Page 7 - The Portal magazine - March 2025

THE P RTAL March 2025 Page 7

As he was coming out of this, a friendship he had “It was Christmas and we came to the church here in
struck up with a chap with whom he had been at Walsingham. I didn’t know what I was doing and stood
University became important. They had known each up at the wrong time, sat down at the wrong time. On
other some time, but when Iwan got to London, it the way home I had this little voice in my head, for the
became really important. The friend was a Catholic. entire journey telling me ‘you must go back to church’.
They had similar interests. One thing led to another,
and they ended up spending more time together. Iwan “I served Mass for over a year before I was received
stayed with him when he first went to London, and he into the Church.”
showed him Catholic churches. Little by little Iwan’s
interest grew. His friend showed him more churches He met another priest with his friend and helped
and that was fine for some four or five years. with some children’s work. Gradually he learned more
about the Catholic Faith.
All the time, Iwan was doing his own searching
around. He went to Southwark Cathedral thinking it Back in London he was getting deeper into the Faith
would be quite like when he was a child, but there was with the Dominicans. He was their part-time Sacristan.
something missing. He remembers walking out of the Eventually he needed a full-time job, so after about a
Cathedral after being blessed by a female priest. year had to leave and he got a job at the Royal Free
Hospital working in the operating theatres.
“I knew something was missing”, he said. “I knew
I knew I could not go back there. But I didn’t really Then he saw the job coming up at Walsingham. He
know why. I couldn’t put a finger on it. Then my friend applied for it and was invited to come and volunteer
said we should go and see the Brompton Oratory. It for a week as part of the interview process. Then he was
was gorgeous. We went to other churches, large and told he had got the job. He has been at Walsingham
small, grand and modest. Then the friend invited me ever since.
to stay for Christmas with him and his family.”
He met two visiting Ordinariate priests from
He had moved out of London to Norfolk. “To cut a Canada. They celebrated Divine Worship in the Slipper
long story short, we said the Rosary together. We said Chapel, and Iwan realised he was eligible to join the
it again the second night, and the third. I said ‘that’s Ordinariate. He has finally come home.
the most peaceful prayer I’ve ever said’. We said the
Rosary every night I stayed there. It was a pleasure to met Iwan, a fellow in the
Ordinariate.