I have been trying to find a list of dioceses, now over 100, which have accepted the evil Common Core, which I have written against many times.
Does anyone know where I can find such a list?
Ta muchly...
Thursday, 25 September 2014
Guest Blogger on Clear Creek Monastery
From a blogger in his own right, my highlights:
I was recently able to spend three days at the Clear Creek Monastery in eastern Oklahoma. I would recommend it to anyone.
The monastery was founded in 1999 by the Abbey of Fontgombault, in central France, although it’s now an independent foundation with its own Abbot. It’s on a thousand-acre site, in a very isolated spot about an hour east of Tulsa. Most people think of a flat desert when they think of Oklahoma. But this is only true of the west of the state: eastern Oklahoma is green and hilly.
The monastery says the traditional Mass and office (all eight hours of it). About forty-five monks live there. I would say the average age was the mid-30s, though some looked as young as 20, and the oldest was about 70. Most of the monks are American, but there are a few from the other Anglophone countries, and one or two from continental Europe. I don’t know how many of the monks were also priests, as they don’t change their habit when they’re ordained. Based on the numbers saying Mass, I’d estimate it at between a third and half. Many of the older monks had studied at the University of Kansas, under Prof. John Senior, who had, from the late sixties to the late seventies, taught a course on the great western classics, and in doing so had converted (it’s estimated) about 250 people to the Faith. The monastery wouldn’t exist without his efforts.
(The course’s name was the ‘Pearson Integrated Humanities Program’. More information athttp://www.clearcreekmonks.
I was picked up from Tulsa, and on my arrival was greeted by Fr Guestmaster. Soon afterwards, I went to Vespers. I arrived on a Saturday evening, and there were quite a few laypeople present. After Vespers, we went for supper. The Abbot ceremonially washed my hands before supper, as I was a newly-arrived guest.
The monks were sitting at about three long tables with fairly plain furniture. The Abbot was on his own. We guests – there were about four of us, all male of course – were at our own table. During supper, there were readings from the Rule of St Benedict, followed by a passage from the Lives of the Saints, on St Bridget. These were chanted, and lasted for the whole of supper. The food was excellent, most of it grown, or grazed, on site. I believe we ate the same thing as the monks, though in greater quantity. Supper was quite short, though – I doubt we were sitting down more than twenty minutes. The monks were silent throughout supper, following the Rule.
After supper, the Fr Guestmaster took us four guests aside for what I later discovered was a twice-daily chat. This was a good chance to chat with the other guests. One of them was from Texas, and had just completed, with several other people, a walking pilgrimage in reparation for the black mass which was to be held in Oklahoma City the following weekend. Another guest was about to enter the monastery. The third was a Belgian layman in his seventies, who was staying there for three months. He spoke no English, but happily the Fr Guestmaster spoke French. I never established why this gentleman was staying at the monastery in Oklahoma rather than at Fontgombault, but in any case, his stated purpose in staying for so long was ‘to become a saint’. He was an interesting man. He dressed smartly without drawing attention to himself and had impeccable manners. He seemed to have all the virtues that I, at least, associate with devout Catholic Francophones of the older generation: true humility, respect for order and tradition, prudence, temperance and kindness. The culture that made good men such as these is now passing from history.
Strict silence followed Compline, and continued until the conclusion of the following day’s Prime. The next morning, a Sunday, I rose at 4.30 for Matins at 4.50. Although I pray the traditional office privately, I had never done so publicly before arriving. What’s more, my Latin is pretty mediocre and I was short on coffee, so I found Matins and Lauds (one followed the other without pause) pretty difficult to follow. I prayed along as well as I could, and thanked God for the chance to join these ancient prayers.
Prime and then breakfast followed an hour later. Breakfast was a less formal affair than lunch or supper: the monks ate it standing, and there was no reading aloud, though we still observed silence. After breakfast I had some free time. In fact, free time was wonderfully plentiful, so over the course of my retreat I read Belloc’s Crisis of Civilisation cover to cover, read several chapters of Garrigou-Lagrange’s Three Ages, and systematically prayed and thought through some decisions I’m facing. Silence wasn’t quite so strict during the day, but they still strongly encouraged it, so serious and concentrated reading was easier than in the outside world. So was prayer, above all devotion to Our Lady, to whom the Abbey is dedicated under the title of the Annunciation.
I discovered at lunch that the monks brew some astonishingly, extraordinarily good beer, some of the best I’ve ever had. Really, it was wonderful. I suggested to Fr Guestmaster that they bottle and sell it. They only served beer at the Sunday lunch, so I would recommend that anybody going there on retreat bear that in mind. In fact, all the food was excellent. I was told their cook learnt his skills in France. It certainly shows.
The rest of the days followed a similar pattern, with the hours being sung at roughly the times you’d expect. After Terce every day was a sung Mass, which was well-attended by the local lay community. I should say a word about the community that has grown up around the Abbey. It’s about 120 people who have moved from other states (especially California for some reason) with the specific purpose of being near a traditional monastery. I met engineers, IT people and other professionals, and they either telecommute or travel several days a month back to the metropolis. Some of them farm instead, or as well. They don’t live in one place, but are scattered around the surrounding countryside. Nonetheless, people all seemed to know one another, and get on. They were pretty welcoming to me. I met a very recent convert in his late twenties, who had been baptised and received in Easter this year, along with his parents. There were lots of children, as you’d expect, and lots of dads attending mass. What an encouragement it must be to live in such a place!
Unfortunately there wasn’t time to travel to anybody’s home, but anybody interested in finding out more about the community would be well-advised to contact Fr Guestmaster, who knows most of the people.
I didn’t get to low Mass, which was held every day in addition to sung Mass, until the day of my departure. It was said in the crypt at about 6am. The crypt had about eight side chapels with altars, as well as a high altar. A monk was saying Mass at most of these. It was wonderful – the kind of thing that used to be quite frequent, but is very hard indeed to find nowadays. Silence reigned, as you’d expect for a private Mass, otherwise the various celebrants would have been talking over one another.
I’ve been to only a few private Masses during my short time as a Catholic, and never had the privilege of being present when several were being celebrated simultaneously. Although the trad community, quite rightly, emphasises high Mass, the polyphony, the major feasts, and so on, this shouldn’t be done at the expense of low Mass. There is something unspeakably beautiful about a solo priest making his morning sacrifice to God, standing in the person of Christ, communing with God in the most intimate way.
It was fascinating to see a traditional Benedictine monastery, in many ways the cradle of Western culture. More importantly, it gave me great encouragement in my devotion to Our Lady. I would recommend anybody who gets the chance to visit. Women and families are also welcome. They can stay in the on-site guest house about half a mile away, but can’t eat with the monks, or attend matins, lauds or compline.
News from SPUC
Thursday, 25 September 2014
New Northern Ireland Health minister supports abortion ban
| Jim Wells MLA |
Jim Wells, who has previously stated in an interview that the abortion ban in Northern Ireland should be upheld, including in cases of rape, has been appointed as Northern Ireland’s new Health minister by first minister Peter Robinson. Mr Wells said in the interview, which took place in August 2012, "That is a tragic and difficult situation but should the ultimate victim of that terrible act [rape] – which is the unborn child – should he or she also be punished for what has happened by having their life terminated? No." Although tipped to takeover at the health department two years ago, Mr Wells recently said that he would like to remain on Stormont's Justice Committee in order to oppose the Minister of Justice's plans to legalise the abortion of children diagnosed with a disability or conceived in rape. A public consultation on the proposal is expected to begin in the coming months. [Guardian, 23 September]
Spanish abortion law reform scrapped; justice minster resigns
Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, has withdrawn a bill which would have reformed abortion law in Spain, limiting its availability only to cases of rape that have been reported to the police and cases where the mother’s health is considered to be in danger. Currently, Spain’s law allows abortion on demand up until 14 weeks. Alberto Ruiz Gallardon, the justice minister who championed the reform, resigned from his post soon after it was announced that the bill had been withdrawn. [Irish Times, 24 September]
Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury asks for promotion of Gospel of Life
Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury has spoken of the need to promote the "Gospel of Life with joy". Bishop Davies, who was attending an annual pro-life pilgrimage to Walsingham, said that, "We will be asked whether we stood idle all day or whether we prayed and made reparation, used our own voices for the defenceless and gave witness to the sanctity of human and family life."[Catholic Herald, 23 September]
Other stories:
- Forced abortion performed in China on mother, pregnant with nine-month old twins [LifeNews.com, 23 September]
- US Bishop supports priest who removed 'married' homosexual couple from parish ministry [LifeSiteNews.com, 23 September]
On Drama
This abhorrence of drama came out of the Protestant Revolt, as a reaction to the still performed Mystery and Miracle plays of the medieval period. Such plays, which either depicted the Life of Christ or the Biblical stories in Genesis or other books, were seen as connected to the evils of the Catholic life which included, of course, the Holy Mass.
These religious, Catholic plays became outlawed in England, although the arch-hypocrite Elizabeth I is recorded as having attended one incognito, as she loved drama. She also continued having private showings.
I wonder if she had the actors arrested afterwards?
I have studied these plays and actually seen some enacted. I love drama, have written drama, and was married another million years ago to an accomplished actor. STS is also an excellent actor, having played in Shakespeare, Wilde, other dramatist's plays, and Greek drama, as well as a musical.
 |
| STS in The Taming of the Shrew |
As a Catholic girl, I attended plays and musicals and in college was in drama a bit. My role was usually the ingenue, as I always looked much younger than my age. I was the young girl, for example, in Yerma.
I did not have great talent but had several boyfriends who were in plays, both when I was in high school and in college who were extremely talented. We would discuss drama at length. One of my best friends had the lead as Elizabeth R herself, another irony of history.
That my Lutheran friends believed that Catholics were going to h...in a handbasket because we went to Broadway Theatre League or the Genesius Guild provided me with many opportunities of drama apologetics.
 |
| St Therese as Joan of Arc |
But, the lifestyle of actors and actresses was not the problem with my Protestant friends. The problem was what they saw as "deceit". To dress up, wear make-up and play another part, to become, even for a short while, another person, was a lie to them. Actors lied, Producers lied, Scene painters lied. All these people were engaged in portraying something which was not true.
 |
| STS in Taming....as above |
Now, to convince my friends who honestly and sincerely saw no value in lying on a stage, made me look at the entire history of drama. Of course, another argument was that drama had its roots in religion, which it does, especially in Greece, and therefore was also sinful because of historical connections.
Some of my Lutheran friends also objected to the stories, even Shakespeare, who we all know was Catholic. These good people could not see that drama was a mirror of the soul of man, helping us all come to knowledge of the self and our relationship to others and God.
No, they could not see that drama was not mere entertainment, but a way of exploring what it means to be human, a thinking being with a soul and a body.
The stories they saw as deceitful I saw as the opposite-vehicles of exploring truth.
For a teenager, this type of discussion on the back-porch in the summer over lemonade and ginger snaps whet my appetite for more serious apologetics. By the age of fifteen, I was defending the Faith in conversations with my Lutheran friends.
The Miracle and Mystery plays did not just pop up in France in the 1100s with Adam, but came out of dramas connected with the high holy days as far back as the early Church, once persecution settled down. Drama was used to teach the Bible and to remind people of the great long line of Revelation from the Old Testament through the New.
And, here is the reason why my Protestant friends hated drama, It was a link to pre-Protestant culture and Christendom. In denying that the Catholic Church was the one, true, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, they had to deny that the pre-Revolt Church was missionary and the oldest, true Christian faith.
 |
| STS in Clytemnestra |
Also, even today, we have over forty examples of medieval dramas which depicted something about the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was ditched by the Protestants and whose devotion was completely undermined. The Mystery Plays showed the lives of the saints and oh-no, Protestants not bear the cult of the saints. The Morality plays became slap-stick and finally, vaudeville. Of course, with the continued suppression of the feast days, and the closing of the theatres in London under Cromwell, the sin of acting was punishable as a crime against morality.
So, the dramas became verboten.
 |
| STS' Godfather in pantomime |
I do not know if in the long run I convinced any Protestants to go watch Lear or Antigone, but my love for drama never ceased. One of my plays was put on at Notre Dame by a small group of actors I got together. It was a depiction of children and youth's reaction to the plagued and, therefore, a drama which explored the facing of death and life after death by all of us.
Having taught drama, I know the value of learning through the arts, through the classics. May true drama never disappear from this planet, and may Catholics continue to write and produce superb plays.
May I add that the fastest growing "religion", which is not a revealed one, also eschews drama as evil. Interesting that the heretics and others who hate the Church, the great stories of Revelation, as well as the Life of Christ, hate drama. A connection exits between false Calvnism, false simplicity and the hatred of the Arts. And, we now have a new saint who acted as a youth, St. John Paul II, who I am sure would bless this post.
Here is a young STS in a take-off on a famous show.....
Geese A'Flying
At least four flocks of geese have flown over today going south. They know it is time.
I shall be flying away soon as well, and will try and keep you all posted. Benedict Labre is one of my patrons.
Not by my will, but His Will be done.
Amen.
I shall be flying away soon as well, and will try and keep you all posted. Benedict Labre is one of my patrons.
Not by my will, but His Will be done.
 |
| http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/V-formation.jpg |
Amen.
Repeat for a friend of mine...
Sunday, 6 July 2014
Two Signs of Purgation
Ending this section on the general call of all to perfection, one can take a last look at St. Catherine’s Dialogue for help. I think most people can understand the activity needed on our part in order to walk the path to perfection, but what may be puzzling are the passive purifications.
Two signs, according the saint, indicate that one is going through the passive purifications of the soul, which is the same as the Dark Night of the soul. The first sign is complete docility to the Holy Spirit. One no longer trusts in one’s self, but in the movements of the Spirit. One is no longer rebellious but cooperative in grace. The second sign is the receiving of Divine inspirations through the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost, and here, I am reminded both of St. Angela and Cardinal Manning in their repetition of the flowering of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
These seven gifts become “mature” after the passive purifications, a point I made over the past several years in the perfection series. That Garrigou-Lagrange reminds us of this fact corresponds with his other works, and with the great saints of perfection-Teresa of Avila , John of the Cross, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis de Sales, and Alphonsus Ligouri.
The passive purgations, again, take away all the dross in our hearts, minds, including the imagination, intellect, and memory. The senses are, as noted before, purged first, and then the spirit.
Then, one enters into the Illuminative State and finally, the State of Union , again defined in the perfection series.
The seven gifts of the Holy Ghost are, as a reminder: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, Fear of the Lord.
These gifts come to the fore only after we are purified, which is hard for many people to understand. Sin blocks both gifts and virtues, even repeated venial sins, or venial sins which are habitually done almost automatically, revealing a need for healing as well as purgation.
Garrigou-Lagrange notes, that “while conforming ourselves to His expressed will, we must abandon ourselves to His divine will of good pleasure, however mysterious it may be, for we are certain beforehand that in its holiness it wills nothing, permits nothing, unless for a good purpose.”
Another theme on this blog which is covered in this book as well is that he who is faithful in little things will be faithful in big things. I have written over the years that being obedient in the small things is like a daily boot camp experience, wherein we make our wills stronger. Garrigou-Lagrange notes that “If every day we do what we can to be faithful to God in the ordinary routine of life, we may be confident that He will give us grace to remain faithful in whatever extremity we may find ourselves through His permission; and if we have to suffer for Him, He will give us the grace to die a heroic death rather than be shamed and betray Him.”
This book was published in 1937, when persecutions around the world were ratcheting up. We must not forget that the daily practice of virtue and the faithfulness in small things helps us grow. The author states that, “Daily fidelity to the divine will as expressed gives us a sort of right to abandon ourselves completely to the divine will of good pleasure as yet not made known to us.”
We are faced with suffering daily, and if we do not shirk from this suffering and if we do not complain or judge others, we are being faithful to this daily fidelity. Garrigou-Lagrange writes, “Daily fidelity and trusting self-abandonment thus give the spiritual life its balance, its stability and harmony. In this way we live our lives in almost continuous recollection, in an ever-increasing self-abnegation, and these are the conditions normally required for contemplation and union with God. This, then, is the reason why our life should be one of self-abandonment to the divine will as yet unknown to us and at the same time supported every moment by that will as already made known to us.”
Garrigou-Lagrange states something interesting: “In this union of fidelity and self-abandonment we have some idea of the way in which asceticism, insisting on fidelity or conformity to the divine will, should be united with mysticism, which emphasizes self-abandonment.”
Some things are just plain basics and on top of this we add our act of complete trust in God, in Divine Providence. We give God our present and our future. We also give God our past, which is very difficult for many of us who have had tumultuous pasts and need to rely on Divine Mercy, as the author points out, for the consequences.
There is no error, no misjudgment, no sin which God has not forgiven in our past. There is no trial so difficult in our present which God cannot overcome, and there is nothing in our future which we need to dread, as we are in the Hands of God.
Romans is most likely my favorite epistle of St. Paul , and Romans 8 may be the chapter masterpiece of this letter. Garrigou-Lagrange refers to Romans 8:31-39 as to the way of perfection through abandonment to God, whether we face the good will of men or malice, as he notes.
Childlike confidence is key. One cannot be too childlike, states the author, and I am glad he wrote that. He states,“Therefore, in abandoning ourselves to God, all we have to fear is that our submission will not be wholehearted enough.”
Amen to that…to be continued…
Finally, someone else writing about men and nonmen
http://catholicstand.com/catholic-man-crisis-matters/
See my "do not turn in you man card" series.....
See my "do not turn in you man card" series.....
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Getting There
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Thoughts on trees and winter
It is snowing in Chicago today. The rain started earlier and now the flurries, which at first mingled with the rain, have won the battle for the skies. Many of the trees still have red, yellow and even green leaves, but this weather will bring the leaves down—and so it has always been in the Midwest.
Sometimes, snow flurries do not occur until the end of November, but the Lake Effect here in Chicago can bring earlier precipitation which includes snow.
In the “yard” next door, the snow is beginning to stick. The snow is building up on the ground and on the bushes. However, the giant Red Maple has not yet lost its leaves and stands like a stricken Burning Bush, guiding all eyes to its glory.
When the sun was shining earlier yesterday, the Red Maple shown like fire against the blue sky. But, the clouds have taken away the brilliance of the red hues, and, as with the other trees, the wind and snow will cause these scarlet leaves to fall.
Such is the life of the soul. We think we are brilliant when in the sunshine, but when the darkness comes, and the hard times, our brilliance fades, dies, and soon the outward signs of life fall away and blow away. Like this maple, we shall look dead and people will forget the once dynamic colors, walking past the naked tree, without noticing the life within.
Such is the Dark Night. One becomes almost invisible. People do not notice the intense suffering, as God gives the soul cheerfulness in the sadness. This is not a fake cheerfulness, but a confidence that God is working in one despite pain and sorrow. This confidence rests on the knowledge that one is being purified.
Like the tree, however, one’s brilliance must be replaced for a while with the signs of death. No leaves adorn the soul.
All the energies of grace remain hidden and inward. In fact, one is relieved that one becomes invisible. To carry around the wounds of love and the awareness of one’s horribly sinful nature demands a time of secrecy. In the absence of the Bridegroom, all other people and things become like ghostly memories. One walks in a shadow of Darkness and having to deal with the world aggravates one; this is all part of the suffering and demands the heroic growth of patience.
The longer one is in darkness, the more patience one becomes. One no longer demands rights or privileges, but waits. One is becoming a proficient in the ways of the spiritual life. One is moving out of boot camp into special ops, slowly but surely.
Like the Red Maple I see from the window, one loses all outward signs of beauty and comeliness. But, the real life within continues. Such is the Dark Night.
From A Friend in England-Urgent Prayers Needed
A friend of mine sent this to me forwarded from a friend. The only thing I would quibble with is that this group, ISIS is not extreme, but following the instructions both in the Koran and in the commentaries on the Koran, the hadith.
These persecutions happened before, wiping out the Catholic communities of North Africa and the Middle East. Same religion, same mind-set...Prayers needed.
I have received these two emails from our missionary friends, one yesterday and one this morning. I just wanted to pass it on so that as many people as possible can pray specifically for our brothers and sisters.This is so sad...
A friend just got a text message from her brother asking her to shower him and his parish in prayer. He is part of a mission and ISIS has taken over the town they are in today. He said ISIS is systematically going house to house to all the Christians and asking the children to denounce Jesus. He said so far not one child has. And so far all have consequently been killed. But not the parents.
The UN has withdrawn and the missionaries are on their own. They are determined to stick it out for the sake of the families - even if it means their own deaths. He is very afraid, has no idea how to even begin ministering to these families who have seen their children martyred. Yet he says he knows God has called him for some reason to be his voice and hands at this place at this time. Even so, he is begging prayers for his courage to live out his vocation in such dire circumstances. And like the children accept martyrdom if he is called to do so.
She asked me to ask everyone we know to please pray for them. These brave parents instilled such a fervent faith in their children that they chose martyrdom. Please surround them in their loss with your prayers for hope and perseverance.
She was able to talk to her brother briefly by phone. She didn't say it but I believe she believes it will be their last conversation. Pray for her too. She said he just kept asking her to help him know what to do and do it. She told him to tell the families we ARE praying for them and they are not alone or forgotten -- no matter what. Her e mail broke my heart. Please keep all in your prayers. Thanks
This came this morning... Just a few minutes ago I received the following text message on my phone from Sean Malone who leads Crisis Relief International (CRI). We then spoke briefly on the phone and I assured him that we would share this urgent prayer need with all of our contacts.
"We lost the city of Queragosh (Qaraqosh). It fell to ISIS and they are beheading children systematically. This is the city we have been smuggling food too. ISIS has pushed back Peshmerga (Kurdish forces) and is within 10 minutes of where our CRI team is working. Thousands more fled into the city of Erbil last night. The UN evacuated it's staff in Erbil. Our team is unmoved and will stay. Prayer cover needed!"
Please pray sincerely for the deliverance of the people of Northern Iraq from the terrible advancement of ISIS and its extreme Islamic goals for mass conversion or death for Christians across this region.
Good Article, Thanks Ken!
http://www.alternet.org/economy/how-ayn-rand-brought-you-kim-kardashian-and-cult-self-obsessed-celebrity
Although, I disagree with the reference to Paul Ryan, having heard him in person, I do not think he is a Randite.
Although, I disagree with the reference to Paul Ryan, having heard him in person, I do not think he is a Randite.
Mass Celebrating The Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham, Catholic Shrine, Walsingham
Bishop Mark Davies said the Mass. Also involved were Fr. Jeremy Davies and Father Jacob. It was the annual Pilgrimage in Reparation for the Sanctity of Life. The image of Mary, Patron of Life, is from the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Bedford. Most of the people attending were ordinary people, who support the culture of life. Some were from SPUC, 40 days for life, March for Life Birmingham on 16th May 2015, and Helpers of God's Precious Infants. Thanks to Carole for the photos. September 21, 2014
Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham repeat Drama
Thursday, 20 June 2013
Walsingham: A Drama in Three Acts
Walsingham: A Drama in Three Acts copyright 2013
A Play on the History of Walsingham Pilgrimage Site for the Contemporary Audience
Characters in order of appearance:
Act One: One Scene with Moving Tableaux (not still)
William Shakespeare
Lear
Cordelia
King Louis from Lear
Richeldis and Sir Geoffry (son) de Faverche or Favarches
Carmelite Anchorites Giles and Nicodemus
Augustinian Friars
Richard II
Act Two: Three Scenes with Moving Tableaux
Scene One
Shoemakers of Walsingham
Bircham, Copping, Wehh, Castleton, Clark , Hall, Johnson, Powell, Ringstead, Woodcock
Scene Two
Henry VII
Henry VIII
Katherine of Aragon
Anne Boleyn
Courtiers
Scene Three
Mob of 1537
Thomas Sydney
Pub and Innkeepers, the Bull, the Black Lion, the Crown, the King’s Head, the White Lion, Exchange Inn,
Act Three: Two Scenes with a few Moving Tableaux
Scene One:
Anne Dacre
Lady Throckmorton (1651)
Dooks, a little white dog
Rev Edward Worseley
Martyrs of Walsingham Laity and Augustinian Friars
Martyrs of Walsingham Laity and Augustinian Friars
2013 members of the town; unidentified, shop-keepers, pub owners, clergy, a few pilgrims, etc.
Scene Two:
(Staging is modern techniques, such as black stage backdrops for spot lighting; backdrops include only minimalist architectural designs, the largest being the ruined priory arch which stands today, the House of Nazareth, the original shrine, the sea at the Norfolk coast, a Tudoresque hall, and a modern street in Walsingham with shops. One image for each scene as indicated. All the actors in the First Act must speak in upper class, king’s English. As to the sets, there are options depending on money. Of course.
These would be more powerful if actually made of wood, but if money is an issue, can be photographs on canvas with lights in the background to show designs; muted colours, not bright, such as greys, blacks, browns, etc. until the modern scene of today, which would be in natural colours; same with costumes, which, although all of the time of the characters (historically correct) would be all in browns, blacks and greys, until the modern scene, again, with colours. One might ask some of the current inhabitants of the village if they would be willing to be in that last scene in normal attire. I am sure some would be happy to take part.)
Act I: Scene One
The Introduction by Shakespeare
(Dark Stage, with spotlight into which walks, stage right, William Shakespeare in historical dress.. He has a Peter Wimsey type voice)
William Shakespeare: Those of you who have been following the thing you call television or other sources, know by now that I am a Catholic. Of course, I hid many hints in my plays and sonnets to this effect. (Sighs)
Look here, look here. (He points with his left hand to the new spotlighted area to his left and, of course, the lines are from the end of the play).
{Second Spotlight appears on Lear, Cordelia, and King Louis of France scene)
Fairest Cordelia, thou are most rich, being poor,
Most choice, forsaken and most loved, despised!
Thee and they virtues here I sieze upon;
Be lawful! I take up what’s cast away.
Gods, gods, ‘tis strange that from their cold’st neglect
My love should kindle to inflamed respect.
Thy dowerless daughter, king, thrown to my chance,
Is queen of us, of ours, and our fair France.
Not all the dukes of waterish Burgundy
Can buy this unprized precious maid of me.
Bid them farewell, Cordelia, though unkind:
Thou losest here, a better where to find.
(Spot light fades as King and Cordelia hold hands.)
William Shakespeare: Hmm, the new critics missed the point here, as I was referring also to the Queen of Heaven, the real Queen of England and France, Our Lady of Walsingham, now dowerless after the horrors of Henry’s playfellow’s designs. But, I am racing ahead.
The dowry of Mary is England . The Recusants knew this. I know this. Cruelly was her dowry snatched from her by thieves and murderers, assassins, one of my favourite words, which I invented, by the way. Her beautiful image taken to Chelsea and chopped up for firewood. Here. (He points again to the left and we see thugs chopping up a wooden statue of Our Lady of Walsingham in the streets of Chelsea and throwing the bits into a fire.) So many wept at the stealing of her land, England , by those who only loved themselves. Well, they have an eternity to think about their deeds.
Our Lady of Ipswich image was also chopped up for firewood, as was an image from Wales, used to burn a holy friar, named Forrest, the image brought to London for the purpose of martyring this good man. (spotlight goes to friar being burnt at the stake with image pieces).
She is her own dowry, Our Dear Lady and Mother. She, dower less, desires that all England come back to her loving reign, as one of our later popes have said. I read Leo XIII’s words for you. (He holds up a scroll “When England returns to Walsingham, Our Lady will return to England .” In 1893, the English Catholic Bishops dedicated the land to Mary, Our Mother, again. She will not return to England unless the Catholics return to Walsingham. Our bishops, our priests, you and I, the laity, we must pray for this. We must work for this.
But, perhaps you do not know of Walsingham and Mary’s Dowry. Let a little story of this great shrine begin. Ah, I do miss directing… This is fun. Shall I start at the beginning, or in media res? Hmm, let me start with the gentle Richeldis in the year 1061.
(Spotlight leaves Shakespeare and moves on to the original shrine of the House of Nazareth and two characters, Richeldis and her son, Sir Geoffry standing by an outside altar, before the building of the shrine. The altar stands on a grassy flat plain before many trees. Richeldis is holding a vase of Roses and speaking with her son. They are dressed in subdued colors, but the costumes of their day. Richeldis is wearing a small coronet.)
Richeldis: Since the Dearest Queen of Heaven came to me, I have desired this day, my son. Here, in this place, we have made a little Nazareth , where the Angel Gabriel told Mother Mary she was to be the God-Bearer. How wonderful that Mary has created a holy stamp, an image of that sacred place here.
Geoffry: Dear Mother, may I continue your work here and invite the Augustinians to continue your work with our monies, my heritage?
Richeldis: This is my dream, dear one. Yes, let all England come here to honour the Mother and praise the Son. This statue will wear my coronet, given to me by your father on the day of our marriage. As we were crowned husband and wife, so she is crowned the Heavenly Bride. (Richeldis takes off her crown and puts in on the head of the wooden statue. If this statue has to be a canvas backdrop, an option, Richeldis lays it on an altar in front of the image.)
Geoffry: Mother, Our Lady of Glastonbury will be the only image which takes precedence to this, Our Queen and Prince. I shall see this shrine endowed for years to come. We shall build a small domicile, 16 yards long, 10 yars wide and a little wooden chapel inside of 7 yards by 30 feet long, just like Mary’s little house in Nazareth.
Richeldis: Ask the good Carmelite anchorites to buy more boats, with some of your inheritance, to ferry the pilgrims from the North, as I see in my mind, many coming here throughout the ages. England will be renewed if Mary is honored in this little house, this small shrine of Nazareth .
Geoffry: Ah, mother, look, pilgrims, here, now.
(Enter two Carmelite friars with a small group of mixed poor and wealthy pilgrims-maybe six or seven.)
Giles: Noble Richeldis, we have heard of your holy house called the New Work, and bring these good people from the far north. They come from York and the West Riding to see your image. We have boated them from my anchor hold in All Saint’s near Bishop’s Lynn . But, my shoes are so wet, please forgive me if I take them off on this holy ground.
Nicodemus: I shall remove my sandals as well, as here Mary has visited our people, the Normans and the Anglo-Saxons, together blessed by Our Lady. We have come from Long Sutton, by the Wash. Some have come fromNorwich , via Attlebridge and Bechospital, the hostel there. Already, there is talk of a great accommodation for thirteen poor pilgrims to stay over night in that area.
First Pilgrim: Yes, I stayed at an inn free! And had a full English breakfast!
Geoffry: We shall begin to do penance for England , by walking barefoot for a mile outside this shrine. What do you think, Mother?
Richeldis: Yes, and I, too, now removes my shoes in honor of Our Lady. Welcome, Palmers, welcome, all.
(All the pilgrims bend over and take off their shoes, kneeling on the floor in front of the image and altar. Richeldis places the vase of roses on the altar.)
This scene ends with the singing of the Ambrosian Hymn one of the oldest hymns. And they say, first, the little prayer of St. Aldhelm. Augustinian Friars join the group in song.)
Prayer of St. Aldhelm
O Virgin Mother of our God, O Star
Of life’s dark sea, we have thee from afar;
O, by they merits keep in spotless fame,
This altar sacred to they glorious name.
Aeterna Christi munera,
Et martyrum victorias,
Laudes ferentes debitas,
Laetis canamus mentibus.
Ecclesiarum principes,
Belli triumphales duces,
Coelestis aulae milites,
Et vera mundi lumina.
Terrore victo saeculi,
Spretisque poenis corporis,
Mortis sacrae compendio,
Vitam beatam possident.
Traduntur igni martyres,
Et bestiarum dentibus,
Armata saevit ungulis
Tortoris insani manus,
Nudata pendent viscera,
Sanguis sacratus funditur,
Sed permanent immobiles
Vitae perennis gratia.
Devota sanctorum fides,
Invicta spes credentium;
Perfecta Christi charitas,
Mundi triumphat principem.
In his Paterna gloria,
In his voluntas Filii,
Exsultat in his Spiritus,
Coelum repletur gaudiis.
Te nunc, Redemptor, quaesumus,
Ut ipsorum consortio
Jungas precantes servulos,
In sempiterna saecula. Amen.
Et martyrum victorias,
Laudes ferentes debitas,
Laetis canamus mentibus.
Ecclesiarum principes,
Belli triumphales duces,
Coelestis aulae milites,
Et vera mundi lumina.
Terrore victo saeculi,
Spretisque poenis corporis,
Mortis sacrae compendio,
Vitam beatam possident.
Traduntur igni martyres,
Et bestiarum dentibus,
Armata saevit ungulis
Tortoris insani manus,
Nudata pendent viscera,
Sanguis sacratus funditur,
Sed permanent immobiles
Vitae perennis gratia.
Devota sanctorum fides,
Invicta spes credentium;
Perfecta Christi charitas,
Mundi triumphat principem.
In his Paterna gloria,
In his voluntas Filii,
Exsultat in his Spiritus,
Coelum repletur gaudiis.
Te nunc, Redemptor, quaesumus,
Ut ipsorum consortio
Jungas precantes servulos,
In sempiterna saecula. Amen.
(Light fades and Shakespeare returns in a spotlight to the stage right, as in the beginning)
William Shakespeare: Sweet. And, as I am an actor, I shall read the first mention of England as Mary’s Dowry as we wrap up this part of the story, which would make a great play, doncha’think?.
But, first, let me remind you that Glastonbury , as noted by Sir Gregory, was the primary shrine of Our Lady, and William of Malmsbury, in the 12th century, noted this great place of water and peace. But, I shall let someone else tell you of that. Even before Glastonbury , St. Augustine , England
Here is dowry reference, which we all knew and loved until Henry, who, by the way, destroyed all the records of this shrine and others. How he came to hate Mary and her Son. (He shakes his head and holds up the scroll.)
The Solemn Consecration of England
(King Richard II comes in and snatches the scroll from Shakespeare).
King Richard II: I beg your pardon, actor, but I can read my own decree. And, I hate your play about me.
William Shakespeare: Sorry, I was being a bit too politically correct.
King Richard II. A bit? You ruined my reputation for centuries, cad.
William Shakespeare: Well, I was being paid by the Tudors and Boleyns.
King Richard II: I shall speak with you later. These good people want to move on to the gory stuff. There all used to computer games and you are so long-winded, Will. But first, the pledge…one of the best things I ever did was make this consecration. Well, if Mary Our Queen of Heaven can forgive you, I suppose I can. But the play is awful. Poor Anne, how she suffered…
William Shakespeare: Stop it, my Liege Lord and read.
Richard II: Alright.
O Blessed Virgin here
Behold this is thy Dowerie.
Defend it now, preserve it still
In all prosperities.
William Shakespeare: Is that it?
Richard II: Well, there is a bit more about making the shrine a national site and stuff. But Henry…destroyed all the documents and this is a historical guess. It is in the Bodelian, I think.
I was here, you know, in 1315. The pub was great-lovely lamb and good French wine. Anne especially loved getting new shoes made after the mile walk. She chose white lamb’s skin with embroidered roses. Of course, some kings came before me.
William Shakespeare: Really?
Richard II: Yes, Henry III came in 1241 and Edward I came two times, 1280 and 1296. (He can be thinking on his fingers, as it were.) David Bruce came three years after me, in 1364, but I do not know if he left anything. We all left many gold things, like jewelry, swords and scabbards, even small trinkets, like medals made of gold and silver, and our own rings. Of course, Henry Creep stole them all for you-know-who.
William Shakespeare: That is all in the next act.
Richard II: You don’t say. I think I shall join these curs, and watch the rest of the play.
William Shakespeare: Ah, there is a chair just for you, my Lord. ‘Til Act II, adieu. King sits on a chair at the edge of the audience.) By the way, do you know that there is a window in the now Anglican church, which has you in it, as well as Henry Creep?
Richard II: What? Me in a window with a Tudor! I have to see this, Will. I am sure the Wilton Diptych is better. Where is this thing?
William Shakespeare: I shall take you there. Do not be too upset, my Lord. The widow is modern.
Richard II: Let us go, then.
(They leave and the First Act ends).
Act II
(The act begins with many men at shoe working benches with tools making shoes. The stage is brightly lit at first. There are shoes everywhere. These actors must use broad Norfolk accents, as a break from the above and the typical Shakespearean technique of alternating upper and lower class scenes.)
Copping: How much did you make last year, Bircham?
Bircham: Not bad, but I am not going to tell you. Too many shoes in the tithe barns, though. And, if I have to be honest, I would have to pay more taxes, and more tithing. Plus, the misses has another bun in the oven.
Copping: I remember the old days when all the shoe taxes were the same. Blast it. The next thing you know, they’ll be taxing the slits in the sides where the silk stockings show through. Can they tax a hole, I wonder?
Bircham: Hey, Ringstead and Wehh, you’re awfully quiet today.
Ringstead. I am not in the mood to talk.
Wehh: He knows somethun’
(All stop working and look at Ringstead)
Wehh: He ain’t gonna tell. Are you, Ringstead?
Ringstead: I am not talking.
Bircham: Woodcock, Smith, get over here. What’s with Ringstead?
Woodcock: It’s the Second Visitation.
(Silence)
Hall: Those goons aren’t commin’ agin, are they?
Wehh: Ringstead has a brother-in-law in Norfolk who said that they were shoeing horses three days ago and visitin’ monasteries and priories across the plains, up from London . Some of the Palmer’s left early from Attlebridge and went back home, rather than coming here.
Ringstead: Shut up, Wehh. This is my business.
Bircham (getting up in a threatening way and going over to Ringstead) This is all of our business. If they are going to shut down the shrine, our businesses will go. Cannot you see that, Ringstead?
Ringstead: I only know what my sister’s kin said.
Bircham: One has to think of one’s family first. A revolution is not a dinner party.
Castleton: One has to think of God first.
Wehh: You will be the first to go with that fairy attitude.
Castleton: We need to stand up to this. No one has a right to destroy religion. No one.
Hall: I heard rumors of places, like even…what’s that noise?
Castleton: Horses, horses. (He gets up and looks out stage left)
Visitators. Right here, in the street, in front of the Priory.
Copping: I can’t believe this is happening in Walsingham. Henry was just here in my dad’s day.
Hall: Yeah, dancing with the royal whore.
Bircham: I wonder if they need shoes?
Woodcock: Who took the Oath here? Which one of you have taken the Oath?
.
(Some hold there heads down)
Castleton: I will never take the Oath. (He leaves).
Wehh: You can be holier than me, but I took it and all my kin. I do not understand all this anyway. Besides, what has the Church done for me?
Castleton: Provided you and your family with work for generations…that’s all. Given you the Holy Bread and shriven you once a year so you don’t go to hell.
Bircham: I no longer believe in hell, or the Church, but only in Bircham and my family.
Ringstead: I can and I will.
Wehh, and several others. No, we will fight, we won’t let them take the friars. One is George Aysborrow, the subprior. I can see his face. He has been beaten. There ae about sixteen friars in ropes and chains.
(Castleton had gone out and runs back in.): They have gotten Nicholas Mileham and Tom Guisborough. They’ve got them by the hair.
Ringstead: Those men were in prison all night. Thomas Cromwell said that it was never merry in England since the litany was brought into the service. I agree with him. Get rid of this popery.
Wehh: Let’s go help them.
(He is stopped by Ringstead.)
Ringstead: It’s the times, Wehh, think of your Cecily and your Thomas. Think of us. Painted timber is not God. God is not in that image.
(Castleton leaves quickly. Bircham is at the door)
Bircham: They are taking them out and I betcha I know where they are going. Now, they got six more friars, but I cannot see their faces.
(Sound of horses neighing and loud voices yelling, Traitors, devils)
Bircham: One has the image. One has the Lady on his horse.
(They all look out the door and windows)
Wehh: Look, Castleton is fighting one of the king’s men. They’ve got him down.
Ringstead: Religion makes no difference. It’s all the same. Men get what they want. You get what you want and I get what you want.
Bircham: Clark , look after Mary. I am going with Castleton. Look, one visitator is Richard Southwell. Hypocrites all. Blood, blood on the saffron plants across the road.
Bircham: Taking the Lady is too much. Look after my Mary, as I look after Jesu’s Mary.
Hall: The friars are singing. Listen:
O blessed Virgin, praise to thee;
Was lost, is turned by thee againe
From schisms and heresies.
(Lights out and the scene changes)
Scene Two: (Dark night in the main street of Walsingham. A man in aristocratic dress is standing in the middle of the street. He is St. Philip Howard. There is a large barn owl hooting, The spotlight is on Howard. He has a scroll. He is standing on stage left.)
Philip Howard: I have my poem here. It is not too long. I want to read it to you. It is about how “brazen faced heresy” stole my Lovely Lady of Walsingham.
I call it Lament of Walsingham. But, before I read it. I want to share a story of a king’s life, or at least, his love of Walsingham.
Henry VIII first came here—no wait—let me start with his father, Henry VII.
After Henry VI came in 1455 and Edward IV in 1469, leaving wondrous gifts, Henry VII came in thanksgiving in favour of a battle of Lambert Simnel in 1487. After the Battle of Stoke, he sent a banner and willed a gold statue of himself to Our Lady. Young Henry came with his fiancée, Katherine. That was the first visit of the corrupt king.
In 1510, Henry VIII walked barefoot in the last stage and gave a fantastic necklace to the Holy Queen, which, typical, he took back 28 years later. His saintly wife, his real wife, Katherine, came with him in that year of 1510 and she came again in 1513 to give thanks for the victory of the battle of Flodden . Happier days of gratitude and love for Our Lady…
(As he is referring to these incidents, spotlights at stage right highlighted these royal pilgrims walking and kneeling before the image of Our Lady. They leave gold jewelry and especially the large, valuable necklace from Henry VIII.)
(A spotlight moves to a Tudor dancing hall where Henry sees Anne Boleyn and asks her to dance, interrupting another man who is with her).
But, Henry’s third visit to the area was the beginning of the end of Catholic England.
Just up the road apiece (Howard gestures), Henry saw Anne Boleyn for the first time and danced with her. What a dance they made, in the ruins of the One, Holy Catholic Church, a dance which continues today in the ruins of Walsingham.
I cannot remember the date, maybe 1523. She was always engaged to someone or another. However, that meeting has led to this lonely owl hooting in the ruins of the priory. (Priory arch comes up in the back of the mostly grey stage.)
I must confess that I ignored my own dear Anne for years, caught up in the court. But I repented and her love for me never failed.
Here is my poem, which I wrote in prison before my own death by starvation and illness in 1595. And, by the way, if you caught the name of one of the visitators, Richard Southwell, his grandson is also one of the great martyrs, Robert Southwell. Such was the chaos and choices of families in those days. (An owl hoots) Ah, my poem.
A Lament for Walsingham
In the wrecks of Walsingham
Whom should I choose
But the Queen of Walsingham
To be guide to my muse?
Then, thou Prince of Walsingham,
Grant me to frame
Bitter plaints to rue thy wrong,
Bitter woe for thy name.
Bitter was it, O, to see
The sily sheep
Murder’d by the ravening wolves
While the shepherd did sleep.
Bitter was it, O, to view
The sacred vine,
Whilst the gardeners play’d all close,
Rooted up by swine.
Bitter, bitter, O, to behold
The grass to grow
Where the walls of Walsingham
So stately did show.
Such were the worth of Walsingham
While she did stand;
Such are the wrecks as now do show
Of that so holy land.
Level, level with the ground
The towers do lie,
Which with their golden glittering tops
Pierced out to the sky.
Where were gate no gates are now,--
The ways unknown
Where the press of friars did pass
While her fame far was blown.
Owls do shriek where the sweetest hymns
Lately were sung;
Toads and serpents hold their dens
Where the palmers did throng.
Weep, weep, O Walsingham
Whose days are nights—
Blessings turn’s to blasphemies,
Holy deeds to despites.
Sin is where our lady sate;
Heaven turn’d is to hell;
Satan sits where our Lord did sway—
Walsingham, O, Farewell.
(Philip puts down the scroll and just stares sadly at the audience for a moment. Lights out.)
Scene III (The famous wall painting in the local shop is main design. Thomas Sydney, the hounds and the hare).
Thomas Sydney: Ah, come on, people. You will have jobs with me. Look, I can put you back to work in some small shoe shops. I have bought the saffron fields. I need servants for the new hall I am going to build. Get over this hatred of the king and you will be thanking your lucky stars.
Mob of 1537 speaking one after the other, as unidentified groupies: Why should we go along with you. Henry ruined all our business. We have no customers. No palmers. No royalty…this is a disaster. You got what you want for 90 shillings. What do we get? Nuthin’ Latimer took the Lady and chopped her up. How do we know you won’t do the same to us?
Thomas Sydney: Fine, than you can take your wives, your sons and daughters and move elsewhere. I have friends who have men who want jobs. I can bring them here in a minute. Are you going to the king’s church? Let me read this from the Convocation of June, 1536. “..that our Lady, the blessed Virgin, was no better than another woman, and that she can prevail with our Saviour no more than another sinful person of her sex.”
Mob of 1537: Well, we are not theologians. We are just workers. How do we know what Mary is. We cannot depend on religion to feed us. Sure, we get fined otherwise and only those rich nobles can afford to be recusants. What choices do we have? Hey, where is Lady Elizabeth Andrew’s ring and where is the golden cloth vestments of Lord Scales? Where is the Countess of Warwick’s image? Who got these things? What happened to all the goods the Franciscans had from Elizabeth de Burgh, the Countess of Clare, in the Great Guest House. Where is all the wealth?
Thomas Sydney: Well, some made good choices and were rewarded with the offerings to idols, and some made bad choices and they are dead. Their quartered bodies lie in the ditch of the field beyond the walls. Their heads have been eaten by crows.
Mob of 1537: We don’t like what you did to the Eucharist. Dumped the Holy Bread on the ground. Stomped on it. Spit on it. Peed on it.
Thomas Sydney: Now, now, that was not me. Those were the soldiers of Thomas Cromwell, as you well know. They just got carried away a bit. Haven’t we all sinned?
Mob of 1537: Blasphemy will haunt this place for centuries. Sacrilege stalks the village. We feel it.
Thomas Sydney: Stop being superstitious fools. I think you better realize your own here and now. Take my offers or you and your families will starve. The tiger will eat you whether you are kind to it or not.
(Mob of 1537 individuals talk among themselves.)
Mob of 1537: We are not martyrs like Aysburrow or the others. Do we really have choices?
Thomas Sydney: Stop pretending there is a heaven or a hell. We only have the now.
Mob of 1537: We shall take the jobs. We choose the now. Life is hell enough.
(Black out of scene.)
Act III
(Two young and beautiful women come to the fore, center stage, in the spotlight but they move to stage right when the second spot comes up. Their dresses are of a different time, as Anne died in 1630 and this Lady Throckmorton is from 1651-so change the costumes a little. They are sitting on a garden bench with the arch of the ruin behind them. Lady Throckmorton has a little white dog, like a Westie.)
Anne Dacre: Many of us went into hiding and then to France . Many more cooperated with the Parliament and saved their lands, but not their souls. Some benefited by buying land cheaply to the cash-strapped king.
Lady Throckmorton of 1651: My dear Jesuit priest wrote to me about the Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I shall share with you, Dear Countess of Arundel, what he wrote to me.
Anne Dacre: And I shall share with you my vow.
Lady Throckmorton: Good, we Catholics must support each other in these terrible days.
Father Edward Worseley writes: (and a Moving Tableau appears with the Jesuit, Fr. Worseley reading this note out of a book he is writing with a quill pen.
I made choice to compare this work in honour of the most Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, whos Dowry our own now distracted country was sometimes not undeservedly stiled. Both in respect of the peculiar devotion our religious predecessors, above other nations of the Christian world, ore towards her, and her reciprocal procuring, by her powerful intercession, innumerable select favours for them.
Anne Dacre: And I have made a long vow, dedicating my life and belief to the Immaculate Conception. Here is part of my written note.
Lady Throckmorton: Yes, dear, let me hear it.
Anne Dacre: It is very long. I keep it at the castle. I shall read part of it.
…I, Anne, following the steps and examples of many most learned, virtuous and holy person, in this sacred place, and on this cheerful and happy day of the festivity of thy Conception, do confess thee, O Mother of God, to have been preserved from original sin in the first instant of thy Conception, through the merits of Christ, the Son of God and thee, foreseen from all eternity. And I take God thy Son and thy self to witness that I will constantly, by His grace, retain even to the last moment of my life this judgment of they preservation from original sin. This I promise, this I vow, this I swear, so help me God and His holy saints, --always understood with due submission to the determination of Holy Church and the chief pastor thereof, His Holiness of Rome
There is much more. I love the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Walsingham. I pray at the end of this piece for purity of mind and hatred of all sin.
Lady Throckmorton: That is lovely and profound. And, in a letter of St. Omer’s to the English Poor Clares at Graveling, in 1665, is this sad, sad note:
That land, once bearing title of the Dowry of the Virgin Mother, heretofore holy and fruitful in this land, but now, alas, overrun with heresy and sin.”
But, Anne, where are the saints now? We need holy men and women again, dear Anne. Dooks, come here. We are the Church Militant in this evil age. We need more purity of mind, purity of heart and soul.
(Behind them in a spotlight are the Walsingham martyrs, both lay and friars, as well as Philip Howard.)
Anne Dacre: But, gone before us, are the great martyrs of Walsingham and those of Tyburn, and those of the Tower, like my dear husband. They intercede for us daily, I am sure. Tyburn to Walsingham, they stand in a long chain from there to heaven, asking God to strengthen us in these times.
Lady Throckmorton: But, what will the generations after us believe? Will they know Our Lady of Walsingham? Will they love her? Will the one, true, holy and Catholic Church return to Walsingham? I fear for the long years to come, dear Countess. Those good martyrs, like Christ, were taken outside the town walls, at Tyburn, in Walsingham, like anathemata. Will the outcasts be remembered, like Christ on our burnt altars?
Anne Dacre: Let us pray, dear one.
(They bow their heads and all the 2013 people of Walsingham appear, old and young, going to the arch of the priory and praying all together the Hail Mary. Lights down after coming up very bright).
Scene Two (Spotlight on one man, who has keys in his right hand. He has a strong Norfolk accent. Make sure this is said slowly and deliberating, not rushed.)
.
I, Turnkey Burton of the Bridewell, can tell you that the history of Walsingham is not over yet. No, it is not. But, who knows where this story will end or how, I don’t know. Look around you, look at yourselves. Will there be a Walsingham when you are old and grey? Will there be Catholicism in this land? Maybe not. There was a long time without Catholics here, I can tell you, a long time. Now, myself, I was not a Catholic, at least not one that anyone knew about, anyway. I kept an Agnus Dei under my pillow, like many good Anglicans. But, I can tell you that when Mary, Our Mother, was loved and honoured here, things were different.
I cannot put my finger on it. I cannot say what the difference was, exactly. Maybe the roses bloomed the same and the owls hooted just as loudly all night, keeping us locals awake, maybe people were kinder, gentler, more loving, more true…
Something was different. A life, a spirit of motherliness, of care wafted in the air like the chant of the friars. We were the dowry of Mary, and maybe, maybe we still are….maybe we still are…The story has not ended, yet.
(He walks off jingling his keys, out of the spotlight. One hears the hoot of the barn owl in the distance and the arch of the Priory remains lit for a few minutes.)
The End.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)