Wednesday 29 November 2017

Study: Young Catholics divided Between Traditionalists and Modernists


From the Catholic Herald:-

"There are two groups of young Catholics: those who want to “draw the Church back” to a previous era, and those who think the Church should conform to social trends, according to a report from the bishops of England and Wales.
The bishops surveyed around 3,000 young Catholic Britons ahead of next October’s synod of bishops, whose theme is “Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment”.
Describing the two main groups, the report said the first is “a small but vocal group who want to draw the Church back into an era which they have been told was far better than it is today”.
The other group, which the report describes as “much larger, though less evident”, adheres to the “predominant narratives in society, wanting the Church to follow suit”.
“The first group asks for clarity, the second for authenticity,” the report claims.
“If we’re brave enough not to dismiss either of them, it’s possible to hear their yearning for a compelling narrative of how to live as Christians both faithfully and authentically.”
The report also says that while the percentage of young Catholics is declining, a young person who identifies as a member of the Church is more likely to practice their faith than older generations."
For the whole article see:- http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2017/11/28/study-young-catholics-divided-between-traditionalists-and-modernists/http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2017/11/28/study-young-catholics-divided-between-traditionalists-and-modernists/.


Sunday 19 November 2017

5 Things Too Many Catholics Think the Church Stopped Teaching...But Didn't!



By Father  from http://ramblingsofacountrypastor.blogspot.co.uk/

"Many well meaning Catholics really do believe the Church has dropped teachings.  Their religion class never brought it up.   The 'be nice' drivel that passes for preaching in most parishes doesn't touch on these teachings.  Some remember sisters, priests, and other teachers embracing the 'spirit of Vatican II' and telling people that we didn't teach thus and so anymore.  These people lied.  They have done grave damage.

But, let's set the the record straight on some things here today; things that we taught before 1965 and STILL teach long after 1965.

1) Sin and Mortal Sin still exist. 

Sin didn't morph into 'making mistakes'.  Personal sin didn't disappear and morph into 'corporate or social sin.'   In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 1846-1876, the issue of sin, both venial and mortal, are defined  in union with the constant teaching of the Church.  Since sin didn't evaporate into the ether, neither did the necessity to address their effect and need for healing.  Being in a state of mortal sin will still send you to hell.  Dismiss that at your own risk.  Being in a state of mortal sin still excludes a person from the reception of the Eucharist until Confession has happened.  Receiving the Eucharist is a state of mortal sin is, itself, a mortal sin.  We have never taught that one has a right to the Eucharist in any old state.  Never.  In fact, if we did, that would point to a belief that the bread and wine must still be just bread and wine.  We do not believe this either.

2) Sunday Mass/ Holy Day Masses are NOT optional.  


A Catholic in good standing, exempting those who are ill or taking care of someone who is ill, are obliged to worship God in Mass on every Sunday and Holy Day.  That never changed.  When one chooses to opt out of Mass in favor of sleeping in, sports, shopping, or anything in this vein, one has found a god they think is more worthy of their time than the God.   That any Catholic would believe their faith life is just fine without Mass is delusional.  Willfully missing mass is starving oneself to death spiritually.  To knowingly and willfully miss Mass IS mortally sinful.  To teach one's children by word or example that Mass is optional is to teach your children how to mortally sin.  This is very serious matter.

3) The sanctity of human sexuality is still upheld.  

We view human sexuality as such a profound good that the Church advises against the abuse of human sexuality into a mere plaything.  We have always had problems with the misuse of human sexuality and the devastation it brings.  I know, I know...what about those clerics who sexually preyed on their flocks?  They did so in direct opposition to the teachings of the Church.  The use of artificial birth control was never a 'let your conscience be your guide' type of thing.  That was the mantra of clerics who either bought into worldly views on human sexuality or were too cowardly to uphold those teachings for fear of the backlash that would come.  The Church does not okay the use of porn, masturbation, same sex acting out, or any other use of human sexuality that goes against its very nature. I know this is not popular, but the Church has not changed its teachings about this.  See Catechism sections 2331-2400.

4) Confession is still necessary for the forgiveness of mortal sin.  

Sin needs to be forgiven for the relationship with God and with His people to be restored.  It is that relationship that opens us to the freedom of receiving God's grace in the sacraments.  It that relationship that opens us to the Kingdom of Heaven.  Mortal sin severs that relationships.  Without that relationship, we have no true access to the grace of the other sacraments nor to the Kingdom of Heaven.  Whether one feels that is true or not, does not change that this is the constant teaching of the Church.  See Catechism 1446-1470. 

5) The Catholic faith is not a buffet where one picks and chooses what is okay and comfortable.  

The Catholic faith has the right to say that this is what we believe.  It has the right to set the standard.  We do so because this is what Christ taught.  End of story.  The point of faith isn't to numb.  The point of faith is to challenge to greater heights, courage, and holiness.  Every rule and teaching of the Church comes from what it means to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.  It is an integral whole.  Once we start picking and  choosing, we damage the whole.  When people start picking and choosing, it becomes easier and easier to abandon faith altogether.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  Catholic professionals bemoan the ignorance of the masses and the lack of practice of the masses.  I say that the masses are only doing what we trained them to do!  If we treated faith as a buffet, shocker that others would as well.  If we backed away from unpopular teachings, or teachings that don't jibe with the inferior (political views for example...yeah, I just said that!), or teachings that mean I have to give up my favored sins, then we spread the disease of ignorance that plagues so many.

It isn't as if we haven't had these teachings all along.  All of the things our  spirit of Vatican II types said we threw out (Rosary, Confession, Purgatory, Indulgences, sexual morality teachings, etc) we never did.  These types will have stand before God for the damage they did.

We still believe what we believed long before Vatican II.  Our need to learn is present.  Our need to have clear teaching is also. " 

Friday 17 November 2017

Being a Joyful and Positive Catholic


  
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:People_jumping_on_the_beach.jpg
Mark J. Sebastian: www.markjsebastian.com
 
 
by Curtis A. Martin 

"You've got to love a religion that commands you to rejoice. St. Paul tells us we should "Rejoice always. Pray constantly. Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thess. 5:16-18). 

At first glance, he makes it sound easy. Why is it, then, that we have so much trouble doing something that seems so easy and that we want to do so badly? 

We all face problems at one time or another - some small, others daunting - and sometimes we can't help being irked by these problems and by those who cause them. But this article isn't about problems in life or those who cause them, but about us and how we should respond to the people and situations that tempt us to be angry, suspicious, or irritated. 

We Catholics have work to do for Christ. We don't have time to pout and wring our hands about problems in the Church. Acknowledge them, yes, but we can't let them discourage us. Discouragement can paralyze us if we don't take St. Paul seriously about being joyful in the midst of adversity. If we let discouragement get the better of us, we'll be incapable of helping the Church. 

Joy is not for wimps. St. Paul's letters show that he was an intensely joyful man, but he was also tough. Think you face hardships and opposition in your efforts to live and spread the 
Catholic Faith? Look at what St. Paul went through: 

"[F]ar greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I have received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I have been beaten with rods; once I was stoned. Three times I have been shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brethren; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my 
anxiety for all the churches" (2 Cor. 11:23-28). 

For a Catholic, joy in the midst of adversity is not merely a possibility or a suggestion, but an obligation. Our faith in Christ and our union with Him through the sacraments should 
produce in us a spirit of indomitability. If we really believe that He has indeed conquered the world, and that we can do all things through Him (cf. Phil. 4:13), then there's no need to let 
troubles and troublemakers get us down. 

Don't feel like you're a particularly joyful person? You can do something about it. Like building a muscle through repeated weight lifting, joy is strengthened by practicing natural virtues. God's gift of grace builds on nature, so by developing virtue, the treasure of divine life (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4) flourishes within our hearts. But this takes consistent effort. It means we must work to acquire fortitude, so that we don't give up when things become difficult; temperance, so that we don't give in to excesses in pursuing the pleasures of this world; justice, so we may prioritize and fulfill our daily obligations; and prudence, so that we may be truly wise and always able to evaluate our earthly circumstances in light of eternity. Without these natural virtues, our joy may be stolen from us. 

The Church prays in her Liturgy of the Hours, "Through Your Spirit unite us with Yourself, so that trial or persecution or danger may never separate us from Your love" (Morning Prayer, Thursday, 7th week of Easter). Developing our joy in Christ is a lifelong process, and distractions will inevitably arise that will divert our attention away from Christ and toward the difficulties of our daily lives. These distractions are all the more painful and challenging when they are encountered close to home ‹ within our own families and within the Church itself. And yet St. Paul exhorts us to "have no anxiety about anything, but in everything, 
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6-7). 

Each of us could compose a long laundry list of all the challenges, frustrations, and temptations to anger we encounter in our families and within the Church: Dissent from Church teaching, liturgical abuses, and division (to name a few examples) exist, but to become consumed by these problems would be to go directly against Sacred Scripture, which calls us to let our mind dwell on good and wholesome things (cf. Phil. 4:8). This doesn't mean we ignore or deny that these difficulties exist, but neither should we become preoccupied with them. 

We see the problems, yes, but our focus must be on the solutions. And even if there is no apparent earthly solution, we should maintain a sense of hope and thanksgiving for the eternal life that awaits us. 

Besides being an essential characteristic of the faithful Christian, joy is also a powerful element in leading others to Christ and His Church. It's been said that the greatest obstacle 
to Catholicism is often Catholics. When we come across to non-Catholics as pessimistic, suspicious, and incessant complainers about problems in the Church, we aren't going to be very effective in evangelizing them. In fact, the more we Catholics appear morose 
and cranky, the less seriously the world will take us and the Gospel of Christ. We even run the risk of making the Church and its teachings appear ludicrous to non-Catholics when all they see is carping, name-calling, and rivalries among us. 

St. Augustine once remarked that "our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee." This truth is the key to reaching people with the message of Christ and His Church. People are already seeking Him, even if they don't realize it. Each person we encounter is seeking true happiness, but without Christ he is destined to seek it in places and in ways that will never satisfy what he really craves - a deep, abiding joy that comes only from Christ. 

That's why it's essential that we manifest this joy to those around us! If the people we seek to evangelize see us as angry, pessimistic, and unduly aggravated by problems within and without the Church, why should they want to become Catholic? No. We must show those around us that, because of Christ, we are joyful, undaunted, and hopeful, in spite of the problems and obstacles that may surround us. 

For Catholics who don't cultivate joy and charity, discussions with non-Catholics or poorly formed Catholics often become mere debates, futile and frustrating for both parties. But for the joyful Catholic, these encounters are opportunities for grace - not attempts to win arguments, but inviting the other person to the fullness of communion with Christ in His Church. 

We will, of course, encounter obstacles, difficulties, and rejection, but we can accept these as opportunities to deepen our trust in and reliance upon Christ and prove our faithfulness. This willingness to endure hardship, criticism, and sometimes even hatred for the sake of Christ is the same spirit exemplified by Moses, who chose "rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin" (Heb. 11:25). 

Cultivating joy isn't easy, but it is simple - as simple as one, two, three. One: "Rejoice always." Two: "Pray without ceasing." Three: "In all things, give thanks" (cf. 2 Thess. 5:16). "

From https://www.ewtn.com/library.




        

Thursday 16 November 2017

The Papa Stronsay wall calendar for 2018 is finally here, and can be purchased below!



From:- http://papastronsay.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/papa-stronsay-calendar-2018.html?m=1

For those of you who may not have had the pleasure of owning a Papa Stronsay calendar in the past, it is probably the best Extraordinary Form liturgical wall-calendar available, giving you not only the day's liturgical feast and commemorations, but also the liturgical colour of the day, public holidays for five countries, astronomical information, many other liturgical events and historical information not included in the general calendar of the Church, and so much more.

 The Calendar contains images of our life throughout the year.

Each month is packed full of liturgical and devotional information.
Purchase your Papa Stronsay Calendar now! Simply enter the quantity below to be taken to the Papa Stronsay shop:
Quantity  
The Calendar is with the printer now, and should be ready to ship within the next two weeks.  We will have them to you as soon as possible.

Due to unfortunate circumstances, we have been obliged to increase the cost of the Papa Stronsay Calendar this year, but hope to get it back down again next year. Even with this increase, we have not covered the cost of printing. If you are able, please consider making a donation to help with these substantial costs. Thank you!

Wednesday 15 November 2017

Extraordinary Malvern - New Website Launched!

 

The website states:-
"Following the closure of the Catholic Chaplaincy at Spetchley Park on 12 November AD 2017, we are working to establish at least a monthly Sunday celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass either at St Wulstan's, Little Malvern or somewhere close by. All services will be with permission of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. I have identified a priest who is willing to celebrate Mass for us and the decision is currently with Bishop Robert Byrne.
Extraordinary Malvern is intended to become the online home of Traditional Latin Liturgy (i.e. Liturgy in the Extraordinary Form) in and around Little Malvern, Worcestershire.      

Interested?

If you would like to register interest in attending or to offer help please contact us on schola.uk@btopenworld.com or complete and submit the form on the Contact page.  I shall then endeavour to contact you directly as and when details are confirmed."

Thursday 9 November 2017

Dominican Rite Calendar for 2018


"I am pleased to announce that the is now available on the left sidebar here at Dominican Liturgy.   It is found under "Dominican Rite Texts--Downloadable.

This calendar gives the feasts of the year according to the rubrics of 1962 and also includes (for votive use) those Dominican saints and blesseds added to the Dominican calendar after 1962.  In addition it includes all saints and blesseds approved for celebration in the United States, as well as the feasts proper to those dioceses where the four American Dominican Provinces have houses.

I have also indicated the feasts of dedication for consecrated Dominican churches, when I was able to find them.  If I have missed any, I ask my Dominican brothers to email me about them.  I would be happy to add the local feasts of other dioceses where there are Dominican houses, if I missed them.  Also, if anyone finds mistakes in this calendar, for example the names of ordinaries, please email me about them so that I can fix them before New Year's."

Fr. Augustine Thompson, O.P. at 8:36 AM.

From:-http://dominican-liturgy.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/dominican-rite-calendar-for-2018.html.



Wednesday 8 November 2017

Free Purgatorial Society from Rorate Coeli



From Rorate Coeli:-

"This is our monthly reminder to please enroll Souls of the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society. We now stand at 79 priests saying weekly or monthly traditional Latin Masses for the Souls.

** Click here to download a "fillable" PDF Mass Card to give to the loved ones of the Souls you enroll. It's free for anyone to use. **

Priests: The Souls still need more of you saying Mass for them! Please email me to offer your services. There's nothing special involved -- all you need to do is offer a weekly or monthly TLM with the intention: "For the Souls enrolled in the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society." And we will always keep you completely anonymous unless you request otherwise. 

How to enroll souls: please email me at athanasiuscatholic@yahoo.com and submit as follows: "Name, State, Country." If you want to enroll entire families, simply write in the email: "The Jones family, Ohio, USA". Individual names are preferred. Be greedy -- send in as many as you wish and forward this posting to friends as well.

Please consider forwarding this Society to your family and friends, announcing from the pulpit during Holy Mass or listing in your church bulletin. We need to spread the word and relieve more suffering souls.

Please pray for the enrolled Souls and the 79 holy priests saying Traditional Masses for the Society:

"For all the souls enrolled in the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the Faithful departed rest in peace. Amen."

Then ...

Almighty and ever living God,
we ask Thy blessing upon the priests
who offer Masses for the Purgatorial Society.
Give them a greater awareness of the grace
that Thou dost pour out through the Sacraments,
and by their devout celebration of the Sacred Mysteries,
increase in them a love for Thee.
Give strength to Thy priests, O Shepherd of the flock;
when they are in doubt, give them the assurance of faith,
and in Thy goodness confirm them as heralds of Thy Truth
to all who seek to follow in Thy path.
We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal Priest,
Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity with the Holy Ghost,
God, for ever and ever. Amen."

Sunday 29 October 2017

Young Catholic Adults Procession at Douai Abbey on Youtube


Cardinal Müller: Luther’s reform was ‘against the Holy Spirit’


https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Gerhard_Ludwig_M%C3%BCller.jpg
 LUTHER? NOT A REFORM BUT A REVOLUTION
by Gerhard L. Müller
There is great confusion today when we talk about Luther, and it needs to be said clearly that from the point of view of dogmatic theology, from the point of view of the doctrine of the Church, it wasn’t a reform at all but rather a revolution, that is, a total change of the foundations of the Catholic Faith.
It is not realistic to argue that [Luther’s] intention was only to fight against abuses of indulgences or the sins of the Renaissance Church. Abuses and evil actions have always existed in the Church, not only during the Renaissance, and they still exist today. We are the holy Church because of the God’s grace and the Sacraments, but all the men of the Church are sinners, they all need forgiveness, contrition, and repentance.
This distinction is very important. And in the book written by Luther in 1520, “De captivitate Babylonica ecclesiae,” it is absolutely clear that Luther has left behind all of the principles of the Catholic Faith, Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition, the magisterium of the Pope and the Councils, and of the episcopate. In this sense, he upended the concept of the homogeneous development of Christian doctrine as explained in the Middle Ages, even denying that a sacrament is an efficacious sign of the grace contained therein. He replaced this objective efficacy of the sacraments with a subjective faith. Here, Luther abolished five sacraments, and he also denied the Eucharist: the sacrificial character of the sacrament of the Eucharist, and the real conversion of the substance of bread and wine into the substance of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, he called the sacrament of episcopal ordination, the sacrament of Orders, an invention of the Pope — whom he called the Antichrist — and not part of the Church of Jesus Christ. Instead, we say that the sacramental hierarchy, in communion with the successor of Peter, is an essential element of the Catholic Church, and not only a principle of a human organization.
That is why we cannot accept Luther’s reform being called a reform of the Church in a Catholic sense. Catholic reform is a renewal of faith lived in grace, in the renewal of customs, of ethics, a spiritual and moral renewal of Christians; not a new foundation, not a new Church.
It is therefore unacceptable to assert that Luther’s reform “was an event of the Holy Spirit.” On the contrary, it was against the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit helps the Church to maintain her continuity through the Church’s magisterium, above all in the service of the Petrine ministry: on Peter has Jesus founded His Church (Mt 16:18), which is “the Church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15). The Holy Spirit does not contradict Himself.
We hear so many voices speaking too enthusiastically about Luther, not knowing exactly his theology, his polemics and the disastrous effect of this movement which destroyed the unity of millions of Christians with the Catholic Church. We cannot evaluate positively his good will, the lucid explanation of the shared mysteries of faith but not his statements against the Catholic Faith, especially with regard to the sacraments and hierarchical-apostolic structure of the Church.
Nor is it correct to assert that Luther initially had good intentions, meaning by this that it was the rigid attitude of the Church that pushed him down the wrong road. This is not true: Luther was intent on fighting against the selling of indulgences, but the goal was not indulgences as such, but as an element of the Sacrament of Penance.
Nor is it true that the Church refused to dialogue: Luther first had a dispute with John Eck; then the Pope sent Cardinal Gaetano as a liaison to talk to him. We can discuss the methods, but when it comes to the substance of the doctrine, it must be stated that the authority of the Church did not make mistakes. Otherwise, one must argue that, for a thousand years, the Church has taught errors regarding the faith, when we know — and this is an essential element of doctrine — that the Church can not err in the transmission of salvation in the sacraments.
One should not confuse personal mistakes and the sins of people in the Church with errors in doctrine and the sacraments. Those who do this believe that the Church is only an organization comprised of men and deny the principle that Jesus himself founded His Church and protects her in the transmission of the faith and grace in the sacraments through the Holy Spirit. His Church is not a merely human organization: it is the body of Christ, where the infallibility of the Council and the Pope exists in precisely described ways. All of the councils speak of the infallibility of the Magisterium, in setting forth the Catholic faith. Amid today’s confusion, in many people this reality has been overturned: they believe the Pope is infallible when he speaks privately, but then when the Popes throughout history have set forth the Catholic faith, they say it is fallible.
Of course, 500 years have passed. It’s no longer the time for polemics but for seeking reconciliation: but not at the expense of truth. One should not create confusion. While on the one hand, we must be able to grasp the effectiveness of the Holy Spirit in these other non-Catholic Christians who have good will, and who have not personally committed this sin of separation from the Church, on the other we cannot change history, and what happened 500 years ago. It’s one thing to want to have good relations with non-Catholic Christians today, in order to bring us closer to a full communion with the Catholic hierarchy and with the acceptance of the Apostolic Tradition according to Catholic doctrine. It’s quite another thing to misunderstand or falsify what happened 500 years ago and the disastrous effect it had. An effect contrary to the will of God: “… that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou has sent me” (Jn 17:21).


Photographs of 2017 Young Catholic Adults Douai Weekend

The photos below show the Young Catholic Adults weekend 2017 - held with the assistance of the Scola Gregoriana of Cambridge. For more photographs click here.

Sermon High Mass of the Douai Martyrs


High Mass of the Douai Martyrs
Marian Procession


Nigeria, faithful see the “Miracle of the Sun” like in Fatima

From Andrea Torniella at http://www.lastampa.it:-

Exactly one hundred years have passed since the famous experience that took place during the last Marian apparition of Fatima, on 13 October 1917, when immediately after the three shepherdesses had seen Our Lady, a crowd of seventy thousand people flocked to the Cova from Iria during a violent rainstorm and witnessed the "miracle of the sun”, as they watched, with their naked eye, the star that seemed to come closer, change color and dance around the sky. Several non-believers also witnessed that "miracle", such as the news-reporter of a professed secularist newspaper. Now something similar seems to have happened in Benin City, Nigeria, on the occasion of the re-consecration of the country wanted by the bishops. In communicating the decision, the bishops recalled that Nigeria is going through "a period marked by tensions, unrest and a general sense of despair and dissatisfaction". There are institutional problems, “cases of selective application of the rule of law”, as well as unequal distribution of resources, corruption and impunity.  
  
On the morning of October 13th, at the re-consecration ceremony, led by the Archbishop of Jos, Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, president of the Nigerian Episcopal Conference, 53 bishops took part together with more than a thousand priests, two thousand religious and about 55 thousand faithful. In the afternoon, after the celebration, the witnesses tell us, there was a heavy downpour followed by the appearance of the sun changing color and "dancing". According to father Chris N. Anyanwu, director of the episcopate's social communications - this unusual phenomenon rejoiced the hearts of the pilgrims present at the celebration and many of them have attested that what they saw, recalls the experience of Fatima in 1917. Certainly, the great joy of the participants in seeing these signs showed thorough the enthusiasm of their faith that Nigeria will no longer be the same".  
  
The testimonies have been reported on the Facebook page of the Episcopal Conference and this has led to the thought of an explicit form of recognition of the event. However, that web space cannot be considered an official expression of the episcopate and there are no statements in this regard.

Wednesday 25 October 2017

Martyrs of Wales - and England - convert us again!



" In the Ordinary Form calander (25th Oct) is the feast of the Martyrs of Wales (you can read a brief biography of the six of them here). Until the recent republication of the Missal, there were two feast of the English and Welsh Maryts commomorated - one in May and one in October for the forty cannonised in 1970. but these have now been conflated with all the others who were the beatified martyrs whose feast was kept in May.


It seems a pity that we have only one feast to celebrate so many heroic stories but I see no reason why I can't celebrate a Votive Mass of the Wlesh Martyrs today (as it is a Feria).


A great opportunity to pray for the conversion of both England and Wales back to the Faith of our Fathers and Mothers - something ever more needful in the world in which we live. In an era of closing churches and shrinking congregations, it would be good to hear more about converting our fellow citizens and even some strategies for calling back the lapsed.  These are in an even more perilous position as far as salvation is concerned, as they have heard the call, received the invitation and the grace of baptism and yet rejected or abandoned it. A very inconvenient truth to mention to them, I know."

Fr Simon Henry from:- https://offerimustibidomine.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/martyrs-of-wales-and-england-convert-us.html?m=1

Monday 16 October 2017

Extra Details for the YCA Douai Weekend 2017




On Arrival

Please report to Douai Abbey reception and from there you will be able to get your key (or be directed to the cottages). For those arriving on Friday 20th, the time of arrival is from 5-6pm onwards. The address for the Abbey is
:- Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 5TQ, England.  RG7 5TQ. The weekend ends at 2pm after lunch on Sunday 22nd.

Please Note

Some of the rooms in the Guest House have been let out to the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge; they will be helping to make the weekend a success– (providing Gregorian Chant Workshops and the singing at Masses/Vesper/Compline).

Photographs/recordings
Feel free to take photos/make recordings (audio/video) including at the Masses and Marian Procession, please  email them to either ps99ddb@yahoo.co.uk or Margaret.barker@rocketmail.com after the weekend.
Social
An amount of non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks and nibbles will be available for at the socials. Please feel free to bring your own drinks/snacks as well.
Meals

If anyone has any dietary requirements, please email
ps99ddb@yahoo.co.uk or Margaret.barker@rocketmail.com.
Timetable
This will be available at the weekend and will appear at:- http://youngcatholicadults-latestnews.blogspot.co.uk/ in the next few days.
Parking
There is ample parking available at the Abbey.
The Guest House
Soap and towels are provided.
The Cottages
The Abbey supply each resident of the cottages with linen viz: a towel, 2 pillow cases, a duvet and duvet cover, and also a sheet. However, if anyone wants to bring their own linen, they get a 20% reduction on the per person per night charge. They do not supply soap. For those who are self- catering there is a fully equipped kitchen located in the cottages.

Lifts

If you would like to have a lift from the train station (lifts are available this year between the times of 5-6pm on Friday and after 2pm on Sunday) , please contact Damian on 07908 105787 a couple of days before the weekend with your estimated time of arrival:- there may be a delay in picking you up depending on available cars. Alternatively, the following taxi services are available:-
24 7 Taxi Services
Park La, Thatcham
RG18 3PJ
T 01635 868781

A 2 B Taxi Co
46 Ullswater Close, Thatcham
RG19 3UJ
T 01635 877777
A N D Cars
2 Victor Rd, Thatcham
RG19 4LX
T 01635 877555

Rail

Please note that trains run from Midgham Station (the station is 10 mins away from Douai Abbey, station is called MIDGHAM, but it is actually in Woolhampton village,) on Sundays as well Sat-Monday. Trains run from London Paddington, Reading & Newbury. It's about 40 minutes from London Paddington.


Directions

Douai Abbey is situated 1 mile north of the A4 about half way between Reading and Newbury in Berkshire.

The turn off the A4 is about 6 miles from M4 Junction 12.

By rail the nearest station is called MIDGHAM, but it is actually in Woolhampton village.

To Walk

You will need to leave the station and head towards the centre of Woolhampton village, when you reach the main road, turn left and walk c. 50 yards until you reach the "The Falmouth Arms"; turn right here, then walk up WOOLHAMPTON HILL which is then signposted to Douai Abbey. Pass Elstree School (right) and St Peter's Church (right) and on up to a T-junction. Turn left past the Thatched Cottage (on left), and then after 800 yards is the DOUAI ABBEY Entrance. It takes about 15 mins to walk from the station.

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By Car

From Reading on the A4:

At roundabout after dual carriageway, continue on A4 towards Newbury for half a mile.
Turn right at sign to Douai Abbey (picture) up CODS HILL, pass Sports Ground on left.
Pass Thatched Cottage (on left), after 100 metres pass St Mary's Church (on right).
DOUAI ABBEY Entrance is a further 100 metres on the right.
After turning in, fork right for RECEPTION or left for PARKING.


From Newbury on the A4:

At Woolhampton village, on the left is "The Falmouth Arms", very prominent.
Turn left here, up WOOLHAMPTON HILL which is signposted to Douai Abbey (picture).
Pass Elstree School (right) and St Peter's Church (right) and on up to a T-junction.
Turn left past the Thatched Cottage (on left), and in 200 metres is the DOUAI ABBEY Entrance.
After turning in, fork right for RECEPTION or left for PARKING.

Many thanks,

Damian Co-ordinator Young Catholic Adults.

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