A Year For Priests
This is an extract from Pope Benedict XVI's letter proclaiming the inauguration of a Year for Priests in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney, Patron saint of priests:
O, how great is the priest! ... If he realised what he is, he would die... God obeys him; he utters a few words and the Lord descends from heaven at his voice, to be contained within a small Host... Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we would not have the Lord. Who put Him there in that tabernacle? The priest. Who welcomed your soul at the beginning of your life? The priest. Who feeds your soul and gives it strength for its journey? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, bathing it one last time in the Blood of Jesus Christ? The priest, always the priest. And if this soul should happen to die (as a result of sin) who will raise it up, who will restore its calm and peace? Again, the priest... After God, the priest is everything! ... Only in heaven will he realise what he is.
Were we to fully realise what a priest is on earth, we would die: not of fright but of love... Without the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no avail. It is the priest who continues the work of redemption on earth... What use would be a house filled with gold, were there no one to open its door? The priest holds the key to the treasures of heaven: it is he who opens the door: he is the steward of the good Lord, the administrator of his goods... Leave a parish for twenty years without a priest, and they will end up worshipping the beasts there... The priest is not a priest for himself, he is a priest for you.
This article by His Holiness was included in the parish newsletter on the Feast of Christ the King. In these days of reduced number of priests, it was appropriate that the Holy Father reminded us of the great honour it is to be a priest. In St. Mary's Church, a relic of St. John Vianney has been placed on the Sacred Heart altar, and will remain there for the duration of this Year of the Priest. Parishioners are encouraged to pray to him for an increase in Vocations to the Holy Priesthood.
Prayers of the Month
Prayer of Dedication of England to Our Blessed Lady
O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mother of grace and Queen of the kingdom of thy Son; humbly kneeling before thee, we offer thee this country in which we live. It was once thine before it was robbed of the holy faith; all its children were thy children and you were honoured throughout its length and breadth as its protectress and its queen. Again we consecrate it to you; again we dedicate it as thy own dowry. We offer our own hearts that their love and service may ever grow and increase. We offer all our brethren; those multitudes who know you so little. May thy prayer bring back our country's ancient faith! May thy intercession lead us to a closer union with thy Divine Son! We consecrate ourselves to Him through you. Obtain for us and for England, thy dowry, every grace and blessing.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us O Holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Prayer for the Conversion of England
O Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God and our most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon England thy dowry and upon us all who greatly hope and trust in thee. By thee it was that Jesus our Saviour and our hope was given unto the world and He has given thee to us that we may hope still more. Plead for us thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the cross, O sorrowful Mother. Intercede for our separated brethren that with us and the one true fold, they may be united with the chief shepherd, the Vicar of Thy Son. Pray for us all dear Mother, that by faith and fruitful good works we may all deserve to see and praise God together with thee in our heavenly home.
Prayer to Our Lady of Consolation
O God, who through the Virgin Mary has willed to give to your people the true consolation, Jesus Christ; grant to us who venerate her, under the title of Our Lady of Consolation, the grace to co-operate with her in the work of Redemption, through Christ Our Lord. Our Lady of Consolation. Pray for us.
Bidding Prayers Compiled By Parishioners
Here are samples of the Prayers of the Faithful which have been used in Masses over the past month. Would you like to produce the Bidding Prayers for Mass (on a rota basis)? Contact Gill or Peter Clarke (tel: 01983 566740).
Prayer: We pray for our young people, that they may grow in the faith and in the love of Christ. We think especially of those who have recently received the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist and those receiving Confirmation here this evening. May the Holy Spirit enter their hearts and minds. Lord hear us.
Prayer: We remember today these two great saints of the Church, who are now in Heaven with Almighty God. Let us follow their example in their witness to the Faith and in proclaiming the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven. Lord hear us.
Prayer: Sts. Peter and Paul showed great leadership in the early church. We pray for our leaders both in the church and in our country; that they will govern with fairness and justice. Lord hear us.
Prayer: We pray for our Church. We pray for our Pope, the successor of St. Peter, who comes to these shores in September. May he will inspire the Bishops of the world to lead their flocks with confidence and authority. Lord hear us.
Deceased Parishioners
Your prayers are requested for deceased parishioners whose anniversaries are in September:
| Silvio Mairo | 1995 | Elena Spinelli | 1995 |
| Mary Sheehan | 1997 | John Brett | 1998 |
| Joseph Considene | 2000 | Joan Van Daal | 2000 |
| Timothy Bailey | 2000 | Evelyn Carter | 2001 |
| Katarzyna Thornton | 2001 | Annie Bullen | 2002 |
| Eileen Flower | 2002 | Elizabeth Reilly | 2002 |
| Francis Bennett | 2003 | Doris Nulty | 2003 |
| Eileen Marshall | 2008 | Kevin Doran | 2008 |
| May Clarke | 2009 |
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Poem of the Month
The Graves at Carisbrooke Priory by Edmund Matyjaszek
"The neat row of simple graves... the nuns' life of prayer"
Lay them down; let them rest.
Neither heat nor the autumn rain
Shall disturb where they are placed.
Nor shall seasons come again
With growing, with hope, expectancy, loss
The curving arc of human care.
Lay them down; let them rest.
Their time is over. Kind and rare
Is a life lived in anonymous love,
The self-effacing, daily work
Of looking our for others' worth,
The lonely, the shy, the unseen hurt
Of bruised souls. Now in rows
Neat, aligned, with hardly a name
To separate each from each they lie.
In life companionate; in death, the same.
Over their graves the pine trees sway.
Around the crosses that mark them hops
A robin stained red on his scarlet chest.
The sun now shines; glints through the raindrops.
This poem was read by Edmund Matyjaszek beside the nuns’ graves at Carisbrooke Priory after the annual Mass on the Feast of the Transfiguration 2010. (See "Photo Gallery" for photographs.)
Hymn of the Month
Psalm 107 verses 23-31 – A psalm for seafarers
Sung by St. Mary’s Choir on Sea Sunday
23: They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
24: These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
25: For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
26: They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
27: They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.
28: Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
29: He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
30: Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
31: Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
The perils of ancient sailors and traders are graphically described by a writer who has obviously been present at the events! The ship rises (‘They mount up to the heaven’) above the waves and falls into the trough (‘down again to the depths’). God sends the storm both at sea and in life, leaving us unable to control the elements or our own lives. Only through prayer (‘cry unto the Lord’) and God’s protection can we find peace and shelter. It would be good to thank Him! (v31)
The possibilities for musical setting of the words are enormous.
Andrew Duxson, Director of Music
It is appropriate on Sea Sunday to remember our own Isle of Wight martyrs, Blessed Robert Anderton and Blessed William Marsden, who were captured at Cowes, during a sea storm in 1586. The perils of the English Channel led not only to their capture, but also their martyrdom on 15th April 1586.
It was on Sea Sunday 2003 that a simple memorial to these two young, brave martyr-priests was unveiled and blessed by the parish priest of Cowes, Fr. Michael Purbrick. For more information on these two martyrs, see “About us” page (further reading) on this web site.
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