Dear faithful,
The celebration of Mass will take place at the Drift Golf Club on the 6th of July 2025. Confessions will begin at 10:45 am and Mass starts at 12:00 noon.
Other Sunday Mass times for the month of July and for the coming months.
1. First Sunday, that is the 6th of July, confession is at 10:45am -11:45am and Holy Mass is at 12:00 noon. The location is: The Drift Golf Club, East Horsley, KT24 5HD
2. Second Sunday, that is the 13th of July, confession at 10:00am-11:10am and Holy Mass is at 11:30am. The location is: John Cumber Hall, High St, Theale, Reading RG7 5AN
3. Third Sunday, that is the 20th of July, confession at 10:00am-11:10am and Holy Mass is at 11:30am. The location is: Swinford Village Hall, 2 The Springs, Kilworth Road, Swinford, Lutterworth LE17 6HP, South Leicestershire
4. Fourth Sunday, that is the 27th of July, there is no Mass.
5. These Mass locations and times will remain the same for August.
I have returned from my journey to the USA for the ordinations that took place.
Father Christian Ingham and Father Andrew Nowrouz will be very good priests for the apostolate. This is a great victory for the Church, that she has two new, well-trained, disciplined and devout priests. May they always remain faithful to Christ and Our Holy Mother the Church.
Confirmation delayed.
I have decided to delay the occasion for the confirmations. There are several reasons for this.
First, I want to give people more time to hand in information regarding their sacramental history such as baptismal certificates, etc. This decision affords me more time to process everything as well.
Second, there are a number of people close to being ready to receive the sacrament of baptism, and I would like them also to receive the sacrament of confirmation since they are adults. I want them to receive it along with everyone else. This second reason leads to the third and most important reason for the delay.
Third, the sacrament of confirmation is only administered once in one’s lifetime. It is something that takes tremendous preparation of the mind and heart. I have decided to delay the confirmations so that I may better prepare you all for its reception by way of instruction and serious prayer.
We have classes at 4:00pm on Monday of every week on the app called "Signal", I would like everyone who is desirous to receive the sacrament to join us in these classes.
If this time does not work, then, I can provide a later time for those who can not make it for 4:00pm. I will provide a class at 6:30pm on every Monday.
It is important that you are all spiritually strengthen by way of proper instruction outside of the Sunday Mass, it is very easy to lose sight of what it is we are all called to do when we are away from the Holy Mass.
Every Wednesday, there will be a rosary held on "Signal" in the Saint Edmund's group. This will take place at 6:00pm for all who are able to join.
After a year of priesthood and having taken the opportunity to reflect and having spoken with Bishop Selway and senior clergy of the IMBC, whilst away in the USA, it has become clearer to me what it is that I ought to be doing. I must take time out monthly to be with my fellow clergy. This is why going forward every fourth Sunday of the month I will return to France. I will return in order to study, recollect, pray and receive guidance from my fellow clergy on how to better aid souls. It is necessary for the life of the mission that the priest take time to be in the company of his fellow clergy to reflect, study and pray. For without this interior life, the priest will lose "the soul" of his priesthood. His work could potentially be reduced to that of a mere social worker and not the work of "another Christ".
All who have frequented the mission, and supported it, I thank you for all your patience with me as a still new and young priest. I thank you for your prayers, financial support and sacrifices. I hope by our efforts in cooperation with God's grace and in subordination to His Holy Will that we may from hour to hour, day to day, by effort, by prayer, by grace and by sacrifice, that is, by the Cross, we may win our country back to God.
Continue to pray for Saint Edmund's Mission as we move into this next stage of develop.
Be assured of prayers for you all and may God bless you in this life but most importantly in the next. Our Lady once said to Saint Bernadette "I do not promise you happiness in this life, but in the next". We must remember that if we suffer, we must suffer for God, He will comfort us in this life on our journey but it is in heaven where we will be in perfect happiness. We must seek God and His kingdom first before all else then all else will come unto us if God so wills. We must be like holy Job and be abandoned to God and God alone. What is there to fear if you are in the hands of God? Stay close always to God in all things.
God bless you, Father Gilchrist.