To celebrate the Year of Faith, as an "act of faith" tomorrow night, through some of the streets of this parish
8th December at 7pm there is a
PROCESSION IN HONOUR OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
It is the first time we have done such a thing, the singing might be a bit ragged, as might the procession, there could be 20 people or a few hundred, if you live in Brighton, join us.
We will start at the Church and end up on the seafront in the place where we feed the hungry.
P.S. The image bears no resemblance to the statue that will be used in the procession
5 comments:
Well done Father. Unable to join you but will say a rosary for your intentions.4325 ChinaDi
Congratulations Father! It is a bit far for us much as we would like to be there.
But why is it that none of our local parish churches have even a mass on this day other than the vigil mass which is not the Immaculate Conception mass? Okay it may be difficult to have a mass on a Saturday when they have a vigil mass as well but could not it be agreed at say Deanery level that at least one church in the Deanery has such a mass and it is then publicised throughout the deanery so that people know - rather like the system of chemists that stay open.
After all it is one of the most important feasts in the year and we are the Dowry of Mary. We had the same problem with the Assumption this year although we did find one church that had it.
In the end we went to Worth Abbey where we got the rosary as well. It is slowly improving there!
God Bless all who attend the procession. Sights and sounds of Truth nourish all. (p.s. the scents, too - I miss the zeal of holysmoke - incenseless Masses where I live).
O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, didst prepare a worthy dwelling place for thy Son, we beseech thee that, as by the foreseen death of this, thy Son, thou didst preserve her from all stain, so too thou wouldst permit us, purified through her intercession, to come unto thee. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who livest and reignest with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
It was Fabulous Father Ray and went beyond all our wildest expectations,the procession stretched over 200m and everybody was joyfully singing.
We must do it again and if it might be warmer we will have to have a police escort.
A lot of people lost sleep worrying about it but will sleep tonight like Saints
It would have been good to join you, but it's too far. However, I am really blessed that my North London parish had Rosary & Benediction at 11.15pm on Friday, followed by a Sung Mass at Midnight, Exposition through the night finishing with another Mass at 9.30am. All well attended. If rich fare is provided, the people respond with enthusiasm; if carelessly prepared and dull fare, then should we be surprised if no one thinks it important? (We have one priest only, and he is not young, but he is enthusiastic and devout.) Why can priests and parishes not see that what works in, for example, Brighton and North London can work elsewhere? Our Lord fed the hungry so much that there was food left over - why do so many churches provide only a starvation diet for their people? Perhaps we lay people need to take the example of Oliver Twist to heart and "ask for more" - I know our lay people do, and their request is granted, as our priest is not "Fr Bumble"!
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