St Charles Borromeo....

...is the name of a church in Ogle Street,London W1, not far from the BBC at Portland Place. I went there to talk to Soul Food, a very good group which meets there every Thursday. It's a big group - they often get 80-90 people, young, and interested in the Catholic Faith. The church is unusually beautiful, and is tucked away in a corner of this quiet street - hard to find and horribly easy to lose. I arrived in time for evening Mass, and then there was gap while people set things up for the Soul Food gathering, so I went away to get a snack...and only with difficulty found the church again, running down the street with lots of urgent prayers ascending, and slipped inside just as a cheerful young man was saying "And now I welcome our speaker, Joanna Bogle", and looking around for me to appear!

Topic was "celebrating feasts and seasons of the Church's calendar", part of a series on "Catholic Answers". There was a delightful warm and friendly spirit. In the front row sat a beaming young couple, holding hands....later we chatted and it turned out that they had heard me talk some years earlier at an evening for engaged couples... and have now been married for some while and are expecting their second child...so we had a very cheery chat, and it was all great fun and hugely enjoyable.

Earlier, I was at Premier Radio to record a series of early-morning talks. They'll be broadcast at about 6.28 am or some such time, so if you want to listen in, you'll have to be an early riser...

CYCLE RIDE

To the kind correspondent who asks if I accept American cheques for my Sponsored Cycle Ride....yes, I certainly do. Make the cheque out to me, Joanna Bogle, and I can bank it and send on the money to the fund-raisers here. For English cheques, make out cheques directly to St Pius X Church. Cheques should be sent to: Mrs J. Bogle, c/o 34 Barnard Gardens, New Malden, Surrey KT3 6QG England. All funds raised are going to fund young people to attend World Youth Day 2008. I am so grateful to all the people who are sponsoring me. It's 50 miles, so 20p a mile could bring in £10.... I'll keep you posted on progress. Took my bike in for an overhaul today. The cycle ride is Aug 5th/6th/7th. I arrive at St Joseph's Church, Brighton, at 12 noon on Aug 7th - come and join the locals who will be greeting me!