Wednesday Sept 20th
To the office of Aid to the Church in Need (1 Times Square, Sutton, Surrey SM1) to collect some small prayer-cards for the Holy Father which I intend to distribute widely. Why not order some yourself and pass them around? (Just send a donation to ACN and ask for some cards). Yesterday when I visited the CTS Bookshop on Westminster Cathedral piazza (excellent selection of books, magazines, Catholic items - well worth a visit) I learned that it seems the Islamicists are planning a "Day of Hate" on Friday to follow up their picket of the Cathedral this past weekend. The picket - hooded men with covered faces displaying horrible banners threatening the Pope - was watched calmly by the police who failed to arrest or warn any of those who were yelling hate-filled abuse at Christians entering the Cathedral and brandishing vicious messages against the Church. This is in contrast to the police action against a woman who, on a radio programme a short while ago, expressed the view that practising homosexuals should not be encouraged to adopt children - she recieved a visit from the Police and was told her name was "on a list" and she was warned about committing "hate crimes".

Later, emerging from a tube station on my way to St Mary's Church in Chelsea where I was due to give a talk to young engaged couples as part of a Marriage Preparation course, I had a most extraordinary and wonderful experience. There are eight million people in London. And there, walking towards me, was the one person dearest to me in all of them: my husband Jamie. He would never normally be in that part of London, and it is unusual for me to be there too. Neither of us had co-ordinated our activities today, just normal busy schedules for us both........ He had been at some event at Brompton Oratory followed by lunch and a meeting nearby.....it was a chance in eight million that we should both happen to be in Sloane Square at that precise moment.

We hugged, exclaimed, hugged again. I do think it was nice of God to arrange that meeting. Then he went on home and I did my Marriage Prep talk (where, as always, some encouraging young people and much goodwill - great earnestness and desire to "make this marriage work", great idealism....but woeful ignorance of Church and faint embarrassment at idea of praying together, sharing family traditions, etc). Home later to big mugs of tea and laughter together.