Ushaw College may close...

The BBC write:

Historic Catholic college in County Durham to close
Ushaw College Ushaw College is close to the city of Durham

A Roman Catholic college that can trace its roots back to the 16th Century is to close, its trustees have announced.

Ushaw College in County Durham is home to St Cuthbert's Seminary, which trains young men to become priests.

Run as a charity, it also provides conference and event facilities and accommodation, but maintenance and running costs have increased.

The college is due to shut in June 2011, and its 26 students will transfer to another seminary.

Ushaw College can trace its roots back to Douai College, which was founded in 1568 in the Spanish Netherlands, now northern France, to provide priests when traditional Catholicism suffered persecution under Queen Elizabeth I.
Drastic step

Students and staff later relocated to County Durham and eventually settled at Ushaw in 1808.

Kay Wightman, director of finance and commercial development at Ushaw College, said the business had been facing tough times for many years.

She said: "We are a charitable organisation and as such unfortunately we've had to bear increasing costs of maintaining and running the facilities we provide, and this has led to the sad proposal that Ushaw is to close."

Monsignor John Marsland, president of the college, added: "Words cannot express how sad we are that we are considering such a drastic step.

"We have long tried to find a development partner and it would be nice to believe that a partner will still come forward with a viable business plan, but unfortunately time is running out and we have to face the reality of the situation we are in."

H/T to Forest Murmers for the story.

When we were in Valladolid the shock of the closure of the Scots college in Salamanca was quite devastating for all those concerned and tonight we think and pray for those who will be effected by the closure of the northern seminary, if it becomes necessary. Can't help but feeling, however, that the northern bishops are taking a strong and courageous lead on the issue...

Sad, really sad!

Friends and life

Continuing on the theme of reflecting on friends; let me direct you to a good mate, Dom Andrew Berry, who has written a short piece for the Year of the Priest blog. The blog is organised, administered and written by the students of Oscott College, the diocesan seminary in Birmingham. It's a good read (though guys you should write more often) and very encouraging not only of vocations but faith also. I'm not sure that seminarians appreciate just how much they can influence the lives of the people around them. Well, let us be honest, I didn't realise.

Andrew has written a heartening piece reflective of his time in seminary. You can read it here but I wanted to draw out a few words which I found helpful. Andrew says:

To speak of life in community is to speak of a journey through a wild and windy landscape, a place of hills and valleys, of great beauty and heart wrenching loneliness. However, like Elijah sheltering in a cave, God comes when He is least expected and whispers words that touch the very depths of the heart and the one we long for becomes a reality beyond anything hoped for. A more down to earth description of community life would be to compare it to using a computer, it can be frustrating, annoying and at times you want to give up on it but at the end of the day you know you’d be lost without it.

Only a monk could write so eloquently about life in community. It makes me smile when I think back. Thanks, Andrew, for that.

Please pray for our holy monk, too. His ordination to the Sacred Priesthood is fast approaching and I'm sure he could use all the help we can muster. God be with you in these final weeks, brother.

Benedict hits the nail on the head

Speaking to the members of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Pope Benedict said, of his time in seminary, "there, in profound dialogue with Christ, our desire to be deeply rooted in him was strengthened. In those years, we learned to see the Church as our own home".

Here am I, almost at the end of my time in seminary, and when I hear these words, they make such sense. It is true, over the year, I have very much come to see the Church as my home. In fact, I was just talking to the Rector about this very issue, recently.

I encourage you to read the Pope's word, which you will find here, reported by zenit.org.

He also said, "On the other hand, the need for priests to address the challenges of today's world must not lead to the abandonment of a painstaking discernment of the candidates, or the neglect of necessary -- even rigorous -- demands, so that their formative process helps to make them exemplary priests." It is true we need to be tested, but always in a spirit of love, that we might grow and flourish. Demands which leave people dejected and feeling ill-equipped are, probably, not that helpful. It's good to be put through our paces from time to time.

Boy, we can do some moaning, though!

100, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93.....

Today, I reach another milestone. It is one hundred seminary days left before I leave Oscott. So, happy 100th day to me!

Please don't think me unkind, but I will be very happy to leave seminary. In a good way, you understand. I think it natural that you ought to reach a point in your formation when you know it is right to leave and get on with formation in ministry. This is crucial; that formation continue once a man is ordained a priest. Obviously you don't have the luxury of 'practicing' any longer and there is no more 'chewing the cud' over theology (except with mates, hopefully) once you are out there in the real world.

The cosseted-ness of seminary will be gone and you stand or fall by your own action or inaction. More than ever you come to realise your total dependence upon God. To quote one of my favourites: "Work as if everything depends on you. Pray as if everything depends on God."

Am I scared? You bet your life I am. It's a whole new chapter about to open up. I do tend to look forward, rather than back, but these have been happy times, sad times, heart-wrenching in part, exhilarating, formative and, above all, fast. Six and half years. It's hard to take it all in and boy what a journey.

Are you thinking about priesthood? Stop thinking, and get on with it. There really is no time to lose, at all. If God wants you, and you want God, then what have you got to lose? Already ordained? Well, enjoy it.

The Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulchre

Oscott welcomed the Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulchre for a celebration of mass, today. This annual event gives the seminary both the opportunity to welcome the equestrian order and a chance to get to know the people and work behind this impressive 11th century order.

More details of their work can be found on their website, which includes the aims of the order.

Recently, I was privileged to go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. No doubt I will write more of this over the coming weeks, but, for me, the suffering of the Palestinians, and in particular the Christian Arabs, was shocking. Whilst I had watched the news and seen the wall being built, the television did nothing to bring over the horror of the experience for those effectively held in prison by it.

Around the Holy Land, the work and generosity of the Knights was evident, none more so than in the seminary at Beit Jala near Bethlehem. The rector, Mgr. William Shomali, gave a moving account of the struggles the seminarians go through, together with details of the hardships that they will endure once ordained to the priesthood. I am in admiration for the 40 or so students they have.

Whilst in 'the land' I was asked to pray every week for the Holy Land, which I have subsequently managed. Usually I add a regular prayer into the intercessions at Mass. Please join me, and countless others, who pray for peace in the land where heaven and earth meet.

Vocations Retreat: Holy Week 2009

Time for some shameless advertising, I think.

Oscott Seminary in Birmingham is offering a retreat to men over 18 who are interested in becoming priests. The Retreat runs from Midday on Maundy Thursday until after Lunch on Easter Sunday.

There are many, many good things about this opportunity, but not least is the chance to live the dream as it were. Guys will be living with us in seminary and thus have a chance to experience the reality of seminary life in all its manifestations. Much of the liturgy is, of course, at St. Chad's Cathedral and so those joining us on the retreat will be warmly welcomed along with us.

Perhaps you know someone to whom this would be a welcome chance to spend time with the Lord. If so, they should get in touch with the Rector:

Mgr Mark Crisp,

Oscott College,

Chester Road,

Sutton Coldfield

B73 5AA

0121 321 5000