Our Lady of Walsingham beckons...possible blogging break...

Our Lady of Walsingham


Thankfully, the packing is all done and we are setting off early tomorrow for a few days camping, in Norfolk, and not far from Walsingham.
We are all looking forward to a break, but especially attending the Youth2000 retreat I mentioned earlier.
I'm not sure what internet access will be available at the campsite and I'm fairly sure there's none at Walsingham...so it might be a few days before I can post again.
In the meantime I'll remember all readers at Mass and at Adoration and ask Our Lady of Walsingham to intercede for all your intentions.

'A' Level results

Today, we heard our second daughter has gained 'A' grades in her A levels and her university place is secured.She is very relieved that the long wait is over, and so are we!
Thanks be to God (and well done,MM!)

Best loan repayment rate from the piggy bank?

That'll be £600 and a leg of ham per month!

I wonder if there is any chance that British banks might follow the Italian model??

If so, maybe they they might accept some ham sandwiches in lieu of the leg of ham.

This could be a good way to use up all those ham sandwiches which we are not supposed to put in our childrens' lunchboxes anymore!

A flurry of activity..

Preparations are underway for our annual visit to Walsingham, for the Youth2000 Retreat which takes place during the bank holiday weekend. This year we are travelling to Norfolk in advance of the retreat, to have a few days camping before heading off to Walsingham.







Holiday preparations, for us, always seem to involve an inordinate amount of cleaning, rubbish disposal and clothes washing, and that's before the packing!

Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

'Let it be done to me according to Your Will'.

In life, and in death, let it be done to me according to Your Will.

I've been tagged - here goes!

Fiorella, of the Monstrous Regiment has tagged me; I haven't done a meme before so please bear with me!

The Seven Things I Love:

1. The Catholic Church
2. Being at home with my family
3. A good sermon/homily
4. The pro-life cause
5. Reading
6. Pasta with parmesan cheese
7. Blogging!

Now, I think I am supposed to tag others??
I will try.

Catholic commentary
Orwells picnic
Catholic and loving it
That the Bones you have crushed may Thrill
Apostolate of the Laity
Bashing secularism
Standing on my head

Apologies to anyone above who has already been tagged.

The Friars need a new set of wheels...

The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in Bradford have need of a car. Their current one, a Fiesta, sounds as if its had its last oil change...
The Friars say:

"We took it round the clock and around most of the country. But soon it will have to retire. For this reason if anyone has a car they'd like to give us, for the love of God, we would gratefully receive it as long as it's over three years old and doesn't have 'a look of luxury'! Also, if there was room for three broad shouldered men in the back, that would be helpful..."

So they are not after your Lamborgini or Jag.!

If you can help at all, here are the contact details:

The Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
St. Pio Friary
1, Sedgefield Terrace
Bradford
England
BD1 2RU

Tel.01274721989

Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal coming to Leeds!

I was delighted to read the following in a letter from the community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, in Bradford, which arrived this morning:


"Some more good news, Bishop Arthur Roche has invited our sister community,The Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, to the Diocese and has offered them a convent in south Leeds. It's a beautiful building in a fairly poor area and so it appears it will be ideal for them.They are planning to set up base in September, on the feast of Our Lady of Walsingham. This will be their first foundation outside New York and so we are incredibly blessed not only that they are coming to England but that they will basically be on our doorstep."

The Community of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal was only established twenty-one years ago, in New York. To give you an idea of what they are about, here is a quotation from their mission statement:

"The aim of the Community is to live the Gospel values in simplicity according to the ideals of Saint Francis as handed on by the Capuchin tradition. The spiritual values uniting the sisters are personal and communal commitment to Jesus Christ through contemplative and liturgical prayer (daily Mass and Divine Office), daily Eucharistic adoration, Fridays as a special day of prayer, a time set apart for solitude each month, devotion to our Lady, imitation of Saint Francis and Saint Clare, love for the Church and loyalty to the Holy Father. The sisters’ apostolic mission is work with the poor and homeless and evangelization. The sisters work with a parallel community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in many works of their apostolate."

What a great blessing for the Diocese of Leeds!

Lovely Surprise!

Our cycling son has just walked in the door!
After four weeks and three days of hard pedalling from Rome, via Medjugorje, to the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham, Phil (of Dom and Phil's bike trip) has arrived home, safe and sound, thanks be to God!
Over the last few days of the ride, Phil had been a bit 'cagey' over the precise location of Dom and himself, and now we know why:
They both wanted to surprise their families.........
Well, our son certainly did, I thought there must be at least another week's worth of pedalling, but you know, mothers can sometimes be wrong!

Papal Audience: ' Pray for Priests'

The Holy Father encourages us to pray that through the intercession of St. John Vianney, all priests will be strengthened and renewed in their vocations.

Petition against 'assisted suicide'

Anthony Bennett has created a petition to the Prime Minister to retain the law that makes it a criminal offence to assist another person to commit suicide. Further details below from the petition website.

" The law currently makes it a criminal offence to assist another person to commit suicide. There has been a stream of media stories about British people travelling to Dignitas in Switzerland to be killed because they wish to end their lives. These are all very tragic stories. However, it is important to note that in recent years no-one in Britain has been prosecuted for taking their relatives to Switzerland to die, nor in respect of other cases of assisted suicide in the U.K.

But to decriminalise assisted suicide would - as many commentators have observed - make many elderly people vulnerable to relatives who may have ulterior motives for wishing them to die early.

The law as it is acts as a deterrent to those wishing to assist a relative to die early. There is therefore a very strong case NOT to change the law, despite the increasing clamour in some quarters for assisted suicide to be made legal"

The link to this petition is here, do sign, it only takes a moment to register your objection to the legalisation of this form of killing.

St John Vianney

Happy Feast Day!

Today is the feast Day of St. John Marie Vianney, Cure of Ars, and Patron Saint of Priests.

"...the chief labour of the Curé d'Ars was the direction of souls. He had not been long at Ars when people began coming to him from other parishes, then from distant places, then from all parts of France, and finally from other countries." ( New Advent)

And now, people pray for his intercession, from all over the world, especially now, in the Year for Priests.

Don'ts for Wives

My husband picked this up for me in a local bookshop the other day, the book is no bigger than a mobile phone and, though first published in 1913, it's replete with the kind of timeless advice for wives that comes from experience.

One of my favourite quotations from 'Don'ts for Wives' is this:

"Don't say it's a waste of time to make marmalade at home when you can get it better made from the stores. Your husband and children never like any so well as yours, and it is worth the trouble of making it to see how they enjoy eating it."

I think the point that the author, Blanche Ebbutt, is making, has a wider meaning than simply taste in marmalade.
It seems to me that Ebbutt alludes to the importance of mothers being present in the home, avoiding the delegation of their irreplaceable being, as wives and mothers.
After all, the relationships between wives/husbands, parents/children, have primacy in marriage and family life.
I wonder what 'Catholic Marriage Care' would make of this little book's insights?

Fr. John Boyle is back!

The good news is, that Fr. John Boyle, previously blogging as 'South Ashford Priest' is back with a new blog, 'Caritas in Veritate' -has a certain ring about it, don't you think?
I am delighted that Fr. Boyle is back in the blogosphere, I missed his previous blog very much; it had been a source of inspiration, knowlege and catechesis, reaching people like me, far beyond the boundary of his parish.
When I started following the Catholic blogs, Fr. Boyle's blog was one of those that I found among the most helpful to me, as a Catholic wife and mother.

One of my brothers is a Parish priest in the Diocese of Clifton, so, I do have some understanding of just how busy the life of a parish priest is. And maintaining a blog is quite time consuming, as I have discovered myself. It seems to me that priest bloggers offer a gratuitous and ongoing act of 'caritas in veritate', for the benefit of all who are able to access the blogosphere, and what a great benefit it is.
Thank you Fathers, one and all.