An Excellent Talk on the Holy Mass . . .

Last night about 50 of us gathered in St Ann's parish hall to welcome back Fr James Bradley and to listen to his talk on the Holy Mass.  It was good to see quite a few of our Confirmation candidates present too.  I'm sure they gained a lot from the evening.

I think I can safely say that we were not disappointed.

Fr James gave a detailed explanation and exploration of the Holy Mass, taking us through the liturgy of the Mass beginning at the very beginning with the priest vesting in the sacristy and guiding us through the introductory rite, to the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist and finally to the dismissal at the end of the Mass.

Looking at people's faces, I would say that all present were following Fr James' exposition closely and with great interest.

Fr James also spoke at some length about the reception of Holy Communion at Mass; about the way in which we physically receive Holy Communion, our internal disposition and our state of worthiness.

After speaking for almost an hour, which seemed to fly by, Fr James took some interesting questions from some of those present including a question on the new translation of the Missal and the position of the cross at the centre of the altar, as seen in Masses celebrated by Pope Benedict, and now by many other priests around the world.

We are now looking forward to our third and final talk from Fr James in this series which will be on Tuesday 5th February when the subject will be 'Prayer'.

I do hope to see the hall full once more.  All are welcome.

40 Hours Devotion . . .

On Thursday Our 40 Hours Devotion came to end with a beautiful Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. This was followed by a Mass of Thanksgiving for all the graces poured out on our parish during the 40 Hours. I have no doubt that these are many and we shall see their impact in the days, weeks, months and even, years to come.

After the parish Mass, many of those present came together in our parish meeting room to celebrate and reflect on their experiences whilst enjoying a cup of tea or coffee and a piece of cake.

It was wonderful to see the excitement and joy on people's faces as they talked about the recent 40 Hours Devotion. All the comments I heard were very positive. People were very moved by the beautiful Solemn Mass of Exposition on Tuesday evening.

I was delighted that Fr James Bradley of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham was able to accept my invitation to preside at the Mass and also to preach. I know many people were impressed with the beautiful liturgy and gained a lot from Fr James' homily.

Another very encouraging 'fruit' of the devotion was the number of people who came for Confession over the three days. A great blessing.

Several people commented that they felt sad that it was all over and many asked, 'when can we do it again?'

Of course we will do it again - next year, God-willing.

The 40 Hours Devotion provides a wonderful opportunity for us all to grow in holiness individually and for the spiritual growth of our parish as a whole.

In our world today, where we are see evil all around us, where there is a decline in devotion to the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament, and where many no longer see the need for Confession, this is even more important than ever.

What the Papers Say . . .

It certainly is a very interesting and exciting time to be a Catholic at the moment.

I wonder how many of our parishioners read the Catholic papers regularly or follow Catholic news on various websites and blogs; or do we rely on the secular media for coverage of what is happening in the Catholic Church - BBC/ITV/Sky/ news etc. on TV, or the radio?

A look at the front cover of the Catholic Herald this week (other Catholic newspapers are available!) gives us an idea of some of the important things that are happening in the Catholic Church at the moment and many of them will have a direct impact on all of us.

The new translation of the Missal is now ready and we will be learning more about that soon. I will be joining other clergy from our diocese next month for a study day looking at the new translation and will be able to tell you more about it after that. We do know that it will be available for use in parishes in England and Wales from September of this year.

I hope that you will take this opportunity to discover why certain changes have been made to the translation of the Mass that we are now so familiar with so do please look out for any articles in the press or news in our own parish.

I'm sure it will take a little while for us (myself included) to get used to a new form of words. Some changes will be slight and others more pronounced but there will be plenty of explanations nearer the time.

Another news item that dominates this weekends' papers is the proposed Beatification of Pope John Paul II. A cause dear to many people's hearts, I'm sure.

Finally, the third item that struck me in the news is the establishment of the new Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham for former Anglicans who wish to enter into Full Communion with the Catholic Church whilst still retaining some of their Anglican patrimony. I'm sure you will all have heard of the Ordination to the priesthood of three former Anglican Bishops at Westminster Cathedral recently. One of these three priests, Fr Keith Newton, has been appointed Ordinary of the new Ordinariate.

So, there is lots to read, think and talk about for all us. I expect the Catholic papers to be all sold out pretty soon this weekend!