Touchdown

So we made it. After a long wait, and some heart-searching, the Bournemouth Ordinariat Mission have landed up at the Church of St Thomas More, Iford. What's more, this very day another family has asked to join us - so whereas we feared we would be fewer, in fact there are now more of us than before the move. Today's Mass was very special. Friends from Our Lady Queen of Peace and other local parishes joined us. Starting at 11.15 means we are a bit late for coffee, but as you'll see from the pictures there was a good handful of us who stayed on.

On the last Sunday of the month most of us will be in Walsingham for the Ordinariate Pilgrimage, so that

Sunday (29th - SS Peter & Paul) those not coming on Pilgrimage are invited to join the parish at 9.30. Then next month, again on the last Sunday, we are to have a bring-and-share lunch at Mary and Martin Taylors' house. Now we are beginning to plan what we do for the Ordinairate's Open Day in September. Since Fr Darryl who is the parish priest of St Thomas More is also a member of the Ordinariate, we hope we can make this a joint venture, with the idea of inviting people from the neighbourhood to come into the church  to meet us - and discover that Catholics do not (contrary to received opinion) have two heads.

Start as you mean to carry on...

A good beginning to the New Year, despite floods which have made us send for blueprints for an ark. Jane decided it was time we threw a party for our Ordinariate Group, and today around twenty of them made the trek to Lymington.

It was a little snug in our retired Council House, but by spilling across the two ground floor rooms and out into the conservatory everyone found a seat (even if it was on the floor) - and a drink - and some food.

The rain rattled down on the Conservatory, but we managed to get the whole house pretty warm. Next weekend will be a different occasion because our Ordinary is visiting to talk about future options for our Bournemouth Mission.

Jane enjoys people-watching on these occasions, seeing who is talking to whom, and where people perch to eat. It is a huge amount of work for her, preparing so much food, but she seems to enjoy it, and every one appears glad of an opportunity for a non-church setting for a social event.

The pictures are un-photoshopped, unedited and pretty amateur but they give some idea of today's get-together. Now I must gather my wits for my fist visit to St Thomas More, Iford, tomorrow where our Fr Darryl in now in charge.

Christmas in Southbourne

Not a post to say what we have been doing, rather what we are not going to do this year. Last Christmas it proved very difficult to arrange a Mass at a time when people could attend. We tried for 11.30 am, but the Parish's 10 o'clock was so popular and well attended that it was almost noon before we could begin. Fr Gerry has been very accommodating, but it would make life difficult for him and his people to abbreviate their Christmas morning mass. SO:-

We shall not be celebrating a separate Ordinariate Mass in Southbourne this year.
Fr Darryl, our most recent Ordinariate priest, will celebrate in his church of St Thomas More, Iford - the next door parish to Our Lady Queen of Peace, Southbourne - at 9.30am. Members of the Ordinariate will be very welcome at that Parish Mass; or, of course, in any other local churches.

There will be an Ordinariate Mass as usual at 9.30am in Our Lady Queen of Peace on both Sunday next, December 22nd, and on December 29th. On Wednesday January 1st we hope to celebrate the Mass of Mary, Mother of God, at 10.30am - our customary Wednesday time. If this has to be changed I shall use this blog to announce it.

A very Happy Christmas to all who read this blog regularly, or have just stumbled across it.

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STOP PRESS! Good news, Mgr Keith comes to visit us on Sunday January 12th at our 9.30 Mass, and afterwards will talk with us about future plans for the Ordinariate, and for our Bournemouth Mission. Please put the date in your new diary and join us that day if you're able.