We were treated to a visit of the magnificent college by former seminarian and our good friend Father William Massie whilst in Rome last summer. Phil will be delighted to be going back there on a permanent basis.
I know which city I'm going to on holiday for the next six years!
I thought this would be a good opportunity to put this fantastic picture up of myself, Phil and famous TV cook and Catholic convert Delia Smith. It was taken over a year ago now when Delia very kindly invited us to join her in the Directors Box at the Kingston Communications Stadium on the occasion of Hull City v Norwich last season. For those of you who don't know, Delia is a Director of Norwich City. She did invite us to join her at the same fixture this season, but unfortunately it was at 3 O'clock on Good Friday, creating obvious problems!
2 comments:
Love the scarf Rich!
I desperately urge all to pray for seminarians and vocations.
Having gone through the seminary process I am deeply aware of its weaknesses, flaws and failings and sincerely hope that everyone prays ; and prays hard ! Too many good men fall by the wayside; and too many of ulterior motive/inauthentic intent pass through to ordination because they can 'play the system' - This includes saying and writing the things the authorities wish/expect to hear [invariably of a liberal/modernist/'socially relevant'/secularist agenda].
There is nothing worse than seeing a priest in his forties not only disillusioned and cynical, but unbelieving and vindictively angry and bitter with parishioners and fellow clerics - God, spirituality and prayer vanish from the agenda. I've worked with priests who have resorted to utter secular agendas - consumerism,gambling,alcoholism, sexual prurience... Some of the men whom I studied with went on to ordination and became good priests - others who were ordained became cynical and sceptical and morally dubious - a few achieved great heights of clerical responsibility and authority and despite what they preach and teach and preactise, they no longer even believe in God ! One lives with his cleric boyfriend, another has become obsessed with social issues, another with administration; and the theological and cardinal virtues have long vanished from their ministry... these are weak men who were originally men of good intent laden with fear and insecurity and doubt - the lack of prayer was the main source of their failings - and our lack of prayer and support as a community diminished their strength to conquer the temptations and led them to compromise and become pragmatic and morally relativistic and doubt replaced faith in even the most basic fundamental tenets of catholicism.
Please pray hard for all seminarians.
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