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Showing posts with the label Year for Priests

May Feelings III

The third in a series of "May Feelings" videos (See YouTube for May Feelings and May Feelings II ). All promote the Rosary - the latest is part of a movement encouraging people to pray the Rosary for priests: We already know that we are not alone; now, they need to know that they are not alone. I like the way that the priest chosen for the film is an elderly and frail priest and that the film essentially emphasises his fidelity to prayer. The video has been posted less than a week and as of 6.10pm today had 112,957 views.
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Cardinal Hummes supports priests

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Cardinal Hummes, the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Clergy, has written a letter to priests in anticipation of the closing of the Year for Priests in June. In writing to priests at this time, he quite rightly addresses the scandals that have been the focus of the world's media. His concise summary is a model of how to address the matter in a balanced and just way: It is true that, albeit proportionately small in number, some priests have committed horrible and most serious crimes of sexual abuse upon minors, deeds that we must condemn and rebuke in an absolute and uncompromising manner. Those individuals must answer for their actions before God and before tribunals, including the civil courts. Nevertheless, we also pray that they might achieve spiritual conversion and receive pardon from God. The Church, for her part, is determined neither to hide nor to minimize such crimes. Above all we are on the side of the victims and want to support their recovery and their offended...
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Lenten Reading Plans

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Many thanks to Fr Jerabek of Huntsville, Alabama for collecting together various resources for Lenten meditation. Lenten Reading Plans has four collections of readings for every day in Lent. The Church Fathers plan has substantial readings taken from the Fathers. For this, you would need to set aside a significant (though not unreasonable) amount of time. There is also a "Lite" version with shorter readings. The readings in the Lives of the Saints plan are taken from the Wednesday General Audience addresses of Pope Benedict. There is a plan for the Year of the Priest with readings from St John Vianney , and a plan with readings from Father Faber and Cardinal Newman . The collections are made available in pdf files, except the Saints plan which links to the texts on the Vatican website. What I particularly like about the whole project is that it is a very simple use of the internet for an apostolic purpose that could have a significant effect on the life of any ordina...
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Photos of the Curé D'Ars

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Terry at Idle Speculations has posted a collection of photographs of the Curé d'Ars after he had died in 1859. The photographs were taken by Camille Dolard using the wet plate collodion process invented by the Englishman Frederick Scott Archer. They are kept at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris.
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Relics of the Curé d'Ars at the London Oratory

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On a visit to the London Oratory today, Fr Rupert McHardy kindly showed me the relics of St John Vianney which came to England soon after the death of the saintly Curé, brought by a French emigré family. They eventually found a home at St Edmund's College, Ware ; the college has lent them to the Oratory. The collection is comprised of devotional items and other personal effects of the Curé. The reliquary is displayed at the altar of Blessed Sebastian Valfré (1629-1710), a priest of the Oratory in Turin who was beatified in 1834. The altar is in a recess between the sanctuary and the sacristy door.
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Year for Priests Clergy Conference in Rome

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There is just one month left to register for the Year for Priests Clergy Conference in Rome . This runs from 4-8 January 2010 and includes speakers such as Rev Michael Lang, Mgr Guido Marini, and other well-known priests , usus antiquior Mass celebrated by Cardinal Canizares Llovera, and a tour of the Apostolic Segnatura with Archbishop Raymond Burke. On one of the evenings, there is dinner within the Vatican at the Casa Santa Marta (used by the Cardinals during the Conclave.) Looking at the finalised Conference Programme , I'm very glad that I have booked for this. If you are a priest, do consider this for a post-Christmas break. If you are a lay person, do consider helping out any priest who may find it difficult to meet the cost.
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'Year For Priests' Clergy Conference in Rome Jan 2010

A while back, I mentioned the Rome Conference for English-speaking clergy which takes place from 4-8 January 2010. The Conference is run by the Australian Conference of Catholic Clergy together with the US Confraternity of Catholic Clergy and it is sure to be a great international gathering of like-minded priests. I'll be going myself and I would recommend the Conference. There is an "early bird discount" for those who register before next Friday 25 September. You can register at the dedicated Year for Priests Conference site. It is possible to pay online via paypal or you can download the Conference brochure and send your credit card details by post.
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CBCEW - good page on Year for Priests

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The Year for Priests page at the website of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales is very good. As well as Pope Benedict's message, the letter from Cardinal Claudio Hummes, and the message from Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, there is a piece from Fr James Clark who was in Rome when the Year for Priests was launched (pictured with Fr Michael Branch) and an interview with Fr John Flynn.
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A fatherly gesture from my Bishop

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This morning's post brought a pleasant surprise: the book "Priesthood. A Life Open to Christ" compiled by Canon Daniel Cronin. The book came as a gift from my Archbishop, Kevin McDonald, who has sent the book to all his priests to help us to engage with the Year of the Priesthood. This is a kind and thoughtful expression of the Archbishop's fatherly care for his priests, and I greatly appreciate it. The book is a collection of short articles written by a wide variety of contributors; priests and bishops. Although the English contributors predominate, there are articles by, for example, Cardinals Pell and DiNardo. Some of us might take issue with one or two of the articles but there is a lot of good, sincere and prayerful material, including a fine article by Archbishop McDonald reflecting on the priesthood as it runs "directly counter to the prevailing culture" and offers a sure reference point bringing stability here and now, and hope for the future. Please...
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"Thank you, Father"

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Last week's edition of National Catholic Register has an article called " Thank you, Father ", a piece particularly highlighting the spiritual good that priests can do. As a priest, I blog it because such generous articles do not make priests big-headed but call us to examine our consciences and go once again to the heart of Christ, repenting of our failures and asking Him to help us to live more fully the life to which he has called us. H/T Love Undefiled
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Curé of Ars Prayer Book

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Family Publications have produced another fine prayerbook, this time to celebrate the Year of Priests and the 150th anniversary of the death of St John Vianney. The Curé of Ars Prayer Book is a collection of passages from St John Vianney. Each passage is on a facing page with a colour illustration and a short quotation. Underneath each passage is a prayer. This is an excellent book for priests to use at their daily meditation, and indeed for lay people who wish to intercede especially for priests and to reflect on the priesthood in the life of the Church. The booklet also includes a passage from Pope John XXIII's Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia , a Litany in honour of St John Vianney, and information about the indulgences granted for the Year for Priests. As ever, the quality is very fine - glossy stock, well-chosen photos and clean, uncluttered typesetting. 64 pages £4.50. You could perhaps buy one as a gift for your local priest.
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Bishop Moran celebrates Mass at Papa Stronsay

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It is great to see pictures of the visit of Rt Rev Peter Moran, Bishop of Aberdeen, celebrating Mass during a visit to the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer on the island of Papa Stronsay. His Lordship kindly celebrated Mass in the usus antiquior for the community. Yesterday, several of the community were at St Peter's for solemn Vespers celebrated by Pope Benedict to begin the Year of the Priest.
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Pope Benedict on Year for Priests

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Over the past few days, there have been two excellent pieces by Pope Benedict on the Year for Priests. First of all, his Letter Proclaiming the Year of Priests on the 150th anniversary of the death of the Curé of Ars, St John Vianney. In this letter, the Holy Father thanks God for good priests, touchingly recalls the example of the priest alongside whom he ministered as a young priest, and frankly acknowledges those "situations which can never be sufficiently deplored" where priests have given scandal. After this, he points to the Curé of Ars as the point of reference for us all, quoting some of the purple passages from the writings of the saintly priest. He admits that they "might seem excessive" but that they "they reveal the high esteem in which he held the sacrament of the priesthood". Then yesterday at second Vespers for the feast of the Sacred Heart, the Holy Father also spoke of the priesthood. Rorate Caeli has translated one significant passage: ...
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Saint Gabriel

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The angels call for our veneration and awe as part of God’s creation. Part of the destructive modernism of the 1970s included advice to Catholic school teachers that they should not talk to children about angels. This wrought lasting damage which continues to need rectifying. We should include in our prayers a heartfelt recourse to our own Guardian Angels. The Archangel Gabriel “God is my strength” would be terrifying were he to appear to any of us. Our Lady was “troubled” at the word of Saint Gabriel and wondered at the manner of the salutation. Immediately, according to his mission, the awesome messenger explained himself. Modern retelling of the event is often reduced to the jejune “Mary said Yes to God”. In fact, she said “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word”. This conveys more accurately the flawless faith and trust of the Immaculata. In the infinitely wise providence of the Father, we now know the structure of the event in even more detai...
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Plenary indulgences not impossible

Dilexit Prior in Letters from a Young Catholic asked some useful questions today about indulgences. I thought it would be best to do a post here especially to cover the controversial question of detachment from venial sin. But first the other questions: The conditions for gaining a plenary indulgence Pope Paul VI set down a number of norms relating to indulgences at the end of Indulgentiarum Doctrina . Norm 7 states: To acquire a plenary indulgence it is necessary to perform the work to which the indulgence is attached and to fulfil three conditions: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion and prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. It is further required that all attachment to sin, even to venial sin, be absent. If this disposition is in any way less than complete, or if the prescribed three conditions are not fulfilled, the indulgence will be only partial, except for the provisions contained in n.11 for those who are “impeded.” It is worth reading the other norms bec...
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Portiuncula indulgence tomorrow (and indulgences generally)

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Tomorrow, 2 August, you can gain a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions ( see below ) by visiting a parish Church and there reciting the Our Father and the Creed . This is called the Portiuncula indulgence and goes back to St Francis of Assisi. Fr Z has the details . Don't forget that you can also gain a plenary indulgence by visiting a Church on the day of the titular feast, and there reciting the Our Father and the Creed . I made a list of other indulgences: please see the post Plenary indulgences for particular days which has a link to the list. The post has some background information which you may find helpful since indulgences are not well understood today - which is not surprising since indulgences are not included in most Catholic education curricula, and most priests never preach about them. Therefore many Catholics are left with whatever silly, half-baked, ill-informed nonsense about indulgences happens to be current. If you want to understand the theology...
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Our Easter Faith: Not a Pious Crème Fraiche

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In public life, some basically well-meaning figures have the graciousness to wish us well at Easter and to recognise the importance of the Christian feast day. Perhaps they might assure us that their thoughts are with us at this time. That is kind of them and in Christian charity we should thank them for their kindness, but Easter should be a great deal more than that for us. We must believe that Our Lord Jesus Christ is risen from the grave, in the flesh, and lives for eternity. We cannot treat Easter as a jolly holiday that heralds spring, or the remembrance of a significant event from the past. It must change us today and every day, change who we are and what we do. The Christian faith cannot be a mild custard or blancmange of religiosity. (I am showing my age. Nowadays, I should say that it cannot be reduced to a pious crème fraiche .) We bow down and adore the King of Kings, risen from the tomb, who, “[…] continues for ever,...
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Blessing of the New Painting of St Bede at Clapham Park

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This morning, the parish priest at Clapham Park, Fr Marcus Holden, blessed a new picture of the parish's patron, Saint Bede, painted by James Tildsley. It is sited over a recently installed side altar near the rear of the Church. The altar itself was acquired from Antique Church Furnishings . The website gives the information that the altar was built and carved by a nun in a convent near Liverpool. It is a beautiful piece of work and it is always a joy when such works of art find a suitable and dignified home. The inscription on the gradine is AMANS AMATUS AMOR. The sellers translate this as “Loving is the object of love” which is a reasonable stab at “dynamic equivalence”. Today the parish's relic of St Bede was exposed for veneration in its distinctive brightly-coloured reliquary. After the blessing, there was High Mass with Fr Holden as celebrant, Fr Littleton deacon, and myself subdeacon. That gave me the enjoyable task of chant...
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