Sung Requiem

A Requiem for the repose of the soul of Mrs Valentine Barlow will celebrated on Thursday, 8 November at 2.30 pm at St Mary Magdalene, Bexhill, TN40 1RH. The celebrant will be Fr Paul Gillham 

There will be a Missa Cantata...

...at Our Lady of Consolation, West Grinstead, at 3.00 pm 

on Sunday, 11th of November. 

The celebrant will be Fr Bruno Witchalls.

All change but not doom and gloom...for a change

There have been a couple of priestly moves within the Diocese that have been a cause for rather more joy than we are used to! It makes me feel incredibly hopeful for the future.

Fr Gerard Hatton has been the most amazing supporter of the EF in the parish of Our Lady of Ransom, Eastbourne. When we heard he was moving, we were not only extremely sad to lose him, but automatically thought that was The End of our wonderful couple of years with a regular monthly Masses, as well as Feast Days, and extras.

We hoped that in Fr Gerard's new parish, there would be great opportunities for introducing the EF the Mass there, and indeed, starting next week, there will be a Mass at St Hugh of Lincoln, 95 Victoria Road, Knap Hill, GU 21 2AA every Thursday evening at 7.00 pm.

In Eastbourne, far from being without, we are able to continue with the 2nd Sunday Mass thanks to the arrival of two priests, both of whom are willing and able so say the EF. Fr Tristan Cranfield, who has been appointed as Fr Gerard's successor at OLR, and Fr Thomas Mason has joined the Eastbourne Ordinariate parish of Christ the King, Langney.

So a huge thank you to Fr Gerard, we will miss you, St Hugh's is very lucky to have you! And a huge thank you and welcome to Fr Tristan and Fr Thomas.

From Paul Vercruyssen :

On Saturday, 2 September at Noon, there will be a 

Missa Cantata celebrated by Fr Marcus Holden 

at St Augustine's Church, Snave, Romney Marsh, Kent, TN26 0QJ.

This will be only the fourth Mass celebrated there since 1560

There will be NO MASS...

...on the second Sunday of August at Our Lady of Ransom, Eastbourne.

However, for the Assumption...

 at Our Lady of Ransom, Eastbourne, there will be a



Missa Cantata for the Vigil of the Assumption on 14 August at 5.30 p.m.

and

On the Feast of the Assumption, Low Mass at 8.00 a.m., with Vespers and Benediction  at 5.30 p.m.

And at Sacred Heart, Caterham, there is a Low Mass at 10.00 a.m.

Mass at St Hugh of Lincoln...

...95 Victoria Road, Knaphill, Woking, GU1 AA

 Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith writes :

On Monday 2nd July at 8 pm we will be celebrating Mass in the Extraordinary Form, that is, according to the Missal of Pope Saint John XXIII. We have not celebrated one of these Masses for some time. All are welcome, and booklets will be provided which will give the texts of the Mass in both Latin and English. If you have a hand Missal, dating from the year 1962, do bring that along.

Day of Recollection

Mrs Pam Talbot writes:

Day of Recollection at Bethany Chapel with Fr. Gerard Hatton.  Tuesday 26th June starting with Holy Mass, Old Rite, at 12 noon, during which time there will be a collection for Father.  Followed by a talk, shared lunch, confessions for those wanting it, Adoration, rosary and Benediction.  Weather permitting there will be a procession in honour of the Sacred Heart.  Ends about 3.30.  Details from Pam Talbot 01825 840305.

At Our Lady of Consolation, West Grinstead

...there will be a missa cantata at 3.00 pm on Sunday, 10 June. The celebrant will be Fr Bruno Witchalls.

Missa Cantata for Corpus Christi...

...7.30 pm at Our Lady of Ransom, Eastbourne!

Missa cantata for Pentecost...

...at 3.00 pm at St Thomas More, Seaford. The celebrant will be Fr Bruno Witchalls.

Hope, Nihilism and the Rosary on the Coast

It's been a while since I posted, mainly because I have found it quite impossible to think of anything Church related without it becoming an occasion of sin. Church related, the institution not the people, because politics infects everything and as far as I can see, never in a good way.

The politics of life has been shoved into the spotlight, with the vigils at abortion centres being demonised, and because of a baby and his parents. They both actually concern the same thing, who holds the power. Who is it who decides who lives and who dies, and how, who is worthy of being given chances - hope- and who is denied because they are considered inconvenient, not economically viable or burdensome to the state, which in my book is nihilism.

So in the last week we have seen mothers who did not go through with abortions trying to help other women who may be being coerced into abortion, or believe there is no other option for whatever reason, being denied the opportunity to provide hope. We have seen parents denied the opportunity to give their child hope in the face of the NHS juggernaut and the courts, who are manifestly power tripping. My own experience of the NHS is that if you are taking too long to die, they really will 'help you along', especially if you are dying from an infection contracted there in the first place. Watching someone being sedated and dehydrated to death is almost intolerable. Knowing that you are powerless in the face of it all and you are somehow failing that person is awful. The updates on  Alfie Evans have been equally intolerable to read. Intolerable and absolutely anger inducing. I am almost speechless at the hubris of the NHS. 

Now I know that death by dehydration is a softener - it's so awful, wouldn't it be better to just give them a nice heavy sedation, put them out of all this suffering quickly, nothing then to have to watch, or wait for. Clean and tidy. Except it is neither. I won't go into organ harvesting.

So we are culturally in this dreadful place, two seemingly irreconcilable viewpoints, womb to tomb vs utilitarianism. In our grand 1984 world we are led to believe there is no place for miracles, no place for hope, compassion, dignity. The appearances of Our Lady at Quito and at Fatima show us clearly that we are to expect this. The family really is the battle ground. The Rosary on the Coast, which I look forward to tomorrow, very much denies this hopelessness, because She has won us the victory already. In spite of all society's pressures, its negativity, mockery, and condescension, I choose to hope.

A new Palm Sunday date for the diary

There will be a Palm Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Ransom, at 8 am.

At Our Lady Of Consolation, West Grinstead...

...there will be a missa cantata on Sunday, 25th February at 3.00 pm. The celebrant will be Fr Hurley.

Stop Press : Memento homo...

      Ash Wednesday Mass, Our Lady of Ransom, 

Eastbourne at 10.00 am 

And at

The Sacred Heart, 
Caterham, at Noon.

Change in Mass times and a missa cantata...

At St Thomas More, Seaford, for 18th February and 18th March, the Mass time is moved to 4.15 for these two months only. Please pass the news on.

And at Our Lady of Consolation, West Grinstead, there will be a missa cantata on 25th of February at 3.00 pm, celebrated by Fr Hurley.

Also, please keep in mind the Mass for Gwen Telford on Saturday 10th February at Our Lady of Ransom, Eastbourne, at 2.00 pm.

Mass for Gwen Telford

There will be a Mass for Gwen Telford at Our Lady of Ransom, Eastbourne, on Saturday, 10th February, at 2.00 pm. 

Please spread the word, and I hope to see you there.