A Welcome Visit from Fr Hunwicke

For several years we have been friends with Fr John Hunwicke. That he might consider travelling to us all the way from Oxford, considering the fall he had when in Rome in 2012, seemed almost too much to expect. But to our delight we were privileged to welcome him to Papa Stronsay last week, where for four days he gave us conferences on the holy Liturgy: the Sarum rite, the missal of Stowe, and the history of Papal Anglicanism culminating in the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham during the reign of Pope Benedict XVI. 

Of course we did not simply receive conferences; there is nothing like having a friend to stay; it was super! And yes of course, we are hoping he will return again. 

 Fr Hunwicke's lively and engaging deliveries!
Every word clearly articulated and set to make its mark.

 One afternoon during his visit some of the brethren accompanied Father on a walk around the island.

Father has a keen interest in early monastic archaeology.

 Father examining the ruins of the 11th century chapel of St Nicholas on Papa Stronsay
which is built over an earlier one from the 7th century.

Again in the ruins of St Nicholas's chapel.

The neighbouring island of Stronsay in the background.

Not an easy walk along the beach on the eastern side of Papa Stronsay.

Our Desert in the Pathless Sea.

In Father's Mutual Enrichment blog
 he wrote about his time with us.

Many thanks Father for coming all this way!
Wonderful days!
Haste ye back!

Blessing the Pilgrimage Cross

Many of you will remember our two cycling pilgrims, Sam and Wojciech, who made a pilgrimage by push-bike of over 600 miles finishing on Papa Stronsay a little over a week ago.  While here, they planted a Pilgrimage Cross.  If you missed that story, you can read it here.

The 14th September (on which we held the Religious professions featured in the previous post) was the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (the finding of the True Cross in Jerusalem by St Helena in A.D. 326), and therefore seemed a most apt occasion on which to bless the newly planted Pilgrimage Cross.

From the Rituale Romanum:

 If a cross is to be exposed for public veneration, it should be solemnly blessed.

 Oremus
Rogamus te, Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, sempiterne Deus: ut digneris benedicere + hoc lignum Crucis ut sit remedium salutare generi humano...

Holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, be pleased to bless + this cross, that it may be a saving help to mankind. Let it be the support of faith, an encouragement to good works, the redemption of souls; and let it be consolation, protection, and a shield against the cruel darts of the enemy; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Oremus
Benedic, + Domine Jesu Christe, hanc Crucem, per quam eripuisti mundum a potestate dæmonum, et superasti Passione tua suggestorem peccati...

Lord Jesus Christ, bless + this cross by which you snatched the world from Satan's grasp, and on which you overcame by your suffering the tempter to sin, who rejoiced in the first man's fall in eating of the forbidden tree. Here it is sprinkled with holy water. May this cross be hallowed in the name of the Father, + and of the Son, + and of the Holy + Spirit; and may all who kneel and pray before this cross in honour of our Lord find health in body and soul; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

After the blessing is completed, each person present genuflects before the newly blessed Cross...

...and venerates it with a kiss, as the sign of our redemption.

STV (Scottish national television station) were also present on the island to film for a news feature.  They also filmed the professions.  Here they are pictured interviewing Very Rev. Fr Michael Mary, F.SS.R. following the blessing of the Pilgrimage Cross.  When the video which they made is available, it will be posted on this blog.

Two Pilgrims and a Cross

Recently we have had the pleasure of making two new friends: Sam and Wojciech from Doncaster, England.  They had decided to make a cycling pilgrimage from Doncaster to various churches and shrines, ending up on Papa Stronsay.  The over 600 miles took them 12 days to complete!  The pilgrimage was made for the intention of the teaching of solid doctrine to return to the Church, and for the faithful to receive this teaching.  They stayed on Papa Stronsay for 3 days during which time they erected a Pilgrimage Cross.  Following in the tradition of the "Vow Cross", we invited Sam and Wojciech to erect this Pilgrimage Cross as a permanent memory of the completion of their pilgrimage. 

Sam and Wojciech with Fr. Michael Mary, F.SS.R. as they prepare to concrete the steel support which they had spent many hours preparing.

 Making sure the steel is straight now is important, as once the concrete is in it cannot be done.

 Sam prepares to pour the first load of concrete which will secure the steel support into the ground.

 All done.  Now it must be left over night to dry.

The first Pilgrimage Cross to be erected on Papa Stronsay.

  

 A worthy testimony to the effort and devotion of these two pilgrims!

The Cross will now be painted and blessed for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Saturday.

All is well in Papa Stronsay.

Update

+

The Papa Stronsay Minor Lighthouse

Far in the bosom of the deep,

O'er these wild shelves my watch I keep;

A ruddy gem of changeful light,

Bound on the dusky brow of Night,

The Seaman bids my lustre hail,

And scorns to strike his tim'rous sail.

(Sir Walter Scott)

 At the end of June we welcomed the Commissioners of the 

Northern Lighthouse Board of Scotland.

 The sea launch taking the Commissioners back to their ship

which was anchored off the coast of Papa Stronsay.

The Northern Lighthouse Board is the General Lighthouse Authority

for Scotland and the Isle of Man.

The Board currently operates:

208 Lighthouses

160 Buoys

31 Beacons

27 Racons (radar beacons)

4 Differential Global Positioning System Stations

29  AIS Stations (Automatic Identification Systems)

+

The Great Wall of Papa Stronsay

Work continued this year on the Great Wall

which provides significant shelter from all winds

coming in a southerly direction. 

 The stone wall is nearly three feet thick and ten feet high.

On a wall this size, it takes a lot of work to make a little difference.

+

General  Round-up of Summer Work
in Papa Stronsay.

  

+

The Summer Weather.

The Summer has not accentuated itself this year.

We have had a few good days of sunshine

and some beautiful evenings.

We are looking for a time of suitable weather for an evening bonfire ...

... perhaps on August 15th
the feast of Our Lady's Assumption 

or on the 22nd
that of Her Immaculate Heart...
we wait in the hope of a reliable break of calm and sunshime. 

The Visit of the Episcopal Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney.

This afternoon we welcomed to Papa Stronsay

the Right Rev. Dr. Robert Gillies,
of the the Scottish Episcopal Church.
Bishop Gillies was elected to his position
over the Episcopal diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney
in April 2007.
On his episcopal ring the bishop has engraved
the image of the Papa Stronsay Cross.

Dr. Gillies was accompanied by the Reverend David Bowen
our friend and neighbour on Stronsay.
David and his wife, Ruth are semi-retired;
their house looks across Papa Sound to Papa Stronsay.
The visit was for about an hour and a half and
during this time the bishop himself took responsibility
for the beautiful weather!

Visit of Fr. Aidan Nichols, O.P.

Last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
we had the pleasure of a visit from Fr. Aidan Nichols, O.P.
of Blackfriars, Cambridge.
Here he is seen celebrating Holy Mass for the community
according to the Dominican Rite.

In this Rite,
the chalice is prepared with wine and water before
the prayers at the foot of the altar.

A third candle is placed on the altar after the Offertory.

The Elevation.

The priest's arms are fully extended for the
Unde et memores
after the Consecration.

Reception of Holy Communion.

Also present were a private retreatant (far left) ...

and an aspirant exploring his vocation.