This Sunday 10th June at the end of the 8am Mass in Chesham Bois, the 8:30am Mass in Bedford and the 11am Mass in Reading, all are invited to pray together an Act of Reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sheets will be provided with the text below, which is most fitting to pray also this Friday on the Feast of the Sacred Heart.
Next Thursday, 7thJune at 7:15pm
in St John Fisher House, 17 Eastern Avenue, Reading, RG1 5RU
We have spaces left for girls aged 10 – 17 years-old on Summer Camp St Petronilla this August 13-18. Among much else, we invoke Our Lady, St Louis Marie de Montfort and St John Bosco to improve the spiritual eyesight of all participants. If you would like to know more about the camp or to request a booking form, please email us here. FLICKR albums from previous years’ camps can be viewed here: Girls 2017; Boys 2017; Girls 2016; Boys 2016.
Opening the Eyes of the Soul to See God
Believing that while Jesus walked in Israel He caused the blind to see by touching them, it is coherent to believe that He does the same now from Heaven through His new Body, that is the Church, specifically through His Saints in Heaven and on Earth. And if the scores of people who are physically healed at Lourdes is a sign of the countless thousands who are spiritually healed, so Don Bosco’s work with our Lady to restore the physical sight of a blind girl is surely a sign of their ongoing work to enable the spiritual sight (that is the Faith) of countless girls and boys today. If this were not possible, why would the Gospels recount to us Jesus having opened the eyes of the blind 2,000 years ago?
The passage below is taken from Saint John Bosco, Seeker of Souls by F.A.Forbes (1935), pages 93-93:
“The miracles of Don Bosco have remained famous. He was indignant when they were attributed to him. ‘I only tell people to invoke our Lady,’ he would say, ‘it is all her doing.’ When very hard pressed, and by obvious facts, he would sometimes admit: ‘Well, you see, we work together, she and I’…
Another day it was a blind girl who, led by two others, went to the church to pray, and afterwards asked to see Don Bosco. ‘How long have you been blind?’ he asked.
‘My eyes have been bad for some time, but a year ago I went completely blind,’ she answered, ‘the doctors say it is hopeless,’ and she begs to cry. Don Bosco led her to a window.
‘Do you not see the light?’ he asked.
‘Nothing at all.’
‘Do you wish to see?’
‘How can you ask such a question? I am a poor girl and my life depends on it.’
‘If you had your sight, would you use it for the good of your soul and for God’s service?’
‘Indeed I would!’
‘Trust in our Lady and she will help you.’
‘I know she will, but in the meantime I am blind.’
Don Bosco held a medal of our Lady before the sightless eyes. ‘What is this?’ he said.
‘I can see,’ cried the girl, ‘it is a medal.’
‘Whose medal?’
‘Our Lady’s.’
‘And on the other side, what do you see?’
‘An old man with a staff — oh, St Joseph!’
‘Holy Mother of God!’ cried the two women, ‘she can actually see!’
The girl dropped the medal which rolled into a dark corner of the room. One of them made a dash to recover it.
‘Let it alone,’ said Don Bosco, ‘let us see if our Lady has really given her back her sight.
The girl went straight to the corner and picked it up. She was beside herself with joy. Later on she became a nun in the religious Order founded by Don Bosco to do for girls what he himself was doing for boys…”
Tomorrow is a First Saturday, and so there will be Confession from 930am, Mass at 1030am, and Catechism for children, young adults and older adults afterwards! NB timings are half an hour earlier than usual.
Pope Francis uses incense as he venerates a statue of Our Lady of Fatima during the canonization Mass of Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the three Fatima seers, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, May 13. The Mass marked the 100th anniversary of the Fatima Marian apparitions, which began on May 13, 1917. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
A very happy Feast of Corpus Christi! A reminder that Mass is tonight at 7:30.
Holy Mass on Corpus Christi at 7:30pm, Thursday 31 May at the Church of Christ the King, Bedford, MK42 0SP.
Reminder: First Saturday Fatima devotions & Family Catechism Day from 9:30am this Saturday. NB The schedule is moved 30 mins earlier than usual.
Venue
Christ the King Roman Catholic Church
Harrowden Road, Bedford MK42 OSP
First Saturdays–All welcome
3 February, 3 March, 7 April, 5 May, 2 June 2018
Programme
9:30am Fatima Devotions (Rosary & meditation, Confessions)
10:30am Holy Mass
11:30noon Lunch (bring packed lunch)
12noon Catechism (for under-8s)
12:30pm Catechism (for under-16s)
1:15pm Catholicism in 2018 (presentation for adults)
2pm Altar server training / Gregorian Chant practice
Click on the poster for a link to LiveMass.net
Next Wednesday, 30th May at 7pm
in St John Fisher House, 17 Eastern Avenue, Reading, RG1 5RU
Starting with Holy Mass, followed by pizza and brief spiritual talk.
Juventutem is an international movement of young Catholic (ages 18 to 36) who are devoted to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Its aim is to foster and strengthen relationships between young people at a national and international level, and to encourage and assist them in developing their faith.
Great news! Two extra sung Masses a month, with music performed by Matthew Schellhorn.
From the FSSP site:
https://fssp.co.uk/increasing-the-number-of-sung-masses-at-bedford/
We are very pleased to announce that we are increasing the number of Sung Masses at Bedford!
You might recall that a few weeks ago Matthew Schellhorn kindly sang and played the organ at our 8.30 Mass. The FSSP is pleased to announce that he has accepted the invitation to sing and play on two Sundays a month outside of July and August.
Matthew has been involved in Sacred Music for all of his life. From
2013–15 he was the first Director of Music for the International
Federation Una Voce, during which time he served as Moderator of the Sacred Music Sub-Committee. More recently, between 2017–18 he was Associate Director of Music at St Dominic’s Priory, Haverstock Hill, and continues as Director of Music for the celebrations according to the 1962 Missal at St Anne Line, South Woodford. Since 2015 he has been Director of Music for London of the Latin Mass Society, where in that capacity and with his professional group Cantus Magnus he provides the music for the monthly Masses organised by Juventutem London and for the Sacred Triduum held at St Mary Moorfields, London. His other work includes giving recitals and recording as a pianist, examining for ABRSM, and teaching in Cambridge where is a member of the Faculty of Music. He currently lives in London with his wife, Benna, and their two sons, Ferdinand and Caspar.
Matthew’s involvement with us will be to play the organ and sing on the third Sunday of each month plus one additional Sunday. The dates of those additional Sundays will be chosen with an eye to important celebrations such as the feast of Christ the King and the annual November Requiem for war dead. Our schola, led by Katherine Smith, will continue to sing on First Sundays.
As we look forward to welcoming Matthew, our thanks goes to Katherine and our schola for their ongoing commitment and hard work. After the week before last, they can now pride themselves in saying that they have sung a Pontifical Mass!
Over time Matthew hopes to get to know Christ the King’s parishioners and explore how his musical contribution to the life of our apostolate in Bedford can organically grow and develop.
We are very pleased to announce that we are increasing the number of Sung Masses at Bedford! A few weeks ago Matthew Schellhorn kindly sang and played the organ at our 8.30 Mass. The FSSP is pleased to announce that he has accepted the invitation to sing and play on two Sundays a month outside of July and August.
Matthew has been involved in Sacred Music for all of his life. From 2013–15 he was the first Director of Music for the International Federation Una Voce, during which time he served as Moderator of the Sacred Music Sub-Committee. More recently, between 2017–18 he was Associate Director of Music at St Dominic’s Priory, Haverstock Hill, and continues as Director of Music for the celebrations according to the 1962 Missal at St Anne Line, South Woodford. Since 2015 he has been Director of Music for London of the Latin Mass Society, where in that capacity and with his professional group Cantus Magnus he provides the music for the monthly Masses organised by Juventutem London and for the Sacred Triduum held at St Mary Moorfields, London. His other work includes giving recitals and recording as a pianist, examining for ABRSM, and teaching in Cambridge where is a member of the Faculty of Music. He currently lives in London with his wife, Benna, and their two sons, Ferdinand and Caspar.
Matthew’s involvement with us will be to play the organ and sing on the third Sunday of each month plus one additional Sunday. The dates of those additional Sundays will be chosen with an eye to important celebrations such as the feast of Christ the King and the annual November Requiem for war dead. Our schola, led by Katherine Smith, will continue to sing on First Sundays.
As we look forward to welcoming Matthew, our thanks goes to Katherine and our schola for their ongoing commitment and hard work. After the week before last, they can now pride themselves in saying that they have sung a Pontifical Mass!
Over time Matthew hopes to get to know Christ the King’s parishioners and explore how his musical contribution to the life of our apostolate in Bedford can organically grow and develop.
October 2015: Matthew Schellhorn is introduced to The Most Reverend Archbishop Pozzo (then Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei). Photograph by Joseph Shaw.
