We are delighted to welcome Fr José Salas who is spending a little time in the UK during his Easter vacation from his studies in Rome. Fr José will be joining us in the Easter celebrations here at St Ann's .
We are also very pleased as Fr José seems to have brought some of the Roman sunshine with him . . . or perhaps it has come all the way from his native Mexico!
Of course I can't claim to have influenced the Holy Father in what he would say in his second Angelus address on Sunday, but it seems as if we are thinking along the same lines on this.
19th July, 2010. In his second Angelus address from Castel Gandolfo, Pope Benedict addressed pilgrims on the importance of prayer during their vacations.
Benedict XVI referred to the summer as a time when most are on holiday, including himself. He has suspended his audiences for a period.
He said summer holiday is a “favourable moment” to put first what is most important in life: listening to the Word of God.
“In today’s Gospel we are reminded of the need to rest from our daily labours, so that we may give time to the one thing that is truly necessary in our lives – listening to the word of God in attentive stillness.” Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict explained that everything will pass but the Word of God is eternal and gives meaning to our daily activities.
He said humans must work in domestic and professional activities, but need God because without love activities lose their value and give no joy.
As I said in our newsletter this week and repeated after each Sunday Mass; when you're making your preparations for your summer holidays and writing your check list;
tickets, foreign currency, sunscreen,
hotel reservations, cancel milk and papers,
arrange for someone to look after the dog/cat/hamster, etc. etc. . . .
Don't forget the most important thing -
CHECK THE LOCATION OF THE NEAREST CATHOLIC CHURCH AND
THE TIMES OF SUNDAY MASSES!
I wish you all a very happy, restful and refreshing summer break and I look forward to seeing you all as usual on the Sundays when you're not actually out of the parish.
Here at St Ann's to mark the end of the Annus Sacerdotalis we had a simple devotion of the Holy Rosary offered for all our priests concluding with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
In Rome, naturally they did it with a little more 'style'. Here is a clip showing some of the Closing Vespers to mark the end of the Year for Priests.
I’m sure we’re all delighted to hear this news about our former Bishop - Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor. Many will have first hand experiences and pleasant memories of meeting and talking to Cardinal Cormac during his time as Bishop of Arundel and Brighton. I myself have happy memories of my meetings with him and in particular of course, being ordained by him.
‘In a mark of extraordinary esteem, Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor to two important Vatican congregations that select bishops for most dioceses of the Latin-rite Catholic Church worldwide. . . . the Congregation for Bishops and of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. '
‘In his new role, Cardinal Cormac will be directly involved in the appointment of Bishops for England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, as well for countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and Oceania.’
There are very busy times ahead for Cardinal Cormac and a lot of travelling to and fro to the Vatican. We send His Eminence our best wishes and assurance of our prayers as he takes up his new appointment.
For full details see the website of the Bishops’ Conference here.
I've just seen that the video of today's press conference in Rome has been posted on Vatican YouTube and I thought you might like to watch it so here it is:
There is not much time for blogging today. After breakfast we set off for the Basilica of St Paul's Outside the Walls once more for our final Mass together in Rome in St Benedict's Chapel and from there on to the airport for our flight home.
Luckily I was able to set up this video before we left Banstead. It really is the ideal way to finish this little pilgrimage report. For those of you who would prefer to hear it in Italian please follow the link here.
Well, I'm sure you all know the saying. 'When in Rome . . . ' I couldn't resist taking a photo of this little sports car. (It makes a change from all the photos of churches and eating!) It's the only way to travel in Rome.
I think I might make the owner an offer - it would be just the job for nipping around Banstead!
It was a great joy and privilege to be able to offer Holy Mass in St Peter's Basilica and to be given permission to do so in the Crypt Chapel near the the tomb of Pope John Paul II is even more special.
Of course one can't just stroll in and begin to say Mass. Here is the letter requesting permission to do so which thankfully was given. Many thanks to our tour leader, Anthony Coles, for arranging this for us.
I know you need good eyesight to read it but I thought you might find it interesting anyway.
UPDATE: This video was meant to appear today. I hope you enjoy it now although it is a bit late.
Just a shot showing the crowds queuing to get into St Peter's.
What joy! We prayed for you all at Mass in the Crypt Chapel at St Peter's this morning. Some of the bravest then climbed the 323 steps to the dome!
The day is free for sightseeing today although our guide has made a few suggestions such as the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Also, possibly a walk to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
More later if I manage to take any interesting photos . . .
Up early again today. Here we are waiting in St Peter's Square for the General Audience with His Holiness Pope Benedict. It's 80 degrees Fahrenheit this morning at 9.30am (27 degrees Celsius). The beautiful floral umbrellas are for protection from the sun, not that we're expecting rain!
Great excitement as we wait for the Holy Father . . .
Thousands in St Peter's Square as we are entertained by a band.
Well, we made it. After a good flight and having settled into our hotel, we started in earnest straight after breakfast this morning. Here you can see our group just gathering ready for our visit to St Peter's Basilica.
Later in the day there was a visit to the Catacombs of San Callisto where I celebrated Mass today for our parish and our school.
For those of us who still have any energy left by this evening it has been suggested by our tour guide that a visit to the Trevi Fountain would be a good idea after dinner.
I hope you enjoy today's musical offering. Sing along if you like! I expect we'll be having a sing-along ourselves at some point.
Well, here we are 'at the 11th hour'; all packed and ready to go. I'm very much looking forward to our parish pilgrimage to Rome beginning tomorrow.
I'm always delighted to pay a visit to my 'old stamping ground' and it will be good to be in the company of parishioners some of whom will be making their first visit to the Eternal City.
Please be assured of our prayers for all at St Ann's as we visit the various sites on our pilgrimage. I trust that you will also keep us in your prayers.
I hope to be able to send you a brief message now and again throughout the week to let you know how we're getting on so do please keep 'popping by' the blog to see.
I am delighted to see that the Holy Father has welcomed the new students at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome and greeted them in his Wednesday Audience.
"I offer a warm welcome to the new students of the Pontifical Irish College. May your priestly formation in the Eternal City prepare you to be generous and faithful servants of God’s People in your native land."
You may remember that I posted a photo of my old college on the blog a while ago when I managed to make a brief visit during my flying trip to Rome back in June.
Please keep the students in your prayers as they begin their period of formation in Rome. Please remember also the students of our own Diocese as they begin another year's formation at St John's Seminary, Wonersh.
I'm just making a 'flying visit' to the Eternal City. Here you can see a picture looking down the Via della Conciliazione towards St Peter's Basilica, taken from the bus as I arrived.
I will be rushing around during my two-night stay but it is always good to be in Rome, even if for just a very short while. Being close to the Vatican and the Holy Father makes one feel very much part of, and in touch with, the Universal Church.
Of course, Rome is not just the Vatican and I hope to be able to snatch a few moments of leisure time to stroll along the streets and maybe pop into one of the many street cafes and watch the world go by for a while.
I heard about this on Radio 4; the quote is from the Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. I haven't been able to find a photograph yet of the meeting but I think this is a very good one taken at another meeting in 2006:
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is to convene the 7th Building Bridges Seminar in Rome next week. This is a unique annual series which brings together a range of internationally recognised Christian and Muslim scholars for an intensive study of relevant Biblical and Qur'anic texts.
The seminar, which is organised in partnership with Georgetown University, will run from Tuesday to Thursday (May 6th to 8th). The theme for this year's seminar is 'Communicating the Word: Revelation, Translation and Interpretation in Christianity and Islam', and builds on from similar events in London, Doha, Sarajevo, Washington DC and Singapore.
On Wednesday 7th May, the Archbishop will preach and preside at the service for the Inauguration of his new Representative to the Holy See and Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, the Revd David Richardson.
During the visit the Archbishop will meet privately with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.
It's always interesting to hear of religious leaders meeting the Holy Father, especially when they are from the established church in Great Britain. It is encouraging to know that conversations are taking place, and although this is a private meeting, sometimes this can be more useful than an official one.
I’m sure we’re all delighted to hear this news about our former Bishop - Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor. Many will have first hand experiences and pleasant memories of meeting and talking to Cardinal Cormac during his time as Bishop of Arundel and Brighton. I myself have happy memories of my meetings with him and in particular of course, being ordained by him.
Well, I'm sure you all know the saying. 'When in Rome . . . ' I couldn't resist taking a photo of this little sports car. (It makes a change from all the photos of churches and eating!) It's the only way to travel in Rome.
It was a great joy and privilege to be able to offer Holy Mass in St Peter's Basilica and to be given permission to do so in the Crypt Chapel near the the tomb of Pope John Paul II is even more special.
Just a shot showing the crowds queuing to get into St Peter's. 
Thousands in St Peter's Square as we are entertained by a band.
Well, here we are 'at the 11th hour'; all packed and ready to go. I'm very much looking forward to our parish pilgrimage to Rome beginning tomorrow.
I am delighted to see that the Holy Father has welcomed the new students at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome and greeted them in his Wednesday Audience.+(1).jpg)
This morning I was able to visit the Angelicum (St Thomas Aquinas University) where I studied during my time in Rome a few (!) years ago.
The Basilica of John Lateran from the outside .....
... and the interior of the Basilica.
I heard about this on Radio 4; the quote is from the Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. I haven't been able to find a photograph yet of the meeting but I think this is a very good one taken at another meeting in 2006:
