Vocation discernment weekend, at St John Fisher House in Reading on 16-17-18 December 2011:
For Catholic men between 18 and 35 years of age (under 18 please contact us).
Starts on Friday 16th December 2011 at 6pm – ends on Sunday 18th December 2011 mid-afternoon. Led by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP.
Location: St John Fisher House is the residence of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter in England & Wales.
Address: 17, Eastern Avenue, Reading, RG1 5RU, England.
Access: 27mn from London Paddington by direct trains up to every 10mn, and from London Waterloo. Direct trains from Oxford, Bournemouth, Bristol, Newcastle, York, Birmingham, Gatwick Airport, Southampton Airport, etc. Direct ‘RailAir’ buses from Heathrow to Reading train station every 20mn. Motorway: M4.
Limited overnight accommodation: please book now.
Programme: Spiritual conferences, socials, Holy Mass each of the three days (Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite) including polyphonic Sunday Mass, silent prayer, private talk with Fr de Malleray, FSSP. Fr de Malleray will explain what a vocation is in general and to the priesthood in particular. Read here the Holy Father’s recent Letter to seminarians. Extract: “The proper celebration of the Eucharist involves knowing, understanding and loving the Church’s liturgy in its concrete form. In the liturgy we pray with the faithful of every age – the past, the present and the future are joined in one great chorus of prayer. As I can state from personal experience, it is inspiring to learn how it all developed, what a great experience of faith is reflected in the structure of the Mass, and how it has been shaped by the prayer of many generations.”
Cost: no set price for students or unemployed – any donation welcome; others: £50 suggested.
New: our special Vocations flyer and videos on www.fssp.org.uk/england/pages/vocations.
Altar servers’ weekend (residential): at St John Fisher House in Reading on 18-19-20 November 2011:
For single Catholic men between 18 and 35 years of age (under 18 please contact us).
Starts on Friday 18th November 2011 at 6pm – ends on Sunday 20th November 2011 mid-afternoon. Led by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP.
In a convivial atmosphere, come and learn (or improve) how to set the vestments and sacred items before Mass and to serve Low Mass and Benediction. EF Mass on the Friday evening, Saturday morning and Sunday morning. Fr de Malleray will give explanations on the liturgy.
Limited overnight accommodation: please book now. Non residential participants welcome.
Clergy retreat. Starts Monday 5th March 2012 at 2pm – ends Friday 9th March 2012 at 2pm (4 nights).
Theme: ‘Our priestly identity as shaped by the traditions of Holy Mother Church: from Tonsure and the four Minor Orders to the four Major Orders, a gradual participation to the priesthood of Christ’.
Schedule: Silent retreat; meals with table reading on the theme of the retreat; includes one conference in the morning and another one in the afternoon; possibility of private meeting with the Retreat Master and of confession; Possibility of attending Eucharistic Adoration with the local contemplative religious community. Common recitation of Compline (EF Breviary) and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament will also take place.
Location: Cold Ash pastoral centre, run by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary: The Ridge, Thatcham, RG18 9HU, England. We will have the guests’ wing available for us, with access to the 19th century chapel (with four eastward facing altars); there are also nice grounds and woodlands.
Extras: Possibility of staying one more day at the Centre or at St John Fisher House before or after our retreat for those who wish. Optional convivial meal among clergy at nearby pub at 12 noon, before retreat begins.
Cost per person: £250 (includes: £230 for Cold Ash Centre for single room full board, and £20 for FSSP).
Booking: Please send us the £250 cheque made payable to FSSP ENGLAND (includes a non refundable £50 deposit).
N.B. Private Masses in the Ordinary or Extraordinary Form at each priest’s discretion.
Please kindly book now.
Advent Weekend of silent recollection: 2-4 December 2011. Led by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP. From 5pm on Friday to about 5pm on Sunday.
Location: Between Newbury and Reading: Cold Ash Pastoral Centre, The Ridge, Thatcham, RG18 9HU, England.
Cost per person full board single room: £120 (discount rate for full time students: £100).
Theme: ‘The Church, fulfilling the Incarnation.’
Programme: Spiritual conferences, Eucharistic adoration and Holy Mass in the EF each of the three days (i.e. Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday morning).
Booking: Please send us the £120 cheque made payable to FSSP ENGLAND (includes a non refundable £30 deposit).
5 comments:
At a time when,of course,with some exceptions, there is a grave shortage of vocations to the priesthood I find it strange that the invitation to the 'Vocations discernment weekend' is limited to men between 18 and 35 years of age. At a time when, at least in the Western world, men are living longer than ever before surely 'older' men with their generally greater experience of the Real World should be welcome to try their vocations?
Equally strange,one might say 'disturbing' is the age limit for men wishing to become alter servers and the quite astonishing requirement that they be SINGLE!
Is it the view of the FSSP that married men (and widowers?) are somehow unworthy to serve? Seems like it.
My belief in the usefulness of the FSSP has been somewhat shaken.
I must agree with the Sceptical Believer - on the face of it, the restrictions seem somewhat arbitrary. Indeed, difficult to understand.
No doubt there will be a logical explanation - which we will read about soon!
Thanks 1569 Rising.
May I suggest a correction to your comment which might read: 'yes, no doubt there will be an explanation soon but not necessarily a logical one'?
35 sigh.
Cutoff ages make me sigh these days.
Yes, De Lilis, and they could, and should, be viewed as discrimatory.
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