FIrst Verspers with Archbishop

Our esteemed in-house Benedictine, Br Andrew Berry of Belmont Abbey, tells us of the privilege of assisting at Archbishop Bernard's First Vespers last Monday...

On Monday 7th December, the eve of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a small group of us from Oscott went down to St Chad’s for what turned out to be, for me at least, a very memorable evening. The then Archbishop elect Bernard Longley was presiding at solemn vespers surrounded by hundreds of religious, priests, brothers and nuns of the diocese and indeed beyond.

Mike Stanley and CJM led the music and helped establish a prayerful atmosphere throughout the service.

No tickets were required for this service so the cathedral was filled with representative from various religious orders including the Bridgettines, the Missionaries of Charity and the Sisters of St Paul from Selly Park. They were joined by parishioners and friends from across the diocese who took the opportunity to gather together to pray for Archbishop Longley and to celebrate the diversity of religious vocation. Bishop William Kenny, who is himself a member of the Passionist Order, along with Bishop David McGough and Canon Pat Browne were also there. Sadly there were not many male religious in attendance, although the reading at vespers was done by Brother Andrew of the Sacred Heart Fathers.

It was great to see so many religious in one place and a reminder that vocation takes many forms, not just the priesthood, and that God calls us into many different states of life. The religious life is one that stands at the very centre of everything the church is and does. Since the very beginnings of Christianity men and woman have given themselves over to the service of God and his people, joyfully witnessing to the one who loves us more than we can ever know and who meets us in our deepest need.

In his homily Archbishop Bernard praised the various religious communities for all the work they do, especially with those who live on the margins of society and who tend to be forgotten or ignored; stating that: “the religious vocation is at the heart of the church and yet will often take you out to the margins”. In this he recognised a fact that is often overlooked, namely that the religious vocation is a hidden one. The work we do, in obedience to God’s call, whether it is teaching, working with the poor and vulnerable of society, or even as power houses of prayer is usually silent and unseen, yet witnesses to the Kingdom of God in our midst. He also promised to visit every religious community in order to support and encourage.

After vespers Archbishop Bernard met many of the religious over tea and cake, reaffirming his commitment to encouraging the growth of religious vocation as well as assuring us all of his prayerful support.

Archbishop Bernard

On Tuesday we had the pleasure of going to Archbishop Bernard Longley's installation in St Chad's cathedral, for what was a beatiful Mass. Yesterday the new Arch came to Oscott to meet the staff and seminarians, to introduce himself, and to preside at Evening Prayer. His affectionate, personal manner has already endeared him to all.

Look out in the next few days for a seminarian's account of the events on Tuesday...

Are you weak enough to be a priest?

We started Advent the other week with a day of recollection by Fr John Hemer, Scripture teacher at Allen Hall seminary, who also gives lectures at Oscott. Simon Davies, a first year seminarian for East Anglia diocese, tells more about the day...

“Who do you say I am?”

This question was asked of the Apostles by Our Lord on the rocky road to Caesarea Philippi many years ago. There was a gaggle of speculation among the people of the Holy Land: Where does he live? How does he earn a living? Who is this man? “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah or one of the prophets?”

Even today, people are answering the question: some say a cynic, some a failed revolutionary, others the husband of Mary Magdalene. There have been more publications ‘revealing’ Jesus in the last century than in the other 19 centuries of Christianity. Indeed, this question, ‘who do you say I am?’ is asked of us still today, but how many answer as Peter did? “You are the Christ, the son of the living God?”

Our most recent day of recollection was thus opened by Father John Heemer, who lectures scripture both here at Oscott and Allen Hall in London. ‘Get a scripture scholar in, and you’re going to have a reflection on scripture.’ He spoke first of priesthood and then later of discipleship, but here we shall focus on the first reflection.

However, this potentially scientific reflection was immediately placed in our own context. Not only are we asked the question, ‘who do you say I am?’ we are required to answer it not only as children of God, but specifically as seminarians and priests. For an ordained man, it is not enough to repeat everyone else’s answers. Priests must answer this question personally: who is Jesus? We can, and should, provide all the right answers: he is the Son of God, and son of Mary, and the second person of the Blessed Trinity; he died, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. He is the world’s redeemer and its judge. So what is our profound relationship with Jesus all about?

As we gaze on him through the eyes of the Evangelists, we see that he who is our Lord and brother is he on whom we depend; without him, “to whom shall we go.” The only road to happiness for a priest, is being able to make these words his own. To be in love with Jesus on a level, that one cannot fathom life without him.

This is no ordinary love, however. Sat around a charcoal fire on the shore, Jesus asks Peter another, very different question: “do you love me?” And he asks it three times. The tone is very different from the first question, for a lot has happened since then. The Lord was killed, the Apostles scattered, but now, He has risen from the dead, and has gathered his friends together once more. These men are not heroes or supermen, who fought by the sword to the death. They are real people, like us. They failed, for they abandoned their teacher. It is comforting to know that the Church is not built on superheroes, but on regular men. Peter could have spent his life wracked with guilt over denying Christ three times, but instead, he confesses his love threefold. Even though Peter failed, Christ did not cast him aside. He did the opposite, in fact, he embraced him as close as he could. These are the models we strive after.

“Are you weak enough to be a priest?”

Remembering November, and Looking forward to the Installation

There’s been lots going on the last few weeks, in the midst of essay writing and exam preparation. On November 17th we had a Top Year Return Mass, celebrated by those Oscotians who were ordained priests this last year. Fr Paul Leonard (Portsmouth diocese) presided, Fr Dominic Coslett (Birmingham archdiocese) and Frs Paul Johnson and Michael Smith (Birmingham and Menevia respectively) concelebrated. It was a great community occasion, as well as a chance to learn from our brothers on the ‘other side of the fence!’ Fr Johnson said how necessary it is to keep a relationship with Christ through prayer, in order to stay strong in a parish (the rector said much the same thing in a recent talk to us).

Speaking of staying strong, on Saturday 28th we challenged the Dominican students from Blackfriars, Oxford to a footie match! They enthusiastically accepted, and the event was hyped up from both ends, with rumours and hearsay abounding. The game was fast-paced and well-matched, but still we were able to come out on top, 2-0. Afterwards there was socialising in the common room, and a good time was had by all.

This weekend is a vocations discernment weekend, so there are 9 men from Birmingham and Nottingham dioceses staying at the seminary, seeing what life is like here, and trying to discover if it is God’s will that they be priests. We hope that they feel welcome here, and that it will be a place where they can reflect clearly on their vocation. May more men be as open to the possibility of a priestly vocation!

Finally, we are all looking forward to the Installation of Bernard Longley as Archbishop of Birmingham on Tuesday. It should be a triumphal occasion for the Church in this diocese, and we trust that his relationship with the seminary in the coming years will be a warm one.

Day is Done (the lights have failed us)

Diversions in the house during essay time are always most welcome - so when the electricity at Oscott was turned off the other day we were perhaps more excited than usual. The last time this happened was a few years ago, and we were all given torches to wander around in the dark like zombies... This time it was only off for about an hour, and with our torches we all huddled together under the emergency light in our respective student corridors. As we had not much else to do, we decided it was a good time to say Vespers, and we were amused to see that the first hymn was 'Day is done,' which went on to assure us 'shadows fall, but light prevailing calms every fear!'

The power is supposedly being cut again in the next day or so in order to fix something (I never understand the technical jargon), so we're saving our essays on the computer every few minutes! At least we were spared the power failing in the middle of public Vespers in the chapel tonight. Pandemonium would have surely ensued.

Life in a Parish (the Extended Pastoral Placement)

Michael Glover, a 4th year seminarian for the Birmingham Archdiocese, is one of three from our community who is out on a 5 month parish placement. He shares with us about his experience so far!


"Formation for the priesthood is not complete without pastoral placements. During our time at Oscott we have placements in parishes each year. At the beginning of our fourth year we do what we call an Extended Pastoral Placement or (because we like our acronyms!) EPP. From the beginning of September until the end of January fourth year seminarians live and work in a parish discovering what it is actually like living the life of a secular priest. It is an important placement because we experience the reality of living the life of a secular priest, its demands, its joys, frustrations and all the other things that only good, solid experience can give. In many ways this experience cements our desire to pursue the vocation of priesthood or to discern whether God has other plans for us.

So, what of my experience so far? I have been living and working in the parish of Ss. Mary and Modwen in Burton-upon-Trent for almost two months and it has been fantastic. The life of a secular priest is varied, and no two weeks are the same – no matter how hard you try! My fixed points each week are daily Mass (of course), prayer and reflection (which is vital), visiting the sick in the local hospital and spending a day at the local primary school working with different classes each week. The rest of the week can include visiting the sick of the parish, meeting couples for marriage preparation, baptismal preparation, preparing homilies and talks and other meetings and events that happen during my time here. There is even time, and I know my brother seminarians and friends will gasp when they discover this, to visit the gym!!

Most of the things I do over the course of the week are done alongside or under the guidance of the parish priest. It is his job to show me the reality of what it is like to live the life of a secular priest, which is more than just the spiritual and liturgical roles that a priest has within a community. With the help of the parish secretary I have been shown how accounting works (something I know absolutely nothing about), how to maintain buildings and even a little bit a property development. All these are not what one usually associates with the sacred priesthood but are nonetheless they important aspects of the role.

Ever since I expressed a desire to become a priest people have always said how great it would be to work one day a week. Indeed, it would be a great thing to have a job that you work one day a week but the priesthood is not the one! The life of a secular priest demands more than normal working hours, good pay and proper working conditions. It demands your whole being. The more you give yourself over to the vocation that God has called you to the more graces and blessings you receive in your ministry. The life must be grounded on the Eucharist which is “the source and summit” of Christian life and a personal relationship, through prayer, with the God who loves and knows us dearly. Without that it would be impossible to fulfil all that is required of you.

I am really enjoying my pastoral placement and I consider myself very blessed to be placed in such a wonderful parish. I am sure my experiences here will stand me in good stead for the rest of my formation and beyond. Please pray for me as I continue my pastoral placement, and for the other lads from my year who are also on extended placement at the moment."

College Feast Day

On Tuesday we had our college feast day, Sedes Sapientiae (Our Lady Seat of Wisdom). Bishop David McGough, auxiliary bishop of Birmingham, presided and preached at Mass, and was joined by his fellow auxiliary Philip Pargeter, as well as Bishop Peter Doyle of Northampton. We also had a number of priests who have been associated with the life of Oscott in various ways, including former seminarians Frs Paul Johnson and Paul Leonard who were ordained priest in the summer, and Fr Chris Howard who was ordained the summer previously. It was great to have everyone here to celebrate the solemnity. In the evening the college community had a night of performances by the seminarians and members of staff, one of the ways in which we foster community amongst ourselves, and have a laugh at the same time!

Mary is the Seat of Wisdom because on her lap she nurtured the Christ child, the Logos who is Wisdom itself. The statue of Mary in the chapel at Oscott shows her teaching Christ the Scriptures on her knee. Scriptural verses like Luke 2:52 speak of the paradox by which Jesus who was wisdom 'increased in wisdom.' It is important that as seminarians we can have a child-like relationship with Mary, coming to her as a Mother who not only intercedes for us but teaches us from the storeroom of her own heart what it is to be a child of God and friend with Christ.

The Liturgy of the Hours - What's it for?

Deacon Michael Puljic for the Archdiocese of Birmingham explains what the 'Liturgy of the Hours' is and why we pray it:

“Are you resolved to maintain and deepen a spirit of prayer appropriate to your way of life and, in keeping with what is required of you, to celebrate faithfully the liturgy of the hours for the Church and for the whole world?”

This was one of the questions Michael, Luke, Roger, Andrew and I were asked by Bishop Philip Pargeter as part of our ordination Mass on 27th June this year. One of the important aspects of the life of any member of the clergy is that he prays for the Church and the world, and as part of this we promise to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. Part of this may be familiar to some of you, as many parishes now celebrate Morning and/or Evening Prayer regularly, perhaps before Mass. As well as these two “offices”, as they are called, there are also three others: The Office of Readings, Prayer During the Day and Night Prayer. The idea is that they are prayed throughout the day, thus sanctifying the day, although there is the option of celebrating one immediately after the other if circumstances require it.

The main component of the Liturgy of the Hours is the psalms, which are effectively Jewish hymns that Our Lord would have prayed during His life on earth, one particularly obvious example being Psalm 21(22) which begins, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. Almost all of the one hundred and fifty psalms are prayed over the course of four weeks, covering various expressions of prayer to God and a rich treasury of emotions. For example:

“I will sing forever of you love, O Lord” (Ps 88(89):2)
“Your word is a lamp for my steps and a light for my path” (Ps 118(119):105)
“Save me, O God, for the waters have risen to my neck” (Ps 68(69):2)
“Have mercy on me, God in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offence.” (Ps 50(51):1)
“O Lord, avenging God, avenging God, appear! Judge of the earth, arise, give the proud what they deserve!” (Ps 93(94): 1-2)
“Hear my voice, O God, as I complain” (Ps 63(64):1)

It may be that, praying through some of these psalms, they may fit our situation that day perfectly, but it may also happen that they don't. But given the fact that we are praying for and with the whole Church, whilst a psalm may not fit our feelings and desires at the time, there will be others for whom it will fit perfectly; as it were, we will be praying in their shoes for their intentions, and on other occasions others will do the same for us.

For me, praying the Liturgy of the Hours is important as a way of maintaining contact with God throughout the day and also being a way of celebrating fast and feast days, keeping such things constantly before my mind. In a certain sense, I suppose it could be said that it makes each day more fun, rather than every day being the same!

A Vocation Story

Brendan Seery, a first year for the diocese of Northampton, share a bit about his journey to seminary:

My first inkling of a vocation to the priesthood began whilst I was in primary school when, after coming back from school, I would play at celebrating mass with my friends, using milky-bar buttons for hosts and juice for wine. However, perhaps the first step to consider the priesthood seriously occurred when I was fourteen, and I went to Lourdes with my family. As if by providence, Pope John Paul II was also in Lourdes, and the shining example and dedication the ailing pontiff showed to his faith, touched me to the extent that it made me seriously consider the priesthood.

Of course, being at such a tender age my parents suggested I considered other options and so I left my ambition of becoming a priest and turned towards becoming a barrister. The idea of working on high profile law cases and living in a house in Chelsea and sending my children to private schools seemed to appeal to me so much that I was focussed on going to university to study law.

However, the inner yearning to serve the community and be an ambassador for Christ must have remained in me, because when I went to Lourdes with a school group as a redcap at the end of my first year in sixth form, I was overwhelmed with a sense of inner peace and love for God. I was so overwhelmed that the ideas of owning a large house and having children seemed to be somewhat unimportant. Of course, I’m not suggesting that the vocation to parenthood is unimportant, but I felt it was not what I was meant to be.

After battling with myself and abandoning myself to the will of God, I told my parents who, thankfully, were extremely supportive of me and helped me in my application to the diocese. After a meeting with my parish priest, a meeting with the diocesan vocations director was arranged. This in turn led to a meeting with the bishop of Northampton who accepted my application to the diocese. As a result of this meeting, the bishop recommended that I was sent to the English College in Valladolid, Spain, for a propadeutic year which enabled me to focus exclusively on discerning my vocation.

At the end of that year, I decided to forgo university and pursue God’s vocation for me by continuing with my studies here at St. Mary’s college, Oscott. I am currently in the first year and look forward to countless exciting years ahead.

St Therese's relics in Birmingham

Linh Ta Hanh Nguyen, a 3rd seminarian for Birmingham Archdiocese, writes:


St. Therese’s relics come to Birmingham! How does it sound? It’s great! That’s the feeling of people who are looking forwards to that day in order to come to venerate her, to pray with her and to ask for her intercession. St. Mary’s College had the privilege to celebrate evening prayer with exposition and benediction in front of her relics. That was a wonderful experience: to pray with the saint whose life was a good example for those who want to devote their life to the Lord. This celebration was made more fruitful with a fantastic day of recollection on the life of St. Therese given by Canon John Udris (just few days before her relic came to Birmingham). Indeed, for us, people who are following the vocation to the priesthood or who are living the priestly life, it was a golden chance to reflect on the life of the Little Flower, the one who finally found that her vocation is LOVE. That LOVE was put into every single little thing in her 24 years on earth. In her writing:

Living on Love is giving without limit
Without claiming age’s wages here below
Ah, I give without counting, truly sure
That when one loves, one does not keep count!
Overflowing with tenderness, I have given everything,
To His Divine Heart... lightly run.
I have nothing left but my own wealth:
Living on Love (Therese, Manuscript B)

With that LOVE, she lived her ordinary life in an extraordinary way. Yes, we need that LOVE. That’s all that our vocations are about. The world needs that LOVE, too. The evidence is that St. Chad’s Cathedral was packed with people who came to pray with the saint on Saturday evening and hundreds – with many young people – attended midnight mass and stayed on during that night! Why did they come? They wanted to pray with her and to learn from her, a modern saint, how to live out their faith in this modern world.

Let’s pray that through the intercession of St. Therese people all over the world may come to know God who is LOVE. May many young people open their hearts generously to respond to the calling of that LOVE in the service of God’s people.

Staying in Kenya with the Mill Hill Fathers

Neil Peoples writes:

Bryan Adams sang about the summer of ’69 but it will be the summer of 2009 that will remain with me for the rest of my life. Each year the Mill Hill Fathers give four seminarians the chance to experience life on the missions, this year that chance came to me. The placement took place in the Parish of St Mary and Joseph in Nairobi, Kenya. The parish was based on the edge of one of the many slums, which gave us a real glimpse of the poverty that the people were facing.
One day we paid a visit to the Kibera Slum, which currently has an estimated population of 1.5 million. We saw the people working on various projects to get themselves out of poverty. The most impressive project we came across was in the Parish of Christ the King. In the heart of the slum, a brand new parish Church was being built, a school was providing education for 100’s of children and in the process insuring them of one meal a day. In the offices, lawyers provided information on the legal rights of the people, all of the parishes projects were aimed at giving people information they required to get out of poverty. Walking through the Kibera slum was very upsetting; however seeing projects such as the Parish of Christ the King gave a feeling of hope.

Within the parish compound of St Josephs 3 major projects were taking place: the training of young girls in textiles, a special needs school to look after children, one of only 4 in Nairobi and a HIV test centre. These projects gave great support to the local community; along with the basketball court it also created a safe environment for the young people.

During the placement, I also had the chance to experience the tourist side of Kenya. It was certainly like stepping into another world when visiting the Safari Park and the Giraffe Centre. I am sure that thousands of people have had amazing holidays in Kenya... I wonder how many realised that five minutes down the road was the 2nd largest slum in Africa. The tourist side of Kenya is vital for the economy and the time on Safari was very enjoyable. More importantly these trips highlighted how large the gap is between the rich and the poor in Africa. In the UK we have a large gap between the rich and the poor however in Africa it is on a larger scale.
The timing of the visit to Kenya was very fitting, with Pope Benedict XVI announcing a Year of the Priest – it gave me the chance to see another aspect of priestly life. Living here in the UK we get used to the idea of Diocesan Priesthood and Religious orders but very little exposure to Missionary Priests. This experience has given me a much greater understanding of this particular Vocation and my admiration for them has grown immensely. The work done by the Parish Priest Fr Benny was a great example of what a Priest should be!

The Mill Hill Fathers continue to do amazing work throughout the world. I strongly encourage people to support the Red Box appeals that support the work of the Mill Hill Fathers. The money that is raised from the red box appeal really does make a difference, which I have now seen with my own eyes.

If you would like to learn more about the Mill Hill Fathers you can access more information on http://www.millhillmissionaries.com/.


Neil Peoples,
3rd Year Nottingham Diocese

Summer Holidays Are Here!

After a very busy term the Summer Holiday has arrived at St Mary's College! Hopefully there may be one or two posts over the summer about what Seminarians get up to on their holidays. Other than that we wish all our readers a lovely summer and that the blog will be back in full swing in September.

From all at the Seminary,

God bless.

Congratulations!

Roger Peck, Michael Collis, Luke Goymour, Micahael Puljic and Dom Andrew Berry

Were Ordained Deacon yesturday in the College Chapel.

Please Pray for them as they begin their ministry as Deacons.

Pilgrimage to Asissi - Part 2 (And they shopped...)

Deacon Paul Johnson

Sixth year seminarian for the Archdiocese of Birmingham

Will be ordained to the Sacred Priesthood on 13th July 2oo9

You will have read about our first day arriving in the Eternal City and celebrating Mass in St Paul’s Outside the Walls from my confrere, Roger. Now it is my turn to tell you about the following day; St Peter’s and the shopping trip.

The day began early, too early to mention, that we might be bussed into the Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano with ample time for an early morning Mass below the main floor of the basilica. We duly arrived and waited above the entrance down to the crypt, next to Bernini’s baldacchino, which I am told will fit inside the cupola at the top of the dome of St Peter’s. Staggering as this may be (the beauty of the baldacchino not its evident size) it simply doesn’t cut the mustard when compared to the immense statue of Longinus. The way in which Bernini captures the moment of Longinus’ conversion is just exquisite: his open arms mimicking the crucified Son of God, the dishevelled hair and flowing nature of the cloth blown by the wind symbolic of that juxtaposition between unbelief and salvation. Ah, too much to bear. As though this were insufficient, however, from where we stood we could look upon the tomb of Alexander VII where the red marble seems almost as soft as silken material flowing from a seamstress’s ample table; yet another Bernini triumph. It seemed to me that to celebrate Mass in the Vatican Grotto, feet away from St Peter’s tomb, was just too much on top of this wonderful art, which included marvelling at Michelangelo’s Pieta later in the morning. This was, nonetheless, a pilgrimage and not a holiday. The breathtaking beauty of St Peter’s basilica serves only to heighten the joy of the Eucharist. As we gathered in the tiny chapel of St Columba, on his feast, it seemed fitting that we should visit the second of the Apostles and thus follow in the footsteps of our bishops during their ad limina visits. We were able to share in the Lord’s Supper and pray for an increase in vocations, especially those coming to Oscott, the over-riding theme of the pilgrimage to be oft repeated at the tombs of the great and the good.

Following Mass, we dispersed for two hours of free time, but can one ever be truly free in Rome when there is shopping to be done? Many of our number hot footed it to the various clerical emporia, of which there are many, though I protested Barbiconi to be too far by half yet still managed to get to the Gesu to say some prayers at the tomb of Ignatius. I absolutely loved the end of the prayer I found, written in English and stuck to the prie-dieu to help those weary pilgrims, like myself, who seek the intercession of the great founder of the Jesuits; oh that blessed society: Pray for us, O St Ignatius of Loyola, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Sound familiar? Yes, I thought so, too.

The shackles firmly replaced our free time was over and we were heading into the rolling Umbrian hills to spend three days in Assisi. The Hotel La Rocca, with its long established connections to English pilgrims, proved perfect to our needs as a base whilst we explored the heritage of Assisi, including glimpses of life before Francis and Clare, in the form of St Rufino of Assisi, the lesser known Roman martyr patron of the town. It is true to say that the highlight, for me at least, was the standard of the homilies whilst we were away. All too often we hear of the saints in so many varied ways, but it had not struck me before how connected are the lives of the saints and the mystery of Christ. I hear you call out “of course” but for me this connection just hadn’t been so powerfully made as through the inspired homilies of our resident formation staff. Thank you reverend Fathers, one and all. You know a homily has hit the mark when you know you need to change. I have changed as a result of this pilgrimage. I am truly sorry that it will remain, forever, my last Oscott pilgrimage. Famous last words it may seem but overall the pilgrimage ranked as probably the best I have been on with the college (and that is six years). Carlsberg don’t lead pilgrimages, but if they did....

As for days three, four and five – maybe someone else will give some views.

The Year For Priests

Today is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the beginning of the Year For Priests.

"To the Most Holy Virgin I entrust this Year for Priests. I ask her to awaken in the heart of every priest a generous and renewed commitment to the ideal of complete self-oblation to Christ and the Church which inspired the thoughts and actions of the saintly Curé of Ars. It was his fervent prayer life and his impassioned love of Christ Crucified that enabled John Mary Vianney to grow daily in his total self-oblation to God and the Church. May his example lead all priests to offer that witness of unity with their Bishop, with one another and with the lay faithful, which today, as ever, is so necessary. Despite all the evil present in our world, the words which Christ spoke to his Apostles in the Upper Room continue to inspire us: “In the world you have tribulation; but take courage, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). Our faith in the Divine Master gives us the strength to look to the future with confidence. Dear priests, Christ is counting on you. In the footsteps of the Curé of Ars, let yourselves be enthralled by him. In this way you too will be, for the world in our time, heralds of hope, reconciliation and peace!"

(from Pope Benedict XVI's letter proclaiming a Year for Priests)

Please pray for your priests.

Pray for the priest who baptised you,

who heard your first confession

and who prepared you for making your First Holy Communion.

Pray for those priests who have inspired you

Pray for those priests who struggle with their vocation.

Pray for those considering a vocation to the priesthood.

Pray for those who are in formation for the priesthood.

Wishing you all a happy feast from St Mary's College Oscott

Pilgrimage to Asissi - Part One

Roger Peck

Sixth year seminarian for the Archdiocese of Birmingham

Will be ordained Deacon on 27th June

Kate or Yasmina? This was the burning question occupying the college community late into the evening of Sunday 7th June. Never mind that the dust had scarcely settled from the last Visitors Sunday of the year. Never mind that a coach had been booked to take us to Heathrow Airport at 2:30 in the morning. Never mind that clothes had to be washed, shirts had to be ironed, bags had to be packed and last minute admin had to be dealt with. A good portion of the community still found time to gather in the student common room to find out who it was who was going to be crowned Alan Sugar’s next Apprentice. Only with the result in and the post mortem put to bed did people scurry off to their late night/early morning chores; but cometh the hour - when the coach pulled away from the college driveway bang on the appointed time - everybody was onboard and accounted for.

The outward journey passed off without a hitch. We arrived at Heathrow with time to purchase some last minute holiday provisions (sorry - did I say "holiday"? I meant, of course "pilgrimage") and grab a bite to eat, and before we knew it we were standing on Italian soil (Fiumicino airport) bags in hand and a short coach transfer from our accommodation for the night – the Villa Benedetta. After checking into the Villa and dumping our bags, and with just enough time for a quick freshen up and change of clothes, we hopped straight back onto the waiting coach and made our way to The Beda College for lunch. Although, I believe, this might have been the first time Oscott has visited the Beda en masse the historical significance of the occasion seemed to have been somewhat lost on us as we tucked ravenously into a delicious pasta dish that said quite clearly “welcome to Italy!” The hospitality, however, which we experienced at the hands of the Beda community, was certainly not lost on us. The greeting that we received was warm and sincere and our hosts were ever attentive to our needs; and this despite the fact that many of them were still in the throes of their exams! Although our time at the Beda was short, it was still long enough for new sights to be seen and old acquaintances to be renewed. Some of the students at Oscott and the Beda had spent a pre-seminary year together at Valladolid in Spain.

After coffee and a guided tour of the college we said our arrivedercis and headed off across the road to visit the Basilica of St Paul’s outside the Walls. Although, for some inexplicable reason, I always found the rhyming couplet of its name strangely amusing there was certainly nothing frivolous about what (or who) it was we had come to reverence and pay our respects to. The site of a shrine to St Paul from the earliest times, and the site of a Church from as far back as the 4th Century; archaeological excavations of the basilica in 2002-2003 unearthed a sarcophagus that later investigations confirmed as the resting place of St Paul the Apostle. Although these excavations left the sarcophagus in situ one of the sides of the casket is now visible.

After a brief guided tour of the basilica courtesy of Judith we had the privilege of celebrating mass together there. After mass we made our way on foot back to the Hotel arriving with plenty of time to freshen up properly (this time), or maybe even catch up on a few Zeds, before the next event on the timetable – dinner. After dinner everyone had the decision to make of whether to settle for an early night or whether the opportunity to walk the streets of Rome and do a bit of sightseeing was too good an opportunity to be passed up. Never having been to Rome before this decision was never going to be a difficult one for me to make; and a most memorable and enjoyable evening was spent in the company of Tour Guide Father Mark as a small group of us took in the sites of ancient Rome around the Coliseum area. One of the highlights for me of the evening was a stunning statue of Marcus Aurelius astride a horse. Another highlight was sighting a full moon peeping through one of the arches of an ancient Roman wall near to the Coliseum. Gary – I hope you got a good picture of that!

Having done the sights it was back to the Villa Benedetta in time to make a still fairly early night of it in readiness for an early start the next day.

The first day of our pilgrimage, then, had come to an end, and although it had been a long one it had also been immensely rewarding. Everything had gone smoothly and to plan and this was due in no small measure to the meticulous planning on the part of Judith and the fluent Italian of the various alumni of the English College (now on the staff at Oscott).

My abiding memory of the day will be kneeling and praying before the tomb of St Paul. Past pilgrimages have taken me to the tombs and burial places of many holy men and women but here was something different or, rather, something more. Here lay an Apostle of the Church. Here was something foundational, something rock solid. Veneration of a body, devotion to a person and imitation of a life were certainly all part of the experience but, kneeling before the Tomb of the Apostle Paul, inspired also a deep love, affection and respect for the one holy catholic and apostolic Church that I was a part of.

Having knelt before the tomb of St Paul, and in the year of St Paul, I call upon him to intercede for us in petitioning God for a renewal of the Church today. The special intention that the college brought with them to Rome (and Assisi) was for an increase in vocations to the priesthood. As we strive for that New Evangelization that John Paul II often called for let us look to St Paul as both our patron and our example. Drawing inspiration from St Paul’s speeches at Lystra and Athens, (cf. Acts 14:15-17; 17:22-31) let us seek to effectively communicate the Gospel message to the world today – especially the young of today.

Saint Paul, Apostle and Martyr, Pray for us.

High Tea with Mgr Louis McRaye in "Louis' Diner"

Henry Whisenant

Second year seminarian for the Diocese of East Anglia

Assistant Choirmaster, Oscotian editor

Last Tuesday we were honoured to have a visit from Monsignor Louis McRaye, a previous spiritual director of Oscott in the 80’s and 90’s, now a priest at the venerable age of 94. A ‘late vocation’ who was ordained from the Beda in 1962, Mgr Louis spent 18 years as the chaplain of Warwick University, where he developed a ministry of cooking for the skint students and nourishing their souls at the same time: ‘’You get to know people by eating with them,’ he remarked to us, ‘And people are always hungry.’ At Oscott he set up a small kitchen and dining room for the seminarians, affectionately known as Louis’ Diner, where he used to cook for alternate year groups. The diner is still used by us today on occasion, for house groups or informal meals. Mgr Louis blessed the room during his visit on Tuesday, and then joined us for High Tea. As he beheld the sumptuous scones and cakes, the Mgr exclaimed, ‘Tea is the best English remedy for everything!’

It was fitting that the Gospel which was read for the blessing of the room was that of Mary and Martha, with Mary sitting at the feet of her Lord, because some of us literally sat at the Mgr’s feet (due to a lack of chairs) to listen to his amusing and instructive anecdotes. A latin teacher at the seminary for some time, Mgr Louis recounted how on the Feast of the Annunciation in the early 1960's (before he was teaching) Archbishop Grimshaw announced in his homily that in fidelity to the Church all the lectures in the seminary would now take place in latin, to the surprised gasps of the lecturers. The seminarians coped by copying the notes of one of their peers who was a classics whiz! Mgr Louis also had stories from his time as an English student at Oxford University, where he was taught by greats like Tolkien and C. S. Lewis among others. One day Tolkien came into the room to lecture on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Having briefly discarded the set lecture by saying that the students could read his translation of the work, he then proceeded on a tangent with the words, ‘Now, let’s talk about fairy tales!’

Talking to Mgr Louis was a great experience, and we would like to thank him for the Diner that has now become a part of life at Oscott. Long may it nourish bodies and souls! Thanks to Michael, Johnno, and the two Craigs for preparing the wonderful spread.

Pilgrimage to Assisi

One of the more exciting parts of formation for the priesthood is the Seminary Pilgrimage!

We will be heading off early Monday morning to catch a flight to Rome where we will be joining our brother seminarians at the Beda College for lunch. Later that afternoon we will be having Mass in the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls to commemorate the Year of St Paul. The next morning after Mass at St Peter’s Basilica we will be heading north to Assisi to follow the footsteps of St Francis and St Clare.

We will be back on Friday and no doubt someone will share their experiences of our pilgrimage! Until then, we will remember our readers while we are in Rome and Assisi.

The Profession of Faith

Michael Puljic
Fifth year seminarian for the Archdiocese of Birmingham
Will be ordained deacon on 27th June 2009

Last Sunday (31st May), Paul Johnson, Paul Leonard, Luke Goymour, Michael Collis, Roger Peck, Brother Andrew and I took our oath of fidelity before the whole seminary community during Evening Prayer. This is a necessary step before ordination to the diaconate and priesthood, and in it we affirm that we believe all that the Church teaches, promise to uphold Canon Law (i.e. Church law) and publically demonstrate our commitment to the mission ahead as deacons and priests. As someone due to be ordained a deacon in just over three weeks time, it really brings home the fact that we haven't got too long until ordination. For the last four years I have seen other years taking this promise, and now it's our turn! Yet I'm sure our ordination on the 27th will be even more exhilarating and nerve-wracking. Watch this space!

Exams are finished - Deo Gratias

Today the Community breath a huge sigh of relief as the exams have now finished for this academic year. It is now time to tidy our spaces in the library, file away our notes and do something that does not involve a book!

Seminary Community is gripped by Modern Culture.

Neil Peoples

Second year seminarian for the

Diocese of Nottingham

Assistant Sacristan,

Common room and OAJP Treasurer

As a seminary community we’re encouraged to engage with culture. This engagement has included visits to the Byzantine exhibition in London, St John’s Passion by Bach, Culture evenings to discuss art. The latest culture extravaganza to grip the community has been…….Britain’s Got Talent!

As I am sure many families have gathered around the TV to watch the weird and wonderful acts, so have the seminarians at Oscott College. From dog trainers to brake dancing OAP’s, Britain and the world have certainly been entertained.

The favourite from the start, has been the singing sensation Susan Boyle. With over 100 million hits on You Tube, she is going to take some stopping. As popular as Susan is around the Globe, she has failed to be the most popular act in the Oscott Common Room. That fine accolade goes to Stavros Flatley, the father and son dancing duo, which have caused much laughter and attempts at the dance moves. However, the thing that has impressed people the most has been the close relationship between the father and son. They have shown the amazing bond that exists and how vitally important a father figure is in a child’s life. As we have seen with recent battles over adoption agencies, the traditional family is under increasing pressure. Stavros Flatley and 2 Grand (Granddad and Granddaughter singing together) have shown that the British are at there best when working as a family.

With the big final on Saturday, the waiting is nearly over to see who will get the honour of performing in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Show; however the wait will be slightly longer at Oscott. It is not that we live in our own time zone, but to the shock and horror of the community it was realised that the Grand Final clashed with Evening Prayer, Chant Practice and a Vigil for Pentecost. However due to a bright spark in the community and that modern piece of technology the video recorder; we will be watching the show after the vigil.

Good luck to all the finalists, you have made Britain proud and entertained a group of seminarians, when they should be revising for exams!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Deacons Paul Leonard and Paul Johnson and to Roger

who today successfully passed their STB exam.

The STB exam marks the end of 6 years of hard work for these three seminarians. They can now breath a huge sigh of relief and tidy away six years of work! Well done guys!

Now that their academic work is complete they can now focus their minds on the future. Please pray for Roger who will be ordained Deacon on the 27th June and to Deacon Paul Leonard and Deacon Paul Johnson who will be ordained Priest in July.

Reading and Revision Week

Dom Andrew Berry

Sixth year seminarian from the Benedictine community of St Michael and All Angels Belmont

Will be ordained Deacon on the 27th June 2009

Well it’s that time of year again, when cleaning that inch of dust which has hitherto been happily lying on the bookshelves becomes the most important thing in the world. When re-arranging your room is an all consuming occupation and the carpets are vacuumed to within an inch of their lives. Yes, its revision week, a week of total denial, you know you have an exam in a few days and that you really should open those books or at least go to the library but there is always something else that needs to be done first. A couple of years ago the seminarians ran a competition to see who could come up with the most original revision avoidance technique. If I remember rightly it was won by someone who spent most of the time hacking at the trees on the Rector’s lawn.

No matter what your age or academic ability, exam week is always stressful and if you are like me you find yourself spending every waking moment trying to cram as much information into your already bulging head as possible. So why do we do it?

We live in a world of questions: “what is the weather going to be like today”? “How will I pay my mortgage now that I have been made redundant”? “Why do bad things happen to good people”? “Where is God when I need him”? “Is there a God and does he love me”? These and many others are very human questions. They strike at the heart of what it means to be alive in a world which can be both breathtakingly beautiful and gut wrenchingly awful. They are questions which face every one of us at some point and they demand an answer. Not ones which are flippant or off the cuff, nor ones born of ignorance or indifference but answers which come from people who are truly alive, who care, who love and whose maturity in the faith enables them to relate to others regardless of their circumstances. As seminarians training for ordination it is important that we have the capacity to relate to those around us, to share their concerns and their fears; to be with them in times of joy as well as times of pain. This requires us to be well rounded individuals who are secure in our faith and in the love of God which surpasses anything we can ever imagine. We are called to be bearers of the Good News of Christ which means that: “For the salvation of their brothers and sisters they [those in training] should seek an ever deeper knowledge of the divine mysteries” (Pastores Dabo Vobis 51). In a world marked by religious indifference a high level of intellectual formation is required to equip us to proclaim the Gospel message of salvation and to make it credible. The questions that confront the world today demand that as preachers of the word we are truly able to face up to the challenging complexity of our times and so that when: “people ask the reason for the hope you have; give it with courtesy and respect” (1 Peter 3:15-17). Exams are important because they help to show that we are capable of doing this with clarity and love. Of course they are not the only indication that we are ‘up to the job’ and no amount of education can prepare us for every eventuality but they form a vital part of the decision making process. After all the world needs Priests who can understand the questions about meaning which are put by the people of today with intelligence of heart, questions which, ultimately, only find an answer in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Pastores Dabo Vobis 56).

So as you sit down to try for the umpteenth time to revise those Latin verbs or the intricacies of the Pelagian controversy remember that somewhere out there is a child of God who has a question that only you will be able to answer.

Day of Recollection - Bishop Michael Evans

Edward Cerowski
First year seminarian for the Archdiocese of Birmingham
Wax Sacristan, Fire Marshall, Common Room Bedel and Postman

When we open our eyes it is surprisingly clear how God works in our lives. The little signs that are given, the little things that happen are frequently not noticed; unless we look for some meaning, and then it is so obvious. I feel that God spoke to me in the first talk of our day of recollection. A problem that I was having with this day of recollection was balancing the physical with the spiritual. Do I partake of the physical world and do some revision and intellectual reading? Or do I devote the day to God in prayer and reflection? I was erring on the side of the spiritual: I know that God will repay sevenfold any time I give to him, but with all the temptation of my lecture notes and books for revision laid out in my room, would I succumb? Bishop Michael of East Anglia, who was giving our talks during the day, pushed me in the right direction in his very first few sentences by telling us that under no circumstances were we to do any revision.

The first talk was about our own model of priesthood. Reminding us that we are all a priestly people by virtue of our baptism and confirmation, Bishop Michael asked us to think about the kind of ministry that Jesus Christ would want us to have. Using the example of the expansiveness of the Tardis and the wardrobe in the Narnia stories, he told us that our priesthood should not be claustrophobic or clone-like. Inspiration should be gleaned, not just from one priest or saint, but from all the positive role models that we see and we should have a catholic view of priesthood that is all-encompassing. There is only one model for priesthood and that is Jesus Christ, good shepherd and teacher.

God promised to “give you shepherds after my own heart” (Jer. 3:15). To be good shepherds we need to have a balanced theology of Jesus Christ. Bishop Michael drew attention to the fact that many people can be quite selective about their view of priesthood, by choosing favoured pieces of scripture that fit into their own preconceived idea of how their own priesthood should be. He gave the example of the priest who likes to be pampered, quoting the Mary and Martha story (Lk.10:38-42) to champion his beliefs that his congregation should indulge his whims. Scripture needs to be taken in its unity with every passage being enriching and challenging. Jesus will radically challenge our model and image of priestly ministry. Priesthood is about justice and mission.

Bishop Michael finished his morning talk by admonishing us to let the Lord expand our horizons, both now and always, and to not let anything impoverish our view of priesthood, which should be to bring the love of God into the world.

The afternoon session was an expansion on the joyful love of God that was the theme of the Mass readings 1Jn. 4:7-10, Jn. 15:9-17. Bishop Michael related this to the priesthood by reference to the Holy Week celebrations.

Firstly, at the Chrism Mass, priests are asked if they are prepared to “become more like him [Jesus] by joyfully sacrificing [their] own pleasure and ambition”. On Holy Thursday Jesus washed the feet of his friends, the disciples. Washing feet shows that we are ready to serve as Jesus served. Obviously we cannot be washing feet all the time, but we were challenged to search for the equivalent in our own community. Worship and feet washing come together as an act of self giving and allowing others into our lives: this is love.

We recognise Christ in the broken bread at Communion but he is also in the broken lives of others. This is why priests are anointed on the hands, in order that they can bring the touch of Christ to those to whom they minister. Good Friday is all about taking up our cross and following Christ: living a life of sacrificial love. Easter is the centre of our lives: we are called to be proclaimers of Easter: ministers of Christ who joyfully give sacrificial love. Our role is to be a heart-lifter. God loves his people so much that he gave priests to them. Bishop Michael summarised the kind of priest that Jesus wanted in his Church as people he can touch others with through their gentleness and kindness.Bishop Michael gave us a straightforward, thought provoking exposition on priesthood. My own thoughts were that it is easy to judge and condemn others for their views on liturgy and the role of the priest, but it is far more important to look at oneself.

'Life is a roller-coaster' - A Reflection on Vocation

Deacon Paul Leonard

Sixth year seminarian for the Diocese of Portsmouth
Will be ordained to the sacred priesthood on 4th July 2009

‘Life is a roller-coaster’; these lyrics from the popular Ronan Keating song could be applied to the adventure of a life of faith and discipleship. It certainly sums up my experience as a Seminarian, ordained as a Deacon last summer and now preparing for my Ordination as a Priest for the Diocese of Portsmouth this July. In my more reflective moments, I can trace back the first stirrings of a call to serve the Lord as a Priest from my teenage years, but that was mixed up with so much other stuff that impeded my ability - and willingness – to hear and respond to the Lord’s call. The Lord is patient however and willing to accommodate Himself to our shortcomings, and with gentle but persistent tugging at my restless heart, in 2003 I started my training for the Priesthood here at Oscott College.

Almost six years later, after an intensive period of discernment, prayer, pastoral work and academic study, I find myself at the point of making a definitive commitment to the Lord’s service as a Priest. While I feel some apprehension and anxiety, my overwhelming sense is one of excitement and joy. I am resolved to follow Jesus more closely, to cultivate a personal and intimate relationship with God, the One who loves me most and make of my life a gift in service to those around me. The priesthood is a privileged means to do this – in what other capacity do you accompany and support people through the joys and sorrows of life? As a celibate, called to an exclusive relationship with God, the first and pre-eminent love of all our lives, I can exercise my ministry with freedom and total availability. I am called be a channel of God’s unconditional forgiveness, the delight of the Father reconciling His children in and through the sacrament of Reconciliation and I can stand in the person of Jesus as an ‘alter Christus’ and call upon the Holy Spirit, to transform the fruits of the earth – bread and wine – into Jesus’ body and blood…how awesome is that! Therein lays the adventure. Mine has brought me to priesthood, what about you?

The Inaugural Post!

Michael Collis
Fifth year seminarian for the Diocese of East Anglia
Dean of Seminarians.

Pope Benedict XVI has announced that beginning on June 19th this year the whole Church will observe a ‘Year of the Priest’. This coincides with the 150th anniversary of the death of St John Vianney, the Curé d’Ars, who is the patron saint of parish priests and who will be proclaimed the patron of all priests during this celebratory year.

As part of our celebrations for the Year of the Priest we, the community at St Mary’s Seminary, Oscott (near Birmingham, England), are writing this Year of the Priest Blog. Our primary aim through this Blog is to help other men hear the call of the Lord to serve Him as a priest.

“Do not be afraid”, Jesus said, “follow me”. Each one of us in the seminary believes that the Lord is speaking these words to us, here and now. We have come to the seminary to spend time close to the Lord to try and discern if in fact Jesus truly is calling us today to follow him as a priest.

I, myself, am in my fifth year in the seminary and will be ordained a Deacon a few days after the Year of the Priest is inaugurated; God willing, I will be ordained a Priest a few days after the close of the Year. It’s our firm belief that God may well be calling some of our readers to the priesthood and that he is certainly asking each of us to pray for an increase in vocations. We hope that this blog, which will explore the realities of seminary life and the different paths that our seminarians and priests have travelled whilst trying to follow the call of the Lord, will be a source of encouragement and inspiration.

Please pray for us as we promise we will for you. If you feel that the Lord might be calling you to be a priest we hope that the posts throughout the year may in some way offer a bit of insight into the paths others have trodden and continue to tread alongside you. “Follow me” said the Lord, “do not be afraid.”