CPW: Mike Monaghan

This is a slightly edited version of the talk on the history of CPW given by Mike Monaghan, one of CPW’s longest standing members, at Boars Hill Oxford, 26 July 2025.

CPW: Origins, Inspiration and Celebration
Introduction

I feel honoured to be asked to make some remarks about the history and inspiration of our wonderful organisation. 

Perhaps I can indulge in a couple of anecdotes before going onto the object of my talk. I think they illustrate the attraction that CPW has had for so many people over the years.

Our first CPW was at Belmont in 1968 when we had three young children. The subject was “Winds of Change”. There were a number of quite distinguished speakers including Laurence Bright OP. One, for many of us, very unwelcome Wind had blown in the days before the Week in the shape of the publication of Humanae Vitae. Not surprisingly our Week was somewhat dominated by the issue. Clandestine goings on, orchestrated, I think principally by Oliver and Ianthe Pratt, culminated in a letter to The Times signed by many of those present and other rather more distinguished members of the Catholic laity. All very exciting, but rather overwhelming for new arrivals on the scene. Also our three little children were not over enamoured at being dumped most of the day. A breather was called for.

By 1974 we'd recovered from the shock of Belmont and, rather oddly as we lived in Berkshire, we decided to go all the way up to Carlisle (nick-named Colditz Castle in fond memory) for a CPW Chaired by Peter Levesley with the title “Alive to God's Creation.” We had a nightmare journey with breakdowns and child sickness and arrived to find we were late for the evening meal. They had made their best attempts and left us some lukewarm food in a gaunt Harry Potter type of dining room. When we looked up from our rather unpalatable meal, we saw our children sitting there with looks saying "is this it?" All will be well we assured them and we then repaired back to the bedroom we'd been shown earlier. Problem! In our short absence half of the ceiling had collapsed into the room. Not an auspicious re-entry into CPW life!

However, we survived and have carried on coming ever since and our forgiving children all became enthusiastic members and later helpers.

Origins  

I want to take us back to the Origins and see how the vision of the founders is still relevant and a source of inspiration to us today. The initial planning for what was to become CPW began quite extraordinarily in 1944.

It is worth reflecting what the situation was in 1944. The Second World War was still in progress – there was strict rationing etc. Not an auspicious time one would think to start an ambitious educational programme. The initial plan was to have a Catholic college operating the whole year round, running courses similar to what has become CPW Week. This was accepted as being too ambitious and the idea of a series of residential weeks was adopted. But even to start planning something like this in 1944, showed extraordinary faith and courage.

Two other factors are worth noting:

·       The catholic church at the time was very clerically dominated to put it mildly. A lay-led initiative like this might have been considered unrealistic and even subversive.

·       The majority of people left school at 14 in 1944.  

So who comprised the small group of people which conceived and ultimately carried out this ambitious programme?

The initiator was a schoolteacher in Taunton, Somerset by the name of Reginald Trevett. He had been running a discussion group in his parish for some time, which in itself was a very progressive thing in the Catholic Church of that era. A member of the discussion group was John Todd, a recent Catholic convert who agreed to help. The third member of the planning group was Dom Ralph Russell a Benedictine monk from Belmont Abbey.

The first Week took place in 1945. By that time there was peace and a feeling that a better future was possible. The Butler Education Act had come into force with its stress on adult education.

From this mixed scene of both positive and negative a successful week was held in Wadham College in Oxford no less. Obviously they thought they'd better start with a bang. 

For the description of these early Weeks I am indebted to remarkable booklet written  by John Todd on the origins of Catholic People's Weeks. 

The pattern of the Week of three talks followed by discussion, with the liturgy being central, would be familiar to us now. However, there were some notable differences. For example, the day began at 7:30 with a sung Latin Mass in the nearby church. Not something that I recall being very common in subsequent years! And it ended with compline at 10.00. It is also interesting to note that most of the speakers were clerics.

It is also remarkable, as John Todd points out in his booklet, that during the late 50s the weeks regularly discussed all the topics which were to become the central themes of Vatican 2. At that time, nobody even imagined that anything such as a Council of the Church was likely to be called. CPW was quite prophetic in its thinking in this area.

Topics included ecumenism, liturgical renewal, revaluation of the married life, full participation of the laity in the Church, and indeed the nature of the Church itself. Many of the conclusions anticipated the decisions of the Council.

Todd also notes that CPW was often criticised for being on the edge of orthodoxy, if not actually heretical. However, they appear to have been tolerated by the hierarchy and there were enough forward-looking senior clergy who supported them. He notes that the bishops were “commonly kind and tolerant” 

These small beginnings, the foresight, energy and courage of three people, led to the foundation of what became a national organisation which we are privileged to be celebrating today

Evolution. 

Initially, the weeks were for adults only, but in 1952 families were invited and that became the pattern from then on. Another significant development emerges when one looks at the list of chairpersons in Peter Bailey's excellent 50-year history of the organisation. It was thirty years i.e. 1975 before a woman chaired a week and 45 years before a woman became national chairperson! So although CPW was, and I hope still is, relatively progressive it was still in some respects typical of the times

What has allowed CPW to flourish for 80 years?

This was very well described by one of our current chaplains who recently characterised it as being post-Vatican 2 before Vatican 2 had even been thought of, and subsequently a post-Synodal group before any thought of having a Synod had been envisaged

He also noted an interesting relationship between the lay members and chaplains which he summed up as saying "In CPW, we cherish our chaplains but don't expect them to be our leaders." 

In 2022, we had a Zoom gathering (something unheard of 80 years ago!) This was to prepare a submission to the hierarchy in response to the synodal process. In this we sought to characterise CPW's particular charisma which we believed was of potential benefit to the church:

·       It was led by the laity

·       It had equal representation of men and women. 

·       It encouraged open and frank discussions which included controversial topics. 

·       Joyful liturgical celebrations were central to the daily activities

·       All people on a Week were invited to participate in the preparation of liturgies

·       It was largely non-hierarchical; individual Weeks had considerable freedom in setting their programmes

·       Priests and lay people operated on an equal footing. 

When asked to summarise what they most valued from CPW. Members responded:

·       That they had developed deep and lasting friendships which helped inspire them in their daily lives.

·       They had experienced a strong sense of community.

·       That CPW provided an effective learning environment with expert speakers not only from the Catholic tradition.

·       Above all the sharing and the prayerful and joyful liturgies.

I think CPW has been very effective at moving with and sometimes being slightly ahead of the times. For example having a week on Being Alive to God's Creation back in 1974 was quite revolutionary I imagine.

In his closing remarks in his booklet John Todd comments that his two collaborators – Reg Trevett and Dom Ralph Russell – were "men of vision, prayer and study, working immensely hard to bring into fruition their initial vision". We could of course add John Todd to that tribute and also the large numbers of people who over the last 80 years have given their time, energy and imagination to keep the organisation thriving. 

We face extraordinary challenges in the current era, both within the church and in the world. But the spirit that emanated from those early days still enlivens and inspires us. We are privileged to be given the task of preserving and developing this unique organisation.

It is our family Let us cherish it. Amen