Catholics on BBC4

I enjoyed the first of the programmes on Catholics tonight on BBC4. I thought it was a very good insight into seminary life and was rather impressed by life at Allan Hall. I only wish Ushaw had been something like that. If you missed it, it will be on the iplayer here for three weeks.

Thos without access to the iplayer can find some of the programme content here on the bBC news magazine site.

FSSP Vocation Discernment weekend

Fr de Malleray has asked me to mention this weekend so here is the information. I hope all goes well. Sorry to have been rather quiet here again but I couldn`t get inspired recently. I should also have mentioned the petition for removing the option for Holy Communion in the hand and will be mentioning forthcoming pontifical Mass at St Wilfrid`s York.

Vocation discernment weekend : 30 March - 1 April 2012

at St John Fisher House in Reading:

For Catholic men between 18 and 35 years of age (under 18 please contact us).

Starts on Friday 30^th March 2012 at 6pm (arrivals from 5pm)– ends on Sunday 1^st April 2012 at 3pm. Led by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP, assisted by Fr Simon Leworthy, FSSP and Rev Ian Verrier, FSSP – one of our seminarians from Birmingham (read his interview in the Catholic Herald last month here).

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. Trains: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/. Buses: http://www.nationalexpress.com

Limited overnight accommodation: please book now.

Programme: Spiritual conferences, socials, Holy Mass each of the three days (Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite) including Solemn High Mass on Palm Sunday, 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.

Contact: Tel: 0118 966 5284; Email: malleray@fssp.org

Web: www.fssp.co.uk/england; International: http://fssp.org/; Youths: www.juventutem.org

St John Fisher House is the residence of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter in Reading, a Catholic international priestly society canonically established in the dioceses of Portsmouth and of Northampton, and in the Archdiocese of St Andrew’s & Edinburgh.

We had 11 men staying here at our last Vocation discernment weekend before Christmas. We hope you can be with us this next time. God bless you!