This year's pilgrimage to celebrate our English Martyrs will take place on Saturday 13th May. Please note this date, a week later than usual because of the Coronation.
Schedule:
1200 Assemble in St Walburge's church, Weston Street, Preston PR2 2QE
Procession will then walk to English Martyrs church, Garstang Road (A6), Preston PR1 1NA
https://goo.gl/maps/3wF2MCoucVt
1300 approx Mass with devotions & veneration
After Mass there will be some refreshments & social in the English Martyrs hall.
Due to an editorial glitch, the Preston part of the Lancaster report in the latest Mass of Ages did not appear. Here is the text that should have been there!
The Institute of Christ the King's patronal feast at the end of October was celebrated with a full church. The weather was very threatening but the Eucharistic procession went ahead after the 10.30 am Mass and it stayed fine just long enough: as the Blessed Sacrament was carried back inside it started to rain!
Also in October, nine young women were clothed with the habit of the Sisters Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus in Naples, bringing the total to 72 sisters; there are now more novices than professed nuns.
Likewise, the Seminary at Gricigliano is very full, mostly with seminarians in their early years. Consequently some of the senior seminarians have been assigned to apostolates for their final year. This is not ideal as it means that they are not there to mentor the new intake but it does mean that the Preston apostolate has had the blessing of having a Deacon three years running. But having so many seminarians is a good problem to have!
The All Saints party for the children was well supported with the children choosing some interesting saints, and the following day, Canon Cristofoli displayed his large collection of relics on the forward altar. The Remembrance Sunday High Mass was as usual celebrated on the War Memorial altar followed by prayers at the catafalque. In Advent around 30 people braved the cold and the early hour to attend the Rorate Caeli Mass. Masses for Christmas took place at midnight on Christmas Eve, 9am, 10.30am and 12 noon with the Canons' private Masses in between. Many people went to more than one Mass.
On New Year's Eve there was Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 11.00 pm to midnight followed by the Te Deum. Before the midday Mass that morning, prayers were offered for the late Pope Benedict XVI and Requiem Masses were celebrated for him on the day of his funeral.
Looking forward to the next quarter, in preparation for Lent there will be 40 Hours Devotion commencing with Vespers on Sunday 19th February at St Walburge's. There will be continual Adoration until Tuesday 21st concluding with 6.00 pm Mass coram Sanctissimo and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Masses for Ash Wednesday, with imposition of ashes, all at St Walburge's, will be at 8.30 am, 12 noon and 6.30 pm.
Please note that all services during Holy Week will take place at St Walburge's, except the 9.00 am Masses on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.
Guild Sundays, which resumed in January, will continue on the second and fourth Sundays of each month, with the exception of Easter Sunday.
The traditional English Martyrs pilgrimage, normally on the first Saturday in May, this year coincides with the Coronation. Therefore it has been provisionally moved to the second Saturday. Please check the Institute website https://icksp.org.uk/preston/ or the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/icksp.preston/ nearer the time to confirm date and timing.
A Sung Requiem Mass in the Old Rite was offered in the historic recusant chapel at Naworth Castle, near Brampton, Cumbria on Tuesday 25th October, by kind permission of the Hon Philip Howard.
This was the first time that a Catholic Mass had been offered in the castle since about 1645.
The Requiem Mass was offered by Fr Daniel Etienne for all deceased members of the Howard Family and all souls enrolled in the Cumbria Purgatorial Society (www.prayforsouls.uk).
After Mass, Hon. Philip Howard showed the priest's hiding hole, leading by secret passages to other parts of the castle, which in penal times enabled escape from pursuivants.
Andrew Plasom-Scott led the Schola in singing the propers. Justin and Emma Hoskins kindly provided tea afterwards at their home in Brampton.
Masses are held in Workington every 2nd Friday of the Month in Our Lady and St Michael's Workington. There is a small following who attend regularly. Canon John Watson is Celebrant with Paul Briers serving.
On Saturday 17th December they celebrated a Rorate Caeli Mass- here's a few pictures taken by Fr Philip Conner, PP
Just lately, the heavens have indeed been dropping down from above...
For the last year, Fr Docherty has generously offered Low Mass weekly at Hornby, on a Saturday morning, fitting this around his other duties as an Episcopal Vicar and University Chaplain, and the consequent need to produce several newsletters each week.
Following a break for his well earned holiday, Mass at Hornby will be monthly, on the first Saturday of the month, still at 11:00am.
Note- there is no Mass on 28th January.
There will, however, be a Mass in the Chaplaincy Centre at Lancaster University, on the first Friday of each month at 6:00pm, during university term times. Parking should be available nearby on the Perimeter Road, and all are welcome even if you've no connection to the University. If you're contacting Fr Docherty to check before travelling, please do that an hour and a half beforehand- he has to get there too!
Once this work has been done the Academy will have a more suitable building with more space, allowing more enrolments.
Please, if you can, help the Canons to raise this money so that we can give our children the authentic Catholic education that is so badly needed in our times. Go to their website to find out more about the Academy and to donate.
If you would like to be sent their newsletters as they are published, or if you are an interested parent and would like to arrange a visit, then please email the Principal, Canon Ryan Post, at saintbenedicts@icksp.org.uk
A new video has been made about St Benedict's Academy run by the Canons and Sisters of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest in Preston. It can be viewed here. There is also information at the St Benedict's website here.
Registration for September 2021 is now open so if you know of anyone who might be interested please pass the word.
