Open the doors
Sir – When I travel around England, I find it disappointing and upsetting that more often than not the Catholic churches in towns and villages are closed. I have met a number of converts whose journey of faith was kindled by visiting Catholic churches. They experienced warmth and felt that the Church was alive and active, invariably with individuals praying quietly or with votive candles alight, indicating that someone had visited recently. Two of these converts continued their journey of faith into the priesthood. I think it vitally important that people should be able to visit churches during the daytime, especially those in any kind of distress or trouble, to be able to encounter Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and experience His peace and love – we often see just this situation evocatively portrayed in films. I am fortunate that my own church is open from the early morning until the evening – I am astounded by how many people come in throughout the day. Some stay a few minutes and some longer; what is more surprising is how many of them are young people. I am convinced that if more churches were open then there would be immeasurable benefits. Let us open our doors, and not shut people out!
