LONDON - 13 June 2007 - 264 words
St
Patrick's Evangelisation School in Soho celebrates Graduation
Jeanine Den Tandt
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor celebrated the Graduation Mass
for St. Patrick's Evangelisation School (SPES) last night. The
beautiful Mass, held at St Patrick's Church in Soho, London, marked
the fifth year of the School of Evangelisation, which has seen
36 students, from more than 15 countries, graduate since 2002.
The Graduation Mass was concelebrated by 25 priests from throughout
the area, including Bishop Bernard Longley, who also serves on
the SPES Board of Management.
The graduates honoured at the ceremony represented a variety of countries, languages, and ages. They were accompanied by family, friends, lecturers, benefactors and supporters, including past students and visitors from as far as Belgrade and Slovakia, who packed the church to honour them. During the prayers of the faithful, the graduates Susanne Filkorn from Germany, Chao Xiaoman from China, Vincent Gardiner from England, Angela Danaher and Henry Whisenant from America, Iwona Bachulska, Ewa Sokolowska, and Wadim Ciepalowicz from Poland each offered intentions in their native tongue, highlighting the diversity present in the School.
After Communion, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor venerated the relics of the Patron of SPES, St Claude de la Colombiérè, which have been present at St Patrick's for over two weeks, on loan from Paray-le-Monial, France.
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of certificates to the graduates. They also received a special blessing from the Cardinal, who commissioned them to be missionaries of the new evangelisation, urging them to live the SPES motto and "always be ready to give an account of the hope that is within."
For more information see: http://www.stpatricksoho.org/spes/index.htm
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