Ecumenical festival honours Our Lady

By William liurridge, W.F.
ARCHBISHOP Bruno Heim, the Apostolic Delegate, was one of the leaders at a festival at Wells, Somerset, last Saturday in honour of Our Lady, otganised by the Ecumenical Society of the blessed Virgin Mary. Nearly 700 people from all over the country attended. The society was founded 12 years ago by a London Catholic layman, Mr Martin Gillett, and draws its members from among Catholics, Anglicans and Free Church people, both lay and clergy. It counts many outstanding ecclesiastics and theologians in its ranks. Cardinal Hume recently agreed to be its president. Besides Archbishop Heim, the Wells gathering was led by Bishop Eric Kemp, Anglican Bishop of Chichester; Bishop Alan Clark, chairman of the Catholic National Ecumenical Commission of England and Wales; Bishop Langton Fox of Menevia, until recently cochairman of the society; Bishop Emery, Auxiliary in Birmingham, representing Archbishop Dwyer; the Anglican Bishops of Birmingham and Taunton; the Rev Christopher Hill, the Archbishop of Canterbury's counsellor for relations with the Catholic Church, and two prominent Methodist ministers, the Rev Marcus CVard and the Rev Robert Beatty. The proceedings began with the Angelus recited in the Lady Chapel of the Anglican Cathedral. The Catholics attended Mass concelebrated by Archbishop Heim, the Catholic bishops and 20 priests in the local Catholic church, SS Joseph and Teresa, while an Anglican Eucharist was celebrated in the Cathedral.
In the afternoon a paper was read by Bishop Clark on the Holy Spirit and Mary. His treatment was in keeping with one of the main objects of the society — the study of essential Christian doctrines on which attention is inevitably focused when one examines the place of Mary. One of the most remarkable achievements of the society is the participation of Christians of differing traditions in this wide field of study. In this instance Bishop Clark drew together the work of the Holy Spirit in the Incarnation, in the sanctification of Our Lady and in the Redemption perpetuated in the Church. Again in keeping with the society's objective of common prayer wherever this is acceptable to the various Churches represented by its members, the whole 700 participants came together in the Cathedral for Evensong. Archbishop Heim assisted in the sanctuary and was invited to give Pontifical Blessing at the end of the service.