Chesterton’s Secret People
The English Catholics
By Beverly Stevens
Editor, Regina Magazine
It was a rainy spring morning in Wallingford, a charming grey stone market town in Oxfordshire bordering the meandering Thames. I slipped out of a friend’s house on foot, headed for morning Mass. The wet streets were practically empty, save for a few early Sunday shoppers.
Finding the church was a little tricky, as its location in an un-charming, new-brick edifice around the corner from a street ATM was more than discrete; a tiny sign was the only indication of its presence. Inside, however, were pews filled with Catholics, standing room only. I looked around me in wonder – the place was filled with people from every continent and walk of life. From my cramped seat in the back, I listened carefully. The priest was an Irishman, and his homily was forceful and direct.
REGINA|10