De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

From left to right: Bishop Alan Williams sm, Rev Dr Michael Halsall, Mgr Keith Newton, Ordinary of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. It's been a joyous and busy week in Leigh-on-Sea. This has meant that there has been lots to blog about, but, somewhat paradoxically, I have not had time to write it up! Last Saturday, my dear friend Michael Halsall, was ordained a priest by Bishop Alan Williams at St Peter's, Eastwood: Fr Jeff Woolnough's Parish, and the Church where Louise & I were married and which has been an integral part of our lives for many reasons. How wonderful then for us to return here to see our friend ordained. Michael prostrate before the altar while the congregation invoke the Communion of Saints. Fr Stewart Foster is in the background looking to Heaven! This was the culmination of a long road for Michael, who started his journey as a child born into (what Anglican's refer to as) a very low church. He dedicated his life to ...

The Church in Korea, which is currently benefitting from bountiful priestly vocations, has been further enriched with 20 new priests. Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, Archbishop of Seoul, Ordained 20 new priests on February 5th. The ceremony was attended by large numbers of the faithful, so much so that the celebration had to be held in the huge hall of the Olympic Park in Seoul. The local Church reported that the Archdiocese of Seoul celebrates an Ordination Mass every year, with an average of 30 new priests ordained. Over the past 20 years, Ordinations in Seoul have always been higher than twenty priests a year. The statistics of the last three years are: 21 new priests in 2013; 36 in 2014; 25 in 2015. The ordination Mass takes its theme from Cardinal Yeom’s pastoral Letter, just published, entitled "Teachings of the Church: the compass of the new evangelisation" (GREAT TITLE!!), while the verse reference chosen is "How beautiful is your love ". The wealth...

That Vocations to the Priesthood are in crisis is an internationally accepted reality. I don't think it is rocket science to work out why either. To be a Catholic today is to be attacked by Catholics. I think Pope Benedict XVI went a long way to sorting this out, by making the essentials of the faith clear and that led many who felt disenfranchised in a community which no longer practised what it preached to feel part of the Church once more. However I do think the fundamental malaise remains and that is that many don't like other Catholics who take their faith seriously, some priests as well as lay people! As Father Alexander Lucie-Smith points out in The Catholic Herald today: "People who oppose Catholic teaching from within the Catholic Church, particularly from within the institutional Church, always feel a huge amount of pain when challenged, and are never reticent about sharing it. They usually ignore, however, the pain they cause to ordinary believing ...

Photo by my bodyguard & official photographer for the evening, Paul F. Abbott. On Monday night I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a heavenly liturgy at the Church of Our Lady Immaculate, New London Road, Chelmsford. It was the first Mass said in the Extraordinary Form by our diocese' newest ordinand, Stephen Morrison, o.praem ., who was ordained to the sacred priesthood on Saturday. Photos by Paul F. Abbott The presence of the Norbertine Order in Brentwood Diocese has been a source of great joy and many blessings for all faithful Catholics. I have heard nothing but praise from clergy & laity alike for the White Canons who have enhanced the beauty of our faith and formed a centre of sound teaching in Chelmsford. Their young Prior, Rt. Rev. Hugh Allan, is an inspirational priest, respected by all. He exudes priesthood, it is everything he is about. He is an excellent preacher and spiritual director, as well as being great fun. No wonder he leads an ord...

Lou & I really did have the most splendid weekend. I actually had a rather splendid week, with our year six leaver's Mass on Monday night, a meeting on Tuesday night which afforded the opportunity for a cheeky Nando's (which I will never pass up), and then a day at Berry Bros & Rudd's Wine School on Thursday with my brother-in-law to learn all about Spanish wine (which was, I have to say, absolutely excellent, and very enjoyable). On Friday however, we were fortunate enough to be invited to attend the Priestly Ordination of Stefan Kaminski, bestowed by Archbishop Vincent Nichols, with Mgr Keith Newton, and a host of other clergy, at Our Lady of Victories , Kensington High Street. The Church was looking magnificent, the reredos having been recently renovated, it provided a fitting setting for such a special occasion. I met Stefan's mum about eight years ago, when we started a degree course at Maryvale  together. Stefan had just started studying for the pri...