ST JOHN'S HOUSE celebrated 50 years of the House on 13 March 2008 with a Dinner at Queen's Club, London. St John's House was founded in September 1957. FR BENET PERCEVAL (W34) [Housemaster 1957-79), now aged 91, is resident at Ampleforth, but unable to travel - he sees many visitors and walks around the monastery. His three successors as Housemaster were all present: ABBOT TIMOTHY WRIGHT (T60) [Housemaster 1979-97], ABBOT CUTHBERT MADDEN [Housemaster 1997-2005] and FR WULSTAN PETERBURS. In all about 100 Members of the House between 1957 and 2007 were present (and others remained on a waiting list). The event was organised by PAUL MOORE (J77) and TIM COPPING (J81), with much support from Bobby Cooke of the Developement Office at Ampleforth.

Members of St John's over these 50 years were invited to support a charity project - half of the funds donated would go to Face-Faw at Ampleforth in its various aid projects and half would go to a charity nominated by the largest donor - this later turned out to be the Ampleforth Bursary Fund. From St John's Dinner, in all £6,400 (including tax rebate) was promised, £3,200 going to the two charities.

The aid to Face-Faw became part of an event Honour the 600 in which on 21 February 2008 the students read from different texts for 10 hours [600 minutes] in praise of Honour, and following Alfred Lord Tennyson "Honour the 600" at the Charge of the Light Brigade. Each House read for 60 minutes, in all 170 students. The proceedings in the Main Hall were televised to large screens in the Big Passage and the cafactery lunch. At the close of Honour the 600 on 21 April 2008, sponsorship reached £16,677, with the leading Houses being St John's £4884, St Edward's-St Wilfrid's £2602, St Hugh's £1547, St Oswald's £1486. There had been many generous gifts. Through Honour the 600, Face-Faw was supporting the Francis Maria Libermann School in Zanzibar, orphanage children in Romania, the poor in Ethiopia, the Amathuba Community in Natal, South Africa, a Prosthetic Unit in Bosnia-Herzegovina [cf 1887 a year ago] and other aims. [posted 15 April 2008, updated 22 April 2008]

Events