» On Saturday afternoon a group of oblates and parishioners from Woolhampton threw a suprise birthday party for Fr Gervase, who turns 80 on Thursday of this week. Most of the resident community joined the party as well. A lavish spread of sweet and savoury food was laid on in the guest refectory, to which Fr Gervase had been lured under a specious pretext. He was indeed caught by surprise.
» Today the community, including the mission fathers, gathers again for a plenary session as part of our ongoing discussions and decision-making about the future and vitality of the Douai community. As the community faces up to some stark realities and discerns how best to address them, please keep us in your prayers.
» Yesterday a large group of pilgrims arrived to stay the night and to hear a talk this morning on the EBC presence in colonial Australia. The pilgrims are sisters and laity who work in the educational apostolate of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. an Australian religious congregation founded in the mid-19th century by Archbishop Polding OSB, the first archbishop of Sydney. The pilgrimage is an annual event and, through one sister's contact with Fr Alban, Douai has become a fixture in the itinerary.