The organist librarian

Thinking about A hidden life and St Agnes martyred at 12. How far would one be prepared to go for the Faith? What about family and home? Thomas Becket as so many others faced this dilemma. We are now in a world of right wing leaders enforcing their will. Be ready to suffer for the Faith. Henry came and was good as gold. Liz came back from Newcastle. St Paul's sang evensong at the cathedral. 22 boys! Howells in B minor and Rhapsody no. 3. MacMillan Christus vincit. St Mark's Coptic Church for Kensington unity service Good turnout. Archbishop Angelaos very welcoming and the deacons sang well. Good sermon by Revd Emma Dinwiddy Smith vicar of St Mary Abbots. Gave out all my leaflets about the exhibition. Wed Swim, Mass at Addiscombe and good chat to Fr Keith about Catenians, coffee and rock cakes . Won an icon. Long chat to Agnes. To Mount Street for Henry Wansborough on New Jerusalem Bible and Nicholas King was there. Met some nice people who liked the art. Took leaflets to Conn...

Led with Nim second day of SPIDIR refresher course. It went well but quite a few missing. 10 came.o Hackney picturehouse delicious cod and chips! A hidden life is a truly remarkable film great acting, photography, scenery, music. Franz Jaegerstatter refused to swear to support Hitler when called up. He was mistreated and condemned to death. Pity they did not say his widow was present when he was beatified by the Church which tried to dissuade him!

Listened to prom featuring 2 pianos - Faure, Mozart, Lutoslawski, Saint-Saens.Had lunch in the garden. Left at 4 to be at Holy Apostles, Pimlico for Pax Christi service at 5 p.m. remembering Franz Jagerstatter then peace walk to Battersea Park peace pagoda. Chatted to Maureen, Catherine and Kevin. Guitarist too quick in "Will you come and follow me?" Chanting, dancing and speeces including Bruce Kent. Liz came for the lantern floating ceremony on the Thames - our orange one got ahead but then became becalmed! Alan, Phillipe, Ivor and Suzanne there.

To Westminster Abbey for the annual St Cecilia service. We were in the nave so saw little. Splendid Purcell Hear my prayer, Palestrina, new Gabriel Jackson piece very lovely, Elgar "Give unto the Lord" and Lift high the cross to Nicholson's tune. Buxtehude Toccata in F at the end. Saw Tom from chorus and Martin Ball and we went to Nicholson's grave. Also Clementi's and Sir William McKie. To Tate modern to see the crack in the floor - rather scary since I had a fall recently. Louise Bourgeois some very fine carving but rather obsessed by genitalia and spiders and secret rooms - bit creepy. All the world's a stage would be worth visiting again. Members room has fine view of St Paul's. Interfaith group 3 came and they stayed for Sharing in his life session 4. Lively discussion about ecumenism and other faiths. Nobody turned up for Justice and Peace meeting - Holy Land pilgrimage this week. Served at Pax Christi mass for Franz Jaegerstatter - Bishop McMahon, B...

The hymn we sang at the Pax Christi service in the crypt had words by Jaegerstatter arranged by Martin Winklbauer. Rather a nice tune in E minor. You call me in the darkness of this time. I come to you with ready heart and mind. But the way to the source flows against the stream.(repeat) 1. Neither prison nor death cut me off from God's Love: That is the faith that leads me on.(repeat)You call me.. 2. If error o'erwhelms me You take me by the hand. That is the faith that strengthens me (repeat)You call me.. 3. Forgive one another -Come what may This is the love that bears me up (repeat).You call me.. And here is the text I was asked to read; Franz Jaegerstatter speaks: "These few words are being set down here as they come from my mind and heart. And if I must write them with my hands in chains, I find that much better than if my will were in chains. Neither prison nor chains nor sentence of death can rob a man of the faith and his free will. God gives me so much strength t...

I did the ironing listening to the last act of Gotterdammerung - much singing along to the big Siegfried themes but alas I dropped off for the final bit which I love. After all that music the great love theme at the end comes soaring through. Earlier in the evening it was good to talk to Graeme in Glasgow on Skype.Result of this I woke at 1 a.m. and must now try and get some sleep! I read the Pax Cristi booklet about Franz Jaegerstatter - a truly amazing man and very human! Liz's Mum rang to say she had seen the doctor after Liz left and it's now thought the bleeding is coming from the bladder.I sent off the cathedral interfaith network news by email covering Sept to March.

After work to the crypt for an ecumenical service commemorating the execution of Franz Jaegerstatter in 1943. he is to be beatified a martyr for peace in Austria later this year and Pax Christi organised the service which is held annually. Pat was her usual friendly self and asked me to do a reading. The music was excellent - recorder solo, soprano and 2 guitars. We sang Taize, Jaegerstatter's hymn and We will put one foot in front of another in the path of peace" which I rather liked. Then we walked to the Peace Pagoda in Battersea park. I met Bruce Kent who greeted our Bruce when he was born with a card - Liz knew him when he was a priest in Kensington. He is now married and a tireless CND campaigner. The Buddhist monks led the procession and sang at the pagoda while incense was offered. There were various speeches and songs and it all went on rather long till finally the lighted lanterns were put on the river and they floated upstream to the beautiful Albert Bridge. It was...

Simple village organist has a feature on this fine man and Pat Gaffney of Pax Christi has written about him in Oremus the Cathedral magazine which is always worth buying. There will be a service to remember him on Thursday August 9th in the crypt as part of Nagasaki day.