together THE VOICE OF CATHOLIC ANGLICANS ASSUMPTION TIDE & SUMMER 2017 Our Lady of Walsingham Pilgrimage Go to Mass on Sundays Season 2017 and Feast days Page 7 I am writing this on the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth, at the very end of Mary’s month of May. On Monday, I was at Walsingham, England’s Nazareth, along with many hundreds of pilgrims – perhaps you were there too. We heard a wonderful sermon from Fr Raneiro The Society Cantalamessa, the preacher to the Papal household. He spoke of Mary as the model of trust and the of Mary model of hope, and he encouraged us all as goes to followers of Jesus Christ to be a people filled with the gift of hope. Looking a little back, a Lourdes fortnight or so ago I was at the Shrine of Our Page 6 Lady of Fatima in northern Portugal, this time with some half a million fellow pilgrims. Pope Francis was there to celebrate mass in this centenary year of the apparitions of Our Lady to the three shepherd children, and to canonise two of them, Jacinta and Francisco Marto. I will never forget the Holy Father’s words to the massed ranks of pilgrims – ‘You have a Mother!’ Mary is our Mother and we rejoice to be her children. In Scripture, one of the most remarkable things about Our Lady is the many journeys which she undertakes during her Our Lady lifetime. Having received the astonishing news that she is to bear the Son of God in her womb, she of Fatima travels to the ‘hill country’ to share the news with her Page 8 cousin Elisabeth. She bursts forth into a song of praise and thanksgiving – ‘My soul magnifies the Lord!’ The Church offers Mary’s words in prayer every single day – what an amazing thought! Then she travels from Nazareth to Bethlehem, heavy with child, not knowing what awaits her, but trusting in the Lord at all times. (Fr Cantalamessa urged us to pray this prayer: ‘Father, even when I do not understand you, still I trust you!’) Next, she makes the arduous and Continued on page 2 H o l i d a y F e a t u r e Isl of Ma Scarboroug Morecomb page 2 page 3 page 4 2 - Together ASSUMPTIONTIDE & SUMMER 2017 THE VOICE OF CATHOLIC ANGLICANS Continued from front page College of Readers Patron. The Rt. Revd Norman Banks terrifying journey with St Joseph and the Holy Child into Egypt, in order to avoid the Bishop of Richborough murderous forces of King Herod. Here, Our Lady is the exemplar of every migrant and Co-patron. The Rt. Revd Martyn Jarret refugee, including those many in our own generation who flee for their lives, leaving their place of birth and infant nurture in search of safety and a new start. Then there is the Membership of the journey she makes to Jerusalem to present her Son our Lord in the Temple, forty days after his birth. In this extraordinarily super-charged and theologically significant episode, Simeon College of Readers is for you prophecies that ‘a sword shall pierce your own soul also.’ Mary’s sufferings are here foreshadowed: she will share, not in a physical but in a spiritual way, in the passion of her If you are a Licensed Reader looking for study Son. Then there is the journey, as we might imagine it, in which Mary accompanies Jesus opportunities, support and spiritual development. along the Way of the Cross, and her ascent to stand on Mount Calvary at the foot of the Cross. Can we imagine the Mother’s sorrow? Next, tradition tells us that Mary journeyed to If you accept the traditional understanding of the Ephesus, there to pass the rest of her earthly life in the house of the Beloved Disciple, even apostolic ministry of bishops, priests and deacons. as the Lord Himself willed from the Cross; ‘Woman, behold your son.’ The household of Mary If the answer to the questions is Yes and John constitutes the Church in embryo, born even from the Lord’s wounded side. Finally, there is the journey which Our Lady makes at her life’s end, her Glorious Assumption body then your next step is to: and soul into heaven. The Mother cannot be separated from Her Son: Mary is lifted up to Visit our website www.college-of-readers.org.uk share in the joys of her Son’s resurrection from the dead and is crowned Queen of Heaven. All of those earthly journeys find their fulfilment in a heavenly destination. Or contact Mrs M E Snape Registrar/Treasurer of the College of Readers, Perhaps you will be going on a journey this summer, a journey which will take you to a [email protected] holiday destination, in search of some much needed R & R. It does not matter if that journey Annual membership fee £15.00 is long or short, if you holiday destination is close to home or far away on the other side of the globe. Try to make your journey in the spirit of one of Our Lady’s many journeys. It is a journey of trust, praise, or thanksgiving? Is it a journey marked by secret sorrows? It is a journey undertaken gloriously, in the hope of heaven? Wherever you find yourself on holiday, at home or abroad, remember still to go to Mass on the Sundays and feast days of the Church when you are away from home. Here in England, the Society website [http://www.sswsh.com/map.php] can point you to a church where you can confidently together attend mass and receive the Blessed Sacrament. Abroad – well, if there is not a reliable Anglican church nearby, you may safely hear Mass in a Roman Catholic or Orthodox church CoNtaCt detailS and in certain circumstances receive Holy Communion too. Your parish priest – or even your Society bishop! – can advise you about this. The important thing is to continue to worship Together is published and edited by God and join in the Liturgy, even when you are on holiday. Worshipping in a fresh context the Church Union in co-operation and among a different assembly of Christians can bring great spiritual benefits. with the Additional Curates Society, the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament and Forward in Faith. Let us thank God for the many blessings of a summer holiday, and for the refreshment and renewal it can bring. And please – pray for those who, for whatever reason, cannot take a The opinions and views expressed in holiday this year. this newspaper by contributors and advertisers are their own, and not those of the Church Union, May Our Blessed Lady pray for us! Additional Curates Society, the Confraternity of the Blessed +Jonathan Fulham Sacrament or Forward in Faith. If you have ideas for content, please email [email protected]. If you would like free copies for your parish, or to discuss other matters of distribution, please contact the ACS on 0121 382 5533, email [email protected] or write to: The Additional Curates Society, Gordon Browning House, Unit 7, Spitfire Road, Birmingham B24 9PB CURAT AL ES N S IO O T C I I E D T D Y A p a d s s o i o o n h a st te ie about pr if you would like to advertise in together, please contact Mike Silver on [email protected] or 01634 401611. THE VOICE OF CATHOLIC ANGLICANS Together ASSUMPTIONTIDE & SUMMER 2017 - 3 Isl of Ma Saint Matthew’s Church, Douglas Isle of Man is situated right on the quayside in Douglas, close to the port and main gateway to the Island. There is a huge re-generation project being conducted for the quayside area and around the church now it is busy and vibrant, especially on a summer’s evening. The church was built to the design of the famous Victorian architect John Loughborough Pearson and must have been one of the last before his death. The church was built in stages. The Nave was consecrated on 10 July 1901 and its foundation stone laid in August 1895 and had been in use since August 1897. The chancel was finally completed and consecrated on the 200th anniversary of the consecration of the old church, Saint Matthew’s Day, 21 September 1908. The plans for the church halls, built in 1912, bear the signature of his son. Since 1878, the steady teaching of the Christian faith and its worship in accordance with the Catholic tradition in the Church of England has been built up and maintained, at times in the face of opposition from outside the parish. Saint Matthew’s has continued the Catholic ceremonial and traditional teaching. Saint Matthew’s congregation is drawn not only from the immediate parish but the Island as a whole, as people appreciate the unique witness that we represent. We look forward to welcoming you. Churches on the island: Among the gems of the Island are active churches all steeped in rich heritage. Rev Wilbert Audrey’s fictional Thomas the Tank Engine comes from the island of Sodor – a name borrowed from the 12th century Norwegian diocese of Sodor, the Old Norse name for the Hebrides and the Isle of Man. ‘Sodor’ lives on today in the CofE diocese of Sodor and Man. As with their ancient ancestors, today’s church members offer travellers welcome and hospitality – a few also offer refreshments all year round and many for occasions like TT, Southern100 and Manx Grand Prix.