REPORT ON EMF VISIT TO THE LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH
Hampton Court Way, Thames Ditton: 12 June 2008
Attendance
The number of attendants expected was about 18. The number who eventually attended was 36, a very good turn out. We were welcomed warmly by Fr. Rob Esdaile, the Parish Priest, an extremely affable and eloquent person. Snacks and drinks were offered and Fr. Rob started the evening with a few moments of silent meditation and followed that by describing the church and the essential tenets of Roman Catholicism (RC).
Fr. Rob Esdaile:
RC was persecuted in the UK after the Reformation and this led to a ‘ghetto mentality’. Gradually the community became more confident in the twentieth century, After the Second Vatican Council (1962-5), the vernacular became the normal language of worship in the RC churches and greater emphasis was put on the prayer of the whole community (not just the action of the priest) in worship.
RC believes in the one Creator God, understood as a “Trinity” (Father, Son and Spirit) because of the experience of Jesus Christ as Risen from the Dead. Christ was more than a “Rabbi”, and RC emphasises the continuity from Christ through the Apostles down to the present. There is also an essential continuity with Judaism (from which it inherits the Hebrew Scriptures, now viewed as ‘The Old Testament’ – alongside the Gospels and letters of the ‘New Testament’.
In the 4th Century AD it was agreed (in context of a dispute) that Christians should recognize the baptism even of those not in ‘full communion’ with the Church – which offers some limits to Christian disunity . The “Pope” (‘Papa’ in Italian – an affectionate term) or “Holy Father” is the symbol of the visible unity of the Church and is in direct succession to St Peter, the Apostle. He is also the leader of the “College of Bishops”. Priests and Bishops get their power from the ordination process through that line of ‘apostolic succession’ and there is great emphasis on “Continuity” in RC.
The most important expression of continuity is the “Eucharist” and the “Communion”. Thus, the sharing of bread and wine is accompanied by the dropping of crumbs of bread into the chalice as a sign of communion and continuity. Celebration of forgiveness in “Confession” (more properly, the ‘Sacrament of Reconciliation’) is understood as bringing healing to the community damaged by sin. Use of this sacrament has fallen away in recent years, however.
In terms of morality, while RC inherits the “Ten Commandments” and the rest of Jewish Law, it is helped in reflecting on ethical issues in the contemporary secular world by emphasis on the “Natural Law” (seen as God’s will embedded in Creation): the boundaries of God’s action and love are not seen as coinciding with the limits of the Church. There is probably a greater respect for other Faiths than is possible in some other Christian denominations (since the Holy Spirit is seen as able to work in all people).
RC claims a teaching authority which is seen as guided (within limits) by the Holy Spirit. The Pope’s “Infallibility”, defined in 1870, has actually been invoked only once since then , in 1950, and it was in relation to the status of the “Virgin Mary”.
The Church
The Lady of Lourdes Church is a modern building, very suitably sited on the main road to Hampton Court. The inside is roomy, well lit, and not cluttered. Worshippers will find a small bowl of water at the entrance, and wetting one’s finger is a referral to the baptism. The (larger) Baptism bowl (‘font’) is also seen at the entrance. Baptism is represented by St. Paul in terms of “death by drowning” and then the “resurrection”.
Apart from the altar and pulpit in the rather bare church, there were two glass panels with exquisite etching, staining and carving. The “hidden” symbols were described by Fr Rob, and, interestingly, some of the parishioners attending had not known the details. On one panel (probably intended to represent the martyrs of the Reformation) there was the signs of the “Mitre”, the “Cross”, the “daggers”, the “Noose”, the “Gallows” , the “Palm”, and the two (Greek) letters referring to Christ “Chi-Rho”, written X-P). On the second panel (dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus), there was the shape of Mary holding baby Jesus, with flowing water (recalling Lourdes, where Mary was seen in a vision by Bernadette in 1858), and a foot crushing the head of a serpent (representing the conquering of Sin through Mary’s Son). There was also the “Star of David” and a mystical “Rose”.
In Conclusion
The visit was enjoyable, informative, gratifying, energizing and a testimony to Fr. Esdaile’s ability to communicate and educate within a spirit of love and fellowship. We were all grateful for having attended.
There obviously is so much more to RC, but space in our newsletter is limited.
Nabil M Mustapha
Chairman
