Fathers Goddard, Verrier, Stewart, Evans and Jolly, along with seminarian Péter Uhel, wish you all a grace-filled Holy Week and a very happy and blessed Easter!
Liturgical Calendar: 24 March – 6 April 2024
N.B. Good Friday is a day of fast and abstinence. All Catholics aged 18-59 inclusive are obliged to fast (one meal & two small snacks permitted); and, as usual on Fridays, all Catholics aged 14+ must abstain from meat.
Maundy Thursday: at the singing of Tantum ergo after the Procession;
Good Friday: by adoring and kissing the Cross at the Solemn Liturgy;
Holy Saturday: by joining with renewal of baptismal promises at the Vigil.
Thank you…
…to the children from our shrine community, who raised £315.21 at their home-made cakes and crafts sale on Lætare Sunday! The proceeds will be split between the Life charity and towards funding the completion of Priory Court. (See photos here.)
Farewell…
…to our seminarian, Péter Uhel, who has been with us on pastoral placement for the past six months. He leaves us on Easter Monday to return to his seminary formation at the FSSP’s European seminary in Wigratzbad. We thank him and assure him of our continued prayers.
…to everyone who contributed in any way to Fr Goddard’s Installation as Rector and the visit of Archbishop McMahon on Thursday. It was a happy and special moment in the life of our shrine community. The ceremony is available to watch again on our YouTube channel here.
Pontifical Benediction following Fr Goddard’s Installation as Rector on Thursday 7 March (Feast of St Thomas Aquinas)
Liturgical Calendar: 10-23 March 2024
NOVENA TO SAINT JOSEPH FOR PRIORY COURT
(10-18 March)
UPDATE: The last stages of the Priory Court works continue to progress. Last weekend, some of you helped choose wall colours; and decorators have since started painting. The lift is due to be installed in the next 2 to 3 weeks, while the plans for the kitchenette have been finalised and the new flooring ordered.
However, sadly, funding issues have not abated. In order to restart the works last autumn, we had to spend around £100,000 (the majority) of St Mary’s general funds. Within the past few weeks—because of price rises, necessary design variations and unexpected requirements to comply with regulations—we are now facing extra costs in the region of £30,000 to £35,000, which we need to find. The substantial cost overrun approaching £140,000 from our original budget was principally due to the delays from Covid, substantial increases in material and labour costs, preliminaries for works on other parts of Priory Court still to be refurbished, and other regulatory requirements. Are you able to help cover that overrun? All donations would be very gratefully accepted.
We need to pray that these extra costs will be covered. In this month of St Joseph, let us entrust the funding for the completion of phase 1 of the works—the creation of hall facilities—to his intercession. We’ll be praying a novena for this intention from Sunday 10 to Monday 18 March, in preparation for his feast on 19 March. It will be said at the end of each Mass. Please pray it at home too.
Congratulations to Jonathan & Jennifer Winship, who were received into full communion with the Catholic Church and confirmed on Saturday 24 February, and to their children—James, Eva & Lara—who were baptized on the same day. Please do keep them in your prayers.
Join us in renewing the consecration of the FSSP to the Immaculate Heart! This day marks two years since the original solemn consecration in 2022, when the Holy Father Pope Francis providentially issued his decree, confirming the FSSP’s liturgical identity and unchanged right to use the older liturgical books.
