we are organising another visit to the Shrine this Year: on SATURDAY 28th JUNE.

The programme will be similar to that in l998.

The organisers hope that this year's pilgrimage will be quite as successful as the previous one, and they hope that parishes and deaneries from Dioceses around the country will be with us on this special day.

Please arrive in good time. Servers, other family members, friends and especially Guild Chaplains are all most welcome. Servers are reminded to bring their cassocks and cottas or albs which will be required for the Mass and Procession. Everyone is reminded to bring a packed lunch.

All Groups coming are asked to complete the attendance confirmation form enclosed with the Newsletter and return it to the address given. This will be important in organising the day and also to enable any last-minute information to be sent out to the various Groups.

IMPORTANT Please note that the Central Council of the Archconfraternity of St Stephen will not itself be hiring coaches. Such arrangements must be made by each group/groups wishing to attend.

Michael Chute

A VISIT TO WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL

When I went to Westminster Cathedral, I was amazed at how splendid the Cathedral actually is! I had never been to this Cathedral before and I found it incredible.

Arriving there at 11 o'clock, supposedly going to the Catholic Culture festival, I found myself in a Solemn Mass that was said in latin. Eager as ever, I sat down near the back and took part in the service.

While worshipping, I was amazed at the actual scale of the building. On the sanctuary there was a huge arch supported by eight marble columns and under that was the high altar. It was decorated with beautiful patterns and six gleaming candlesticks. Around the outside of the altar were all sorts of different chapels dedicated to different saints.

The Mass itself had all the components of a High Mass. There was a thurifer, boat bearer, cross bearer, acolytes, torches and choristers. All this on a Saturday morning!

After the service, I wandered around looking at the different chapels and dedications. I saw the tombstone of Cardinal Hume and a huge statue of St Peter with a key in his hand symbolising the famous saying "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church". Of course, I had to touch the left foot that was all polished up and shining brilliantly.

After doing this I climbed (by lift!) up a massive tower that was part of the Cathedral and where you can see all the sights of London.

After this, I went back into the church and watched the ceremony of Benediction, which had the entire singing accompaniment.

I really enjoyed my time there and would recommend it to our Parish Priest, and all our servers (and especially Louis!).

James Osborn, (aged 13)

Our Lady & St Benedict

Birchington, Kent.

ALTAR SERVERS' GUILD CELEBRATES 50 YEARS IN SOUTHWARK

More than 300 servers, families and friends, as well as members of the Archconfraternity of St Stephen from other dioceses, attended the Mass of celebration at St George's Cathedral on Saturday, March 22, 2003, to mark the 50^th anniversary of the Altar Servers' Guild in the Diocese of Southwark

Archbishop Michael Bowen celebrated the Mass and welcomed everyone to the special occasion by giving a brief history of the Guild in the diocese from its inception in 1953 in the parish of Thornton Heath. It was this parish that provided the servers for the celebratory Mass, as well as the choir and cantor.

Archbishop Bowen said that he was delighted to see so many servers present and he paid special tribute to Fr Gregory Moore, who has just retired from his post of Guild Diocesan Director after 25 years' service and he was quick to give a warm welcome to Fr Stephen Boyle whom he has appointed to this post.

Fr Gregory Moore also welcomed everyone to the Mass and made a special point of talking directly to the younger Guild members.

"When priests put on their vestments before a Mass, a special prayer is said with each garment so I hope that when you, before Mass, put on your Guild medals, you will do so with reverence and prayerfulness," he said.

Both Archbishop Bowen and Fr Moore made a particular point in saying that the majority of the clergy came from youngsters who had been servers and they both called upon all the servers present to pray to see if they might have a calling to the religious life.

At the end of the Mass, Archbishop Bowen made a special announcement: "I have here in my hand," he said, "a special medal of merit which has been awarded to a server who has given many years of faithful service to the Church and I am please to present this Gold Medal of Merit to Mr Paddy Flynn of St Ethelbert's in Ramsgate."

Mr Flynn has been a server for 64 years, though not quite all that time as a member of the Guild of St Stephen.

Michael Moriarty
 
 

Archdiocese of Westminster:

Ss Peter & Paul, Northfields

On our Feast Day, last December, it was the turn of Rebecca Bridges, Camilla Gillespie, Georgia John, Siobhan O'Brien, Clare Phelan, Annalie Ranger, Adam & Alex Stewart and Eleanor Warren to receive their medals from Fr Tom Quinn, our Parish Priest. It was a specially happy occasion for us with a very high percentage of our numbers present. A party followed in the Parish Centre and this was in addition to the very successful Christmas Party organised earlier in the month by John McCarthy. Only four or five of us managed to get to the Cardinals Mass but we are hoping that a larger number will make it to Walsingham at the end of June.

Looking even further forward, after the summer holiday another group will begin to prepare for enrolment adding to our already record number of thirty-six Guild members.

C. Merritt

Archdiocese of Southwark:

St John Fisher, Merton

In November 2002, Sorcha O'Byrne, Kacey Flanagan, Madeline Sammons, Sersha and Jack Duggan, Annabel Montiero, and Willamina d'Costa completed their training and served their first Masses.

At our St Stephen's Day Mass on Boxing Day, servers Maria Rogan, Alex Pierkarski, Karl Fernandes, and twins Joshua and Ben Bell were enrolled into the Guild by our assistant priest, Fr Michael Sileshi. Mary Farrell from our folk group played guitar, one of our server's parents, Mervyn Montiero read the first reading and server Mary Stevenage read the Psalm and Alleluia. The enrolment of servers into the Guild at this Mass is an annual event in our parish and much enjoyed by all concerned.

This year it was particularly pleasing to have five servers receive their certificates for five years' Guild membership, the first servers to receive this award in our parish since we joined the Archconfraternity in 1996. Congratulations go to Joey D'Aguiar, Margaret Bennett, Bradley and Brinley Smith and Ciaran Sheahan.

To round off, a small group of us went to Westminster for the Cardinal's Mass and we currently have four servers completing their training, who will serve their first Mass in mid-March.

Robert Roy

Parish MC
 

Our Lady & St Benedict

Birchington, Kent

We now have twenty-two altar servers in our small seaside village parish- average Mass attendance is about 170. We have six men who take pride in never leaving me without a server on weekdays. We have nine teenagers, including two University undergraduates who still report for duty during vacation. Of the seven younger servers, six are already bronze medallists. Alisdair and Graham Gilmour, who received their bronze medals last St Stephen's Day, are shortly moving to Australia, and hope to find the Archconfraternity at Ballerat.

Rev Canon William Clements KHS

FR GREGORY MOORE - HONORARY COUNSELLOR

Throughout his 25 years' service as the Diocesan Director for the Archdiocese of Southwark, Fr Gregory Moore has been exemplary in his attendance at meetings of the Central Council of the Archconfraternity. We have benefitted greatly from his wise counsel and especially from his spiritual direction.

The Central Council had great pleasure in recommending, and Fr Peter Latham, our National Director, in approving, that Fr Gregory be appointed an Honorary Counsellor.

While we hope that this will enable Fr Gregory to continue to attend meetings of the Central Council, we do not intend this to be instead of the newly appointed Diocesan Director for Southwark, Fr Stephen Boyle, who will also be most welcome at all our meetings.

FIRST SENIOR SERVERS' DINNER

A select gathering assembled for the first Senior Servers' Dinner in London on 19^th March. Organised by Mark Brophy of the Central Council, it was staged at the Newton Arms public house in Holborn.

Guild President, Tony Hawes, welcomed the guests to what he hoped would be the first of many such occasions. He was full of praise for the work dome by Mark Brophy in getting the event off the ground. "I really hope that there will be many more of these events and that you will all come and bring lots of people with you" he said.

For his part Mark Brophy said "It is very nice to see the support for this, the first of such events. We have the Guild Annual Dinner at Brook Green, which this year will be on Wednesday 2^nd July, but that is for all servers.

"The idea for this was put forward at a Central Council meeting and I am just glad that so many people have been able to support it. It is good, too to see some new faces among those attending."

M Moriarty, FCIJ