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…”
Holy Mass on the Feast of Corpus Christi, this Thursday 31 May, will be offered at 11am at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Church, Chesham Bois.
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.
Venue
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Church
30 Amersham Road
Chesham Bois
HP6 5PE
Dates (on 4th Saturdays)
24 Feb, 24 March, 28 April, 26 May, 23 June 2018
| Activities | |
| 2 – 4pm: | Catechism for Children* |
| followed by Altar Server Practice | |
| 4 – 4.30pm: | Rosary & Benediction |
| 7pm: | Talk for Adults (at the home of a local family–contact us for address). |
* Approximate schedule for catechism sessions: fiirst the children under 7 years-old (for about 10 minutes); then children aged about 7 to 12 years-old (for about 20 minutes); then teenagers 13 to 18 years-old (for about 40 minutes); then altar server training until 4pm, followed by the Holy Rosary and Benediction.
Families are invited to stay for as much of the programme as they wish. Tea and coffee will be available in an adjacent room.
The themes for the five Saturdays will be as follows:
| Date | Theme for Catechism (from 2pm) | Theme for Evening Talk for Adults (from 7pm) |
| 24 Feb | The Holy Trinity | Holy Mass–the greatest treasure on Earth |
| 24 March | The Incarnation | “Salvation is from the Jews”–Jn 4:22 |
| 28 April | The BVM, the Apostles, the Angels | Denying supernatural Revelation–the 1st beast of the Apocalypse? |
| 26 May | The Sacraments & the Church | Denying natural Revelation–the 2nd beast of the Apocalypse? |
| 23 June | Sacred Scripture & Prayer | Love Defeats the anti-Christ |
If you have a moment in advance, please practice this version of Ave Verum Corpus which we will sing during exposition:
…with audio…
Young Adults (18 to 35 years-old) are invited to join us for a social evening this Saturday, the Vigil of Pentecost. We will meet at 5pm in the parish room at the eastern end of the Church of Christ the King in Bedford (MK42 0SP). After a talk with Q & A entitled “The Blessed Trinity: Principle of Everything“, we will head to a local venue for dinner and drinks. Outline for the talk:
– Biblical Revelation of the Blessed Trinity
– Patristic & Scholastic theology: St Augustine & St Thomas
– Blessed Trinity and the person / marriage / life
– Blessed Trinity contra divorce / abortion / contraception
– Our final purpose, the beatific vision, is beholding the Blessed Trinity
As tomorrow’s weather is expected to be excellent, it may be we change venue for the talk to the north bank of the River Great Ouse–at a spot opposite the Longholme Boathouse, on the green strip between Russell Park and the river. There is free parking along The Embankment. Please email us here if you plan to join us, or else simply turn up.
On this Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter is pleased to introduce the Summer issue of our quarterly magazine Dowry (Summer 2018, No38).
SPECIAL ISSUE ON HOLY MATRIMONY
The layout is designed to be looked at as a double page: make sure to select this display on your pdf reader.
Click on the cover of the magazine to open the 4.2Mo pdf file.
In this issue:
Editorial: Alfie’s Death Made Us All Orphans
R.I.P. – Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries
The Marriage of the Virgin by Raphael
Humanae Vitae and the Crisis of Faith
The Ends of Marriage
My Name Is Bond, Marriage Bond
Forthcoming Events
Pictures of Holy Week
Support our apostolate
Please share this link with your friends: this is a simple way of spreading good news and doctrine.
‘Ego Eimi – It is I’ (John 6:51)
A series of conferences on the Most Holy Eucharist
By Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP, Rector of St Mary’s Shrine
Given live at St Mary’s Shrine Church, Buttermarket Street, Warrington WA1 2NS, England
In preparation for the National Eucharistic Congress in Liverpool (7-9 Sept. 2018)
Free for all. All welcome to St Mary’s.
Each 40-min conference starts at 7:00pm GMT and will be broadcasted on LiveMass.net
• Monday 11 June, 7:00pm: Transubstantiation: how the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ occur under the externals of bread and wine
• Tuesday 12 June, 7:00pm: Concomitance: how Christ’s Blood also is in the Host, and His Body also in the Chalice
• Wednesday 13 June, 7:00pm: Fragments: why each of them is Christ, and how to treasure them
• Thursday 14 June, 7:00pm: Gradation: how God’s presence is supreme in the Holy Eucharist
Low Mass will be offered each of the four evenings at 6:00pm, before each conference.
Reminder: First Saturday Fatima devotions & Family Catechism Day from 10am this Saturday.
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
10am Fatima Devotions (Rosary & meditation, Confessions)
11am Holy Mass
12noon Lunch (bring packed lunch)
12:30pm Catechism (for under-8s)
1pm Catechism (for under-16s)
1:45pm Catholicism in 2018 (presentation for adults)
2:30pm Altar server training / Gregorian Chant practice
