» After a busy couple of weeks for some of us it is time to catch up here!
» On the evening of 18 November Fr Abbot and Fr Alban were in Ormskirk to join Frs Godric and Boniface and the parishioners in celebrating the centenary of the consecration of the parish church, St Anne's. Fr Abbot preached while Archbishop McMahon of Liverpool was principal celebrant at the Mass, generously highlighting the rich history of the parish while under the care of the Douai Benedictines.
» On Monday 21 November the community celebrated its patronal feast day, a day late as St Edmund had to yield place to the celebration of Christ the King on 20 November. Frs Godric, Boniface and Alexander joined us for the day, which included not only the traditional pontifical liturgies but also a community meeting as part of our participation in the EBC-wide process of communal consultation seeking renewal in the congregation. The festal lunch was happy if smaller than normal with our only guests being newly-minted confrater Dr John Rowntree and his wife Julia.
» On the following Thursday our spare complete set of Douai Magazines was taken away to be digitized, a project being funded by the Douai Society.
» On Friday 25 November, Fr Benjamin assisted with confessions at St John's school in Andover, while Fr Hugh travelled to Bristol to undergo the viva examination for his MPhil thesis (which he passed).
» The past weekend has been a busy one, with Fr Oliver's Advent retreat being well-attended, as was Sunday's Day of Recollection for the Knights of Malta, led by Fr Abbot.
