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March 7, 2017
Latin Mass with Our Lady of Guadalupe Miraculous Relic Image
The Miraculous Relic Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be visiting Christ the King on Saturday 25 March, the Feast of the Annunciation. The Image is an authorised copy of the original in Mexico City, has the status of a First Class Relic and confers the same graces and blessings. In 2016 the Image travelled more than 3000 miles around the United Kingdom on Pilgrimage Visits and was venerated by more than 25,000 people. The Image has been present at Masses celebrated in many languages, but never, until now, has it been present at a Latin Mass.
Fr Gabriel Diaz will celebrate Mass at 10.00, after which the Image will be available for veneration until 11.45, when Barbara Kay, one of the Guardians of the Shrine of Our Lady of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Bedford, will give an explanation of the Image. At 12.00 the Angelus and the Chaplet of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be said and after this, the Image will again be available for veneration until 1.00. There will be a small selection of devotional items related to our Lady of Guadalupe on sale.
You are warmly invited to join us on this special occasion. For more information about the Image, please see our website: www.relicourladyofguadalupe.co.uk
Barbara
by fsspuk
March 1, 2017
On a wet and windy evening in Bedford, Fr Gabriel Diaz celebrated the first Traditional Ash Wednesday Mass at Christ the King since 1969. As well as many of the usual Sunday morning Latin Mass congregation, we were joined by many other parishioners from Christ the King, including some of this year’s Confirmation candidates, and so we numbered around 100 people. For some of them, this was likely their first experience of the Latin Mass.
Fr Diaz has a sonorous voice, and the words “Memento, homo, quia pulvia es, et in pulverem reverteris … ” rang out loud and clear, over and over again, solemnly and unmistakably reminding us of our mortality, as each of the congregation went forward to receive the consecrated ashes on their forehead. There was an awesome silence as we listened to the words of the prophet Joel, reminding us of our sin, but also of God’s mercy towards us if we repent.
Fr Diaz paused before giving Holy Communion to explain to those not familiar with the method of reception, that at the Latin Mass, this is always received kneeling and on the tongue.
There was something special about this Mass which made it a memorable start to the season of Lent, and I hope some of the congregation for whom the Latin Mass is unfamiliar will come back and learn to love it more.
Barbara
“Remember, man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” Eek!
by fsspuk
February 27, 2017
Fr. Diaz gave another wonderful sermon to about 50 people for Quinquagesima, telling us about some of the historical practises of the Church around this season.
For those who weren’t there (and those who were) here’s another wonderful sermon:
http://aclerkofoxford.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/now-pure-and-holy-time-draws-near.html?m=1
Reminder! Ash Wednesday Mass is this Wednesday at 730 pm, at Christ the King.
by fsspuk
February 23, 2017
Lent is almost upon us! One last Sunday of reflection (Quinquagesima) and then Ash Wednesday. We’ll have Mass at 730pm at Christ the King, celebrated by Fr Diaz
by fsspuk
February 20, 2017
On Sunday 19 February, over coffee and delicious cakes, we said goodbye to John and June Wood, who have been part of our congregation ever since the Latin Mass first came to Bedford 18 months ago. They are moving down to Wales to be nearer one of their daughters, but assured us that they will be visiting the other two daughters in Bedfordshire from time to time and will hope to pop in.
Fr Patrick Hutton said what a pleasure it had been to have them with us and we all signed a card of best wishes. June said that Christ the King, Bedford was the friendliest parish she had been in, and they were really going to miss us. We will miss them too and hope that they will find a Latin Mass not too far from their new home.
by fsspuk
February 12, 2017
Fr. Jonak very kindly came down to say Mass for us today. Nicholas was too ill to serve but Alex kindly stepped in. Get well soon Nicholas and thank yiu Alex!
Here’s another Anglo Saxon sermon and hymn, from a wonderful blog.
by fsspuk
February 6, 2017
The Sunday morning Mass at Bedford on 5 February saw an unusual ceremony taking place. As it had been the feast of St Blaise only two days earlier, Fr Horgan, our visiting celebrant, invited the congregation to come forward after Mass for a blessing of their throats. Many of them did so.
We knelt and the blessing was given with a pair of crossed candles which had been lit and extinguished a few moments before, with the candles either side of the throat and the words: ”By the intercession of St Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every malady of the throat, and from every possible mishap; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”.
Not much is known about St Blaise, but in 316 he is said to have saved the life of a boy who was choking after swallowing a fish bone, hence his patronage of illnesses of the throat.
by fsspuk
February 3, 2017
No Mass yesterday (next year, Godwilling!) but this sermon is beautiful:
http://aclerkofoxford.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/lfric-on-candlemas-twofold-burgeoning.html?m=1
“LORD, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace; according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people: to be a light to lighten the gentiles and to be the glory of Thy people Israel”
by fsspuk
December 21, 2016
Father Patrick gets a biretta
It all started over coffee in the hall after the Latin Mass a few months ago. Fr Patrick Hutton, the Parish Priest at Christ the King, admitted to losing his biretta at the cemetery a while back and regretting its loss.
We were aware that Fr Patrick had a big birthday coming up on 8 December, and so I suggested we replaced his biretta as a gift from the Latin Mass congregation. As this was intended to be a surprise, we had to take a guess at the size and duly placed the order with Luzar Vestments on line. The biretta arrived, was wrapped and accompanied by a card of good wishes; Fr Patrick is a true supporter of the Latin Mass and we are very grateful to him for his interest.
Sunday 11 December was the chosen day both for our presentation and another one later in the day from the main congregation at Christ the King. Therefore over coffee in the hall, I duly presented Fr Patrick with his gift. He was clearly delighted, put it on straightaway and assured us it was a good fit. We had pre-arranged a photographer and the results are below.
Happy 75th Birthday Fr Patrick and God bless you.
Barbara
by fsspuk
November 25, 2016
For the first time in nearly half a century, a unique double took place at Christ the King, Bedford, on 1 and 2 November.
We were delighted to welcome Fr Matthew Goddard of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter to celebrate an evening Missa Cantata for All Saints Day. For the first time, we had enlisted the services of Bedford Choral Society, who sang a setting by Adolfo Kaim, a 19th century German composer. The music was beautiful, Fr Goddard looked splendid in his many-coloured chasuble and the team of four servers carried out their duties with dignity and efficiency. The Mass was attended by a congregation of some 70 people, the highest number we have in the 15 months since the Latin Mass started at Bedford.
Fr Goddard, who had travelled from Reading, stayed overnight in the area and was back in church at 10 am the following morning to celebrate a Low Mass for All Souls Day. The black vestments and a catafalque lent the appropriate solemnity to the occasion. The congregation was about 40 this time, not as large as the evening before, but still very respectable for a weekday morning.
We are very grateful both to Fr Goddard and the Bedford Choral Society and look forward to more Masses with both of them in the future.
Barbara
by fsspuk
