TALKS ON PRAYER.-Two out of five people in Britain pray regularly, according to a national survey. In America, only six out of 100 questioned by an opinion poll said they never prayed at all.
With this in mind four clergymen-two Anglican, a Methodist and a Catholic-will talk about prayer after the last programme on Rediffusion each weekday during Advent. The Rev. Kenneth Greet, the Methodist whu reports the surveys. will start the series on Monday. Fr. Michael Hollings, Catholic chaplain at Oxford, will talk during the week of December 1 3.
PARISH TEACH-IN.-Nearly 200 parishioners of Annunciation parish, Burnt Oak, Middx.. took part in a parish teach-in on the enlarging gap between teenagers and parents last Sunday. On the panel were a priest, a mother, a teacher and three teenagers. The meeting lasted three hours, twice as long as planned.
HIERARCHY'S APPROVAL. --The English Catholic Hierarchy has made it clear that they regard the retention of church choirs as important in encouraging greater congregation participation in services, said Mr. John Hoban, Director of Music at the Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer, Chelsea, last week.
APPRAISAL OF CHURCH. -St. Bride's Catholic Church, East Kilhride, Lanarkshire, which earlier this year was awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects' bronze medal as an outstanding example of modern architecture in Scotland, will be the subject of an architectural appraisal. at the Institute's London headquarters on December 7. QUEEN'S UNITY PRAYERS. -The Queen, in a message to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey in the brochure of the abbey's 900th anniversary celebrations, says she prays that in the years ahead the Abbey may serve the cause of Christian Unity.
With Prince Philip and other members of the Royal Family, the Queen will attend an inaugural service for the anniversary year on December 28, the date when the abbey-built by Edward the Confessor-was consecrated in 1065.
FILMING IN CHURCH. The ancient crypt of St. Etheldreda's, Ely Place, in the City of London, was transformed into a chapel last week for the filming by M.G.M. of a scene in the film "The Eye of the Devil". Kim Novak, David Niven, Donald Pleasance and Flora Robson were among the stars taking part.
GLASTONBURY LEGENDS. A West of England documentary to be screened on Monday night by TWW explores the twin legends of Glastonbury. One is that St. Joseph of Aramathea, who took Christ's body from the Cross, founded England's first Christian church on the site where Glastonbury Abbey was later built. Legend also places King Arthur's castle of Camelot near the abbey, where the king died of wounds in 538 A.D.
"NEW LOOK" WEEND. -"New looks at an Old religion" was the theme of e weekend conference at Allington Castle, Kent, organised by the Catholic
Society of Queen Mary College,
London. Guest speakers were Prebendary Gordon Philips, senior Anglican chaplain to London University, and Fr. John Coventry, S.J.
STAGE GUILD. Tom Hammond will be the guest at the monthly meeting of the Catholic Stage Guild next Fibday at the Spanish Club, Cavendish Square at 7 p.m. He will speak on "The History of Sadler's Wells, 16 83-1 965".
ARMTHORPE SCHOOL. Fr. James Belton, parish priest of Our Lady of Surroes, Armthorpe, Yorks, has been granted planning permission for a £60.000 junior and infants school to be built on a threeacre site next to the parish church. He said this week: "This is a long-term plan, as we icotnedouinr eshtiullrchhaN', evhaichE30w,OafslOcodmebpt 19511", 19511",
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D5E.RNE DRIVE.--A team of 150 people will be knocking on 3,000 doors in the Yorkshire mining town of Goldthorpe and Highgate in the Dearne Valley, shortly before Christmas and asking: "Will you come to church?" Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists and Salvationists are joining in the campaign, which is sponsored by the Dearne Ministers' Fraternal.
VATICAN POST.-Fr. Basil Loftus, D.C.L., until recently Vice-Chancellor of Leeds Diocese, has been appointed to the Vatican Diplomatic Service and is now undergoing training at the Pontificia Academia Eeriesiasticii in Rome, Fr. Loftus, who is 31, trained for the priesthood at the English College, Rome, and was ordained in
1958,