Retracing My Steps in England to Share with You!

Dear Friend, 

Last week I sent an email sharing details of the inspiring opportunity I had to participate in the annual March for Life in England during my recent trip. Since that narrative was somewhat extensive, I thought I would share in this separate letter an overview of the other activities I undertook while there. Be sure to view the gallery of photos from the journey.

First of all I would like to recall that although the prominent religion in England today is Anglicanism, the history and religious traditions are those which were developed over the centuries by the Catholic Church prior to King Henry VIII apostatizing and forming the Church of England in 1534 amidst a very bloody and cruel persecution. Many Catholics were martyred for their Faith for refusing to recognize the false church. Amongst the most famous were St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher. As I went about my work during the week, I made time to visit some of the most important religious shrines and pray for the work of Catholic Action and all of its members and Rosary Warriors.

I met with a longtime friend, John Smeaton, the former director of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children. He arranged many meetings for me to meet with Catholic and pro-life leaders in London during my visit. During our visits an opportunity came up to attend Mass at the Tyburn Convent. The convent is a short distance from the spot where the infamous Tyburn Gallows were built and where many faithful Catholics were martyred for their faith during the religious persecution started by Henry VIII. There is a marker in the street indicating the location. There on the sidewalk I knelt together with John and we prayed to these martyrs for the work of Catholic Action and our supporters.

One day I had the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham where Our Lady appeared to a pious English noblewoman in 1061. It is about a two hour drive from London. I prayed at for all of our network of rosary warriors and benefactors. The feast day for this invocation is September 24.

While in London I met with several priests from the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy. This organization was founded in our country in the 1970’s to support clergy and seminarians in their vocations. An English chapter was founded many years ago and we discussed future collaborative efforts for Catholic Action to help them in the United Kingdom.

Afterwards I visited John Deighan, Chief Executive of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children at their headquarters to discuss the situation regarding abortion and the new challenges and victories both in the United States and the United Kingdom.

During my stay I was blessed to be able to assist Mass on several occasions at the Brompton Oratory founded by the great Cardinal Newman who was received into the Roman Catholic Church in 1845. After his conversion he founded the Birmingham Oratory, dedicated to Saint Philip Neri and later on the Brompton Oratory. While there I lit several candles and prayed before an image of Our Lady for the intentions of our Catholic Action family of souls.

One of the highlights was to attend a reception and formal dinner at the Oxford and Cambridge Club in London to honor Fr. Ian Ker who is a former Anglican, a scholar and author. He is generally regarded as the world's authority on John Henry Newman, about whom he has published more than twenty books. The dinner brought together illustrious authors and clergymen who had each collaborated in writing a chapter for a book that was published commemorating and honoring Fr. Ker for his achievements on the occasion of his 80th birthday. As I arrived early I had the privilege to visit with him extensively before the other guests began to arrive.

Toward the end of my stay I was privileged to make a pilgrimage to the Tower of London where St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher were imprisoned and martyred for their faith. Before I planned the trip I had begun reading a book on the lives of More and Fisher written by an author who had given a lecture on their lives at out church. Amongst all the tourists coming and going I was able to take time to meditate on the great sacrifice of these two holy men. It was very moving to stand inside the Tower and recall that they had walked these same stairs I had ascended and gazed out the same windows before their death. There on that site I recited a rosary and then a second one in the little chapel where the remains of the two saints are buried in the crypt. I pray that we all have the courage and fidelity to remain faithful as they did, even in the midst of the worst persecution possible.

Sunday was the last day of my stay and I was fortunate to attend a Latin Mass at the Brompton Oratory mentioned earlier. A few days earlier I had lost the scapular which I always wear. I knew there was a religious article shop at the church and hoped to purchase a new scapular to wear on the transatlantic flight back home.

After Mass I looked to the shop but it was not open. I saw a middle ages woman who had attended the same Mass and who looked like a local. I approached her and asked about the shop. She explained that it is staffed by volunteers and the hours are not regular. She asked what I needed and I explained a scapular. Innocently she said, “don’t you have another one at home you can get?” What happened next touched me. When I explained that I did have another at home but that home was in San Diego, California and that I was flying there the next day, she understood. Without missing a beat she immediately took hers off and gave it to me without waiting for me to respond. With that she set off and said “just say a prayer for Margaret.” This was a reminder how much our Catholic faith unites us as a family of souls. This woman, who didn’t know me and who I probably will never see again, would not have me fly home without having a scapular as she understood its significance. As she disappeared down the street I offered a few prayers of gratitude for her.

Thank you for taking your time to revisit my journal from this trip. Again, here is the companion gallery of photos depicted in the article.

Your friend in Christ,

Thomas J McKenna

Founder and President

Catholic Action for Faith and Family
http://www.catholicaction.org/

P.S. If you have not submitted your intentions for Operation Storm Heaven, please do so now.