The year 1745 was a momentous one; England was at war over the Austrian Succession and Bonnie Prince Charlie had landed in Scotland to avail of the opportunity to restore the Stuart succession. After an initial victory over the English at the battle of Prestonpans, it was then onward to Carlisle and Derby. Like so many such enterprises there were disagreements and the Jacobites fell back to Scotland in disorder and were roundly defeated at the battle of Culloden. Thus the Jacobite cause was over. Meanwhile in leafy Hampstead, a delightful healthy village five miles from London, a very fine Church was built on the site of a monastic foundation. It was and is an imposing building, well patroned and in a prime location. Despite the threat of the restoration of a Catholic monarch, there was no sign of panic in Hampstead!
In 1796 in the wake of the French revolution and reign of terror, a young Catholic Priest came to Hampstead from his native Normandy to join some 200 of his co-religionists and fellow countrymen. They were what we now call political migrants. They were made welcome despite there being an almost constant state of war with France.
Abbé Morel ministered to his exiled fellow countrymen and women and also to the Irish farm workers who converged on Hampstead in the summer months to bring in the harvest. In 1816 Abbé Morel built St Mary’s at a cost of ,1145. What is more significant is the fact that it was built at all, 13 years before the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829. The Gordon riots of 1780 could only amplify the antipathy towards ‘Papists’ in this country.
Thus we have 2 fine Churches separated by a cemetery and what must have been a lovely leafy lane way. In those early days the relationship between the two communities must have been courteous if distant. We are now concerned more with what unites than with what separates. There is no greater binding force than the solemnities of the Christian calendar. In this Eastertide, full of new life, hope and joy, both congregations glory in the Resurrection of the Lord. “No more we doubt thee, risen from the tomb”. In our sometimes rather dark world, there is the beacon of hope.
I read recently if God were not merciful, the world would ceased to exist, for how could a less bounteous God put up with the sins of men and women and the seemingly unending examples of hatred and inhumanity? Christ’s hands are now our hands and the path between our two Churches should be well worn in common accord.
34 years ago yesterday, I sailed from Gibraltar in an ancient type 12 Frigate as a young naval Chaplain. We were bound for the south Atlantic to remove the Argentine invaders from the Falkland Islands. The prospect of warfare and one’s death focuses the mind on what is really important. I have always loved the TV series ‘Fawlty Towers’. On one occasion the manic Basil says to Sybil his wife : “Sybil, you should go on mastermind, your chosen subject the bleedin obvious!” Sometimes the obvious is missed by even the most observant. During those dark days the sailors took great delight in showing me photos of their wives and children. The blue airmail letters that we received meant everything. The thought of someone at home loving you, awaiting your return, praying for you, sustained the human spirit. The power of love made warfare, separation, danger and even death easier to contemplate.
As we left the barmy waters of the Mediterranean, I celebrated as best I could the same Easter ceremonies I celebrated last week. Christ has truly risen. The God of Love and mercy has given us his Son in love. As we acknowledge that today in this Eastertide ours is a faith based on love and reflected in love. No element of violence finds a place in the Christian Gospel. Only the command of love.
The lane way between our two Churches is I fear not a well worn track. Centuries of suspicion, religious zealotry, tarnish what we offer to the world and places like Hampstead. I feel that our joint Mission would be far more effective, relevant and socially relevant if the path were in the future far better worn. As we recognise our history and acknowledge it, we must also grasp the opportunity at joint evangelisation, joint service and joint proclamation!