News Archive

 24 October - 2 November 2013: Visit of Saint Anthony Relics to UK

The Franciscan Friars invite you to join them in welcoming Saint Anthony of Padua on the occasion of the 750th Anniversary of the Discovery of Saint Anthony’s Relics by Saint Bonaventure.

St Anthony will be visiting you in the form of two precious relics from his Basilica in Padua, Italy. The relics will be accompanied by three friars from the Messenger of Saint Anthony in Padua and the Greyfriars of Great Britain and Ireland.

Click for more information on dates, venues of the Visit of Saint Anthony Relics to UK 2013...

15 August 2013: Assumption of Our Lady

Thursday August 15th the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven is one of the few Holy Days of Obligation remaining in England and Wales, when Catholics are bound to attend Mass, just as they are on a Sunday.

Just as Mary received Christ on Earth, so Christ in turn received Mary in Heaven. Having deigned to descend to her, it was fitting that he should raise her to himself in glory.

In Lancashire, Mass in the Traditional Latin Rite will be celebrated at 7pm at St Catherine Laboure, Farington, Leyland, PR5 2QA.

Thursday 30th May 2013: Feast of Corpus Christi

The Feast of Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) traditionally falls on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday.  Recently the feast was transferred to the following Sunday, but is still celebrated on Thursday by many, including Pope Francis, who celebrated Corpus Christi and joined in a procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of Rome.

Consecration of the Body of Christ at Holy Mass celebrated in the Traditional Latin Rite on the Feast of Corpus Christi at St Catherine Laboure Church in Farington, Lancashire.

May 2013 : The Month of May is 'Mary's Month'

“The May devotion [to our Lady] in its present form originated at Rome where Father Latomia of the Roman College of the Society of Jesus, to counteract infidelity and immorality among the students, made a vow at the end of the eighteenth century to devote the month of May to Mary. From Rome the practice spread to the other Jesuit colleges and thence to nearly every Catholic church of the Latin rite. This practice is the oldest instance of a devotion extending over an entire month.” (Catholic Encyclopedia, “Special Devotions for Months”)

There are many ways to honour Mary during May, none more so than praying the Rosary - click here for our simple guide to

Praying the Rosary...

26th March: Pope Francis calls on us to be Protectors of God's Creation

At his Inauguration Mass, Pope Francis asked us to learn from St Joseph's role of Protector - "The vocation of being a protector, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness. In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts"
Pope Benedict XVI (now Pope Emeritus) also had much to say on "the natural environment, a precious resource entrusted to our stewardship..." - as a newly published book of extracts from his homilies and writings shows - The Environment, from the writings of Pope Benedict XVI .

And don't forget, we're still giving away a lovely booklet for those planning on carrying on a meat-free diet after Lent!  Honoring Gods Creation: Christianity and Vegetarianism

13th March 2013: Habemus Papam - We have a Pope!

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires has been elected as our new Holy Father, taking the name of Pope Francis.  He humbly asked the crowds in St Peter's Square to pray for him prior to giving his first Blessing as Pope. 

We recommend following EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) for coverage of today's events and events leading up to Pope Francis' installation early next week - see www.ewtn.com or www.ewtn.co.uk  for details of TV, Radio, and online schedules.

The Conclave Begins 12th March 2013

Novena for the Election of a Pontiff

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come / From thy bright heavenly throne,
Come, take possession of our souls, And make them all thine own.

Thou who art called the Paraclete, Best gift of God above,
The living spring, the living fire, Sweet unction and true love.

Thou who art sev' hand;
His promise, teaching little ones / To speak and understand.

O guide our minds with thy blest light, With love our hearts inflame;
And with thy strength, which ne'er decays, Confirm our mortal frame.

Far from us drive our deadly foe; True peace unto us bring;
And through all perils lead us safe / Beneath thy sacred wing.

Through thee may we the Father know. Through thee th'eternal Son,
And thee the Spirit of them both, Thrice-blessed Three in One.

All glory to the Father be, With his co-equal Son:
The same to thee, great Paraclete, While endless ages run.

O Lord, with suppliant humility, we entreat Thee, that in Thy boundless mercy
Thou would grant the most Holy Roman Church a pontiff, who by his zeal for us,
may be pleasing to Thee, and by his good government may be ever honoured by Thy people for the glory of Thy name. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen

Educating Children in Sexuality - Conference for Parents and Teachers - 1st March 2013: 4.00pm - 7:30pm Aquinas College Stockport, SK2 6TH

“Children have a fundamental right to grow up with a healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in human relationships.” Benedict XVI

Click here for  full details of the conference (PDF)...

22 February 2013: Going to Confession

Catholics should receive the sacrament of Confession at least once a year - and Lent is a perfect time for every Catholic - click here for a Good Examination of Conscience to read online or download as a PDF.

13th February 2013: Ash Wednesday: Pope Benedict asks us to pray for the next Pope

After the announcement of his resignation this week, Pope Benedict thanked the faithful for their prayers and asked them to pray for the next Pope.

In the last public homily of his pontificate on Ash Wednesday, in St Peter’s basilica, his message was that it is never too late to return to God.

Pope Benedict: "Dear brothers and sisters, we begin our Lenten journey with trust and joy. May the invitation to conversion, to "return to God with all our heart", resonate strongly in us, accepting His grace that makes us new men and women, with the surprising news that is participating in the very life of Jesus. May none of us, therefore, be deaf to this appeal, also addressed in the austere rite, so simple and yet so beautiful, of the imposition of ashes, which we will shortly carry out. May the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church and model of every true disciple of the Lord accompany us in this time. Amen!"

 October 2012: Year of Faith 2012-2013

Pope Benedict XVI has called the Year of Faith as a special time in which Catholics are asked to better know and spread the message of God's love shown in Jesus to all the world. The special Year runs from 11th October 2012 until 24th November 2013, the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King.

The starting date of the Year of Faith has been chosen because it marks two very important anniversaries for the Church.

1. The 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council (11th October 1962 - 8th December 1965).

2. The 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

These two dates point to the focus of the Year, knowing what the Catholic Faith is.

  Click here more on Year of Faith at Cenacle...

July 2012: Visit of the Relic of St John Vianney, the Cure of Ars - 5-8 July 2012

The relic of the heart of St John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, will be taken to Manchester, Wirral, Cheshire, Shropshire and Birmingham as part of a four-day visit to Britain.

The Relic will be flown into Manchester from Ars, France, at the invitation of the Rt Rev. Mark Davies, the Bishop of Shrewsbury, in the hope that its presence will represent a “moment of grace” for the Diocese of Shrewsbury, which incorporates nearly all of Cheshire, all of Shropshire, the Wirral, and parts of Greater Manchester and Derbyshire. The purpose of the visit is to provide an occasion of prayer for the renewal of the ministerial priesthood in the diocese, to inspire new and generous vocations, and to spur the renewal of the mission and life of the parishes.

For more information visit the Diocese of Shrewsbury website - http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/news/st-john-vianney/the-visit-to-shrewsbury-liverpool-and-birmingham

April 2012: Christians should wear a cross says Cardinal

Christians should wear a cross on their clothes every day as "a symbol of their beliefs", according to the head of the Catholic church in Scotland.

The Bishop of Shrewsbury opened the Shrine Church of Ss Peter and Paul and St Philomena in New Brighton, Wirral.

The Rt Rev. Mark Davies expressed his hope that the landmark domed building may serve as a “beacon of hope” for future generations if it turns their gaze towards Christ and assists a renewal of Eucharistic faith.

A congregation of 400 people had been expected but a crowd of nearly 1,100 turned up for the solemn High Latin Mass, with some of the faithful crowding the aisles and even spilling on to the forecourt outside. The Celebrant at the grand opening Mass was Monsignor Gilles Wach, the founder of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, the society of Apostolic life to which custody of the shrine has been entrusted by the Bishop of Shrewsbury as a place of Eucharistic devotion and celebration of the Sacraments in the Latin Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.
[from the Diocese of Shrewsbury website]

19 March 2012: Pope offers blessing for opening of Shrine Church

Benedict XVI is offering a papal blessing with an attached plenary indulgence to those who attend the opening of the first shrine church in England dedicated to the Extraordinary Form. (see previous article below...)

The shrine church of Ss Peter and Paul and St Philomena in New Brighton, Wirral will open on March 24 following the closure of the parish church in 2008.

Bishop Davies said: “It is a source of great joy that we have received the blessing of the Holy Father and a plenary indulgence to mark the new mission of this historic church of the Shrewsbury diocese.”

The Vatican, which has taken an interest in the establishment of the shrine church, has issued the following decree announcing the papal blessing and plenary indulgence to all the faithful who attend the Mass: “The Apostolic Penitentiary, empowered by a faculty granted to it in a special way by our Holy Father Benedict XVI, by Divine Providence Pope, happily grants his Lordship the Most Reverend Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury, that, on the 24th March next, on which the pastoral care of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul and St Philomena is solemnly entrusted to the members of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, after the offering of the Divine Sacrifice, he may impart to all the faithful present, who, their souls entirely separated from attachment to sin, take part in the sacred mysteries, a Papal Blessing with an attached Plenary Indulgence, which may be gained under the usual conditions (sacramental Confession, Eucharistic Communion and Prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff).

March 2012: Establishment of the Shrine of Ss. Peter, Paul and Philomena

The Official Grand Opening of the Shrine of SS Peter, Paul and Philomena, New Brighton, Merseyside, will take place on Saturday, 24 March 2012. This is the first Traditional parish in Britain, under the moto proprio Summorum Pontificum.

All are welcome to the following events marking the opening of the Shrine, which is now under the care of the Institute of Christ the King:

• At 10.30am, Solemn High Mass will be celebrated at the Shrine Church of Ss. Peter, Paul and Philomena, New Brighton, The Wirral, CH45 9LT, in the presence of Rt Rev Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury.
• From 12.30pm - 4.30pm there will be a Reception at the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton, CH45 2JS, including a finger buffet for guests, a chance to mingle with the Bishop, Diocesan clergy, institute priests, seminarians and sisters.  [A chance to visit our Cenacle Stand also!]

Here is a

poster of the event.

Visitors may park at the Floral Pavilion, from where a free shuttle service will operate up the hill to the Shrine.

February 2012: Holy Face Feast Day - Shrove Tuesday - 21st February 2012

The Image of the Holy Face of Our Lord is honoured at the Holy Face Feast Day Mass at St Catherine Laboure, Farington, Lancashire, England.


The Holy Face as depicted in the Holy Shroud of Turin.


Father Simon Henry in his Homily said that it is primarily through the face that a human person is able to show love, and asked us to reflect on the Divine Love shown to us through the Face of Our Lord (God made Man).

 December 2011: Candlelit Carol Concert - Saturday 17th December, St Catherine's Church, Leyland

Celebrate the Festive season with the Elizabethan Singers performing the Christmas story through traditional favourites and other beautiful pieces.  Saturday 17th December 2011, 7.30pm at St Catherine's Church, Stanifield Lane, Leyland, PR25 4QG, followed by mince pies and mulled wine.  Organised by The Order of Saint Lazarus, a collection will be taken supporting the Sri Lanka Leprosy Project see -  www.orderofsaintlazarus.com. 

For more details on St Catherine Laboure Roman Catholic Church, visit Fr Simon Henry's blog - http://offerimustibidomine.blogspot.com.

 November 2011: How great is the priest...

The Bishop of Shrewsbury recently moved priests to tears with an address at the first colloquium of the British Confraternity of Catholic Clergy last week.  He described the priesthood as the gift of Christ to His Church.  Speaking at the Oratory School in Reading, Bishop Davies said that St John Vianney, the Cure d'Ars, provided a key example in rediscovering the meaning of the priesthood.  "When faced with a petition declaring him unfit for pastoral responsibility he offered to sign it himself.  He had no illusions about his limitations. Yet he would say to his parishioners something you or I might hesitate to say to our won (because at the back of our minds we might think it's about ourselves), 'how great is the priest, how great is the priest'. 'If we could see for a moment what a priest truly is', he would explain, ' we would die, not out of fear but out of love'. And in words which would one day find their way into the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 'The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus'".  A spokesman for the newly founded confraternity said: "Priests here want to be in the orthodox mainstream, faithful to Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium.  The only thing these priests are rebelling against is infidelity."  (Catholic Herald, Nov 4 2011, by Madeleine Teahan).

September 2011: Help Save Lanherne

The Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate, in Lanherne, Cornwall, are a thriving community who use Traditional Mass the 1962 Breviary.  They are seeking a benefactor to purchase the convent, to enable them to stay in England

Here is a letter from Mother Maria Rosa Pia of the community:

Ave Maria!
July 2011
Dear Friend, Please permit me to introduce myself. I am a Franciscan Sister of the Immaculate living the contemplative life at Lanherne Monastery in St. Mawgan, Cornwall. We are a community of 11 sisters from England, Italy, and the Philippines and we arrived here in the year 2001, 10 years ago. Prior to that, the Carmelites, who had been here since 1794, decided that they would leave Lanherne in order to amalgamate with another one of their communities. They therefore sought another religious order who would be able to continue the life of prayer and sacrifice which they had fulfilled here since their arrival. We were approached by the Mother Superior and a meeting was arranged between the Carmelites and the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate. It was decided that we would come to Lanherne and begin our contemplative life here on 11th July 2001.
However, following our arrival, the circumstances changed and it was decided that the Monastery should be sold together with its Estate. What happened, in fact, is that the surrounding buildings have been sold and all that remains now is the Monastery itself and St. Joseph’s Hall (which is used as a church hall). We have been asked if we would like to purchase Lanherne ourselves, but as Franciscans we are not allowed to own any properties, nor do we have the money to purchase it. What I ask is whether you know anyone (or a group of people) who would be interested in helping us to keep Lanherne as a place of prayer and who would purchase the Monastery and Hall, but at the same time permit us to remain here to continue our life of prayer. I do not know how much the property is estimated to be but I feel sure they would not be looking for more than £1 million. I do not think there are any other religious who would be interested in coming here and if would be a tragedy if it became a secular building as so many other Monasteries in England have become. We can think of Stanbrook Abbey and Darlington Carmel to name but two. Lanherne is such a special place and everyone who visits it says they find great peace and a facility to pray here. One year ago we started to have adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament every day of the week after the 7.30 a.m. Holy Mass (10 a.m. on Sundays), ending with Benediction each day. You may be interested to know that the Sanctuary light before the Blessed Sacrament has remained alight for hundreds of years. Lanherne used to be the Manor House of the Arundell family who rose to high positions in the country, only to be reduced to gradual impoverishment during the times of the Reformation, due to their love of the Catholic faith. Lanherne became a place of refuge for many priests during this time of persecution and there are said to be nine priest holes where they hid from their persecutors. Tradition relates that one priest was hidden in one of these for eighteen months. St. Cuthbert Mayne often used to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass here (using the altar which is now in our small choir) and ministered to the Faithful here. He was martyred on 29th November 1577, for the simple reason that he was a Catholic priest. The Franciscans of the Immaculate are now the very privileged custodians of the first class relic of his skull which is kept in our choir, and which the people who attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass here on Sundays are able to venerate.
Just to tell you a little about our Institute of Franciscans of the Immaculate (friars and sisters). It was founded fairly recently by two Italian priests, Fr. Stefano M. Manelli and Fr. Gabriele Pellettieri, (both of whom are still alive) who were inspired by the life and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe. The distinctive characteristic of our Institute is the religious profession of the Marian Vow of Total Consecration to Our Lady and each of us desire to live our religious consecration under the protection and through the mediation of the Blessed Virgin Mary by means of this Vow. One very important thing in a world in which the number of religious vocations is dwindling rapidly, is that our Institute does have many vocations both for the friars and sisters and these are now coming from all parts of the world. We have communities in many countries and four Houses of Contemplation, one of which is Lanherne.
May God and Our Lady reward and bless you for reading this letter which I send to ask if you are able to help us in any way to keep Lanherne a place of prayer (which has been our most special intention for so many years). I would be most grateful to hear from you in this regard and assure you of my prayers and that of the whole community.
in Jesus Mary & Joseph
Mother Superior
Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate House of Contemplation
“Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel”
Lanherne Convent, St. Mawgan Newquay,
Cornwall TR8 4ER
Tel.: 01637 860423 E-mail: fsi.lanherne@talktalk.net

July 2011: Roman Missal - New English Translation - Order of Mass Booklets now available

The Roman Missal in its new English translation will be published in Autumn 2011. This means that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference can confirm that the full text of the Missal will be used at Mass from the First Sunday of Advent this year (2011).  click here for more information about the New Translation of the Roman Missal.

Order of Mass booklets and cards, as well as study guides, are now available - click for more... - Altar Missals, and People's Sunday Missals, which will be published by a variety of publishers, are expected to be ready in mid-November 2011 - you can pre-order Sunday Missals and Altar Missals here now...

In advance of publication of the full Roman Missal - a study text is available for use in workshops and other programs of preparation for priests, religious, lay leaders, and the lay faithful in advance of the publication of the full ritual edition of the Roman Missal, Third Edition later in 2011.  Click here for the Study Text...

 February 2011: Holy Face Feast Day and Holy Face Novena

The Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus is on Shrove Tuesday - 8th March 2011.  A special feast day Mass is available - click here for information on where The Holy Face Mass is being celebrated in the UK...

The Holy Face Novena is a beautiful, powerful Novena.  We encourage everyone to pray this Novena - starting nine days before the Holy Face Feast Day -i.e. the Novena starts on Sunday 27th February 2011.  For more information, including the text of the Novena - visit our sister site - HolyFace.org.uk.

For Holy Face books, medals and materials - including a free information pack, click here...

January 2011: Official Souvenir DVD

If you've wiped out your Sky plus coverage of the Official Visit of Pope Benedict XVI to UK in 2010, or if you don't like the commentary, then all the essential footage is now available in the inexpensive Official Souvenir DVD - only £12 including UK postage.

Also available are the Official Souvenir Booklet, and Official Illustrated Biography of Blessed John Henry Newman.

December 2010: Pope's Thought for the Day - Radio 4 - 24th December 2010

Pope Benedict's Christmas message to the UK was broadcast as the Christmas Eve Thought For The Day on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. In his message, the Holy Father looked back on his historic four-day Papal Visit to the UK and offered his prayers for the people of England, Wales and Scotland: "I pray for your families, for your children, for those who are sick, and for those who are going through any form of hardship at this time. I pray especially for the elderly and for those who are approaching the end of their days. I ask Christ, the light of the nations, to dispel whatever darkness there may be in your lives and to grant to every one of you the grace of a peaceful and joyful Christmas. May God bless all of you!"

Full Text "Recalling with great fondness my four-day visit to the United Kingdom last September, I am glad to have the opportunity to greet you once again, and indeed to greet listeners everywhere as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ. Our thoughts turn back to a moment in history when God's chosen people, the children of Israel, were living in intense expectation. They were waiting for the Messiah that God had promised to send, and they pictured him as a great leader who would rescue them from foreign domination and restore their freedom. "God is always faithful to his promises, but he often surprises us in the way he fulfils them. The child that was born in Bethlehem did indeed bring liberation, but not only for the people of that time and place - he was to be the Saviour of all people throughout the world and throughout history. And it was not a political liberation that he brought, achieved through military means: rather, Christ destroyed death for ever and restored life by means of his shameful death on the Cross. And while he was born in poverty and obscurity, far from the centres of earthly power, he was none other than the Son of God. Out of love for us he took upon himself our human condition, our fragility, our vulnerability, and he opened up for us the path that leads to the fullness of life, to a share in the life of God himself. As we ponder this great mystery in our hearts this Christmas, let us give thanks to God for his goodness to us, and let us joyfully proclaim to those around us the good news that God offers us freedom from whatever weighs us down: he gives us hope, he brings us life. "Dear Friends from Scotland, England, Wales, and indeed every part of the English-speaking world, I want you to know that I keep all of you very much in my prayers during this Holy Season. I pray for your families, for your children, for those who are sick, and for those who are going through any form of hardship at this time. I pray especially for the elderly and for those who are approaching the end of their days. I ask Christ, the light of the nations, to dispel whatever darkness there may be in your lives and to grant to every one of you the grace of a peaceful and joyful Christmas. May God bless all of you!"

November 2010: Advent - meaning, purpose, traditions

Advent (from the Latin word adventus meaning "coming"), is the four week period before Christmas when the Church celebrates the first coming of Christ and anticipates his second coming. This year (2010) Advent begins on November 28.