Today is a very special day for us here on Papa Stronsay, for we celebrate the 259th anniversary of the approbation of our Rule by His Holiness Pope Benedict XIV. It was a great Joy for St Alphonsus, our holy Father, after nearly 20 years to finally have the rule of his congregation approved by Rome.

"Anyone who keeps this rule will be a saint" - Pope Benedict XIV on approving the Redemptorist rule.

On a different note, today we also said goodbye to Br. Dominic Mary, C.SS.R. today, as he left Papa Stronsay for New Zealand, where he will join the community in the Monastery of Our
Mother of Perpetual Succour in Christchurch. We wish him the best of luck.

With the devil doing everything in his power to make things difficult, a storm had blown up, enabling Orkney to say goodbye to Brother in a traditional manner. Here, Brother's 'taxi' awaits him at Papa Stronsay pier.

Brother, in a howling wind, leaps for the boat one last time, while his confreres struggle to hold it at the pier.

Brother heads off for Stronsay. We wish him, and the whole Christchurch community all possible graces and blessings in their work to spread the faith and the love of the traditions of the Church.