2,500 hands of friendship at Westminster Cathedral

A colourful sea of outstretched hands- some made of paper, some made of cardboard, some on sticks, some on headgear was the remarkable sight that greeted those visiting Westminster Cathedral last Wednesday. The hands were 'Hands of Friendship', made by the 2,500 pupils from schools across the Diocese, attending the Catholic Children's Society (Westminster)'s annual Good Shepherd Mass. Throughout Lent, children had been encouraged to raise money as a gesture of friendship towards those disadvantaged children in the Diocese who are helped by the Society and the Good Shepherd Mass was the culmination of this Lenten effort. In celebrating the Mass, Bishop Longley, the Society's Chairman offered his thanks to all schools that participated in the Lenten Appeal and especially to the 71 schools who made the trip to the Cathedral. He reminded them of the good that would be achieved by their gesture of friendship and the practical help that can now be provided to children and families in crisis, as a result. This year, not only was the Cathedral at capacity but the choir was the largest ever, with 187 singers and musicians coming together from 13 different schools to help lift the rafters! Schools expressed their pleasure at being able to take part of this important event, coming by train, by tube, on foot, in coaches and in minibuses, just to make sure of their place. The most stylish of all, however, were the pupils from Our Lady of Grace Infants, Dollis Hill who arrived in a black Double-Decker bus. Source: Catholic Childrens Society