Transfiguration anniversary events

Today is our forty fifth wedding anniversary. Clare had a lie-in, but I was book to celebrate at St German's, so I laid the breakfast table and left her  greeting card before I left. Another young mum with kids came to thechurch after Mass to book in a baptism. I'll have done more baptisms this month than in give years at St John's. It shows how much variation there can be in pastoral demand from one church to another.

At noon, Clare and I joined a congregation of about three hundred at St Mary's the Docks celebrating Father Graham Francis' fortieth anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. I was sub-deacon at his first Mass in Holy Cross Parish Church, when we were both junior curates. The legendary Father Ken Gillingham guided him through the celebration and preached. Here we were, forty years on, in the church which 'Gillie', as he was fondly known, had served with distinction, before during and after the years we were at St Michael's College in training. We both worked under 'Gillie's supervision as Samaritans volunteers. 'Gillie' was a priestly and pastoral role model to us for ministry among the working classes. Graham followed in his footsteps, and this was testified by the number of clergy present, both in the congregation, and at the altar as con-celebrants.

The celebration was superbly organised involving dozens of people, singing, reading, praying, serving at the altar. There were even three Bishops present, one of them preaching an thoughtful homily on transfiguration while reflecting on Graham's priestly ministry. The singing of all his favourite hymns was exuberant, making for a joyous occasion of thanksgiving. We sat together in the choir stalls, overlooking the nave altar from behind, a great place to see the variety of people in the assembly.

Afterwards we stopped briefly to greet a few people, before heading out to Caerphilly mountain for a walk. We looked at a display of black and white photos taken at Graham's first Mass. I appear in them porting a beard, with long black hair, resembling pictures of Rasputin, as my father used to say. Typically sixties. I can hardly believe it was me I was looking at. I don't recall much about that service, only the hassles of arranging a nave altar for the occasion on a very uneven flagstone floor in Holy Cross Church.

After an hour's vigorous exercise in perfect walking weather we had afternoon tea in the New House Country Hotel, with its panoramic view of the city, Bay and Severn Estuary. By the time we arrived home neither of us had much enthusiasm for supper at a restaurant, so we went out and hunted for a take-away meal, settling for fish dishes from Seren, a Turkish restaurant in Canton. I think we'll go back there for a proper meal soon.

There's rioting in Tottenham tonight, following a protest march to a police station in connection with the killing by police of a local man two days ago. It sounds like senior police were unable to respond to the request for a meeting with the dead man's family, then disorder broke out and went out of control. Given that the IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission) was called in to investigate a killing by police, did this induce a paralysis of common sense on the part of the leadership? There's a lot of anger out there.