Lively Week

Our Ordinariate Mission (no longer just a Group) discovered only last week that we were to host young Confirmation Candidates from across the Avon/Stour Pastoral Area on Sunday. Everyone leapt to it, and we hope we made them and their parents welcome. It involved printing off around 120 service sheets (instead of our customary 40) and tweaking the music so that some at least was familiar to the Candidates.

Entry Procession

 

One of our number, Martin, was already due to be confirmed that morning, so it served as an object lesson to those preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. He took the additional Confirmation name of Anselm, whose day it was.

 



The Confirmation

 

 

After Mass the candidates had a day of recollection and instruction in the Church Hall. It had been very good to welcome them. Now we are gearing ourselves up for Evensong and Benediction at 3pm on Sunday week, May 5th. Oh, and for a coffee morning this Saturday for Aid to the Church in Need. It is proving a busy Eastertide.

 

 

Photos courtesy of Brian Harrison



Busy weekend

So after the Day of Recollection it was not home to the slippers, but rather a 6pm Vigil Mass in Lymington, filling in for our Parish Priest who is having a short breather. Then this morning off bright and early to Bournemouth for the Ordinariate Sunday Mass. In the course of it, the Confirmation of Teresa (who added the Christian Name Mary). For the first time we had all four parts in our singing group, so had the treat of the Communion Motet Hide not thou Thy face from me. It was particularly good to have friends of Teresa present - and also another new family seeking a spiritual home.

After Mass a short instruction on "The Doorway of Faith", and then a dash across town to the Anglican Church of St Francis, where the Priest in Charge laid to rest the ashes of Teresa Mary's father, Ray. Ray had been Head Server at St Francis' and Lord-high-everything-else for many years. His widow's ashes were already there, so it was fitting as his final resting place. Fr Wastie and many old friends from the parish greeted us warmly, which made up for the bitter cold of the morning.

 

The Priory Chapel

Somehow I had not expected retirement to be quite so busy; but it is very enjoyable. Oh, and at the end of today's Mass we had our three Rome pilgrims line up for a blessing. They set off  tomorrow morning together with dozens of other members of Ordinariate Groups on a journey which will take them to Pope Benedict's last General Audience in St Peter's Square (watch it on Zenit) and to Assisi.

I think you will see from these photos that yesterday was a pretty laid-back
occasion - not too much heavy theology, rather a consideration of where we are at present, where we have come from, and how we fit in the grand scheme of things. Best of all, it was enjoyable, and we all got to know others in our Group rather better. Our intention is to be welcoming, so that anyone coming to Mass with us, or to coffee after Mass, will soon feel at home. This seems to be our special calling in this Year of Faith, taking part in the New Evangelization.

My system was unable to cope with the pictures of St Dominic's yesterday. Today our Computer Wizard brought a memory stick with them on, so I am posting a few here for your interest.

Some but not all of the participants

 

 

A Bit Deficient

Today our Ordinariate Mass was full to overflowing; St Peter's School had asked if their Confirmation Group (of almost fifty) might attend as part of their day of recollection.

It was just lovely to have so many youngsters with us - and made us realise that our bit of the Ordinariate is sadly deficient. We are mostly more than a bit post-mature! Today was different, and it cheered us all up enormously. Not only was the school there, we had some teachers and parents and our youngest worshipper was three-week old Nicola. It was a great encouragement to hear her giving voice just before the Gospel. After Mass they adjojurned to the Hall for refreshments and instruction. The day is due to end for them with a barbecue. I don't recall having that sort of day during my confirmation preparation.


The pictures here give a little impression of how it all looked. Oh, and below is the resited image of Our Lady of Walsingham, keeping guard over the West Door. We turn to face this ststue when we sing Regina Caeli (as we did today, in English) or the Angelus.



Best of all today was the news that Brian Copus, former Anglican Vicar, has received his dispensation from clerical celibacy, allowing him to proceed to Ordination. This means that he will be in the next group to be ordained Deacon, in Westminster Cathedral on Saturday May 26th. He is on the left in the picture below, telling the good news to Tom and Valerie, two friends from St Joseph's in Christchurch who worship with us on alternate Sundays.

Thanks!

Jane and I would like to thank everyone who has remembered us in prayer for our Reception today into the Catholic Church. It was a lovely occasion; a beautiful, cold morning, and a very good number of the faithful in church. Anglican friends had turned up (one couple having set off very early indeed from Caversham), another couple who are preparing to be received came from Bournemouth. To my amazement there was a choir, augmented with singers from the Catholic Church in Brockenhurst. Fr Danny, the parish priest, generously stood aside to let Mgr Peter Ryan celebrate the Mass and Confirmation. Peter was an Anglican priest himself, but became a Catholic many years ago and served in Liverpool. Now, like us, he is retired in Lymington. He kindly undertook the task of preparing us in a 'crash course'. He spoke to us this morning with great warmth, and with affection for the Church of England.
I had asked Norah, one of the regular congregation at Our Lady of Mercy, to act as my sponsor; Jane had an old friend, yet another fomer Anglican now a Catholic Priest, to sponsor her, so Fr John Catlin drove over from Winchester to support us. After Mass we had a great reception in the parish room, with tea and coffee and home-made cakes and biscuits; a bun-fight to remember!
It is so good to be in Communion with the Catholic Church, to be part of it. We were so warmly welcomed, not least by two Dominican Sisters from their House in Sway - the picture above is of their Chapel. Thanks to everyone; but above all, Thanks be to God for his loving care for us and for all his children.

Hither and Yon

I abandoned the 'Sacred Synod' on Friday before it ended; to get home to welcome four dinner guests. When they left I posted a blog for the Anglo-Catholic http://www.theanglocatholic.com/2010/09/here-we-go-round-the-mulberry-bush/

(it seems to have caused a little interest), packed for the weekend, and went to bed a little after midnight. At seven am on Saturday we were on the road to Bury St Edmunds, where I was honoured to preach for the Revd Dr Michael Peel's 5oth anniversary of priesting.

Fr Peel was on good form

Jane had found the journey rather tiring

Michael, when I first met him, was Warden of the Homes of St Barnabas in Sussex, but he already had a long and distinguished parochial ministry behind him. Also behind him, as ever, was his wife Daloni - their Golden Wedding is in two years' time.

Their sons and families supported them, as did many old friends. Fr David Palmer (now a Catholic Priest) gave one of the speeches; another was by a former Curate, Fr John Sclater (left), now a Priest Vicar of Wells Cathedral. Fr Michael himself celebrated the Mass in time-honoured Prayer Books style (albeit with Incense and some modest ceremonial).

At the end of Mass

Fr Peel's wife, Daloni (rt), welcomed guests to the after-Mass drinks at the back of Church.

The Church of St Peter, Thurston, is a large imposing East Anglian edifice; its tower fell dramatically in the 19th Century, demolishing the greater part of the nave. Amazingly, within eighteen monthsof the disaster it was completely rebuilt!









After a great reception we drove southeast into Essex from Suffolk, to the parish of Thorpe-le-Soken. There Fr Jeremy Dowding was in mid-festival, and we joined the parish that evening for a marvellous concert - the outstandingly good Tenor, Andrew Bain, had been a chorister at St Peter's and like his fellow artist the Soprano Natasha Shipp, gave his services freely to the Church, as did also their accompanist Helen Allison.

The party that followed the concert went on in the Vicarage until three am. Jane and I made our excuses and retired around midnight. On Sunday morning, I preached at a confirmation when the one Candidate, Patricia, was supported by her daughter and grand-daughter.




It was a lovely occasion, in the church decked with flowers and produce for Harvest, and there was a large congregation. In the past year the regular communicant numbers has grown by around twenty - while all around churches are in decline. We were joined for lunch in a nearby pub by Fr Jeremy and his wife and four of his leading parishioners. When we made our getaway in mid-afternoon we headed into torrential rain and traffic returning from other weekend jollifications, so it took us four hours to cover the 190 miles home. So much for retirement - but I would sooner wear out than just rust away. You might like one or two pictures from the weekend. Below is the 16th Century tower of Our Lady and St Michael, Thorpe-le-Soken; most of the rest of the church is 19th Century rebuild.

Brighton addendum

Fr Beau ensured sobriety at the party

Not a good day for photos, but here are a few more to add to the recent Brighton story. We went to a 14th birthday party on Saturday evening (a week ago now) and here are a few photos from the event. Sadly one camera went missing (and I had forgotten to take mine) but you will get an idea of the event from what we have rescued here.... none still of Fr Beau's fractured ankle.

[Above] Dad pictured concocting a potion; grandad behind his shoulder.




Birthday boy before he misplaced his aunt's camera, among other servers at his party.

Brighton

At the Throne (just!)

A few pictures from last weekend's Confirmation at S Martin's have been forwarded, so as promised here is a little memento of that visit. Fr Beau Brandie was heavily handicapped - he really is too old to play rough games, but he'd managed to get a broken ankle, so processions were more than usually dignified. He produced a good number of candidates, though, and a merry time was had by all. I shall let the pictures do the talking - currently I am getting geared up for a Patronal (St James) at S Michael's Croydon (who have James, very cunningly, as their second Feast of Title) - we head off that way tomorrow.

At the bunfight

Fr Beau with Trevor: Rachel and me

All on a Summer's Evening

Christchurch Priory was lovely in the late evening sun. It is one of the most beautiful churches in England, and there we baptized four and confirmed twenty candidates. I spoke about the New Testament as the Last Will and Testament of Jesus. His dying wish (having nothing else to give) was that we would give thanks over bread and wine and so become his Body. But his parting wish, after the Resurrection, was that we should baptize people everywhere. So tonight we were fulfilling the express commands of his will.

There were children and several older candidates, from the Priory Church (Holy Trinity) and its daughter church, St George's. Here they are by the West door, together with Fr Darryl and Fr Graham, assistant priests. The Churchwarden told me he is involved in the appointment of a new Vicar for the parish, and that the interviews are very soon. They need our prayers. They have taken none of the Resolutions, so it is a very likely launch-pad for some future female vicar to make her mark and be in line for a mitre. In which case tonight's very happy occasion will have been my last in that lovely place.

I never go to Christchurch without giving a thought to Margaret Countess of Salisbury. There is the grandest of late-mediaeval/Renaissance tombs prepared for her; but never occupied. Henry VIII was so angered (and threatened) by her - her family was close to throne by birth - that when he had her executed at the tower he refused to allow her burial in her own tomb. It is said that the doughty septuagenarian, mother of Cardinal Pole, refused to kneel for the axeman, so her head was hacked from her body as she stood... And we think Synod makes life difficult!