Lancashire Ordinariate

History has been made when an Ordinariate Mass was celebrated for the first time in Lancashire Ordinariate Group today. Since the exploratory group became a full-fledged group on June 10th when I was ordained priest, it has taken a while with the summer holiday intervening, but we are glad that we have been able to hold out first celebration. There was only a small congregation but it’s a start, and we hope it will continue to gather momentum and become our spiritual focus as well as a beacon to draw others into closer unity with the Catholic Church. Many thanks to Tony who has stepped in to play the organ, and to my family for their support and prayers. All our hymns were taken from New English Hymnal, and we sang our hearts out.

Our next Ordinariate Mass will be again on the second Sunday, 14th October 12.30 pm at St Bernadette’s. Hope to see you!

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We have now chosen the date for our own very first Ordinariate Mass! It will take place on Sunday 9th September 12.30 pm at St Bernadette’s. All are welcome. We hope it will become a regular celebration for the Lancashire Ordinariate Group.

I am celebrating Ordinariate Mass on Sunday 1st July at 12 noon at St Peter’s Catholic Church in Middleton, Manchester, by kind permission of Fr Andrew Starkie. Details of venue at http://www.ordinariate.org.uk/page.aspx?pid=499. St Peter’s is the home of Manchester Ordinariate Group, our nearest neighbour, and if anyone reading this is able to join us, you will be made very welcome.

I am pleased to say that I have now been ordained to the Catholic priesthood for the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Chief celebrant, Bishop Michael Campbell of Lancaster, assisted by Mgr Keith Newton, the Ordinary, with a dozen priests and a large congregation gathered at St Bernadette’s in Bispham Blackpool for a 90-min service. I was particularly pleased to see Fr Christopher Wren, Vicar of St Paul’s Marton where I assisted for 8 years and some members of his congregation present, and my wife Alicia read a lesson and my daughter Yvonne presented me with a chasuble for the vesting of the newly ordained. It was truly a grace- and Spirit-filled occasion and I am immensely grateful to God for allowing me to serve as priest in the Catholic Church, and I hope and pray that I may be worthy of my call and tirelessly work for the salvation of souls and the extension of his Kingdom.

I thank you all for your prayers, Masses and good wishes. I shall be offering the Holy Sacrifice for your intentions next Sunday at 11 am.

I will be offering my First Mass as chief celebrant on Friday 15th June, the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, at 7 pm at St Bernadette’s.

You are all very warmly invited to my ordination to the priesthood on Sunday 10th June 3 pm at St Bernadette’s Catholic Church in Bispham, Blackpool. For location of the church, see ‘Further update’ on http://lancashire-ordinariate.org.uk/?p=118

For Catholic priests who wish to concelebrate, please bring a white chasuble. For deacons, a white dalmatic or stole. For Anglican and other clergy, there will be reserved seats for you but a reply here,  email at masaki.narusawa@lineone.net, phone call on 01253 593336 or phone/text on 07875 547314 will be appreciated. All laypeople, whether Catholic or not, are very welcome too. I will be ordained by Bishop Michael Campbell OSA, Bishop of Lancaster, and I’m very pleased that the Ordinary of the Ordinariate, Mgr Keith Newton, all the way from London, will be in attendance too.

Following ordination, I’m giving individual blessing at the altar, and there will be a reception in the parish hall, with buffet and cakes. Hope you can all stay and celebrate with me, my family, the ordinariate group and kind people at St Bernadette’s.

If you can’t be with us in person, I very much appreciate your prayers, that I may be ready to receive the gifts of presbyteral order and become a faithful priest in the service of the Church.

The things I pray for, dear Lord, give me the grace to work for. (St Thomas More)

Tomorrow, Saturday 2nd June, I am travelling up to Ulverston in Cumbria to deacon at another Ordinariate ordination, that of Osmond Aisbitt who was ordained deacon with me last week. As the Ordinariate is rather thinly spread up North, the need to support one another is even greater. He will be ordained by the Catholic Bishop of Lancaster, Bishop Michael Campbell, an Augustinian, the same Bishop who will ordain me a week later. So I hope to pick up a hint or two as well!

Do please remember Osmond and his family in your prayers, and the priest and people at St Mary of Furness where he has been worshipping and will now be based as priest.

I will again deacon at 11 am Mass at St Bernadette’s on Sunday, the Most Holy Trinity. The following week, I hope to deacon at 9.30 am Mass to be ready for my ordination in the afternoon. More about it later.

I’m very pleased to say the ordination of 17 deacons went smoothly and we have just joined as workers for the Lord’s vineyard in the Catholic Church!

I shall be acting as deacon at 11 am Mass at St Bernadette’s on Pentecost Sunday. There will be no catechism afterwards, as I need to draw breath after a hectic weekend!

Following my ordination to the priesthood on 10th June, I will celebrate my First Mass as Catholic priest on Friday 15th June at 7 pm at St Bernadette’s for the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Everyone welcome.

Announcement will be made in due course for a schedule of Ordinariate Mass for Lancashire Ordinariate Group.