64 Days to Go!!
I have to admit I am a few posts behind, I have been so busy with WYD that I have had no time to blog about WYD! But I did want to mention a visit I made out to St Joseph's Convent in Croydon late last week.
A couple of months back it hit me that we were going to need some kneelers (all good catholic events involve kneeling) so I began calling around some religious communities to see what might be hidden under the stairs. I got in contact with Sr Lyn from the Josephites who has become the sort of Josephite property archivist and she had a couple of garages full of excess kneelers which she was most happy not only to lend to us but let us keep! Needless to say she quickly became one of my best friends and we sent the good people from logistics out there to pick up the dozen or so matching kneelers plus some other random kneelers...so that solved my kneeler problem...yay...one issue down, 2597 still to deal with.
And to make matters even better Sr Lyn told me that she also had a repository of tabernacles, chalices and other suck sacristy knick knacks that would impress and sacristy manager. Last week then I made an appointment to go round and see what was actually available for us to borrow (I have a register of everything I will need to borrow for the major Masses and while most of it will come from St Mary's Cathedral, there are some things I need to find elsewhere).
And here comes the part that relates to the Papal chef which might have had you confused. While I was in the lovely St Joseph's Convent (which used to be an orphanage for dozens of children) SrLyn (left in photo) introduced me to Sr Mary (centre in photo) who seemed to be in charge of the smaller items like the chalices, cruets and even cruet spoons (yes the little spoon that the priest would use to put the water into the chalice...I think the Holy Father will like that!) As they had so many items 
which came from such a selection of convents and Josephite Communities I thought it would be nice to use these items for the chapel which we will set up for the papal household in their residence. The Papal Household is the group that travels with the Pope and they are the people that organise the matters that directly surround the Holy Father and it also includes the 'goverment' of the Holy See such as the Archbishop Secretary of State...so it's an important group of people and I don't want to put out a pottery cup and bowl on their altar (not that I would allow that on any altar). It is a nice connection to use all these items as there is of course the obvious connection to Blessed Mary MacKillop and we will make sure we let the Household know the basic history of the items. The sisters were very honoured to know that the items would be used in such a way. Sr Mary even lent us a beautiful silver single candle holder, the type that used to be carried before the Blessed Sacrament as Holy Communion was delivered around the hospital...I just need to think of where we could use it!
which came from such a selection of convents and Josephite Communities I thought it would be nice to use these items for the chapel which we will set up for the papal household in their residence. The Papal Household is the group that travels with the Pope and they are the people that organise the matters that directly surround the Holy Father and it also includes the 'goverment' of the Holy See such as the Archbishop Secretary of State...so it's an important group of people and I don't want to put out a pottery cup and bowl on their altar (not that I would allow that on any altar). It is a nice connection to use all these items as there is of course the obvious connection to Blessed Mary MacKillop and we will make sure we let the Household know the basic history of the items. The sisters were very honoured to know that the items would be used in such a way. Sr Mary even lent us a beautiful silver single candle holder, the type that used to be carried before the Blessed Sacrament as Holy Communion was delivered around the hospital...I just need to think of where we could use it!(Maybe I'll get to the papal chef in thie section)...so I'm having a delightful time selecting vessels with Sr Mary and I ask her what sort of work she does and did and she tells me that she has actaully cooked for two Popes on two previous papal visits! Well needless to say I was very impressed. It turned out that Sr Mary cooked for Pope Paul VI in Australia in 1970 and also for Pope John Paul II on his visit in 1997 to Beatify Mary Mackillop. She told me that in the late 1960's she was actually cooking at the nunciature and that is where the Pope stayed so she prepared meals for him, the Papal staff told her that she did not have to cook anything special as what she made regualrly was perfect. And with Pope John Paul she had a bit more of a listing of the Pope's favourites. I asked if she remembered what she cooked and she told me she still had it all written out in a folder upstairs. Sr Mary was so happy to be able "to do her little bit" in this forthcoming papal visit as well. I thought that was just a delightful little story, it just shows the wonderful stories that people carry within, sometimes we just need to ask.
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