In memoriam

Ferelith, the wife of Sir Harold Hood, a former director of The Catholic Herald, died on Wednesday, July 16.
Ferelith Rosemary Florence Kenworthy was descended from a grand line of Scottish nobles. Though she lived the genteel life of an English lady, she was a daughter of the 10th Baron Strabolgi and was proud of her rich Scottish heritage.
Ferelith was received into the Catholic Church in April 1946. a few days before her marriage to Sir Harold in the Brompton Oratory in West London.
She became involved in the Church, working for the Polish government in exile in the Polish Ministry of Information.
She was a devout Catholic, a keen supporter of Lourdes and an active member of the lathes committee of the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth, in St John's Wood, London for whom she helped to raise funds.
Her religious life extended beyond Sunday Mass attendance and Holy Days. Lady Hood was involved in an early precursor to At Your Word, Lord, meeting on a regular basis with a London Bible study group based at the Jesuit church in Farm Street, lead by Fr Joseph Christie SJ. It was an eclectic. cosmopolitan group, comprising a third English ladies and two-thirds wives of diplomats based in the capital.
Family and friendship were the markers of her life. She had two sons and two daughters, a third son died in infancy. .
She was a gentle, quiet and unassuming woman who loved her family and always sought reconciliation. "She wasn't someone who pushed herself I don't think I could have been married to someone like that," said Sir Harold.
She was always closest to the traditional elements of the Church. Former managing director of The Catholic Herald Otto Heischan recalled that Sir Harold encouraged him to think about joining the charismatk movement in the Church: "I used to say to Harold 'I'll join when Ferelith joins,' and I knew I was on safe ground."
Lady Hood's Requiem was celebrated at the Church of Our Lady, Lisson Grove, London, on July 24, Dom James Hood OSB officiated. The first reading, from the Book of Wisdom, encapsulated the family's sorrow at her death and joy at her peace with God: "They who trust in him will understand the truth, those who are faithful will live with him in love: for grace and mercy await those he has chosen."
Her younger son, Gervase, gave the eulogy. He spoke of his mother's capacity for love and friendship and her devotion to the family. She took her time in making friends hut when she did, she kept them for life, he said. She is sadly missed.
Christina Farrell