Fr Fawsett's funeral

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Fr Fawssett who had just died. Today, his funeral was celebrated in the chapel of the John Fisher School in Purley where he celebrated Mass daily for so many years. It was in that chapel that my own vocation was nurtured and I always love to go back there. Today it was packed, with a good number of old boys on the sanctuary, including Bishop Howard Tripp who celebrated the Mass.

Afterwards, the school put on a reception in the Hall where the "Honours" boards have the customary sporting records, even a few international honours. One board that is not in every school is the list of old boys of the school who have been ordained priest. One young man who is entering the seminary this autumn told me that Fr Fawssett asked him what he was doing and lit up when he heard that he was entering the seminary.

It was a fitting way to celebrate the beginning of the "Year of the Priest" which was mentioned several times during the Mass in fitting recognition of Fr Fawssett's priestly fidelity.

The Headmaster, Mark Scully, kindly sent me the above photo of the reception of the body yesterday evening. He felt, and rightly, I'm sure, that Fr Fawssett would have liked to know that his mortal remains were carried into his beloved chapel past a guard of honour of boys and staff from the school.

Requiescat in pace.

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