The organist librarian

At evensong we sang Eyre in D and Bairstow Blessed city. The prayers were rather long and although Adrian gave me a lift to Crystal Palace station I missed the train but got to Finchley a bit late. JW3 is most impressive and there was a good audience for the discussion chaired by Ed Kessler with Rabbi David Rosen and Archbishop Kevin. I asked a question about how few Catholics and Jews knew the document and was described as a champion of interfaith! William advised going to Finchley and Frognal which was much closer than West Hampstead so quickly to Willesden but then had to get a replacement bus to Acton. Louise had forgotten I was coming! Monday took Ciaran over to Issy's. Cleaner came and so I left and had coffee at JW3. Good turnout and several people I know for the 2 seminars - particularly liked the rabbi who had been in Sydney and of course Michael Barnes who I complimented as the best teacher ever! He said afterwards "you naughty man" but these things should be s...

19.3.15 St Joseph. Woke at 6.45 too late to get to Eucharist in the cathedral. The Muslims got up at 4 a.m. to go to the Al Aqsa mosque – prayers there are multiplied 10,000 times! After a good breakfast we talked about hopes and challenges for the course. Dr Rodney Aist gave us an overview of the history and we talked about the Pact of Omar which appears to be a forgery and the paragraph from Nostra Aetate about Muslims. A lovely lunch and then off to the Mount of Olives for the chapel of the Ascension which is a shared site and Mustafa gave us the history from a Muslim viewpoint. A long walk down the hill to the Church of the Nations, tomb of Mary and Gethsemani. We met up again at the Lions gate and El-Ghazali square and a visit to the Muslim cemetery where 2 of Muhammad’s companions are buried. A walk along the Via Dolorosa and through the covered market to the Wailing Wall where there has been more building. Back to the coach and had a rest. Liz went to evensong in the cathedral...