We have had some lovely people passing through our portals in the last month or so. Dom Aidan Bellenger, abbot of Downside dropped in for a fraternal visit. Lord Nicholas Windsor dropped in with another friend of ours to say hello to the abbot. Major works in the monastery have obliged to us to limit guests at the moment, but we were able to accept a small group of retreatants for Holy Week.

Fr Aldo Tapparo, an ‘old’ (no offence Father!) friend of the community, came for lunch in the Easter Octave with Fr Nicholas Edmonds-Smith of the Oxford Oratory.

Brother Michael cooked a superb lunch of poached salmon in a Martini, walnut and French bean sauce with halved grapes.

We also were delighted to offer hospitality to two ordinands preparing for ordination. Chris Seiler (pictured below), of the North American College, in Vatican City, came to prepare for his ordination to the Diaconate. Also we welcomed Deacon James Bradley for his priestly ordination retreat. Deacon James deaconed our Conventual Mass beautifully. He is a member of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, which enjoys full communion with the Catholic Church, but which brings with it Anglican patrimony. An English seminarian also spent a few days of retreat with us.
Please pray for these two in the early days of their ministry as priest and deacon in God’s holy Church, and pray that many more will respond to the Lord’s call to the priesthood and the religious life.