The Chrism Mass is one of the main diocesan events of the year. The Mass is the special Liturgy in Holy Week during which the Bishop blesses the three Holy Oils for use in the Sacraments: the Oil of the Blessing of the Sick, the Oil of Catechumens and the Oil of Chrism. The blessing of the Holy Oils is one of the most ancient ceremonies of the Church and it’s always celebrated in the Cathedral with the priests, deacons, religious and lay people of the diocese. During it, all the priests make a renewal of their commitment to priestly service. It is always a wonderful manifestation of the Church in our Diocese of Portsmouth and an opportunity to thank God for our Catholic faith. Last year, because of the pandemic, we postponed the Mass but then found ourselves unable to celebrate it even at a date later in the year. This year, we hope to be able to celebrate it as planned on Tuesday 30th March. However, for health and safety reasons and in accordance with the rubric in the Roman Missal which says “to signify the unity of the presbyterate of the diocese, the priests who concelebrate with the Bishop should be from different regions of the diocese,” we will restrict it to Coordinating Pastors only present in person, with everyone else following online. Please do, then, reserve the date. More details to follow.

Here is the homily I preached in the Cathedral at the 1200 Mass on Sunday 21st February 2021, the First Sunday of Lent. (The striking picture is of ‘Ark Encounter’ in Kentucky, a representation of Noah’s Ark that’s over 155 feet long and 51 feet high.)
 
Genesis, the Book of Genesis, the first of the 73 books of the Bible, is full of epic stories: the creation of the universe, Adam and Eve, the Fall, the first murder, the Tower of Babel, the life of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis is all about the question: What is Man? What does it mean to be human? What’s the purpose of the universe? In the early 21C these issues are crucial, dramatic. This Lent it would be good to re-read the stories of the Book of Genesis, like today’s 1stR: the Flood, an extinction-level event, the building of Noah’s Ark, the subsequent re-creation of the world, and the rainbow, the symbol of God’s abiding love for Creation...

This last weekend, in non-pandemic times, we would have celebrated the joyous Rite of Election. It’s always a great diocesan occasion when all our catechumens and candidates from across the Diocese, together with their clergy and catechists, are presented to the Bishop for a blessing, as they prepare for baptism at Easter and for reception into full communion with the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, we know that this year 2021 many in our parishes are preparing for these sacraments of initiation despite the challenges of the COVID-crisis: we pray for you and for all preparing for reception into the Catholic Church. I thank you, your clergy and your catechists for all the good work. Let us pray for a speedy end to the crisis. However, we have recorded a short video liturgy: click on the picture! This will be a way to enter into prayer for all concerned and to pray for the spread of the Faith in our Diocese.

In this short series of catechises on aspects of the Easter liturgy, we come this week to the Oil of Chrism. Click on the picture for a short video message from me.
 
At the Easter Vigil, those who are being initiated into the Church are ‘chrismated,’ that is, anointed with the oil of chrism. As the Bishop says: Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit and he makes the sign of the Cross on the person’s forehead with the holy oil. So what is this holy oil or chrism? Chrism is made from olive oil mixed with a sweet perfume called balsam. It gives off a very distinctive and pleasant aroma. The chrism is then blessed and consecrated for use at a special Mass during Holy Week called The Chrism Mass. In fact, at that Chrism Mass, all the chrism needed for all the parishes and churches of the Diocese for the following year is blessed. It’s usually in a big container and brought up in procession. Once blessed, it is then distributed in smaller sacred vessels and taken across the Diocese. It’s always been treated with special reverence in the Church and is often reserved in a secure place of honour...

Our online survey has now closed! We’ve had a tremendous number of responses, almost 2,000 – thank you all so much. The survey was asking what you as a parishioner, a disciple of Christ, a member of the lay faithful, think is good about our Diocese, what we should celebrate, what you think is not so good and what you think are the challenges we face as a Diocese. The aim is to help us develop plans and priorities going forward. We want to be faithful missionary people in a flourishing and vibrant Diocese that brings the joy and hope of the Gospel message to our communities and the wider world. The views and thoughts from people who no longer come to church have also been important to us. We will publish the results in the Spring and they will inform our thinking about priorities for the next few years. Once again, thank you for your help.

We continue this occasional series of articles on some of the great hymns that the Church uses in her Sacred Liturgy. This week, we come to Attende Domine, known also as the ‘Lent Prose.’ Click on the picture to hear it sung. Attende Domine was written sometime in the 10th century. Its words are Mozarabic in origin, that is, from the formerly Muslim-dominated areas of the Iberian peninsula, and deal with the sinfulness of man and the mercy of God. It’s easy to sing, with a refrain after each verse (‘Attend us, O Lord, and have mercy: for we have sinned against you’). Here is a free translation:
1. Weeping and lifting up our eyes to you, Lord, Majesty Sovereign, everyone’s Redeemer. Hear, Christ, the sinners pleading for your mercy.
2. Near to the Father, Keystone at his right-hand, Way of salvation, Gateway into heaven,  cleanse us in mercy from our sins’ dishonour.
3. O God we beg you, Majesty eternal, turn, Lord, your sacred ears to hear our groanings. Peacefully lenient, pardon our offences.
4. Humbly confessing all our willed offences, we admit freely secret hidden sinning, so that your love, Lord, may grant us redemption..
5. Innocent captive, held without resistance, doomed by the faithless, charged by lying witnesses, Christ, keep us safely. You are our Redeemer.

Join us again this Thursday at 7.30 pm either in person or on live-stream from the Cathedral for an Hour of Prayer and Praise called “Verso L’Alto: Reach for the Heights”. During lockdown and the COVID pandemic, as Christians our key task must be to pray for a speedy end to the crisis. We pray for the sick and for those who have died, and for the safety of all. So, on Thursday nights over these weeks of lockdown, from 7.30 til 8.30, I’d like to invite you in person or online to join me and the Cathedral clergy for an Hour of Prayer and Praise for these intentions. We need from God a word of assurance, a message of hope, a sign of love. We need a Saviour. We need Christ the Lord and a real friendship with Him. You can join us this Thursday by the Cathedral live-stream to pray for all our intentions, for our safety, for our Diocese, for all our medical staff and for the sick.

Next Monday 1st March is the Feast of St. David (Dewi), the Patron Saint of Wales. Here, I reproduce the short biography for the day given by Dawn Marie Beutner in her Saints: Becoming an Image of Christ Every Day of the Year (San Francisco, Ignatius Press: 2020).
 
“David was the son of a noble family in Ceredigion in Wales. His mother Non-was a holy woman and also later declared a saint. David was ordained a priest and lived in a monastery, but he decided to leave the monastery and settle at Mynyw. There he established a community of monks that lived a simple life. They farmed the land by hand, without cattle and lived austerely, having only bread, vegetables, salt and water. He told his monks to maintain a rule of silence, speaking only one necessary, and also taught them to practice constant mental prayer. When a synod was held at Brefi to combat the dangers of the heresy of Pelagianism, which was spreading in the area, David spoke so eloquently that his fellow leaders unanimously elected him as their primate. Although his predecessor was happy to resign in his favour, David accepted the position only on the condition that his episcopal see would be transferred to the quiet town of Mynyw. He became a renowned preacher, founding monastic settlements and churches in Wales, Brittany and southwest England, including, possibly, the abbey at Glastonbury. He died in 589. There are many stories showing his love for God. NOTE. The daffodil is the national flower of Wales and is traditionally worn on St David's Day. The wild daffodil has been a symbol of Wales since the 19th century.

Per Crucem ad Lucem (‘Through the Cross to the Light): Fr. Serafino Lanzetta of the Marian Franciscans invites you to join them this Saturday...

Join the Marian Franciscans for this Saturday's Lectio divina - in the Year of the Word. It will be on the Gospel of St Mark 9:2-10, the epiphanic episode of Our Lord's Transfiguration. It is the second stage in our Lenten journey. Jesus manifested the splendour of his divinity to three of his Apostoles. But it was only a foretaste. To be able to enter his glory, the Son of Man has to suffer and to be crucified. Mount Tabor is the anticipation of Jesus' Resurrection and future glory, whose access is precluded without Calvary. Two mountains become in fact one in that per Crucem ad Lucem. Following the five steps of Lectio divina - Reading (Lectio), Meditating (Meditatio), Praying (Oratio), Contemplating (Contemplatio) and Acting (Actio), we aim at penetrating this Gospel teaching by make our spiritual home in it. Join us this Saturday at 5pm for a new Cuppa on Radio Immaculata YouTube Channel and Facebook Page. Invite your friends too! You can watch last week's episode by clicking on the image.

In next Sunday's Gospel (Mark 9:2-10) Jesus prepares his disciples for the Passion by giving them a foretaste of the glory of Heaven. Like his Baptism, the Transfiguration of the Lord is a revelation of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God – but this time, it points his disciples towards what will be the final and definitive revelation of who he is: the Passion, death and Resurrection by which he brings all humanity to a new and glorious life. You can read Scott Hahn's reflections on the Sunday Readings here. You can register to watch our Diocesan Wednesday Webinar here, or join us via Facebook live. If you can’t join us, you can subscribe to the podcast here.

The Holy Father has just issued his Message for Lent for 2021: click on the picture to read it. In this Message, under the title, "Behold we are going up to Jerusalem", Pope Francis gathers and arranges the lessons of the passion, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus into a triad of theological virtues: faith, hope and charity, and a triad of Lenten exercises: self-impoverishment (as in fasting and abstinence), prayer and charity/almsgiving. These two triads are woven together into forming the Pope's message this year; and, as you can see, they are virtues and exercises which Jesus himself lived and handed on to his followers to be lived also: to make them more Christ-like! With his Lenten message, Pope Francis recommends the same virtues and exercises, which Jesus taught his disciples, to us for our Lenten journey to the feast of the resurrection of Jesus at Easter 2021.

Deacon Martin McElroy, from the parish of St Peter and the Winchester Martyrs, invites you to join him on a journey through the Gospel of Mark... 
 
Throughout this year, most of our Sunday gospels (and those at weekday Mass) are from Mark's gospel. So we hope this series will help you put each of those gospel readings in context - as we'll read and reflect together on a chapter each week.
 
The format of each session will be discussion-based, plus a summary of each chapter's key themes from Deacon Martin. There'll also be plenty of opportunities to ask questions, and meet other people from around the diocese. Don't worry if you can't attend every session: you'll be given the materials from each week's session to catch up if you want. The sessions are taking place weekly over Zoom, on Friday evenings, from 19:45-21:30, starting Friday 5th March. To join us, and get more details, please register here.

Image credit: Frontispiece of the gospel of Mark, from the Lindisfarne Gospels (Cotton MS Nero D IV), courtesy of the British Library.

Joan Kent, Chair of the Parish Council at Sacred Heart Hook shares news of some forthcoming events in the parish...
 
Sacred Heart Church in Hook are hosting a series of talks and courses and we warmly welcome you to join us.  Please join us for a Lenten talk with Sr Valentina from Verbem Dei on 4th March.
 
Hope in the Pandemic - A Lenten talk from Sr Valentina on Thursday 4th March @ 7.45pm
Lent is time for renewal. Join us to learn how this time can help us to journey through this Pandemic. How the Pascal Mystery, Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, can bring meaning to what we are living and make us bridges of hope.
 
Let it Be
Our next joint scheduled course is going to be a CAFE series called Let it be, all about our Lady. so we will start this on Monday 26th April for 5 weeks. The Cafe sessions involves watching a video and discussions in smaller groups. 

If you would like to learn more about either of these events, please contact Joan Kent on jkent@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

Maryvale Institute, on behalf of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, is delighted to announce a free, virtual conference that will focus on the new Directory for Catechesis. The Directory, published in March 2020, makes clear the essential elements in teaching and personal formation required by the mission of catechesis. Building on the previous 2 catechetical directories (1971 and 1997), this new text is a vital resource for all those engaged in the Church's work of proclaiming the Gospel. This conference offers an opportunity for those either involved with or interested in catechesis, to explore the main themes and key emphases of this important text, and to reflect on its implications for their work in the Church and the world. There is no cost to register and attend all sessions of the Conference, although we would encourage delegates to consider a donation of £5 or £10 or more towards scholarships for those enrolling on Maryvale Institute’s adult formation courses, to help support and train the catechists of the future...

Discipleship Goes Digital - here is an exciting invitation from our FOCUS missionaries in Southampton – starting now.
 
Are you a university student/young adult? R U searching for more meaning during lockdown? Want to encounter Christ and build community with other young Catholics? What can you get involved with? – A weekly men’s and women’s virtual small group Bible studies - Virtual accompaniment through SEEK21 (virtual conference) taking place from 18 – 21 March. - A virtual weekly Encounter with Christ in prayer (teaching and praying together). - Monthly virtual fellowship nights with Catholic students across the Diocese. - A journey through Lent virtually, the group meeting virtually each week. Find out more by contacting Kaitlin: kaitlin.gilday@focus.org

Alastair Emblem, ADoRe Core Group Leader invites you to join them this Saturday for their February meeting...
 
We are continuing our 2021 Programme: "ALIVE IN THE SPIRIT" which is in response to the invitation from Pope Francis “I ask all of you that you organise seminars to share Baptism in the Spirit.” Our programme this year explores how the Holy Spirit inspires and empowers us to be missionary disciples. More details on the ADoRE website www.altonrenewal.com

The next session is on Saturday 27th February, 10.00-13.00: “Salvation” God sent his Son Jesus to give you new life through his death and resurrection. Jesus is your Lord and Saviour. Speaker: Fr Paul Leonard,  Parish Priest at Sacred Heart, Hook. Please register in advance at bit.ly/ADOREFEB2021

Jo Lewry, Community Participation Co-ordinator for CAFOD Portsmouth reminds us that this Friday, 26th February, is CAFOD Lent Family fast day…

This Friday please join us in prayer as we remember those communities living in poverty around the world and especially those who do not have access to a nearby safe water supply. We remember Abdella and his community in Ethiopia who must walk for many hours to collect water each day. We have online Stations of the Cross at 11am every Friday during Lent so please join us click here to register. This Lent will be particularly hard for many families because of lockdown. We have all missed the things we enjoy doing: - going out for a meal, drinks with friends, going to the cinema, theatre, concert, or a football match, even a haircut! So, this Lent instead of giving something up why not donate the money you would have spent on these activities to CAFOD’s Lent Appeal...

Maureen Thompson from St. Thomas' church in Emsworth shares some "green" ideas to help us live Laudato Si' this Lent...

Lent is a time when we contemplate a change, a conversion of heart to bring us closer to our loving Lord. Currently the whole world is suffering maybe this is the time to reflect on a new normal, a different future.  Some ideas to work towards “ecological conversion”
Give:  This Fairtrade Fortnight “Choose the world you want” by reviewing your buying habits for  “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due” (Romans 4:4)   There is also a powerful ecumenical service.
Act: Try to get out into nature and connect with the beauty of the natural world.  For as Pope Francis says in Laudato Si' “If someone has not learned to stop and admire something beautiful, we should not be surprised if he or she treats everything as an object to be used and abused without scruple”. 
Pray:   Reflect on the first in a series of short films there is much to contemplate.

Our diocesan Called and Gifted Team is now making the Called and Gifted discernment process available ONLINE! With the support of the Catherine of Siena Institute in the US, the team has created a new C&G website with links to both the Diocesan website and the Institute's high quality teaching videos. The new website not only explains the benefits of discerning your spiritual gifts (charisms) it also includes personal testimonies for each charism and an easy-to-use booking process that enables participants to purchase access to the videos (stage 1), book their online personal discernment conversation (stage 2) and book a place on a small discernment group (stage 3). See the website here.  The website can also be accessed via the C&G pages of the Diocesan website. Gerry Penfold, is the Called and Gifted Team Leader. He said "This is a very exciting development for everyone involved. Launching C&G Online not only enables the mission of Called and Gifted to continue despite the pandemic, it also means we can offer the C&G discernment process to individuals, groups and parishes across the UK and Eire. We were already receiving a growing number of requests from people outside the diocese and we now have a great new way to respond to enquiries from both within and outside the diocese." Please like and follow us on Facebook for the latest news, videos and testimonies. For more information or if you'd like to discuss what Called and Gifted could mean for you, please contact one of the C&G Core Team:
Gerry Penfold - gpenfold@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
Anne-Marie Fletcher - amfletcher@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
Geoff and Gina Poulter - gpoulter@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

We continue looking at some of the administrative structures and bodies of our Diocese established by the Church’s Canon Law and by the Diocesan Operating Procedures.. This week, Heather Hauschild discusses the work of our Diocesan Support and Administration Service (DSAS), or ‘curia.’
 
The role of the Diocesan Curia (which describes all the functions of administration that are required for a diocese to govern) is to assist the Bishop in the government of a diocese, especially in directing pastoral action, in providing for the administration of the diocese and in exercising judicial power’. (Canon 469). “Those priests, religious and lay people who are entrusted with various offices and functions within the Diocese are, each in their own way and according to their own particular vocation, fulfilling their own personal baptismal calling. However, their ministry and activity are always directed towards collaboration with the Bishop in his role as successor of the apostles and shepherd of those entrusted to his care. Thus, together, they fulfil the calling of all the faithful, to proclaim the gospel and build up the Body of Christ.“ (Lumen Gentium)...

Jennifer Geach, a parishioner from Guernsey suggests that we should be doubling our prayer efforts for an end to the pandemic...

In the most recent lockdown, I have been virtually present with the Dominicans in Oxford. This community does something which ought not to be striking, but is. After the sermon, the celebrant offers a prayer (the same one each day, not an extempore effort) asking God to 'deliver us from the 'pestilence which currently afflicts us.’ It seems to me that we should all be doing this, both in our private prayer, and in public liturgy.

Joanna Azavedo-Parker from St Swithun Wells parish reflects on clearing out the debris and making a new start in Lent...

I wonder if it is coincidence that I need to clear out my hard drive on my laptop which has accumulated folders and documents on an ongoing basis over the years, almost running along like a bus, stopping and collecting stuff every time a new device came on the scene, just as Lent begins.  I see God’s Hand in this without a doubt so in answer to my own question, definitely no coincidence.  Maybe in life, there are none…..not when God is in control...

Vince Kelly, Marketing and Youth Officer for Portsmouth Catenian Circle shares news of the Circle's recent activities...

Portsmouth Catenians continue to make use of Zoom to meet virtually and conduct their business. The Council meets in the first week of every month, to plan ahead for the Circle Meeting, which occurs in the third or fourth week. Members miss very much dining together and exchanging news, but  Zoom is a good alternative. Many people are using it in other aspects of their lives and it likely to become a lasting feature.

At the January Circle Meeting a Presidential visit was made to Portsmouth by Mike Ingram of Southampton, accompanied by Brother Xaverio Micceucci. The monthly quiz is now a permanent part of the calendar. The most recent quiz held on 9th February, attracted two brothers and their wives from other circles. The Quiz prize, a bottle of wine, was won by Anne and Mike Mitchell of Fleet circle and will be delivered in due course! Meanwhile funds are in hand to present to link schools and the CathSoc at the University as soon as students reassemble there. The picture above shows competitors with Quiz master Nigel Miller, the Portsmouth President. Details of the challenges faced by participants can be seen here.

You can find out more about Portsmouth Catenian Circle here.

This past Sunday, 21st February, the Church celebrated another of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, the Jesuit St Robert Southwell. Here, Dr Dudley Plunkett, former Senior Tutor at the Maryvale Institute and parishioner of the Immaculate Conception, Southampton, offers us the latest instalment in his series offering a brief biography of one of these holy men and women...

Robert Southwell, born in Norfolk, joined the Jesuits in Rome at the age of 17 and was ordained a priest six years later. In 1586 he came to London with another priest, Henry Garnet, who was later martyred. For two years he travelled about the country on the Jesuit mission, several times narrowly escaping capture until, with the increase in persecution of Catholics suspected of assisting the Armada, he lodged for greater security at Arundel House, the home of Anne Howard who was the wife of Philip Howard. Philip, Earl of Arundel, had been found guilty of treason for his Catholicism and had been imprisoned in the Tower of London. For the following six years Robert served the spiritual needs of Anne’s household and ministered to many other Catholics both in London and in the surrounding counties. He also spent time writing works of poetry that have survived to this day, works which have been compared to the greatest and indeed were admired by William Shakespeare.