Sunday Bulletin 8 December 2024

FSSP Chaplaincy Bulletin, 8th Dec 2024 Served by the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter by appointment from the RC Diocese of Northampton Residence: St Alban House, 18 Brett Drive, Bromham, Bedford MK43 8RF Landline: 01234 954 316   Worship across three churches: Sunday 8:30am: All Saints, Church End, Kempston, Bedford MK43 8RH Sunday 12noon: Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Chesham Bois, 30 Amersham Road, HP6 5PE Weekdays: Our Lady of Ransom, 307 Bedford Rd, Kempston, Bedford MK42 8QB: Mon 9:30am ; Tue 6:30am ; Wed 7:15pm ; Thu 9:30am ; Fri 11:30am ; Sat 11:30am (following Eucharistic Exposition, Confessions from 10:00am & Eucharistic Benediction ending by 11:20am) fssp.org.uk/bedford or fssp.org.uk/chesham      facebook.com/bedfordlatinmass facebook.com/fssp.england Chaplain: Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP: malleray@fssp.org Assistant: Fr Miguel Coelho, FSSP-Associate : pe.miguelcoelho@protonmail.com Seminarian: Luke Mazurek, FSSP: l.j.mazurek@pm.me Secretary: Mrs Rita Carroll: bedford@fssp.org Safeguarding: If you have concerns about children or vulnerable adults, please contact the FSSP Northampton Safeguarding officer William Currie: Tel: 07825 089 336. Email: safeguardingfssp@pm.me. Reminder: NO child must be left unsupervised at any time. Watch daily Mass by the FSSP on www.livemass.net/locations/warrington.html Daily Holy Mass readings: www.divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/missa/missa.pl CONFESSIONS TIMES Soundproofing work is nearing completion in the confessional at Our Lady of Ransom. For the sake of confidentiality please whisper rather than speak. Our Lady of Ransom (for anyone): Sat 10:00am-11:15am, and 20mins before every weekday Mass. At All Saints: during Sunday Mass in the room behind the organ. Chesham Bois: after the Sunday 12noon Mass if not before.   ——————————— CHRISTMAS MASS TIMES: Tuesday 24 Dec 6:30am Our Lady of Ransom, Kempston Wednesday 25 Dec, MIDNIGHT Mass (00:00am) in Bedford (location soon confirmed) Wednesday 25 Dec, 8:30am at All Saints Church, Kempston Rural, Bedford Wednesday 25 Dec, 11:40am at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Chesham Bois (we were requested to start earlier exceptionally for our families to prepare their Christmas roast!, but please do not arrive before 11:30am as the congregation of the previous Mass will be having refreshments.) Thursday 26 Dec: 9:30am Our Lady of Ransom, Kempston PLEASE NOTE:  with a record attendance of over 50 adults and children last week for our two weekday Rorate Masses, again TWO “Rorate Masses” by candlelight this week, an Advent custom symbolising our expectation of the Messiah at Christmas: Christ, the Light to enlighten the nations! ——————————— HELP GAZA CATHOLICS this Advent: Shared Advent almsgiving by our Chaplaincy (put your offering in the Offertory collection basket in an envelope bearing the purpose “Holy Land FSSP Appeal”). (credit Malleray) Our British priest in Jerusalem Fr Gwilym Evans, FSSP met with Catholic Patriarch who said his parishes have enormous financial struggles at the moment; not only because of the war-torn areas in which most of them are, but also because of the lack of pilgrims to the Holy Sites (first because of Covid, then because of the war), which used to be one of the main sources of income for the Patriarchate. We will ensure all money collected reaches the humanitarian office of the Patriarchate to be used in support of Catholic individuals and families. ——————————— SUPPORT FSSP Bedford/Chesham Bois: Lloyds Bank; Sort Code: 30-80-27 ; Account number: 44025960; Account name: FSSP Bedford ——————————— After the successful launch of our Chaplaincy Young Adults’ group with 15 taking part in the trek and pub lunch at Woburn last 30th Nov. the date for the next trek in January will be confirmed shortly: either 11 or 25 January! ——————————— Dowry No64 Winter issue now online [Click on the picture above or here to open the magazine] In this issue: FSSP Wall Calendars 2024-2025 We include a complimentary copy in every printed copy of this issue of Dowry. Discover beautiful pictures of our apostolates across England, Scotland and Ireland, with the liturgical year and traditional feasts. Needless to say, all this comes at a cost and we are grateful for donations in excess of £5.00 to FSSP England. Editorial: Three Saintly Anniversaries Three forthcoming anniversaries of great significance for Catholics are spiritual opportunities to seize. They commemorate God’s Incarnation, the Lord’s revelation of his Sacred Heart, and Our Lady’s mediation, Fr de Malleray observes. Hope Does Not Disappoint Extracts from Pope Francis’ bull of indiction for the 2025 Jubilee of the Incarnation of the Lord. Further to Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical on the virtue of Hope, Pope Francis reminds all the importance of that virtue, especially in times of trial or gloom. He Smuggled The Sacred Heart Into England Dominica Roberts tells how French priest Father Claude la Colombière S.J. providentially brought the devotion from Paray-le-Monial into the heart of London at the cost of his life, thus securing a direct connection between the Sacred Heart and England. Statistics, Intercession, And Sanctification The annual statistics of the FSSP were updated to close to 600 members and over 10,000 sodality members: an occasion to give thanks to God, but also to request more prayers for us to grow and bear lasting fruit by God’s grace. Garments of Sanctity: Opus Anglicanum The glorious English tradition of sowing and embroidering liturgical vestments is valued anew, Ola Smalley finds, with immediate use within the traditional movement as generously provided by the busy sewing needles of the Guild of St Clare. Interior of the Carpenter’s Shop at Forty Hill Using a non-religious painting by John Hill (c.1780–1841) from the Tate Britain Gallery in London, Fr Armand de Malleray walks a few easy steps with beginners in the art of interpretation that can further apply to religious art. Craft Resources For Catholic Homes Catherine Witkowski and John Grimer introduce the online shop run by them and their siblings to equip families with home-made visual illustrations of the Catholic faith through the depictions of saints, calendars, and books. Support our Apostolate     More than ever we need your help to keep our ministry going in Bedford, Chesham Bois, Reading, Warrington, Edinburgh, Waterford and Wexford. Please tell your friends about us, sharing links from our articles, pictures, publications, and activities, praying God that bequests be made to help us secure or acquire the buildings we need. Click HERE to subscribe to Dowry for free. We welcome proof-readers with a good command of English, as well as electronic submissions of articles consistent with the scope of this magazine. CHRISTMAS DINNERS: with quiz designed by chaplaincy clergy. Kindly pay Rita what is owed for your booking at the Knife and Cleaver, Houghton Conquest, for around £25 per head for 2 courses or £30 for 3. ——————————— Three little girls baptised on Sat 7th Dec in Bedford and Chesham Bois: congratulations to the Tubilewicz, Chidell and Grimer families on the happy births and baptisms of their daughters Antonina, Ana Maria, and Elizabeth. Let us keep in our prayers the families expecting a child or who recently had one.   ——————————— THIS WEEK: Monthly meetings of adult groups at Our Lady of Ransom in Kempston: Men’s Group on Wed 11 Dec 8pm:  Fr de Malleray will speak about: “Procreation being essential to marriage, what does the Church teach about IVF, NFP, sterilisation, and contraception?” Ladies’ Group on Sat 14 Dec, 1pm. Fr de Malleray will speak about “How the Immaculate Conception applies in our lives and inspires them.” Thank you for supporting these important events! ——————————— Have you shared this already with young adult men or their parents? Vocation discernment weekend on  28 February – 2 March 2025 for single Catholic men 18-30. At Buckden Towers, High Street, Buckden, St. Neots, Cambs PE19 5TA Starts Fri 5:00pm; ends Sun 2:00pm Is God calling ME? Matrimony, celibacy, monastery, seminary, Fraternity? COME & SEE If you are a single Catholic man between 18 and 30 years of age, come and discern with us near Bedford. Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP will lead the weekend. There will be talks, prayers, Holy Mass and informal chatting with fellow-guests. Possibility of private meetings with a priest, and of confession. Feel welcome confidentially to call, email or write for any questions. Holy Mass each of the three days. COST: £95.00 per person in total (bed + full board). FREE for unwaged and students – give whatever amount you can. BOOKINGS & CONTACT: [not via Facebook] malleray@fssp.org (read by Fr de Malleray only). ACCESS: Direct train from London St Pancras to St Neots, every half hour, duration 56 minutes. The nearest towns are Huntingdon (5 miles NNE of Buckden) and St Neots (5 miles South of Buckden). Both Huntingdon and St Neots are served by the West Anglian Great Northern Railway line from King’s Cross London to Peterborough. Let us know if you would need a lift from the railway station. There also are bus and coach links to both Huntingdon and St Neots from many parts of the country. SHARE NEWS: forward this page or the Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/5GAVn4OoA VOCATION RESOURCES: General page: https://fssp.org.uk/vocations-to-the-priesthood/ Book on the Sacred Priesthood: https://aroucapress.com/x-ray-of-the-priest Stories about priestly ministry: http://aroucapress.com/near-missed-masses Audio conferences on the priest 1) and Our Lady; 2) and Martyrdom : http://www.radioimmaculata.org/…/father-armand-de-malleray Book on the holy Eucharist here: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/ego-eimi-it-is-i/ European seminary : http://fsspwigratzbad.blogspot.com/ North-American seminary: https://fsspolgs.org/ Know us better through browsing online our quarterly magazine Dowry here: https://fssp.org.uk/category/dowry/ International Vocation Prayer Network: www.fssp.org/en/help-us/confraternity-of-saint-peter/ Great pictures about our ministry here https://www.flickr.com/photos/138056205@N08/albums VOCATION NEWS: 15 new FSSP PRIESTS in 23 YEARS We have currently five young men from the UK & Ireland in formation at our two international seminaries. Three of our deacons from England were ordained priests at St Mary’s Warrington by Archbishop McMahon, OP of Liverpool. Those were the first EF priestly ordinations by a diocesan bishop in England in fifty years. Please pray for them (www.fssp.org/en/help-us/confraternity-of-saint-peter/) and for many more to enter the lists! We give thanks for 14 priests ordained from or to the UK over the past 23 years: Fr Armand de Malleray in 2001; Fr Konrad Loewenstein in 2002; Fr Brendan Gerard in 2006; Frs Matthew Goddard and William Barker in 2009; Fr Simon Harkins in 2010; Fr Matthew McCarthy in 2011; Fr Ian Verrier in 2015; Fr James Mawdsley in 2016; Frs Alex Stewart and Krzysztof Sanetra in 2017; Fr Seth Phipps in 2018; Fr Gwilym Evans in 2022; Fr Miklos Homolya in 2024 – plus Fr Patrick O’Donohue from Ireland (incardinated in 2023). On the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, 11 February 2022, Pope Francis signed a decree confirming the liturgical charism of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter. Please pray for us. We assure you of our prayer. O Lord, grant us many holy priests! Contact malleray@fssp.org. Facebook page for this event. ——————————— Reminder: if you intend to receive Holy Communion on Sundays at All Saints in Kempston, as you walk into the church before Mass you must take one host from the plastic box and put it in the bowl (not the other way round). Failing to do so deprives fellow-parishioners from their own Holy Communion as not enough hosts are consecrated. Homily on “euthanasia” by Fr de Malleray here: https://fb.watch/w1vNdeIBEo/ Our beautiful FSSP wall calendars are available after Mass (including lovely pictures of the various FSSP apostolates) with the latest edition of Dowry.  Suggested donation £5.00 (payable to FSSP England bank account as “Calendar”) or handed in cash to Rita. Baronius missals are available for £45. These and other books such as Vermeer’s Angel, Ego Eimi etc make good Christmas presents. Ask Rita if you would like to buy any of them (please bring cash.) ——————————— The visit of St Nicholas took place on Sunday 1st December. Children were delighted! Thank you to the organisers. ——————————— Please email us if you become aware of a redundant church building, a school, a warehouse, a garage, or other with parking for sale… – and of potential benefactors. And pray. ——————————— SACRAMENTS PREPARATION DATES:  Your clergy look forward to seeing you at Our Lady of Ransom Church in Kempston from 1:00pm to 2:00pm on the following Saturdays:  11th & 25th January; 8th February; 1st, 15th & 29th March; 5th April; 10th & 31st May; 14th June.  Please note that all ten sessions are compulsory for admission to the sacraments. Please book now in your diaries those ten dates for candidates for First Holy Communion (to take place on Corpus Christi Sunday, 22 June 2025) and/or for Confirmation classes ahead of Saturday 4th October 2025 when Bishop Oakley will confer the sacrament. You are more than welcome to avail yourselves of the 10am-11:30am Adoration and confessions, and the 11:30am Mass every Saturday. You can have your lunch in the parish hall between 12:15pm and 1:00pm. ——————————— ALTAR SERVING, ASK LUKE: thankfully our FSSP seminarian Luke is skilled in teaching how to serve Low Mass, Sung Mass, and Solemn Mass. This will be his chief involvement in the life of our community during his stay with us. Therefore, please do book for a practice (l.j.mazurek@pm.me)  for a one-to-one, or one-to-a-group, either at St Alban House, or at Our Lady of Ransom, or in Chesham Bois, or at your house if transport for Luke can be arranged. There is scope and skills for such practices to take place every week tailored to your circumstances. (The usual safeguarding rules apply if minors take part in the practice.) Contact Luke now. ——————————— Can you help your clergy with ongoing small sewing jobs mending vestments for holy Mass and clergy cassocks? The problem is that the longer we wait to mend those, the worse it gets and the bigger the work. We warmly welcome the offering of your time and skills. Thank you! ——————————— Pray for  the sick in our congregations: four-year-old Eliah Isaac, Baby Vincent Jones, Tom and Inma Jones, Patsy Crocker, Baby Joseph Osborn. R.I.P. Carl Roberts. Please email to sick list.

by Fr AM