Favour received from the Bonnie Prince.

Kelly reports this favour from The Bonnie Prince:

Victoria is a little three year old girl who was born blind.

She lives in the united States. 

The endearing child who suffers much 

has  never been able to eat food normally. 

She awaits brain surgery at the Dukes Hospital. 

Of late Victoria lay for three days 

suffering from a high fever. 

Kelly, a friend of Victoria's mother 

and who is devoted to the Bonnie Prince, 

upon hearing of the fever invoked the Prince's assistance

 for little Victoria. 

Kelly took her image of the Bonnie Prince 

and with it touched it to the photo of Victoria

 that she had on her computer screen.

Her prayer was heard. 

Less than five minutes later,

the fever left her 

Victoria's temperature had dropped to normal.

 Public Thanksgiving is offered to the Bonnie Prince:

I praise Him most, I love Him best,

All praise and love is His;

While Him I love, in Him I live

And cannot love amiss. ...

Alas, He weeps, He sighs, He pants!

Yet do His angels sing;

Out of His tears, His sighs and throbs

Doth bud a joyful spring.

O Bonnie Prince whose tender arms

Can force all foes to fly,

Correct my faults, protect my life,

Direct me when I die. 

[Hymn in honour of The Bonnie Prince]

Some other fevers Our Lord did cure:

And Simon' s wife' s mother lay in a fit of a fever: and forthwith they tell him of her.  And coming to her, he lifted her up, taking her by the hand; and immediately the fever left her... (Mark 1:30-31)

He asked therefore of them the hour wherein he grew better. And they said to him: Yesterday, at the seventh hour, the fever left him. The father therefore knew, that it was at the same hour that Jesus said to him, Thy son liveth; and himself believed, and his whole house. This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea into Galilee. (John 4:52)

Silver Jubilee of Our Foundation

Silver Jubilee

of the

Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer

On the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, in a small, once Toc H, chapel duly decorated for the Sacrifice of the Mass in the Extra-ordinary form, five young men gathered around a young Redemptorist priest who was offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It was the Feast of Saint Alphonsus 1988. On this day then, began the foundation of a religious community that would follow the Rule written by Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori and which would finally receive the blessing of the Church to become the Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer.

Today, twenty Five years later, a Sung Mass in honour of Saint Alphonsus was offered in thanksgiving to God and Our Blessed Lady for all the graces and blessings received. The ones we know about and the ones known only to God.

We share this joy with all of you, and wish to thank everyone that made our foundation a reality. Many have passed to their eternal rest, others still await the reward God has prepared for them - to one and all, we say thank you and may God ever bless you all.

Below are a few photos from the past which may bring back some happy memories.

Br Nicodemus as a young postulant clearing out the chicken coop.

Building works in progress to link the Sacristy to the Chapel.

On the right can be seen the door of the caravan

which served as sacristy for over three years.

Fr Michael Mary giving his blessing,

to Brother (now Fr) Anthony Mary and Brother Gerard Maria
 on their return from an outside trip.

This is taken at Guildford where we lived for a year.

Site of the Sacristy, Bell Tower and Annex rooms.

Mr Coates and his sons were the builders and friends of the Monastery

Father Anthony Mary as a novice hanging out the washing.

The future chapel can be seen behind the tree on the left.

Unpacking boxes in preparation for the foundation

Every monastery needs a cloister.

Here the brothers prepare the wood for the enclosure fence.

The refectory in the early days.

Oliver Cromwell stabled his horses here, once upon a time.

The ceiling beams were used from dismantled wooden ships.

Solemn High Mass for the Profession of one of the brothers.

In our first humble kitchen with a caravan gas oven,

Br Gerard Maria prepares breakfast.

The First solemn Mass of Fr Yousef Marie, F.SS.R.

Fr Yousef Marie, F.SS.R. celebrated his first Solemn High Mass on Sunday 23rd June in the Church of the Fraternity of St Peter, Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini in Rome.  We are most grateful to them for the use of their Church.  Fr Magdala Maria, F.SS.R. was deacon and Br Jean Marie, F.SS.R. was subdeacon.  Fr Anthony Mary, F.SS.R. was assistant priest.

 

Vesting in the sacristy.

 

Father in his cope just before the start of Holy Mass.

 

The Asperges.

 

After the Asperges Father removes the cope and puts on the chasuble and the maniple.

 

The incensation.

 

During the Gloria.

 

Dominus vobiscum.

 

The deacon kneels to receive the blessing to chant the Gospel.

 

During the Gospel a beautiful shaft of light shone through the smoke of incense.

 

Offering the bread.

 

Hoc est enim corpus meum.

Fr Yousef Marie consecrates for the first time, changing the host into the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

 

Hic est enim calix sanguinis mei...

The consecration of the wine.

 

O Sacrament Most Holy,

O Sacrament Divine;

All praise and all thanksgiving,

Be every moment Thine!

 

Father consumes the Precious Blood.

 

Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui tollit peccata mundi...

Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who taketh away the sin of the world...

 

Father Yousef Marie gives Holy Communion to his mother...

 

...and to two of his brothers who were able to be present.

 

The last blessing.

 

Thanks be to God for the ordination of a new priest.  May he be God's instrument for the conversion and salvation of many souls!

 

In the sacristy after Mass.

Our Festive Thanksgiving.

Our Festive Day.

 Fr. Anthony Mary and Fr. Michael Mary

Feast of the Assumption, 2012.

Dear Friends and Families,

The words that spring immediately to my mind in writing a response to yesterday's Canonical Recognition of the Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, are words that the priest prays every day at Mass, from Psalm 115:

"Quid retribuam Domino 
pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi?" 

"What return shall I make to the Lord 
for all He hath given to me?"

This is the question that we ask when we realise that what we have received from Our Lord through His Church is far beyond what we merit; His Mercies can never be repaid. On one hand we cannot survive without these Mercies, on the other hand, we do not deserve them nor have the means of repaying them ever at all. Caught between the necessity of the having a canonical recognition and our own indigence and unworthiness of which we are very conscious, what can we do except repeat the prayer from the psalm and cast ourselves before Him while awaiting the moment of rescue from our plight. Only prayer can save us!

And praying, I said: O Lord God, destroy not thy people, and thy inheritance, which thou hast redeemed in thy greatness, whom thou hast brought out of Egypt with a strong hand.  Remember thy servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: look not on the stubbornness of this people, nor on their wickedness and sin: Lest perhaps the inhabitants of the land, out of which thou hast brought us, say: The Lord could not bring them into the land that he promised them, and he hated them: therefore he brought them out, that he might kill them in the wilderness, Who are thy people and thy inheritance, whom thou hast brought out by thy great strength, and in thy stretched out arm. (Deut. 9: 26-29) The application of this text to our history is appropriate; but we did not have to wander for forty years, and we did not die in the wilderness: in any case, in monastic life, the wilderness is our chosen place of abode.

We are profoundly grateful to the many friends who have supported us over these last years; thank you! We have been mightily supported by our families and friends; holy prelates, priests and nuns.

On a personal note, I thank my own parents and family: For over twenty years they took the neighbourhood, clerical and other brunt of my commitment to the old Mass; and they lived through the 'wilderness of doubt' of the last five years. It  has all turned out fine in the end! But thank you Dad and Mum for bearing things that would have hurt you deeply. In the end all has been part of God's permissive Will. It has led to the canonical establishment of a Congregation of priests and monks, officially recognised by the Church to continue permanently offering the old Mass and to serve souls. You taught me that it is a good thing to have something to put up with and to offer to Our Lord and Our Lady! Quite right!   

We are equally grateful to the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, to Bishop Hugh of Aberdeen and Bishop Barry of Christchurch for their mercy and kindness towards us. The graces we needed flowed abundantly through them; they are our Fathers in God and each of them have had the right words and acts of solicitude for us. We come into Full Communion with the Church having a Pope who deeply cares for traditionalists and having been directed to two dioceses of choice by God's 'great strength and His stretched out arm'.

In fine, could we but rejoice? Of course not; and we do. Gaudeamus omnes in Domino, diem festum celebrantes sub honore beatae Mariae Virginis: Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating a festival day in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary!   

Fr. Michael Mary, F.SS.R.

 

The Most Small Congregation

"Out of the Wilderness".

Gathered together about Our Lady's Funeral Couch

Feast of the Assumption, 2012.

(Absent are: Br. Paul Mary, Br. Dominic Mary, Br. Xavier Maria all in Christchurch

and Br. Alfonso Maria in the Philippines)

Tu es Sacerdos in Æternum!

Today Fr. Michael Mary celebrates 34 years of Holy Priesthood! What a great example of perseverance to us all. Please join us in thanking God for the many graces He has bestowed upon Father during these years!

Thank you Father for the many years you have given to the service of Holy Church as well as to us, your community - may our good God give you many more to come!

Fr Hunwicke's First Mass in the Old Rite

Fr Hunwicke celebrated his First Mass in the Old Rite at Brompton Oratory.  Br. Martin was highly honoured to be able to serve Father at the altar.

 Fr. Ray Blake greets Father before the First Mass.

Dealba me, Domine, et munda cor meum; ut, in sanguine Agni dealbatus, gaudiis perfruar sempiternis.

Make me white, O Lord, and cleanse my heart; that being made white in the Blood of the Lamb I may deserve an eternal reward

Hanc igitur oblationem servitutis nostrae...

 Behold the Precious Blood of Jesus, shed for the forgiveness of our sins!

 Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam. Amen.

 May the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ keep your soul unto life everlasting. Amen.