Sunday, 10 October 2010  The Closure of St Cuthbert's, Ushaw
How sad to hear that St Cuthbert's is having to close its doors.
It has a long and noble history going back to recusant times and
the college at Douai in French Flanders which was closed at the
French Revolution but found new homes at Ware and Ushaw. The
seminarians left Ware in the 70s; now Ushaw is to go, too. A
seminary is a real alma mater to its alumni; as celibate priests
we don't have family homes, but a seminary is where we have
spent a considerable portion of our lives among the people with
whom we still work. To some, perhaps, seminary is a miserable
memory, but to many it is something of a foundation, a steady
rock on which they have built their lives. I am living at the
seminary at Wonersh at present, (which, I might add, is a much
happier community than when I studied here). A final-year
student I was talking with last night spoke of the closure of
Ushaw with emotion, saying how hard he would take it if Wonersh
were to close. There are