091217 Lisbonian Magazine Jan 2010

English College Lisbon

TheLisbonian

Magazine

January 2010

2 | The Lisbonian magazine – January 2010 The Lisbonian magazine – January 2010 | 3 2 | The Lisbonian magazine – January 2010 The Lisbonian magazine – January 2010 | 3

The Lisbonian– The magazine of the Lisbonian SocietyAll correspondence should be addressed to:

The Editor

Kevin Hartley

8 Hanbury Hill

Stourbridge DY8 1BE

The Lisbonian is the bi-annual magazine of the Lisbonian Society, appearing in January and July, and covers a wide range of topics of current and historical interest.

The magazine is distributed to all members of the Society and to those who have expressed an interest in the College. Articles relating in any way to Lisbon past or present and especially to former students of the College are always very welcome.

Anyone wishing to submit an article for consideration should in the �rst instance contact Kevin Hartley as above or by email:

[email protected]

Lisbonian SocietyCorrespondence relating to the Lisbonian Society should be addressed to

Hon Secretary Lisbonian Society

V Rev Canon Gerard Hetherington, KHS

The Presbytery

12 Station Road

Peters�eld GU32 2ED


Editorial ............................................................. 5

The Lisbonian – Redivivus ................................... 5

Letters to the Editor ........................................... 9

A Quinta dos Inglesinhos… ................................13

Jersey’s Honorary Lisbonian ................................15

Olla Podrida, or Odds and Ends .........................18

The Lisbonian Meeting 2009 .............................19

Re�ections – Anglicanorum Coetibus ...................22

Christos Anesti ek Nekron ..................................23

Corpo Santo – Lisbon ........................................28

The Minho .........................................................33

Where Are They Now? .......................................38

The Organ of the Inglesinhos… .........................39

Contents


Having a WordThe publication of this issue marks the introduction of a new feature. As far as we know The Lisbonian has never carried a ‘Letters to the Editor’ section. Well, it does now – and with a very interesting crop of correspondence to mark the debut. If you have ever read something in the magazine with which you disagree, or which you endorse heartily, if ever there is something you feel should be brought to the attention of the brethren but you have held back from contributing a whole article, here is your chance to put your view succinctly before the readership. For those of tender consciences, the Editor will be happy to withhold the publication of name and address, if requested!A word about the Re�ections column. This was introduced as an opportunity for anyone to offer a short (500 words) comment about some aspect of life, serious or light-hearted (they have tended to the latter!). They are published on condition of strict anonymity so the contributor doesn’t need to feel constrained (beyond

the usual bounds of propriety) in what is said. Contributions should be submitted in writing and the envelope marked ‘Lisbonian: Re�ections’.We welcome photographs for reproduction in the magazine. Please indicate clearly what is the subject matter of the photographs and identify, if at all possible, the persons who appear in them. Space may not always permit the use of everything we receive and whether in colour or in black and white they need to be pin-sharp, and the bigger the better. They may be sent in hard copy – every effort will be taken to take care of them and return them to their owners – or, equally acceptably, on e-mail.

For Old Times SakeWe seem to have settled on Leeds as the venue for the Annual Meeting, at least for the time being. For those who have not visited Hinsley Hall it offers very comfortable accommodation and, as long as CaTEW continues to be generous, the only cost to those attending is that of getting there. All Lisbonians will surely be pleased that the future of the Quinta dos Inglesinhos as a Centre for the Portuguese Association of Parents and Friends of Mentally Disabled Citizens (APPACDM) has being assured as the result of an agreement reached between CaTEW and the Câmara of Almada. See the article in this issue for details.

EditorialSomething new!

Kevin Hartley your editor welcomes feedback and articles!


Stop PressThe journal ‘Catholic Life’ is serialising the College’s History from January 2010 to December 2010. ‘The Tablet’ is after some articles, as is ‘The Catholic Herald’. Simon Johnson is now a director of the Catholic Record Society (CRS) and, as you would expect, has got all the Catholic historical societies ready for the launch of the English edition (a Portuguese version is already in print) of the College history.Francis McNulty passed away peacefully on 22 November 2009 at St Raphael’s Hospice in Cheam. His daughter Roz

McNulty-Bakas writes: ‘He was eighty-one and had lived a happy life despite a long illness. His four children (and seven grandchildren) have heard so many wonderful stories from the years spent at The English College and we will treasure his copies of The Lisbonian.’

The Lisbonian – RedivivusThe Editor

The College had long since closed its doors and the buildings in the Bairro Alto were slowly falling to pieces, Luz Carnide had been sold and was being buried under development and the Quinta de Pera had been given over to APPACDM. There were still ninety or so members of the Lisbonian Society alive and some thirty or thereabouts attending the annual meeting. A villa in the Algarve town of Alvor had been put at the disposal of the Lisbonians under terms cloaked in an obfuscation of hierarchical smoke and mirrors. The Visitors’ Book had one indignant entry denouncing the unavailability of some facility – perhaps the use of the garage – written by someone under the impression that the building belonged to the Society ‘we are

owners, not guests’ he penned. O sancta simplicitas! Whatever gave Gerry Collins the notion that we owned anything? All the same, Jim Sullivan added his own comment: ‘Something new has been born’ speaking of the Alvor villa. Where now, I wonder, is that Visitors’ Book?It was against this background that, over ten years ago, the first nebulous idea of reviving The Lisbonian magazine was floated. A mock-up, consisting of reprints from old magazines, was produced and circulated to the brethren. The scheme met with approval.As people were press-ganged into writing articles, the burden of previous editors became freshly appreciated: ‘hats off’ to the former editors, those

I Liked these – PJH‘gastrinome’ – a �atulent dwarf;‘macaroon’ – to leave a Scotsman on a remote island! - BBC Radio 4 Sorry I haven’t a clue


people who spent hours trawling around the College corridors, button-holing people in the common room, pinning people down as they walked round Sintra or wandered around the more obscure corners of the city.

Features and ContentsLooking back at those issues one cannot fail to be impressed by the quality of writing and the breadth of interest demonstrated by the contributors: In the December issue of 1925 John Cullen penned a detailed history of the Constitutions of the College. A fulsome obituary of Salazar featured in December 1970, complementing an even more adulatory article on the Estado Novo in June 1938. The story of the beginning of the railway in Portugal featured in December 1936. A comprehensive survey of the then new churches of Lisbon appeared in 1959, and a very detailed biographical article about

Bishop Brindle in October 1962. Some articles were whimsical. In June 1932, one J M contributed an article about the Scouting movement that was brie�y enjoying a vogue in the College, entitled ‘Not too much Wind on the Heath, Brother’, complete with Latin quotations and a rather arch delivery. In the same issue J M with equally elevated style, and casual racism writes , ‘he is not a negro and neither has he a hooked nose and so will not be fobbed off with these newfangled escudos’ about ‘The New Coinage’. Interesting to note that in July of that year, a month after the publication of this article, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party became the largest political party in the Reichstag after years spent demonising the Jewish population of Germany.Living up to the pedigree of the old Lisbonian would not be an easy task. With no physical College to be the locus of material there was a danger that the revived version would be no more than a nostalgic harking back to former glories.

The Lisbonian TodayTo some extent this has proved inevitably true: contributions are agreeably catholic but there are times when one could wish for an incisive comment on current matters or an occasion theological insight to challenge our aging brains. And it has to be said that Lisbonians are no more anxious to write these days than they were in former times! Such modesty!

As people were press-ganged into writing articles, the burden of previous editors became freshly appreciated…

‘Hats off’ to the former editors, those people who spent hours trawling around the College corridors, button-holing people in the common room…


Technical ProductionThere were other, more technical, problems. Early twentieth century productions of the magazine had been produced by the Tipográ�a Inglesa, and in later years by the Empresa Tipográ�ca Casa Portuguesa Successores. It didn’t seem possible to have the new version printed professionally and so the style of production was, to say the least, primitive. Articles were typed up, printed off and cut and pasted onto sheets of A3, run double-sided through a Gestetner-type machine in the parish of�ce, then folded and stapled on the dining room table to produce a magazine in A4. It was crude and messy but Lisbonians are on the whole a forgiving lot, kind comments were passed on and critical ones, mostly, expressed sotto voce.Production dif�culties were eased to some extent when a decision was taken to reduce the format of the magazine to A5 but still the techniques employed were of the Heath Robinson variety. A noticeable step forward was made when it was realised that Prontaprint™ would take the photocopied galley proofs, print them off and staple them for a reasonable price. Gone at last were the gyrations around the table! The �nal production was still very amateurish. Then along came a sort of salvation: Peter Harrison – incautiously – mentioned his involvement in magazine production. It was an

Auntie Wainwright moment: the Editor pounced on the hapless victim. (Readers who are not addicts of the TV series ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ must imagine a Yorkshire lady of iron will, adamantly determined not to let anyone leave her antique and bric-a-brac shop without purchasing at least one unwanted item). The highly professional result is literally in your hands as you read this page.

Production CostsIn the old days some income at least must have come from advertising, The names alone provide a kind of mirror to contemporary society. Ormsby of Scarisbrick were pro�ting in the 1960s from the new liturgical trends, and in Portugal a new name re�ected the growing popularity of the Algarve as Penina Golf Course and Hotel advertised their wares. Hayes and Finch™ were staunch supporters of the magazine to the very end.

There are times when one could wish for an incisive comment on current matters or an occasion theological insight to challenge our aging brains…

It was crude and messy but Lisbonians are on the whole a forgiving lot, kind comments were passed on and critical ones, mostly, expressed sotto voce…


For many years Hyde & Sons – sole Agents in Great Britain for Gonzales Byass Sherry Altar Wine – entertained readers with a page of the firm’s historic association with Liverpool. Before WWII the �rm of Messrs J G Ford & Son of London were offering something they called English College Lisbon Altar Wine (intriguing thought – was this the product of the Quinta’s vineyard?).

More Famous NamesIn later years Feeny & Matheson of Liverpool, importers, bonders and bottles of high class wines and proprietors of the papal altar wines were favouring the magazine with

their adverts. Maurice Vanpoulle of Cathedral Mansions, Vauxhall Bridge Road, London (Mr Appleton, the managing partner, for seven years student at the ENGLISH COLLEGE LISBON), would kit you out with anything from damask vestments to missal-stands, while Connolly, Gladwin & Co, again of Liverpool, could clothe you from biretta to confessional cloak, and throw in a

It was an Auntie Wainwright moment: the Editor pounced on the hapless victim…

© PJH 2009 – English College Wine

Booth Line – SS Hildebrand 1950s

cruci�x or two as well. The Booth Line (did the SS Hildebrand sink their business?) would ferry you to Lisbon en route up the Amazon to Manãos. It is unlikely that George Hartley & Sons, Printers Engineers, of 43 Temple Street Manchester, ever succeeded in selling a reconditioned Heidelberg platen machine to any Inglesinho. There were Portuguese advertisers, too, of which Pinto Basto must surely have been the most prestigious. João Pedro offered o melhor sortido de viveres as well as licores estrangeiros, while in later years Fotocolor Lda was happy to process all your photographs

The Lisbonian – TodayWith the new Lisbonian having


The Lisbonian marches… issue to issue – if not till the last syllable of recorded time, at least as long as the last Lisbonian has energy to put pen to paper…

Charlie HolmesDear Editor,I found the Obituary on my old School friend Charlie Holmes (we attended St Austin’s in Wake�eld), most interesting. Our paths took different courses, he to Lisbon, I into engineering and politics.When I was elected Mayor of Wakefield for the Millennium, Cardinal Hume wrote reminding me of the great signi�cance of the year and I resolved to visit services of all denominations every week. At end of year, I found the score was 98, Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, etc. Included were two visits to Glass Houghton, �rst when

Charlie got me to of�cially open a new Parish Room, second for a Civic Requiem Mass. Charlie was the same, loveable boy I’d known at SchoolI could relate a hundred stories of Uncle Charlie, for he really loved his sister Mary’s children, but let one suf�ce. The Easter Heath Common Fair is one of the highlights of the year in Wake�eld and on one occasion Uncle Charlie, having put his nephews on the Bouncy Castle, was standing quietly, with their coats over his arm, when a stranger walked up, paid for her child and draped its coat over Charlie’s arm. Ten minutes later, the lady collected

Letters to the EditorA new departure for The Lisbonian. Letters relating to articles that have appeared in a previous issue or which draw the readers’ attention to items of interest are very welcome.

a run of a hundred, an appeal for advertising seemed an unlikely starter. It was agreed that the cost of production and distribution would be met from the membership subscriptions, although there were some misgiving about that because, as it was pointed out, quite a few of the ‘brethren’ conveniently forgot to pay their subscriptions. Only lately has substantial help been provided by a generous donation by CaTEW from the Lisbon Fund – enabling the first-ever colour edition of the magazine. So The Lisbonian marches, staggers might be the

more appropriate word, from issue to issue – if not till the last syllable of recorded time, at least as long as the last Lisbonian has energy to put pen to paper.


We were … smoking cinnamon. His mother called out ‘Charles what are you doing?’ He replied ‘Taking in the night air, mother.’ She replied ‘Yes, I can smell it.’…

her child, then the coat, and pressed a ten-penny coin into Charlie’s hand. A tale he loved and told many times.Norman J Hazell MBESandal, Wakefield

Taking His Name In VainPray tell, who was it changed my name from John Rayner to John Raynor? I hate my name to be mis-spelled. I usually refer folk who do that to the Telephone Directory here, which lists 123 Rayners versus 32 Raynors.As regards Charlie Holmes. I knew him before either of us went to Primary School. We were always great friends and shared a great deal of time together.The comment was made that Charlie’s hand was always hovering around his fags. When we were both in our early teens we took to smoking cinnamon sticks. We bought them from a Chemist called Judd. It used to cost us a ha’penny a stick. One �ne Summer evening we were both sitting outside at the back of his house and smoking cinnamon. His mother called out ‘Charles (she hated him being called Charlie), what are you doing?’ He replied

‘Taking in the night air, mother.’ She replied ‘Yes, I can smell it.’I enjoyed reading Fred Robinson’s account of the organ but I cannot recall that the bottom octave of the Swell was simply coupled to the bottom octave of the Great. I do remember that the stops on the Swell were all replicas of stops on the Great. I remarked on this to Dr Muller and he immediately pulled out the same stop on both the Great and the Swell and played the same note on each, one after the other. The sound was the same but it was clearly two different pipes which were being blown. The swell was certainly primitive because it was simply a lever which one pushed down with one’s right foot and then engaged in a notch which then closed the louvres covering the Swell pipes. This meant that the Swell was either fully open or fully closed. There was no gradual in-between.I don’t know when I will next make it to a Lisbonian meeting. I’m getting older and my knees are giving me a bit of trouble with arthritis. I have been stripped of several of my powers as a JP. I can no longer sit on the Bench and I cannot issue Search Warrants nor can I admit anyone as a Surety. This is because we all become senile at the age of 75. The local Police told me that they regretted this because I was the most available JP in their neighbourhood.John [email protected][Editor – apologies for the error]


The six years that we spent at the College were… filled with inspiration, hope, joy, peace and courage inspired by the Holy Spirit, and there was that tremendous fellowship and brotherly bond with our fellow students…

John HawkinsJohn and I were students together at the English College 1962-1968. We were Ordained Deacons in the College Chapel on 10 December 1967 by the Papal Nuncio. It was a wonderful experience that was for us all something special as we were so close to becoming Priests. The six years that we spent at the College were quite extraordinary, �lled with inspiration, hope, joy, peace and courage inspired by the Holy Spirit, and there was that tremendous fellowship and brotherly bond with our fellow students. We all aspired to follow Jesus and become his friends and priests. Those years and experiences are deeply etched in my soul and heart and I thank God for them.When we were ordained Deacons we went down into Rossio in the centre of Lisbon city, for what reason I do not remember, but on the way back we were met by a Portuguese student who wanted to practise his English and he stopped us and asked who we were. I said to him ‘We are deacons who are studying at the Colegio dos Inglesinhos in the Bairro Alto’. He paused and looked at us earnestly and said ‘Deacons? The only deacons I know is Charles Dickens.’ As you can imagine, John and I were extremely amused and chuckled all the way back to the College.Tony [email protected]

Flight 777 and other DisastersI pen a minor correction to Kevin Hartley’s article on the shooting down of the aeroplane carrying Leslie Howard. He mentions that another plane, carrying General Sikorski, was shot off Gibraltar. But this plane crashed on take-off from Gibraltar, General Sikorski was killed, as was his daughter. But the pilot, a Czech, survived unscathed. At the time, and since, Polish exiles have been convinced that the father and daughter were killed deliberately. Years later, circa 1981, I was an Army Padre in Cyprus. I was asked by an elderly Polish lady to take Holy Communion to her husband, housebound in a flat. Although


© Illustration from original pencil drawings – by William Haeburn-Little – Quinta de Pêra

my �ock was military, soldiers and their families, I made an exception. The lady was the second wife of General Sikorski’s son-in-law. After prayers, I was asked what I thought

about General Jaruzelski’s request that the body of General Sikorski be transferred to a site in Poland. The son-in-law held the decision as next-of-kin. My reply was that such a transfer would be a coup for Poland’s last communist leader. I was only con�rming the son-in-law’s opinion. I believe that the transfer from the Polish Cemetery in Newark only took place later, when General Jaruzelski and Communism had goneBernard FunnellPontefract

Opinions and views expressed in The Lisbonian are deemed to be those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Editors or the Lisbonian Society.

The old Quinta was rebuilt and now houses dormitories providing accommodation for young people whose families are unable to care for them for any reason…


A Quinta dos InglesinhosThen And Now

It was in 1962 that the late Sheila Stilwell and her friend Dr Alice de Mello Tavares founded what was to become known as A Associaçäo Portuguesa de Pais e Amigos do Cidadäo Defieciente Mental(APPACDM) that now numbers 27 centres throughout Portugal, catering for over 5,000 persons.In 1975, after the closure of the College, and through the good offices of Victor Guazzelli, the Quinta de Pêra was taken over by the Association and now, after considerable renovation and extension, is home to protected

workshops which provide training in printing, cerographics, shoe making, farming (providing vegetables for 1000 meals a day) and domestic duties – ironing, garment making, cooking etc.Initially, students attended on a day basis, returning home each evening but as they became older [and living longer] the top �oor of the old Quinta was rebuilt and now houses dormitories providing accommodation for young people whose families are unable to care for them for any reason. The rest of the Quinta has been similarly updated and Inglesinhos would

© 2003 Photographer unknown – Bishop Victor Guazzelli in a Quinta de Pêra workshop


have a hard time recognising the splendidly equipped kitchens and the delightful restaurant that has been created.The cons ide rab le cos t s o f rebuilding, �tting out of workshops and maintenance have been met partly by donations and partly by government grants. Despite the current disastrous world economic situation the organisation has been able to survive. The heaviest costs are for the training of staff who have to be properly quali�ed for an institution of this nature.Whatever our thoughts about the closure of the College, the subsequent sale of the buildings and its extraordinary conversion into luxury apartments affordable to only the wealthiest, we should all be able to rejoice that our decrepit but beloved old Quinta has taken on such a wonderful new lease of life and that the memory of Nicholson’s legacy is preserved in the name A Quinta dos Inglesinhos.[Ed – Thanks are due to John Stilwell who kindly provided material for this article]

Postscript:

David Magalhães has kindly supplied an article from an Almada newspaper

which brings the story of the Quinta up to date:

‘The Municipality of Almada is going to grant permanent use of the Quinta dos Inglesinhos and its associated agricultural land to the Portuguese Association of the Parents and Friends of Mentally Handicapped Citizens (APPACDM). This is the result of a protocol arrived at between the Municipality and the College of SS Peter and Paul, belonging to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CaTEW), the owner of the Quinta which for several years has been used by the Association in its work with mentally handicapped children, young people and adults. The signing of the protocol, entailing a division of the property (allowing the College to apply for planning permission in respect of the retained land – Ed) has thus assured the Association the continuation of their important work. The agreement was signed the 9 September 2009 between the Municipality and Mgr Andrew Summersgill, Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops Conference, on behalf of the College of SS Peter and Paul.’

We should all be able to rejoice that our decrepit but beloved old Quinta has taken on such a wonderful new lease of life…

LettersThe Lisbonian welcomes your e-mails and letters. Correspondence should be addressed to the Editor at the address on page 2.


Jersey’s Honorary Lisbonianby Nick France

Lisbon once seemed a remote city until I came to Jersey. I knew it best from tales I’d heard from Bishop Guazzelli and Gerry Hetherington. I now feel almost a Lisbonian myself, or, at least, I call myself the Portuguese priest in Jersey, who doesn’t speak Portuguese! How come? Well, it all began last century in September 1999.A funny thing happened to me on the way to the Millennium. I got transferred to Jersey. I was asked by my Bishop to base myself in the Island’s only town, St Helier, and unite the Anglo-Irish Church of St Mary & St Peter with the French St Thomas’, which had two hundred years of separate traditions as parishes. The former was served by the diocesan clergy and St Thomas’ by French Oblates of Mary Immaculate. This uni�cation was reasonably easy to achieve. However, there was a third element not mentioned in my job spec!

Madeirans A PlentyBefore my move I had little idea that there were over ten thousand Portuguese, mostly Madeirans, in Jersey. I then heard that they were being looked after by an Irish priest who had learnt his Portuguese in Brazil. It was also suspected that he wanted a move as he didn’t

approve of the regime change the Bishop had proposed. Within days of my arrival he disappeared to Australia, leaving me with a large Portuguese community to care for. I already had four Masses at the weekend, yet I had to add a 3.30pm Portuguese Mass to my Sunday duties. I am useless at languages, but learnt phonetically to say some of the Mass with an interpreter for the homily. I thought it was going to be a temporary move until I found a Portuguese speaking priest. Nearly ten years later, apart from a few failed attempts to get someone here, I still celebrate Mass each Sunday and also of�ciate at baptisms and funerals, entirely in Portuguese, excepting the homily as I am still not conversant in the language.The whole experience has been both novel and challenging. Huge numbers require the Rites of Passage but Sunday practice is low. Madeirans are often ill-educated. Traditionally they have undertaken the more menial work on the farms or in hotels and

I thought it was going to be a temporary move until I found a Portuguese speaking priest…


shops. I have tried to stick up for their human rights, especially in their living conditions,

Bishops’ Department for MigrantsA very small percentage of Jersey Portuguese come from the mainland. However I have established good contacts with the Portuguese Bishops’ Department for Migrants in Lisbon. It has given me reason to visit that

city often in recent years. The Migrants’ Department was until recently in the old Patriacado before more recently moving up to the Moscavide region of the city. Yearly I have pleaded for a priest, but with little success. The Portuguese Bishops are, like English Bishops, in being very short of clergy and are unable to release anyone suitable. The Bishop to the Forces, Don Januario Ferreira, (formerly Bishop of Migrants) has become a good friend of ours and comes yearly to Jersey to con�rm over 80 adults and young people.

In Honour of MaryOur May and October Festas in honour of Our Lady of Fatima draw extra numbers. For ten years Father Bernardino Trindade, a Sacred Heart Father currently a Parish Priest in Madeira, has come to celebrate the Festa with me. He would love to come and stay more permanently but his superiors understandably require him to live in a community. Currently we are negotiating with a new Brazilian community to see if they would like to open a house in Jersey.

Welcome CentreI have a Portuguese Pastoral Council and one of our �rst projects was to convert a former school into a Welcome Centre for Migrants, mostly Portuguese, where we have meeting rooms, an Art Gallery (to bridge languages), a repository and

Traditionally they have undertaken the more menial work on the farms or in hotels and shops. I have tried to stick up for their human rights…

2008 – Travessa dos Inglesinhos – Lisbon


a café which serves light meals and the best coffee in Jersey. We also have rooms used for teaching English to Portuguese, Polish and other migrants. This is run in partnership with Highlands College of Further Education. I’m glad to relate that over three thousand people have undertaken these English courses, empowering them to seek good employment, for their betterment and the good of the Island.In our recent reordering of St Thomas’ Church I have created a Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima with traditional Portuguese tiles, including hand painted ones

depicting the 1917 apparition. I had chosen and ordered these on a visit to Lisbon. They come from the famous Viúva Lamego factory.I was helped in all that and in all the registration work I have to do for Portuguese parishioners, by my housekeeper, Manuela, who arrived in Jersey about the same time as me. She is from Macão and knows Lisbon well.My ambition on my next visit to Lisbon is to discover the Travessa dos Inglesinhos and trace the footsteps taken over hundreds of years by English students like those I have known among my brother priests in the Portsmouth

2009 – Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima – Saint Thomas’ Church Jersey Channel Islands


Diocese. The story of the English College in Portugal is a long and notable chapter in the history of the English Catholic Church. I am glad to think of myself as someone who is continuing that link, though in a very different way.G e r r y H e t h e r i n g t o n a d d s , ‘Mgr Raymond Lawrence – my predecessor in Guernsey established good contacts with the Portuguese. He visited Madeira at least once and the Bishop of Funchal also visited the Island. When I arrived there I got wind of some problem so I invited Peter Stilwell, who was then in London to come over which he kindly did. The Bishop said Mass, heard confessions and met some of the Portuguese. From then on I said a Mass in Portuguese for them once

a month, Bishop Victor celebrated Mass in Portuguese for us twice if not three times. We also had annual processions to mark the 13 of May and October. In all this I was aided by a Portuguese Hospitaler Sister, then resident at Le Platon Home. She also eventually built up a Saturday Chaplain from London over a couple of times and the President of the Camera of Funchal. I attended the Dinner held for him on one occasion. They appreciated what we tried to do for them and we had many of the children in the schools. As far as I know the Mass etc has continued.’[Ed – It would be interesting to know how many others of the brethren have been able to help Portuguese incomers in similar ways.]

Contributions to Ref lections are invited, on condition of strict anonymity, from any member of the Society. The subject is entirely at the choice of the contributor and should be of approximately 500 words in length. Ed

Olla Podrida or Odds and Ends

Where did this end up?In 1985 a silver ewer 22cms in height and engraved with the Coutinho arms, originating from the English College, was sold in auction at Sotheby’s London for a hammer price of £46,750. Neither the name of the seller nor of the buyer is recorded. Is someone out there with a fancy piece of silver on the sideboard?

Fancy staying at the College again?For €200.00 a night you could rent an apartment overlooking the

garden. The minimum stay is for three nights but there are special rates available for stays of more than a month. Go to ‘Portugal Exclusive Homes’ on the Internet and have a look! Sadly there seems to be no possibility for alumni to rent their old rooms!


The Lisbonian Meeting 2009Hinsley Hall, Leeds 7th & 8th July 2009A browse through old copies of The Lisbonian revealed that it was on these very dates �fty years ago that the eighty-second Meeting of the Lisbonian Society was held at Blundellsands, coram episcopo Jack Murphy. The Quinta Day was celebrated at the spacious and gracious Igreja de Santo Edmundo a Aqualoo, the banquet being provided by the one-and-only Bob Harvey, commencing with sopa de Rabo de Boi and ending with café talvez quente e mais nada. Fifty three brethren were present on that occasion.The one hundred and thirty-third meeting of the Lisbonian Society was convened in Hinsley Hall in Leeds. Hinsley Hall is a far cry from Blundellsands, its architecture hauntingly reminiscent of a Rajah’s palace (understandable when one recalls that the building originally served as a training college for Methodist missionaries preparing to go to India). But the en suite accommodation is decidedly modern and the welcome reassuringly Yorkshire.We gathered, we few, we band of brothers, nineteen in all, to ramble anecdotally through the vineyards of the Quinta de Pêra and along the Military Road, taking the ferry across to Caçilhas or the coast road to Boca do Inferno, with

many a digression to recall the eccentricities of Joe Whatsisface and Barry Doohdah, while the Council met in solemn session. At least, one has to assume that the session was solemn since its deliberations are under seal.In a previous issue our esteemed Editor made erudite reference to the philosopher Heraclites and something about falling, or not falling, into the same river twice, but with deadly inevitability, the subject of the Alvor Villa and the proceeds of its sale instantly became the main topic at the general meeting, under the genial direction of our President, Paul Devaney. Those priest members of the Society who are in good standing (terms which themselves called for a certain amount of deconstruction) modestly revealed that they had been invited to apply for a ‘holiday grant’ and even more modestly, for the most part, refrained from revealing whether they had benefited from the offer. Some animated discussion ensued, mostly on the lines of the non-canonical stance adopted by the Trustees (bene�ts should be interpreted as largely as possible, while penalties as strictly as possible), and on the continuing, not to say obdurate, insistence that the Trustees are restricted


O Roma Felix, quae duorum Principium Es consecrata gloriouso sanguine! Horum cruore purpurata ceteras Excellis orbis una pulchritudines.

Sit Trinitati sempiterna gloria, Honor, potestas atque jubilatio,

In unitatae, quae gubernat omnia, Per universa saeculorum saecula. Amen

All Together Now!

by various and spurious appeals to precedent and the principles governing other allocations. Belatedly, it was recognised that the Society is also grateful for the generosity of the Trustees in not only funding the annual Meeting but also in allocating monies to the good causes identi�ed by the Society. The web of benevolence was ever thus entangled.The principle of equity was also pursued when it was revealed that the Secretary has not been taking his expenses from the annual membership account, for which dereliction he was roundly castigated and the (absent) Treasurer exhorted to ‘put things right’.The condition of the College grave-site at Prazeres Cemetery was also mentioned: one member recorded that he had recently visited the place and had found it dilapidated. Mgr John Cullen is buried there, along with students.

Alumni might re�ect on whether �lial duty obliges the Society to attend to this matter.The AGM staggered to a sort of conclusion as members realised that the convivial hour had been encroached upon, and we proceeded in ragged order in search of spiritual comfort.Our numbers being reduced and Hinsley Hall catering for other groups beyond our own, we were obliged to share our dining arrangements with a serious seminar assembly, but we soon routed them with a spirited rendition of O Roma Felix. After the entrée, roast rack of lamb, and desert had been duly demolished the brethren settled back, alas portless on this occasion [NB Serious need to rectify such a lacuna next year], to attend to words of wisdom from Tom Keane, the proposer of the toast to Alma Mater. Words we heard – and wisdom? Certainly we were exhorted to think of institutions and customs various. Black Rod and haggis were invoked, and we were reminded that customs sometimes have strange beginnings, which led, by a process probably clear to the speaker, to Quinta Night and Pantomime. There was a live

We soon routed them with a spirited rendition of O Roma Felix. After the entrée, roast rack of lamb, and desert had been duly demolished…


turkey somewhere in the story, and singing, or not singing, and a sad story of being consigned to turn pages in the organ loft; until, o’er many a hill and through many a vale, finally, Una voce concinamus, ‘Live for Ever Alma Mater’ resounded through what had once been the blameless Methodist students’ hallowed hall.The chapel at Hinsley Hall is at once beautiful and intimate, a true domus ecclesiae. Red stoles and white albs transformed the brethren and Paul Devaney’s re�ections on Saint Paul helped us feel as though we had some small share at least in the spirit of his great adventure.Quinta Day ain’t wot it used to be, and that’s a fact. Gone are the leisurely succession of exotic dishes, extravagant talk (speeches were always taboo on Quinta Day, which never stopped people making them), and the quaf�ng of strange vintages. Perhaps our digestions are the better for it, but oh, those far-off days in Agualoo, and that astonishing garden party presented by the late-lamented George Tancred in Twickenham (did the Society ever pick up the bill?). Only Smokey Funnell, in recent years, has been able to offer anything to rival the feasts of olden times: game soup full of pheasant, and a Cheshire cheese that the loyal Yorkshire man must have smuggled in under night’s dark cover. Saudades! © 2009 – Tony Hogarth – Hinlsey Hall

We made do with good sober modest fare before, one by one, we folded our tents and made our farewells, until next year.[Reader: we missed you! Mark the 6 July 2010 in your diary now and come to join the gang at Hinsley Hall!]

Apology

Due to a technical error beyond my personal control the group photographs taken a last year’s meeting cannot be produced. My apologies if you are disappointed! PJH.

ContributorsAre always welcome to the Lisbonian magazine. Send your story, article and pictures to the


Didn’t the apostle Paul say that in Christ there is no more male or female, Greek or Jew, free man or slave…

ReflectionsAnglicanorum CoetibusI don’t know what to make of the news that the Pope, more or less of his own initiative it seems, is preparing to welcome Anglo-Catholics into some sort of distinctive Rite. We have several former Anglican priests working in my diocese, as hospital chaplains and in some cases as ‘priests-in-charge’ of parishes. I have one such, a part-time assistant, a married man with a couple of young lads who are proud to serve Dad at the altar. He and his family didn’t make the decision to leave the Church of England because of woman priests – he is bold enough to say he doesn’t have a problem with a woman priest because didn’t the apostle Paul say that in Christ there is no more male or female, Greek or Jew, free man or slave, and he doesn’t buy into the idea that because Jesus was a man it has to be a man that consecrates the bread and wine. No, Bert (that isn’t his real name, by the way, and I’m not going to tell you what diocese we both work for!), joined because he felt that the dear old

C of E had rather lost its way and he was looking for the certainty that the Church of Rome seemed to offer. Bert is a pragmatic sort of priest, middle of the road, who has slipped seamlessly into the way our diocese operates. But in the course of my ecumenical activities I’ve come across some ‘Anglos’ who are more Catholic than the Pope, revelling in Ponti�cal High Masses, eastward facing position, with Deacons and Sub-deacons (I haven’t had the nerve to remind them that we don’t have Sub-deacons any more) in lacy albs and the celebrants in �ddle-back chasubles, and more genu�ections and signs of the cross than I ever remember in the good old pre-Vatican II days. If these are the kind of people we are supposed to be welcoming into Communion, I think I’d rather be excused.If they do come, are they going to be running parallel services to us in one of their own churches or are they going to want to use our buildings? Perhaps they wouldn’t go that far. As one of them said to me, ‘we would hate to give up our lovely old church and have to go and worship in a dreadful sixties brick box’.The move to set up some sort of ‘Uniate Anglican Rite’ – if that is really what will be involved, also


The move to set up some sort of ‘Uniate Anglican Rite’ – if that is really what will be involved, also seems to me like a real slap in the face for the Church of England…

seems to me like a real slap in the face for the Church of England. We may have our difficulties over ordaining women but the coming closer together that I’ve experienced in my years as a priest has been little short of miraculous and I wouldn’t want to have that jeopardised.Name and Address supplied

[Ed – Contributions to this column, of about 500 words length and contributed under terms of strict anonymity, are welcomed from any

reader. Opinions expressed do not necessarily re�ect the views of the editor or the policy of the magazine.]

Christos Anesti ek Nekronby Francis McNulty [as recorded by his daughter Roz McNultyBakas]

With these words ‘Christ is Risen from the Dead’ the Greek Orthodox priest proclaims, at around midnight on Holy Saturday, the end of the Lenten season and the beginning of the great feast of the Anastasi, the Resurrection.

A Rare CoincidenceIt was one of those rare occasions when the Greek Orthodox and the Western Latin celebrations of Easter coincided. Our daughter and her Greek husband, Simos, had come to live in England and we decided to travel out to Thiva to celebrate together with his family. Arriving on Holy Thursday, our in-laws were still practising strict self-denial, as they had done all Lent, avoiding meat, �sh, olive oil and

cheese. Shell-�sh were permitted but my recollection is that thin herb soups featured prominently in our in-laws’ diet.

The Duties of a CantorSimos’s father was a cantor in his local church, obliging him to be present throughout the lengthy liturgies. The cantors, assisted by one or two others providing a kind of drone accompaniment, were positioned to right and left just outside the Iconostasis separating the sanctuary from the rest of the church. Their function was to chant readings in various versions of Byzantine Greek, some of it of great age, set to music, the symbols for which de�ed reading by any but the most expert. Through the


open door of the screen could be seen the Priest and his acolytes, incensing the altar and performing their own rituals. Eventually the priest would appear in the doorway to chant the Gospel readingThe congregation stayed for just as long as it suited them, entering to make an offering and receive a lighted candle which they placed in a small dish of sand close to the screen. Men stood on one side, women on the other; and there were seats around the walls for the use of those who felt the need of them.The day following our arrival was Good Friday, the feast of

the Epitaphios – the tomb. In this liturgy the �gure of Christ was taken down from the cross and placed in the sepulchre, symbolized by a kind of canopied bier covered with �ower petals by the children. It was then carried in procession around the town and returned to the Church for the remaining liturgies.

The Easter LambOn Holy Saturday there was some free time which enabled us to observe the work of preparing the lamb for roasting next day. This task was entrusted to a young cousin (also named Simos) because of expertise he had acquired during his national service. The �rst task was to hang the lambs (there were two so that young Simos could deal with his own family’s lamb at the same time) in order to straighten them out. After this they were fed onto spits where they were secured by means of metal screw clamps and stitching with some kind of �ame resistant thread. Then they were generously rubbed with salt and pepper, wrapped in wet cloths and set aside.

The ResurrectionIn the evening of Holy Saturday we gathered outside the church, lit candles and walked in procession, to arrive back at the church in time for the priest to make his Easter announcement. The congregation exchanged the traditional greeting

© 2007 Peter J Harrison – Iconostasis Russian Orthodox Church


The traditional greeting Christos Anesti and… the traditional response Alithos Anesti – He is truly risen…

Christos Anesti and received the traditional response Alithos Anesti – He is truly Risen or, perhaps, Alithos O Kyrios – He is truly the Lord. They lit candles from that held by the priest and then all dispersed homeward shielding the candle-�ame against currents of air in order to bring it still lit into the house, thus ensuring a good year. Now that the fasting period had been declared over, the families would sit down to a post-midnight feast of Magiritsa soup, preceded by the traditional custom of cracking red-dyed eggs together and proclaiming Christos Anesti.

The Burning BushHaving asked for an early call I trooped outside with the others onto the road, where the significance of the bundles of brushwood left outside peoples’ houses immediately became apparent. Wherever one looked, columns of smoke arose above the roof tops. We set ablaze our own pile to make charcoal by damping down the �re so as to be left in the end with a glowing mound of burning coals to be carried on a metal sheet through the house and deposited in the Souvla waiting out in the garden. This grill-pan was long enough to accommodate the lambs, leaving a few inches clear for the spits to rest in notches at each end.People power was required to turn

the spits and someone to oversee the correct positioning of charcoal so that protruding parts did not get scorched and well-recessed parts got enough heat. June and I took early turns so were free to go visiting friends in the town and outside, where we accepted offers of ouzo and sausage, but eventually returned home to do such justice as we could to the animal it had taken some seven hours to cook.The week came to an end and we left for the airport to take us to

The lighting of candles


We again had to run the gauntlet of ‘mass-murderer’ glances as we made our way through the aisle, June carrying the baby and I dragging a screaming granddaughter…

Simos’s father approached us with a Meze to accompany our ouzo consisting of a bowl containing knuckle-ends of sheep…!

Cyprus to stay with another cousin. The plane was full to bursting and under the arrangements made, June and I, with the children, were travelling in booked seats while Ros and Simos, being airline staff, were obliged to occupy crew-seats close to the emergency exits. The rest of the passengers were mainly Cypriot children returning from a cultural visit to mainland Greece.It was here that we again had to run the gauntlet of ‘mass-murderer’ glances as we made our way through the aisle, June carrying the baby and I dragging a screaming granddaughter, with hand luggage over the shoulder, to our seats.

A Rescue, A RescueIt was here also that rescue came from a quarter unlikely anywhere else in the world. A couple of

12-14 year old boys took our granddaughter off our hands and kept her amused throughout the trip until all were called to resume their seats for landing. And so that was all right. We took charge once again. We arrived without further incident and were met by the said cousin to be driven along the road that crosses the military zone between Larnaca and Paralimni in eastern Cyprus, where they lived. The house is set on a heath, close to a lake, and a few miles short of Aghia Nappa.The house was essentially a single-storey building with a spacious sitting room leading onto a wide balcony. However, as the house was on a sloping site, there was a half-basement, which was designed to be used as a garage but was in fact being treated as living accommodation. To one side was a small kitchen, where the women-folk were expected to spend much of their time, opposite in the main room was a bar any local pub would be proud of.Having already done the paschal lamb bit while in Thiva we were somewhat disconcerted when cousin Simos’s father approached us with a Meze to accompany our ouzo consisting of a bowl containing knuckle-ends of sheep! We somehow found words to decline and mercifully were troubled no more on that account.


A Sad DivisionWe all have some knowledge of the circumstances that led to the Turkish invasion and division of the island. It is not always the case that those we were ourselves �ghting – the Greek Cypriots – see things quite as we might have expected. Our host and hostess took us on a number of trips that enabled us to realise this. One such took us along the plain towards the mountains where stands a monastery that gave shelter to a Greek resistance �ghter Grigori Afksentiou until he decided to leave the shelter of the monastery and seek refuge in some caves in the mountains below. The story has it that the British �nished him by directing �ame throwers into the cave and burning him to death. Whether it is true or not it is the case that he is a hero �gure and there now stands a gigantic bronze statue of Grigori near the monastery, clad in full combat gear, binoculars dangling from strap, gazing out over the plain below and towards the heights on the other side occupied by Turkish machine-gun outposts.A closer opportunity came on a visit to Nicosia where barbed wire checkpoints marked the position of the Green Line dividing the city.We saw also the ghost town of Famagusta (Ammohostos the Greeks call it) where nothing moved in an unearthly stillness. We visited the shore-line caves where saints Cosmas and Damian practised

medicine centuries ago.

Formula Minus OneBut perhaps our s t rongest r e c o l l e c t i o n s a r e o f t h e overwhelming generosity of our cousin and his astonishing recklessness. Having visited the monastery and forgetting that it was a bank holiday with restaurants closed, we arrived at such a venue and to our delight were admitted and provided with refreshment by the proprietors. Our cousin rewarded them by buying from their adjacent shop a toy for each of the children.The other characteristic left us both helpless and speechless. Having stopped at a road junction to walk back and chide us for driving too slowly (we were just within the speed limit), he then proceeded to challenge, in his battered Ford, the driver of a Ferrari or a Maserati, or some such vehicle to a race. There could only be one outcome of course, but the sight of our cousin lurching forward in a do or die attempt will remain with us a long time.

He then proceeded to challenge, in his battered Ford, the driver of a Ferrari or a Maserati… to a race. There could only be one outcome of course…


This ball of fire is known as ‘St Elmo´s Fire’ or the Corpo Santo. When the Irish Fathers settled in Lisbon they were given the property which included the Chapel of Corpo Santo…

Corpo Santo – LisbonMother HouseThe ‘mother house’ of our Parish is the church in the Caís do Sodré area of Lisbon dedicated to our Lady of the Rosary and St. Dominic and usually known as Corpo Santo. Why Corpo Santo?

Facing Peril on the SeaCenturies ago, before ever the Irish Fathers came to Portugal, there was a small chapel close to the river shore, just beyond the Royal Palace in the Terreiro do Paço, dedicated to St Telmo, or St Elmo – a Dominican from the Northern part of Iberia who eventually became Bishop of Tuy [Galicia)]. For some reason St Elmo became the patron of mariners working in coastal waters whilst at the same time he is credited with saving ships from damage when electrical storms produce a ball of �re on the mast head. This ball of �re is known as ‘St Elmo´s Fire’ or the Corpo Santo. When the Irish Fathers settled in Lisbon they were given the property which included

the Chapel of Corpo Santo – and the name stayed with us!During a period which began in the Sixteenth Century reign of Henry VIII of England and continued until the end of the mid-seventeenth century Protectorate under Oliver Cromwell, the Catholic Church suffered terrible persecution in Ireland. Priests were not allowed to minister freely to the people. They were forced to live and work in hiding and were often martyred when discovered. It was virtually impossible to train new candidates for the priesthood and the Dominicans, in common with other Orders and Dioceses, looked around for safe havens in Europe where boys might be educated and ordained. Irish Dominican priests and students went to Belgium, France, Spain and Italy and, in 1600, several arrived in Portugal where they were warmly welcomed by various local Dominican foundations. By 1615 they had identi�ed a piece of land in Loures where they were able to set up temporary accommodation and classrooms. The new ‘house’ received a Papal Bull of Foundation in November of that same year.

Hard TimesThe foundation was very poor and life was hard for both priests and students, but all that changed in


Corpo Santo – Lisbon

1629 with the arrival of Father Dominic O’Daly OP, a man of dynamic energy who recognised what needed to be done and knew how to set about it. In 1634 the Master of the Order authorised the building of a college for the education of exiled Irish students and appointed Father O’Daly as Rector. Ten years later, a General Chapter in Rome classified the college as a House of Studies [Studium Generale] for the training of young men for the priesthood. After several moves around the Lisbon area, the little group �nally obtained a site close to the Tagus and the foundation stone of the Church and College of Corpo Santo was laid in 1659, although the community was only able to move in several years later.

The Martyr’s SeminaryMeanwhile the Cromwellian persecutions in Ireland meant that more and more young men were �eeing here for refuge, a tradition which still continues, though nowadays our parish receives English-speaking refugees �eeing from religious and economic persecution, not in Ireland nor even in Europe, but in other continents. The young men who trained here in penal times returned to Ireland to suffer for their faith whilst preaching the gospel and so desperately high was the rate of executions that Lisbon people often referred to Corpo

Santo as ‘The Martyrs’ Seminary’.Father Dominic O’Daly also had a hand in the founding of the Convent of Bom Sucesso in Belém, opened in 1639 to provide a home for Irish girls who wished to follow the religious life. A full history of Bom Sucesso can be found in ‘A Light Undimmed: The Convent of Our Lady of Bom Sucesso, Lisbon’ by Honor McCabe OP.

Earthquake, Fire and FloodDown the years, the Irish Fathers were able to respond to the generous welcome they received in this country by ministering to Portuguese parishioners as well as to English speakers, especially when the terrible earthquake, tidal wave and �re occurred on All Saints day 1 November 1755. The area around Corpo Santo


was devastated with the church and college reduced to a heap of rubble and four of the priests were killed by falling masonry whilst ministering to the injured in the streets.The Irish Fathers were authorised to rebuild on a site a little further from the river, at the foot of the steep cliff which held the upper part of the city. No funds were available in Portugal during that disastrous period and the Prior, Father O’Kelly, who had suffered only slight injuries during the aftermath of the earthquake, appealed to Pope Benedict XIV for help. The Holy Father authorised him to appeal to all the dioceses of Spain and also to the newly-discovered rich territories overseas and thanks to their donations and to generous aid from South

America and Ireland itself, the new college and church were ready for dedication on 13 October 1770. Boys were once again trained for the Irish province and the Fathers continued their work amongst the English-speaking and Portuguese communities.With the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1856 it finally became possible for students for the priesthood to be educated in Ireland. A great part of the Lisbon college building was sold and most of the money raised was used to build a new House of Studies on the outskirts of Dublin. Five or six Irish priests stayed on in Lisbon, however, and continued to minister to English-speaking residents and to the Portuguese community.

Mission in Anti-Clerical TimesIn 1832 the Irish Fathers had already had an opportunity to repay their Portuguese hosts for the generous welcome given them, when an anti-clerical government banished all religious orders from the country. Thanks to the protection of the British Government the Irish Fathers were able to stay on, ministering to the people and teaching the children. With the end of the monarchy and implantation of the Republic in 1910, a new wave of anti-clericalism swept over the country and again the Irish Fathers were able to provide spiritual comfort Corpo Santo College – Portugal


Irish priests stayed on in Lisbon, and continued to minister to English-speaking residents and to the Portuguese community…

and support to their Portuguese friends. An important event which took place in this period shows how vital was the continued presence of the Irish Fathers: In December 1916, during the papacy of Benedict XV, Dominicans all over the world celebrated the 700 Hundredth Anniversary of the date on which the founding of the Order of Preachers received papal approval. In Portugal the Dominicans, like other religious orders, had been forced by anti-clericalism to close their houses and so it was in Corpo Santo Church, that a great triduum of celebrations was held from twelfth to fourteenth of December 1916.

The Work of MissionIt was in the first half of the Twentieth century that Father Paul O’Sullivan, another outstanding Dominican, came into his own. Recognising the great needs of the people for religious instruction, and the fact that the local church was powerless to help, he backed up the evangelising efforts of his community by setting up a printing press in Corpo Santo, where he published four monthly magazines and any number of booklets on religious

Neighbours and RefugeesFor many years the students from the nearby English College maintained the tradition of providing the choir on the Feast of St Patrick, thus keeping alive

the connection between the Irish and English exiles.From having been a place of refuge for Irish men and boys fleeing from persecution at home, Corpo Santo had become a refuge for Portuguese Catholics deprived of religious education in their own churches and schools. In the 1950’s and 1960’s the church became a place of refuge for refugees from Shanghai and Goa and members of those two groups are now

Bairo Alto – Lisbon


For many years the students from the nearby English College maintained the tradition of providing the choir on the Feast of St Patrick, thus keeping alive the connection between the Irish and English exiles…

There was a population move out of central Lisbon and along the coast towards Estoril and Cascais, abandoning downtown Lisbon to business and shops…

pillars of the English-speaking community at Corpo Santo. In recent years the tradition of refuge has continued with the arrival of people from various African countries and from Asia who, we hope, �nd a home-from-home in a church where they are able to worship God in a tongue common to all who worship there.

Movements and ChangeIn the 1970’s there was a population move out of central Lisbon and along the coast towards Estoril and Cascais, abandoning downtown Lisbon to business and shops. The English-speaking community joined this trend and in the 1980’s the Irish Dominican Fathers took the dif�cult decision to move the centre of the Parish out to São Pedro do Estoril, whilst still keeping a

foothold in Lisbon by maintaining the English-language Sunday Mass in Corpo Santo. The move had evolved gradually, with Masses initially being held in Carcavelos, Parede, Estoril or Cascais by priests who travelled out from Lisbon for the purpose, but with the acquisition in 1982 of the building in São Pedro do Estoril which now houses St. Mary’s Parish Centre the move became de�nitive.Presently we have two weekend Masses at the Eighteenth century Church of Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes in Cascais. St. Mary’s Parish Centre has one Sunday morning Mass and is also used as a base for Prayer Groups, Marriage Courses and other parish activities, both pastoral and social. We owe a debt of heartfelt gratitude to the Fathers of the Portuguese Dominican Province for the tremendous support they have given us in recent years in maintaining our Sunday morning Mass at Corpo Santo, a church which has once again become a refuge for emigrant communities, this time from Asia and Africa.

ContributorsAre always welcome to the Lisbonian magazine. Send your story, article and pictures to the Editor.


The MinhoA Journey to Remember

by Kevin Hartley

Journey Through TimeThe last time I travelled through the Minho was en route to Santiago. My chief memory is of having the cheapest lodging in Portugal, 25 escudos all-in at the Casa de Santa Zita in Vianna do Castelo. Mind you, that was in 1960, or thereabouts. It might have been the time that ‘Smokey’ Funnell successfully bargained with the bemused patrão of an up-market pensão for a reduction from the 50 escudo charge to our more usual 40: we would have one �sh dish and one meat dish each at our evening meal.There is a wealth of interest along the river Minho. It immediately becomes evident how much the Portuguese felt the need to defend themselves against the threat of invasion by their larger neighbour. Every town along the river boasts a fortaleza, sometimes of massive and intricate construction. The fortress town of Valença is a case in point. The massively intricate fortifications, inspired by the French military architect Vauban, rising above the banks of the Minho bear witness to that fear of assault. Ironically, the feared invaders have now peacefully taken over the

town in search of cheap towels, bed linen, baby clothes and knick-knacks of all and sundry nature.

Crossing Borders and RiversIt was fun to whiz across the river over one of the new bridges or take the ferry from Caminha to A Guarda, taking note of the hour’s difference between the two countries. There were only dim memories of passports bearing Spanish visas – issued free to us seminarians, from the Consulate in Lisbon – of machine-pistol toting Guardia Civil with their dour expressions under leather helmets. Now the border has as much formality as that between England and Wales. As in Wales one might see English language signs overwritten in Welsh, so in Galiçia it’s not uncommon to see the patriotic Galego graf�ti artist’s handiwork.The best time to visit Valença is

Dim memories of passports bearing Spanish visas – of machine-pistol toting Guardia Civil with their dour expressions under leather helmets…


in the evening, when the bargain hunting Spanish have gone home and one is free to wander the streets and squares of the old town, secure behind its massive forti�cations. The Santa Casa de Misericordia maintains a large home for the handicapped grafted on to an eighteenth century mansion, and in the large open square before a small chapel is a large bronze statue of Sao Teotonio, the �rst Portuguese saint, native of Valença, born in 1085, who became a Canon Regular of St Augustine and who on his return from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem was offered and turned down the bishopric of Viseu.

Forti�cations Galore!Looking from the intricate convolutions of the battlements, designed not only to pour shot

across the frontier but also to defend the walls in the event of a successful navigation of the river, it was easy to imagine the message the fortress presented to any would-be invader.A chain of forts are strung along the south bank of the Minho. Further upriver, Monçao’s main reputation lies in being the centre of the vinho verde production though, apart from the usual forti�cations there is little of interest in the town itself, which gave me the impression of being in need of a systematic refurbishment. On the other hand, nearer the coast, Vila Nova de Cerveira and Caminha have the sleepy attraction that makes so many small Portuguese towns so seductive. In Villa N de Cerveira, an hour at one of the table outside any of the cafés in the broad town square beside the church is time well spent and if activity is called for a ramble round the fortress walls, gazing out across the quiet waters of the Minho at the somnolent wooded countryside in the foreign land across the river, is an excellent digestive. Sadly, the Pousada that occupies much of the interior of the fort is at present em obras.Caminha, near the mouth of the river Minho, is a lovely historic town that in the eighteenth century is said to have rivalled Porto in importance. You wouldn’t think it today, especially sitting at a table outside one of the Valencia – the town


cafés in the Largo Terreiro, facing the beautifully appointed Nucleo Arqueológico which offers a very well presented video of the town’s history. Large sections of the inevitably elaborate forti�cations remain in place and a short walk down a medieval paved way brought us to the �fteenth century Igreza Matriz, built when the town was at the height of its commercial importance. The doorway on the north side includes a rather explicit gesture towards the Spaniards on the far side of the river! Nearby is a tiny chapel which boasts an extraordinary statue of St James, saddled up and astride an absent horse!

Not the First to Come this WayAbandoning the Minho for a while we went south along the N13 to Viana. The guide books wax eloquent about Viana but I confess that my chief impression was of a large bustling modern town and it was much more agreeable to travel inland up to Ponte de Lima. Here is a lovely little town – provided you avoid, as we didn’t on our �rst visit, the annual September noisy and garish ‘New Fair’. Our second visit allowed us to roam in peace around the narrow streets, peeping through obscure doorways, one revealed a chic fashion boutique, another a utilitatian mercearia, and yet another opening to a well-patronised pastelaria. The invading Roman army in 137 BC got the

idea that the River Lima was in fact the river Lethe of forgetfulness. Their commander, Decimus Junius Brutus, was obliged to urge his horse into the waters, cross the river and then challenge his soldiers by name to imitate his example. A modern column of soldiers on the south back, sadly mutilated by the local vandals, face a mounted Brutus on the far side. The bridge, from which the town takes its name, still retains a portion of the Roman original on the north bank.

© 2009 picture Kevin Hartley – St James who seems to have mislaid his horse!

The invading Roman army in 137 BC got the idea that the river Lima was in fact the river ‘Lethe of forgetfulness’…


Here, in the centuries preceding the Roman invasion, Iron Age Celts established a tightly-knit fortified town, clusters of round stone houses…

Taking the High RoadLeaving Ponte de Lima, though determined to return one day, we rejecting the motorway in favour of an exhilarating mountain road that might have been �rst constructed by Brutus’ army, back to Valença.One might choose to cross the river Minho by the Caminha ferry or the modern bridge at Vila Nova de Cerveira but, either way, a visit to the Citania de Santa Tegla, perched on the top of a precipitous hill on the north side of the Minho estuary, is a must. Here, in the centuries preceding the Roman invasion, Iron Age

Celts established a tightly-knit forti�ed town, clusters of round stone houses through which wind narrow alleyways and sophisticated drainage channels. Excavations have so far exposed only a fraction of the site but the hair-raising road that winds to the summit is generously provided with pleasant picnic spaces and spectacular views, if the weather is �ne, or eerie atmospherics if the hill is shrouded in mist which might momentarily part to offer glimpses of the Minho far below. In the sixteenth century, for reasons that remain obscure, at least to me (she is the patron saint of Tarragona) the mountain top became the centre of a cult of St Thecla, the supposed follower of St Paul and a small chapel marks the culmination of a pilgrim route up the steep slopes.From A Guarda, the road inland along the north bank of the Minho is much quieter and rural than the

Vingte Escudos as it was in May 1964


southern Portuguese equivalent and leads to Tui, a small town facing Valença, its narrow streets and passageways rising to the summit of the hill crowned with the Romanesque cathedral of Santa Maria.Santiago de Compostela was an hour and a half along the (toll) motorway. The city has grown enormously since ‘Smokey’ and I watched the �reworks on the Saint’s feast day. The cathedral has become a virtual museum at the centre of a thriving commercial enterprise, with the hordes of visitors ignoring the prominent notices not to use �ash photography and keep the noise down, both of which injunctions are cheerfully ignored. In the gigantic square �ocks of pilgrims in various stages of collapse make themselves as comfortable as they might and those who eschew the pilgrim route can be kitted out from one of the stalls with staff and scallop shell. The Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos looks even more splendid than ever and we didn’t feel that it was appropriate to even ask whether genuine pilgrims are still offered three nights free lodging in the basement!

Two Weeks of SunshineThe north-west corner of the Peninsular is noted for its greenness. In course of three weeks we enjoyed nearly two weeks of very warm brilliant sunshine, a few overcast days and a couple of days when

the only thing to do was to batten down the hatches and retire to the stacks of books we had brought with us for such events.With the pound almost at par with the euro, Portugal is no longer the bargain holiday destination it was once. Petrol is noticeably dearer than in Britain and even the better quality wines are not much cheaper, and some seem even dearer. I was taken aback to �nd Duas Quintas Douro wine at €18 – a far cry from the three escudos we used to pay to top up our bottles at the nearest corner shop on days out! Despite the forty tonne trucks pounding the highways, the Portuguese economy is in serious difficulty and unemployment, though still not at Spanish levels, is distressingly high. With it all, the people for the most part retain their stolid good humour and smiling response to a few words spoken in their own language. My advice for a satisfying holiday? Keep away from the big towns and enjoy good food at any eatery – best offer seen this holiday was €3.50 for frango com arroz - where you see queues of lorries and cars parked outside!

The people for the most part retain their stolid good humour and smiling response to a few words spoken in their own language…


Una voce concinamus,Una stirpe proditi

Matrem Fratres salutamusQuamvis longe dissiti

Pulchram piam, acclamamus Vi amoris �lii.

Una �de sociati,Una spe con�dimus –

Filiorum pietatiDebitis honoribus,

Matri et Fraternitati,Crescat laus ex omnibus.

All Together Now!

Live forever, Alma Mater, be her sons for ever blest…

Where They Are NowTom Keane [Lisbon 1963-69]Retired from parish work four years ago, the diocese providing him with a pension and a four bedroom [one of which he uses as his chapel] house. In his retirement he is able to pursue his photographic and gardening hobbies and �nds time to get in some reading as well. Though Ireland is his preferred holiday destination he has visited Portugal three times in the past �ve years, going to Lisboa, Fatima, Obidos, Tomar and Evora among other places. He helps out in the local parish at weekends and provides locum cover when needed.

Tony Flynn [Lisbon 1955-1961] and as Prof [1965-1972]Took retirement in 1997 and is now a Minister of Holy Communion at the local District hospital and in his parish church where he is also a Reader and an occasional

trainer for other ministers. As well as giving occasional talks in the parish he helps his wife Susan in her United Reform Church Ministry. Like many others, he wishes that the Church didn’t take such a prejudicial attitude towards clergy who have left the active ministry. Unsurprisingly for anyone who knows Tony, his special interests are Soccer and Soccer. He is a committee member of the Christian Council on Ageing and has for twelve years been an of�cial Visitor of an Old People’s Home in Wythenshawe [soon to close]. Cyprus and Portugal [apart from the ‘tourist’ Algarve] are favourite holiday destinations.

Anthony Hogarth [Lisbon 1963-1967]Retired some time ago, the diocese providing �nancial support and a house. He helps out occasionally in his local parish. Hobbies include art, photography and languages. He prefers to take his holiday in the UK but has visited central Portugal.


The Organ of the InglesinhosThere appears to be a deal of uncertainty about the origins of the organ in the College Chapel. Fred Robinson’s suggested date of installation, 1807 [Lisbonian July 2009, page 25], is perhaps erroneous: the Peninsular War – the French invaded Portugal in that year – might have made transport of such a large instrument rather problematic. The instrument was undoubtedly of English origin, but when did it arrive? A recent article in O journal do Barreiro, [translated] might shed an oblique light on the mystery.During the nineteenth century the church of Saints Peter and Paul was in such a condition as to have the reputation of being the worst in Lisbon… it was considered dangerous even to be under its roof. The lack of �nancial resources was an obstacle to any decision to build a new church or to undertake any other work that would allow the College to comfortably accommodate students, superiors and all the other people who frequented the place.In 1857 two benefactors, Joana d’Araujo Carneiro d’Oeynhausen and Mgr Jerónimo da Mata, Bishop of Macau, provided the funding that allowed the undertaking of improvements that were �nished by December of the following year. In the course of these necessary

repairs a lot of items were replaced. It was thus that an organ of modest dimensions went from the Bairro Alto to Barreiro [which in those days was part of the district of Lisbon] to the church of Santa Cruz. José Augusto Pimenta, in his book ‘Memoria Historica e Descriptiva da Vila do Barreiro’, published in Lisbon in 1886, records that ‘There is in this church an organ, not very large but with well-sounding and harmonious voices, that was bought by the Confraternity of the Most Holy Sacrament in 1858 from the community of the Inglezinhos of the city of Lisbon.’The Confraternity, which used part of the church for their meetings, storage of property and archives, was dissolved after 1910 at which time the church was closed and despoiled of all its statues, liturgical items and ornaments, some of which were sold and others ended up in the ownership of Confraternity of Nossa Senhora do Rosario. After that time of political unrest the church was eventually acquired privately, with the intention of being restored to worship, and underwent a series of restoration programmes. And now, under a red cloth in the choir loft of Barreiro parish church stands a modest organ…’

[Ed But is this the same instrument as was taken from the College?]

091217 Lisbonian Magazine Jan 2010

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Transcript of 091217 Lisbonian Magazine Jan 2010