Dear Reader,
    I would like to take you back in time to the 1950's, several years before the introduction of technology, sophistication, and the market forces that exist today.
It was whilst I was working in the community that I found myself living in a sparsely populated area, (compared with today's population), in the county of Somerset.  The population consisted of farmers and their employees, professional, business, and retired people.
The Catholic population was good.  Sunday Mass was celebrated in a large upper room of the local Inn.  A freshly scrubbed wooden floor, a long wooden table, stacking chairs, and for the confessional, two chairs placed in one corner of the room, surrounded by a screen.
The Benedictine Monks served the area, from the nearby Benedictine Abbey at Downside.  Visits to the Abbey were rare for me, but on the odd occasion, I was taken to hear Vespers sung by the Monks.
On the whole, life was very different, and much less complex.  Full employment, good home conditions but without today's luxuries, and families kept together so well.
Provision was made for Sunday Masses followed by recreation in its various forms, to cover all age groups……Yes!  I would gladly exchange the present day conditions, to a time when the whole family was valued and cherished.

          E.E. Kendell