Page 8 - The Portal magazine - March 2025
P. 8

THE P    RTAL                              March 2025                                      Page 8

        Bishop Robert Barron


        in the UK





        Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane report



              HEN WE  heard that Bishop Robert Barron would be speaking at the Word on Fire Evangelism
        Wand Culture Conference to be held at the Excel Arena in East London, we booked up early to take
        advantage of the early booking discount.

          The Excel Arena is an excellent venue, with easy
        access from the Docklands Light Railway. As well as
        the auditorium, there are many places to eat and drink.
        However, there could be more seats provided for those
        who just want to sit and chat.


          As well as the conference, which was over two days,
        we were able to enjoy the Jubilee Expo. This was a
        market of stalls representing many aspects of the
        Catholic Faith. They ranged from ‘Catholic Mothers’
        to ‘Mary’s Meals’ taking in a couple of dozen others
                                                                     photo: Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
        on the way. Perhaps, in future, the Ordinariate could        phot o:  W ik imedia C ommons / P ublic D omain
        consider running a stall?                             covered many topics, but all biblically related. Once
                                                              again the importance of the Bible in the liturgy was
          Everything was well organised and well run, as  stressed.
        one would expect from Word on Fire. Some sixteen
        thousand people had booked and turned up. The          Tom Wright said that many thought bible reading
        auditorium was full for the introduction and the  was like eating vegetables, good for you, but a bit of
        opening talk by the Abbot of Ampleforth. He took as  a chore! He was at pains to distance himself from this
        his text Mark 10 verses 17 to 22, and encouraged us  view. Together with Bishop Barron he would have us
        to take Mark’s message seriously and ‘re-energise our  read the Bible, but in context. One of the problems
        tired church’.                                        with reading the Bible in the liturgy is that we get a
                                                              small snippet that is often taken out of context. It is
          Then it was time for Bishop Barron to take to the  important that the preacher places the biblical text in
        stage, which he did to a tremendous round of applause.  context, something both Wright and Barron always do.

        He spoke at length that first evening, taking as his
        theme four Old Testament points: Creation, the God     One small niggle is that Bishops Wright and Barron
        of Israel, Right Praise and Kingship. He expanded on  discussed ecumenism but without any mention of the
        these themes in turn and at length. He never fails to  Ordinariate, the one example of realised ecumenism
        inspire, encourage, and deepen one’s faith, and this was  involving the Catholic Church in the UK.
        not an exception. He then showed us how these four
        themes all found their fulfilment in Our Blessed Lord.   Other presentations included ‘The Bible and the
        He was particularly keen to stress the importance of  Common Good’ with Professors Francis Davies and
        the Bible in the Liturgy.                             Jenny Sinclair and an absorbing one on ‘The Bible
                                                              and Beauty’ with Fr Marcus Holden, Jo Boyce and Fr
          The next day began with Tracy Rowlands who would  Patrick van de Vorst.
        have us ‘take the Bible to pieces and put it together
        with faith’. We were encouraged to read the Bible with   The conference closed with Exposition of the
        the horizon of faith.                                 Blessed Sacrament and an address by the Archbishop
                                                              of Southwark, His Grace John Wilson. This was a
          Next up was a three way discussion between Justin  worthwhile conference and  we encourage  readers
        Brierley,  Bishop  Tom  Wright  and  Bishop  Robert  to look out for the next one; it will be well worth
        Barron. This was a wide ranging discussion that  attending.
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