THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH

After assembling at Our Lady and Saint Michael's on the Friday evening the Conference commenced with Vespers followed by Benediction.

The report on attendance including apologies for absence due to ill health from Archdeacon Roberts and Deacon Lynch, was followed by the declaration of a quorum. The appointment of tellers was deferred until their requirement was necessary.

The minutes of the 2008 Conference were accepted, and there were matters arising there from were discussed.

The Conference was then adjourned until the following day, and fellowship followed during a buffet supper.

The date of the 2011Archdiocesan Conference was suggested as the second weekend in May.

Archdiocesan Retreat 2010

Monday, 22nd March, to Wednesday, 24^th March 2010, saw our sixth retreat at Wistaston Hall Retreat Centre, Crewe, Cheshire. The retreat took place in the retreat house which is part of the apostolate of Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Although in the suburbs of the town of Crewe, the large tree filled grounds exude an atmosphere of serenity and calm.

The retreat was a traditional silent retreat, so after the initial 'gathering of our clan' there was no talking. Father Alan Bowser priest-in-charge of the Corpus Christi mission, in Cleveland, in the north of England conducted the retreat.

On the first day after Mass and the Reservation of the Blessed Sacrament, supper was followed by the Angelus and the first address. Later, after time to read or meditate on the address, the day ended with Holy Rosary and Compline.

The second day commenced with the Angelus, Mattins and Mass; and after breakfast the second address. After private time for reading and reflection everyone met for the Holy Rosary and lunch. After time for study we all met for a conducted Holy Hour, based on the theme of the retreat, followed by Benediction. As on the previous evening, after supper, we met for the Angelus, Vespers and the third address, ending the day with Compline later.

On the third day after Angelus, Matins and Sung Mass, breakfast was followed by the fourth and final address. The retreat ended with the Angelus and Holy Rosary and a blessing from our Archbishop. Lunch gave everyone time to exchange news before departing.

Fr Bowser delivers one of the addresses.

The four addresses delivered by Fr Bowser were based on ‘A Retreat with Julian of Norwich’.

In the first address we were introduced to Julian’s life as an ‘Anchoress’ in her cell or anchorhold at the Church of Saint Julian in Norwich, with its simple but adequate provision, including that of accommodation for a servant so that Julian could devout more time to prayer, meditation and the counselling of those who sought her counsel. Two windows were a feature of the cell – one on the Church side so that she could participate in the Mass in the adjoining Church and receive the Blessed Sacrament, and the other on the road side so that she could counsel those who sought her out. We were also introduced to the writings of this visionary, of which there are two collections; those written shortly after the visions, and those written some twenty years later after much meditation on the visions.

The second address introduced the three requests of Julian, Anchoress. She had asked three gifts of God. The First to understand His Passion; the second was to have an illness in her youth when she was thirty years old; and the third to have, by God’s grace, three wounds. This address covered the first of these; that Julian might have a truer recollection of the Passion of Jesus Christ, as though she had been one of his ‘lovers’ present at the Passion, seeing His pains, the compassion of our Lady and have suffered with them.

The third address introduced Julian’s second request. That she might have an illness at the age of thirty which might lead to a near death experience, so that she might receive all the rites which Holy Church had to give her. She wished for every pain and suffering, fear and temptation which she should have had had she died. She desired this because she wanted to be purged by God’s mercy and afterward live more for His glory.

So the fourth address was Julian’s third request; three Wounds. The Wound of Contrition – true repentance; the Wound of Compassion – suffering as Christ suffered; The Wound of True Longing; seeking God with all my strength.

All the addresses were garlanded with liberal quotations from Julian, Anchoress’s writings, whose revelations were to “a plain unlettered woman in the Year of Our Lord 1373 on the eighth day of May”. Father Bowser left those listening with a real meaning of what Julian of Norwich believed when she wrote ‘All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.’

Julian of Norwich andJJ

J Julian of Norwich, her request for a better understanding of the Passion of Christ.

More information about Julian can be obtained from http://www.friendsofjulian.org.uk/

As the hustle and bustle of modern life increases the importance of withdrawing from it, if only for less than two days, to spend time in prayer, meditation and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament becomes of increasing importance. To be able to do this in the silent fellowship of members of the Church is an added bonus.

We thank Fr Bowser wholeheartedly, for all the endeavour, work and organisation that he put into this retreat and for his preparation and delivery of four learned addresses.

The Archdiocesan Retreat for 2011 has been provisionally booked for the same three days at the beginning of Passion Week 2011 at the same venue.

If you are new to this site and would like to know more about the Church,
then CLICK HERE

THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH

Western Rite