The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, this Friday 11th June, is the close of the Year for Priests. Pope Benedict inaugurated this Year for Priests from the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart in 2009 until the same occasion in 2010 to support Priests and pray for them in their sacred ministry of the Priesthood.

Your priests are profoundly grateful for your prayers and the support which you show us in ways which touch our hearts and sustain our lives. Please do not cease to pray for us, and for those in formation for the Priesthood, and for Vocations to the Priestly Ministry. It is especially encouraging to see an increase in our own diocese and beyond, of those offering themselves for this life of sacrifice and joy.

Please pray especially for Alan Burgess (at the Beda College, Rome), and for Philip Andrews (beginning in September at the Venerable English College, Rome).

4th Sunday of Easter

Today’s Gospel, containing Jesus’ description of himself as the Shepherd who offers eternal life to his flock, makes this an appropriate Sunday to pray in a special way for Vocations to the Priesthood. In other ways, however, we may feel that praying for priestly vocations in these times is very difficult. Many in the media have used the terrible crimes of a tiny minority of priests to tarnish the reputation of the entire priesthood, as well as using it as an opportunity to attack the Catholic Church in general and Pope Benedict very specifically (and quite unjustly). Many Catholics, I suspect, feel very uncertain in trying to respond to this onslaught. How do we defend the Church without appearing to condone horrible sins against children which all of us abhor? How do we sort the truth from distortion and slander, and how do we help others to see the truth? When the Church is portrayed in such a totally negative light we can feel that we ourselves are under attack, and perhaps even feel that our own faith is growing weaker. Certainly the last few weeks have not been a comfortable time to be a Catholic priest.

Yet, in these troubled times we actually need good priests more than ever. The crimes of a very small number have been allowed to overshadow the great work done by so many priests, quietly and humbly, all over the world. We need more young men to come forward and continue this work, so that the hope and joy we celebrate in this Easter season can
become a living reality for future generations as well. We all need to pray, therefore, for fresh
and abundant vocations to the priestly life.

Perhaps I can use my last few words in this Bulletin to say how much I enjoy being a Catholic priest, and how grateful I am that God has called me to serve him this way. Despite all the challenges, I cannot imagine anything I would rather do, nor anything which would be more worthwhile. By God’s grace, may I never have cause to say anything different – and may God raise up many others, even from our own parish, to share in the joy of serving the Good Shepherd as a priest.

On Wednesday 3rd March, His Eminence John Cardinal Foley conferred the Ministry of Acolyte on our Seminarian Alan Burgess, along with six of his second-year colleages from the Pontifical Beda College.

Unlike temporary commisioning of Extra-ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, this is a permanent ‘minor order’ authorising Alan to “aid the deacon and minister to the priest in liturgical celebrations … to distribute Holy Communion as an auxiliary minister (in the usual circumstances) … to expose and depose the Blessed Sacrament for Adoration” and to instruct altar servers and others in their temporary liturgical duties.

Alan is excited about his Acolytate and looks forward to his second pastoral placement this coming summer (elsewhere in our diocese). While visiting us at his diocesan base here in New Malden, he will now be able to assist in these ways and in taking Communion to the housebound and hospitalised.

The next major step for Alan, God willing, is his Candidacy for Ordination to the Diaconate which normally takes place in November of the third year of semiary formation (ie. 2010).

The Parish congratulates Alan on this second step on the road to Priestly Ordination. We continue to pray for him, and for our resident potential seminarian, Philip Andrews who is away from us this weekend, in Retreat at St John’s Seminary, Wonersh, in preparation for attending the Selection Conference next month.

Alan Burgess will be with us again for the weekends before and after Christmas, during his short vacation from the Bede College in Rome where he began his 2nd year (of 4) of formation for the Priesthood after completing his Pastoral Placement at St Joseph’s last summer.  As an instituted Lector he takes precedence over our commissioned Readers.

Philip Andrews, whom many of you met a few months ago, will be living with us from January 2010 until the autumn (when, like Alan, he will continue to have a base here). Philip is scheduled to attend the annual Selection Conference at St John’s Seminary, Wonersh in April and, if accepted for Priestly Forma-tion, will begin his time at Seminary in September, Deo volente.

I have reached the end of my first Pastoral Placement as well as first summer at St Joseph’s and return to Rome on Wednesday 23rd September to commence the second year of studies. I am grateful to everyone at St Joseph’s for their support and many kindnesses, especially those who spent time with me explaining how they and their fellow catechists interact with newcomers to their groups (eg. First Holy Communion, Confirmation), and others who went through the minutiae of safe-guarding the young and the vulnerable. I am more than ever thankful to the families who invited me to their homes for dinner: It was very much appreciated and a joy to meet spouses and children.

My time here was made smoother because of the advice of two individuals in particular, Agnes Vella and David Roberts: both were extremely patient in illuminating how the parish functions administratively and financially. Without any hesitation, I am indebted to Fathers Peter and Richard for the pastoral support and didactic advice, the placement planning and the priestly leadership, as they have proved an invaluable, infinite source of information and inspiration. When I have confronted difficulties – pastoral, vocational, and liturgical! – our priests have unstintingly guided my thoughts so that I could assimilate the correct decisions myself. Notwithstanding my gratitude for the pastoral placement here, I am truly thankful for the accommodation and hospitality offered by Frs Peter and Richard during the summer of 2009 and for the next two summers.

May our Almighty God and Father bless you all. St Joseph pray for us.

Our Parish is well known for its encouragement of Priestly Vocations and, during the past ten years, has provided pastoral placements for seminarians from Rome, and more locally from St John’s Seminary, Wonersh. These have included Fr Philip Seed on a summer placement, Fr Marcus Holden on a placement followed by the use of St Joseph’s as a pied a terre, and Fr Philip Glandfield, who remained with us for 3 years as Assistant Priest. We have also welcomed Wonersh students who have been placed with us to gain experience by assisting with our Confirmation programme, Youth Clubs or other activities.

The Diocese has asked us to provide a base here for Alan Burgess, a first-year Southwark Seminarian, during his summer and Christman holidays throughout his seminary formation at the Beda College in Rome, starting this summer with his pastoral placement here at St Joseph’s.

Alan entered the seminary in September 2008. A former Anglican, he was received into the Church by Archbishop Kevin during the Easter Vigil 2006. Prior to entering the seminary, Alan worshipped at St George’s Cathedral, which was near to his former home in Waterloo. For 18 years he worked as senior publisher in several London-based medical publishing companies.

On May 6th this year Alan received the Ministry of Lectorate, giving him the right and duty of assisting at the Liturgy of the Word at Mass. This ministry is also the first stage toward eventual ordination to the Diaconate and then to the Priesthood. Generally at the Beda College, it is conferred on students completing their first year of studies. During the second year, the Ministry of Acolyte is conferred. Ordination as a Deacon usually occurs at the end of the third year, with ordination to the Priesthood taking place in the diocese once the seminarians have successfully completed their four year programme.