Welcome Bishop Nicholas

This Sunday (19 November), Rt Revd Nicholas Hudson, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, will celebrate both 9.30 am and 11 am Mass. Uniquely, among the university chaplaincies of this country, Cambridge and Oxford were founded at the direct instruction of the then pope, Leo XIII, in 1895. It is the shared responsibility of the Bishops of England and Wales to appoint the chaplain and oversee their work. This work is delegated to a particular bishop, which since a year ago has been Bishop Nicholas Hudson. Again, perhaps uniquely, the appointment of the chaplain is decided in discussion with senior Catholic members of the universities. In addition, the buildings of the Cambridge Chaplaincy are owned and maintained by the Cambridge University Catholic Association (CUCA), whose trustees are these senior Catholic members of the university. If it was not for the work and planning of CUCA, we would not have Fisher House. It will be good to welcome Bishop Nicholas for his first official visit in his new role. He read history at Jesus (1978-81) and has known Fisher House since his undergraduate days. His visit is our opportunity to show how much we value the gift of FH, especially as we prepare to celebrate next year's one hundredth anniversary of its purchase by CUCA.