SAINT AELRED January 12th. Patronal Feast of Nunraw Abbey - Independent Catholic News

This painting of St. Aelred reminds me of the former late Abbot of Pluscarden, Dom Alfred Spencer OSB(Subiaco)...

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12 January - Saint Ailred of Rievaulx - Independent Catholic News 

12 January - Saint Ailred of Rievaulx

Posted: Sunday, January 11, 2015 12:24 am

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Abbot and writer. St Ailred was the son of a priest, born in Hexham in 1110. After being educated at Durham he joined the household of David I, king of Scotland as a steward. In 1134 he joined the newly-founded abbey at Rievaulx. In spite of delicate health, he followed the austere Cistercian regime and became so respected in the community that he was sent to Rome as an envoy in 1142, over the disputed election of William of York. Later he became master of novices and in 1143 he became abbot of Revesby in Lincolnshire. Four years later he was recalled to be abbot of Rievaulx. He was much loved as an abbot and under his rule the community thrived, with 500 lay brothers and 150 choir monks, making it the largest in England. Ailred was known for his sensitivity and gentle holiness, with a strong emphasis on charity. It was said that he humanised the strict Cistercian monasticism. He had many friends and became a figure of national importance through his writing and preaching. Among his work is a treatise on friendship, lives of the saints of Hexham and sermons on Isaiah. He died at Rievaulx in 1067 and, though never formally canonised, has been revered ever since. The Cistercians approved of his cult in 1476.   ************** Saturday, 12 January 2008 SAINT AELRED Nunraw Patron SAINT AELRED January 12th. Patronal Feast of Nunraw Abbey SAINT AELRED (The more familiar form of the name Aelred is Alfred. We are in changed days from the time St. Aelred had 500 monks at HIS MONASTERY OF Rievaulx - DAYS FOR PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS TO THIS SMALL COMMUNITY OF NUNRAW UNDER AELRED'S PATRONAGE). This painting of St. Aelred reminds me of the former late Abbot of Pluscarden, Dom Alfred Spencer OSB(Subiaco). He had this picture in the windowsill of his room when I was visiting him during his last illness. He recalled that as a Novice in Prinknash Abbey he wished to take the name of Aelred. Another monk already had that name so his Abbot suggested he take the name of Alfred as a substitute. Before parting Dom Alfred kindly gave me this picture which is now with Fr. Aelred at Nunraw. Saint Aelred was born at Hexham in 1110. After studies at Hexham, Durham and perhaps Roxburgh, and further sound education at the Scottish Court where he was the steward and the confidant of King David, he entered the newly founded abbey of Rievaulx in Yorkshire. Aelred became novicemaster and afterwards abbot of Revesby, a daughter house of Rievaulx. He was then thirty-three years old, a normal age at which to become abbot in this fresh and flourishing period of a new order. About 1147 Aelred was chosen abbot of Rievaulx. He died there on the twelfth of January 1167. Walter Daniel, Aelred's enthusiastic biographer, various friends together with Aelred's own writings bear witness that he was a good father, always setting a good example and a source of peace. He could see beneath men's foolish or thoughtless actions, he never seemed to have a grievance against anyone. Aelred used to say: 'It is the singular and supreme glory of the house of Rievaulx that above all else it teaches tolerance of the infirm and compassion with others in their necessities. All whether weak or strong should find in Rievaulx a haunt of peace, and there, like the fish in the broad seas, possess the welcome, happy, spacious peace of charity.' At first sight a strange theory for an abbot who stood at the head of a severe Cistercian House. But it sheds light on Aelred's character and his affection for everyone of the brothers who lived within the cloister. No wonder that Aelred's high estimation of love and affection in an ideal spiritual friendship was not always followed or rightly interpreted; by the older and infirm monks. He himself tells of monks being zealous in their malice, whispering in corners, murmuring against their abbot and spreading false reports about him. But the saintly abbot was indifferent to the opinions of these murmurers and indulgent to the feebleness of everyone. He demanded the same attitude of mind from his monks. 'My sons, say what you will, only let no vile word, no detraction of a brother proceed from your mouth.' Aelred survived in the memory of Rievaulx's monks as the fine and prudent shepherd, as the abbot who loved peace and the salvation of the brethren and inward quiet. The Mirror of Charity The essence of St. Aelred's teaching is contained in his book The Mirror of Charity. This was written at the request or St. Bernard. Aelred was slow to comply saying that "he had not come from the schools but from the kitchens where subsisting peasant-like and, rustic amid cliffs and mountains you sweat with axe and maul for your daily bread..." The following extract from the beginning of the Mirror of Charity illustrates the main theme of the book. "Let your voice sound in my ears, good Jesus, so that my heart may learn how to love you, my mind how to know you the inmost being of my soul how to love you. Let the inmost core of my heart embrace you, my one and only true good, my dear and delightful joy. But, my God, what is love? Unless I am mistaken, love is a wonderful delight of the spirit: all the more attractive because more chaste; all the more gentle, because more guileless; and all the more enjoyable because more ample. It is the heart's palate which tastes that you are sweet, the heart's eye which sees that you are good. And it is the place capable of receiving you, great as you are. Someone who loves you grasps you. The more one loves the more one grasps, because you yourself are love, for you are charity." "Meanwhile I shall seek you, O Lord:, seek you by loving you. Someone who advances on this way of love surely seeks you, and someone who loves you perfectly, O Lord, has already found you. And what is more equitable than that your creature should love you, since it is from you it received the ability to love? Creatures without reason or without sensation cannot love you; that is not their nature. Of course they also have their own nature, their beauty and their order, not that thereby they are or can be happy by loving you, but that thereby, thanks to you, by their own qualities they may help us to love you." In his introduction St. Aelred gives us an interesting tip. He says that if the length of this book puts you off, look through the chapter headings and see which you would like to read, and which leave out. But the main thrust is easy to spot. The art of arts is the art of love. "Those who love you, rest in you. There is true rest, true tranquility , true peace, true Sabbath for the mind." ++++++++++++++++++++++ Aelred of Rievaulx   Loyola Press 1,762    960 views Uploaded on 12 Oct 2009 http://www.loyolapress.com/voices-of-... Bert Ghezzi, author of "Voices of the Saints," shares a reflection about Aelred of Rievaulx.

Baptism of Jesus January 11 Feast

Mass Feast:   
Thanks to iBreviary.
Unusual article from Antonio Borelli.
I would like to learn from the writer from the past.
iBreviary has the gallery of Baptism of Jesus pictures.

Baptism of Jesus January 11 (celebration mobile)

The feast of the Baptism of Jesus, has always been the best opportunity to reflect on the Baptism of Christians; The Fathers of the Church said that Jesus descending into the waters of the Jordan, ideally has sanctified the waters of all Baptisteries; from simple and modern, at the entrance of the churches, those that rise to the eternal glory of Sacramento and art, close to the great cathedrals of the past centuries. Martyrology: Feast of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, in which he admirably declared God's Son, the beloved, the waters are sanctified, man is purified and all creation rejoices.  Listen to RadioRai:

Writing of the Baptism of Jesus, it is the task of theologians and exegetes, because in the act of baptism that Jesus endured, there is all the symbolism of the doctrine of Christianity, that lacing up the Tradition of the Old Testament, paves the way for the new concept of " sons of God "and then shared with Christ the joy of the Father, through the Holy Spirit.  In the year of the reign of Tiberius XV (ie between 28 and 29, or between 27 and 28 AD), John the Baptist, the Precursor , the last of the Prophets of the Old Testament, he arrived in the desert south of Judah, near the Dead Sea, where it joins the River Jordan, preaching the coming of the Kingdom of God, exhorting to conversion and administering a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  This was done by immersion in the river, as Ezekiel prophesied: "The nations will know that I am the Lord, when I shall be sanctified in you before them. I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle water and be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. " The prophet Ezekiel explained to Israel that if after sin to God, for which he received the exile, wants to revive again in connection with his God and receive His Spirit, to be totally redone, purified, saying the symbolism of water, "I will sprinkle with water and be clean." And with this spirit of purification that John baptized, many flocked to him from Jerusalem, from all Judea and from regions around the Jordan. And two thousand years ago on the banks of the river appeared the young Jesus, about 30 years old, a citizen of Galilee which was a province of the vast Roman Empire and watched the crowd of penitents who were heading to the rite of purification and forgiveness; while John was saying at all, because it was rumored that he was the Messiah: "I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I, who am not worthy to untie the thong sandals; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire .... "  Even Jesus, innocent of all guilt, wanted to get closer to receive Baptism, to show solidarity with those penitents in search of salvation and sanctification of the soul with his presence the act, which does not will be more than one purification, but also the coming of the Spirit of God in everyone and be the reconciliation of God with mankind, after original sin.  John recognized him, drew back, saying: "I have need to be baptized by you, and you come from me? "and Jesus said," Allow it now, it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. " Then John baptized him; just out of the water, the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3: 13-17). Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and retreated to the desert for forty days in meditation before beginning his public life in Galilee. We complete this brief note, however, that go in-depth consultation with the reflections of competent scholars, by describing the importance of which in the Sacrament Catholic Church. Founded by Jesus Christ with his direct Baptism The ritual consists of ablution accompanied by the Trinitarian formula: "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit";matter of Baptism is natural water and its use as mentioned above is a symbol of purification of the soul; can be applied in three different ways "immersion" in use in the Eastern Churches and the Ambrosian liturgy; for "infusion" water that is poured on the head of the baptized (generally used by the fifteenth century in the Western Church); "Spray" (water thrown on the person of the baptized, in special cases). The baptism erases original sin and the sins committed up to the day that you receive, puts all the pains, makes the baptized share in the grace of God, capable of faith, a member of the Church;giving it the indelible character of Christian. It is the first of the seven sacraments; is administered to infants up to the age of reason, with only the consent of the parents and the presence of at least a godfather, with which the baptized person contracts a spiritual relationship; Adults will receive at their request, after receiving proper religious instruction. The sacrament is administered routinely by ministers (bishop, priest, deacon), but in case of danger of death, any person including non-Christian can baptize , provided they act according to the intention of the Church. We add that the official theology also recognizes the baptism of desire, namely the baptismal grace obtained by a vote to receive baptism, even if circumstances prevented; then the baptism of blood, that is, the martyrdom took place before you receive. With the ceremony of baptism is necessary in the name baptized, mostly Christian, chosen by the parents if it is minor. The Baptism constituted, as regards the West , the official registration of the birth of a child, in the parish archives; active in the early centuries, this practice was abandoned to be taken from the fifteenth century, becoming law with the Council of Trent. In Italy the recording in the parish offices, worked until it was established the Office of 'marital status' by the Kingdom of Italy. Returning to the Baptism of Jesus, it was a ffavouritesubject of artists of all Christian centuries and the scene wheel normally around the two figures of Jesus and s. John, and takes place in the open air; Jesus was depicted initially immersed in water and then subsequently it is depicted naked, with the Baptist who pours water on his head.  In conclusion, the feast of the Baptism of Jesus, has always been the best opportunity to reflect on Baptism Christians; The Fathers of the Church said that Jesus descending into the waters of the Jordan, ideally has sanctified the waters of all Baptisteries; from simple and modern, at the entrance of the churches, those that rise to the eternal glory of Sacramento and art, close to the great cathedrals of the past centuries. Jesus himself in the Gospel of s. Mark (16:16) says: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Author: Antonio Borrelli

LATER: the picture open the story.

Archbishop Heenan of Liverpool, "I slipped away from the Eternal City
to see for myself what is on on here in Naples". Spring 1961

1st January 1920
"Each act that the soul does in the Divine Will encloses Jesus, Who remains multiplied in it as in the Sacramental Host". Luisa Piccarreta.[Below]

Introduction Divine Will - Luisa Piccarreta by Fr. Robert Young OFM

 

Divine Will

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Published on 7 Jan 2013

Introduction Divine Will - Luisa Piccarreta by Fr. Robert Young OFM

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COMMENT: Mystics. I would like to check with the Italian translation of this extract...

Divine Will Readings from January

http://bookofheaven.org/divine-will-monthly-readings/the-calendar-november/

The Calendar

Each day of the month of JANUARY - Volume 1-36

from the writings of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta

1/1/20 – Vol. 12

Each act that the soul does in the Divine Will encloses Jesus, Who remains multiplied in it as in the Sacramental Host.

Continuing in my usual state, my always lovable Jesus seemed to come out from my interior; and as I looked at Him, I saw Him all wet with tears - even His garments, His Most Holy hands were beaded with tears... What torment! I was shaken, and Jesus told me: "My daughter, how wrecked will the world be! The scourges will flow more painfully than before, to the extent that I do nothing but cry over its sad lot!"

Then He added: "My daughter, my Will is wheel, and whoever enters into It remains entrapped within, to the point of not being able to find a way out; and everything she does remains fixed on the eternal point, and pours into the wheel of Eternity. But do you know what are the garments of the soul who lives in my Will?

They are not of gold, but of most pure Light. This garment of Light will serve as mirror to show all of Heaven how many acts she has done in my Will – because, in each act she has done in my Will, she enclosed Me completely. This garment will be adorned with many mirrors, and in each mirror all of Myself will appear. Therefore, from whatever side they will look at her - from behind, from the front, from the right, from the left - they will see Me, multiplied for as many acts as she did in my Volition. I could not give her a more beautiful garment: it will be the exclusive distinction of the souls who live in my Will."

I remained a little confused in hearing this, and He added: "How is it - do you doubt? Doesn’t the same happen in the Sacramental Hosts? If there are one thousand Hosts, there are one thousand Jesuses, and I communicate my whole self to a thousand; if there are one hundred Hosts, there are one hundred Jesuses, and I can give Myself only to a hundred. In the same way, the soul encloses Me within each act done in my Will, and I remain sealed inside the will of the soul. Therefore, these acts done in my Will are eternal Communions, the species not subject to being consumed as in the Sacramental Hosts. As those species are consumed, my Sacramental Life ends; on the other hand, in the Hosts of my Will there is no flour, or any other matter - the food, the substance of these Hosts of my Will, is my eternal Will Itself, united with the will of the soul, which is eternal with Me; and therefore these two wills are not subject to being consumed. So, what is the wonder, if the whole of my 2 Person will be seen as multiplied for as many acts as she has done in my Will? More so, since I remained sealed in her and she, as many times, in Me. Therefore, the soul too will remain multiplied in Me for as many acts as she has done in my Will. These are the prodigies of my Will - and this is enough to cast any doubt away from you."

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Thursday after Epiphany: Saint Cyril of Alexandria; also prev. MARY, MOTHER OF GOD The most famous Marian homily ...

Breviary

Thursday, 8 January 2015

Thursday after Epiphany

  

       ... recognized Mary's title of Theotokos, Mother of God.     

Dom Donald's Blog: MARY, MOTHER OF GOD The most famous Marian homily ...: Hogmanay New Year CHRISTMASTIDE Octave of Christmas 1 January MARY, MOTHER OF GOD The mos...

Wednesday, 1 January 2014

MARY, MOTHER OF GOD The most famous Marian homily of antiquity

Hogmanay New Year

CHRISTMASTIDE Octave of Christmas 1 January MARY, MOTHER OF GOD The most famous Marian homily of antiquity From a homily by Saint Cyril of Alexandria (Hom. 4: PG 77, 991.995-996) This is the most famous Marian homily of antiquity. It was delivered in the Church of Saint Mary at Ephesus between 23 and 27 June 431, while the third Ecumenical Council was in session there. This Council, at which Cyril presided as papal delegate, condemned Nestorius, and solemnly recognized Mary's title of Theotokos, Mother of God. Mary, Mother of God, we salute you. Precious vessel, worthy of the whole world's reverence, you are an ever-shining light, the crown of virginity, the symbol of orthodoxy, an indestructible temple, the place that held him whom no place can contain, mother and virgin. Because of you the holy gospels could say: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We salute you, for in your holy womb he, who is beyond all limitation, was confined. Because of you the holy Trinity is glorified and adored; the cross is called precious and is venerated throughout the world; the heavens exult; the angels and archangels make merry; demons are put to flight; the devil, that tempter, is thrust down from heaven; the fallen race of man is taken up on high; all creatures possessed by the madness of idolatry have attained knowledge of the truth; believers receive holy baptism; the oil of gladness is poured out; the Church is established throughout the world; pagans are brought to repentance. What more is there to say? Because of you the light of the only-begotten Son of God has shone upon those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death; prophets pronounced the word of God; the apostles preached salvation to the Gentiles; the dead are raised to life, and kings rule by the power of the holy Trinity. Who can put Mary's high honour into words? She is both mother and virgin. I am overwhelmed by the wonder of this miracle. Of course no one could be prevented from living in the house he had built for himself, yet who would invite mockery by asking his own servant to become his mother? Behold then the joy of the whole universe. Let the union of God and man in the Son of the Virgin Mary fill us with awe and adoration. Let us fear and worship the undivided Trinity as we sing the praise of the ever-virgin Mary, the holy temple of God, and of God himself, her Son and spotless Bridegroom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

iBreviary

http://www.ibreviary.com/m/breviario.php?s=ufficio_delle_lettureSECOND READING

From a commentary on the Gospel of John by Saint Cyril of Alexandria, bishop
(Lib. 5, Cap. 2: PG 73, 751-754)

The gift of the Holy Spirit to all mankind

In a plan of surpassing beauty the Creator of the universe decreed the renewal of all things in Christ. In his design for restoring human nature to its original condition, he gave a promise that he would pour out on it the Holy Spirit along with his other gifts, for otherwise our nature could not enter once more into the peaceful and secure possession of those gifts.

He therefore appointed a time for the Holy Spirit to come upon us: this was the time of Christ’s coming. He gave this promise when he said: In those days, that is, the days of the Savior, I will pour out a share of my Spirit on all mankind.

When the time came for this great act of unforced generosity, which revealed in our midst the only-begotten Son, clothed with flesh on this earth, a man born of woman, in accordance with Holy Scripture, God the Father gave the Spirit once again. Christ, as the first fruits of our restored nature, was the first to receive the Spirit. John the Baptist bore witness to this when he said: I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven, and it rested on him.

Christ “received the Spirit” in so far as he was man, and in so far as man could receive the Spirit. He did so in such a way that, though he is the Son of God the Father, begotten of his substance, even before the incarnation, indeed before all ages, yet he was not offended at hearing the Father say to him after he had become man: You are my Son; today I have begotten you.

The Father says of Christ, who was God, begotten of him before the ages, that he has been “begotten today,” for the Father is to accept us in Christ as his adopted children. The whole of our nature is present in Christ, in so far as he is man. So the Father can be said to give the Spirit again to the Son, though the Son possesses the Spirit as his own, in order that we may receive the Spirit in Christ. The Son therefore took to himself the seed of Abraham, as Scripture says, and became like his brothers in all things.

The only-begotten Son received the Spirit, but not for his own advantage, for the Spirit is his, and is given in him and through him, as we have already said. He receives it to renew our nature in its entirety and to make it whole again, for in becoming man he took our entire nature to himself. If we reason correctly, and use also the testimony of Scripture, we can see that Christ did not receive the Spirit for himself, but rather for us in him; for it is also through Christ that all gifts come down to us.

RESPONSORY
Ezekiel 37:27-28; Hebrews 8:8

I will be their God and they shall be my people.
– The nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Sanctifier of Israel,
when my holiness will be established in their midst for all eternity.

I shall bring to fulfillment my new convenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
– The nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Sanctifier of Israel,
when my holiness will be established in their midst for all eternity.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

God our Father,
through Christ your Son
the hope of eternal life dawned on our world.
Give to us the light of faith
that we may always acknowledge him as our Redeemer,
and come to the glory of his kingdom,
where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

Star light on the Epiphany. COMMENT on the Epiphany. Fr. Raymond Homily...

Nativity - Magi, by William Hole

COMMENT of William J. to Fr Raymond’s Homily 

Re: Star light on the Epiphany

On Monday, 5 January 2015, 15:20, William J.  wrote:

Dear Wise Men,

If I may, as a pilgrim at-a-distance on a hilltop near Bethlehem, I should love to comment on Father Raymond's homily, which might bear the title of "The Seekers", whether they be drawn by angels or drawn by the star (by the personal intuition given by the Spirit, or through the pronouncements of the universal Church).

The desire of all of our lives is on display in the Crib scene, and how great the individual urgency of all comers: "In this wonderful event we are invited by the Holy Spirit to realize and to appreciate the searching and seeking that goes on the minds and hearts of all men of good will". Father Raymond will have met thousands of humble 'shepherds', from the poorest tenements of the cities, to hundreds of 'wise men' from amongst devoted Catholics or visiting clerics, arriving at the door of the Guest House, seeking the presence of the Lord in the poor or lonely stables of their own hearts, searching for both the event and the meaning of the Nativity in their own lives.

I have often pondered as to how the shepherds progressed in their belief of the Messiah; they returned to their hillsides, the hermits of the Church; and the wise men, taken on a much more worldly journey, the Pastors of the Church. "The Church IS Epiphany. WE are Epiphany. It is another way of saying that the Church is missionary". If you (and I perhaps) are the 'hermits', then our lives of devotion are the all-seeing-eyes of Faith shared with others in the close encounter of the stable: if they, the wise men on their outward journey, travelling across the world, theirs is the voice of the Church, expressed in public worship and witness - yet relying upon the security of the deposit of faith held in the stable as witnessed by and through the shepherds.

Faith is never 'limited' to the faithful few - for Our Lord is never 'delimited' within any human confines: "God Himself is with these Gentiles of all time; his loving providence guiding them and providing signs and clues to lead them to the truth". It is the part of both shepherds and wise men (angels especially!) to reveal the "signs and clues", none greater than the witness provided by the Crib scene... the desire of all our lives there on display.   

I would expand my 'comment' by telling of how I have been caught-up in a passage describing the "Ethics" of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a martyr in Nazi Germany (my Christmas gift from the Osteopaths where I am training a receptionist to take on their accountancy). In the book an editorial commentary describes his Christology, given that he was striving in a world of inhumanity: Bonhoeffer there reverses an ancient theological dictum (Athanasius and Augustine) that God became human that humans might become divine: rather. he argues, God became human so that human beings could become truly human, recovering their lost humanity through the mediation of Christ - their true dignity to be truly human, as Jesus, who was truly human; for by God's becoming human in Jesus Christ the world and humanity are reconciled to God. That is the Crib scene, pure and simple....

And that is seen in the Nativity scene as the wise men arrive! "The searching and seeking that goes on the minds and hearts of all men of good will" is indeed for the Presence of God in our lives, but it expands to the fulfilment of our desire in the lives of others. Whether 'hermits' (shepherds) or 'wise men' (pastors) or indeed 'angels' (!), we are indeed drawn into the universality of the message of the Nativity of Our Lord and God. 

Thank you - what a wonderful meditation you have granted me, Father Raymond, and by Bother Seamus' encouragement, and through Father Donald's Blog!

I think I am content to remain but a shepherd, lingering by the door of the stable: the star has faded, the wise men have departed, and I am left in wonderment for the world...

 With my love in Christ Our Lord.

William

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Dom Donald's Blog: 2/4 January 2015, the Epiphany. Fr. Raymond Homily...: Mass Homily, by Fr. Raymond   Our Crib: Nativity figures play their parts. The Epiphany Star features Scripture and Liturgy Subject: ...

Jesuits help Father Brown get it right - Independent Catholic News

 Christmas Reviewed: Looking behind and ahead

Dear Catholic Culture . .,

In this first Insights message of 2015, the most important thing to note is that we Catholics should be still celebrating Christmas. How quickly we forget!

So let's remember:

Christmas does not end until The Baptism of the Lord on January 11th. Why not do at least three things to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in your family between now and then?

Contemplate the Christmas mysteries. Jennifer Gregory Miller recommends this focus: He Is Light and Peace. Also consider:

Pope Francis to the City and the World (Urbi et Orbi): Jesus Is the Salvation for Every Person and for Every People

Francis to Christians in the Middle East: The Birth of the Son of God Is an Indescribable Mystery of Consolation

Francis on the Feast of the Holy Family: Large Families Are the Hope of Society

Francis on the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God: Jesus Cannot Be Understood Without His Mother.

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Jesuits help Father Brown get it right - Independent Catholic News 

Jesuits help Father Brown get it right

Posted: Tuesday, January 6, 2015 8:02 pm

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A London-based Jesuit has acted as religious adviser in the third series of BBC Drama, Father Brown, which began airing on BBC1 this week. Father Tony Nye SJ of Farm Street Jesuit Church was invited to vet the scripts and attend recordings of the TV series based on the character created by GK Chesterton, to ensure authenticity and accuracy in the portrayal of a Catholic priest in the days before the Second Vatican Council. Father Brown is a fictional character created based on Fr John O’Connor who was born in 1870 and died in 1952. He was a parish priest in Bradford who was involved in the conversion of novelist Chesterton to Catholicism in 1922. Fr Brown went on to feature in 51 detective short stories by GK Chesterton, which have been adapted into productions for television, film and radio. Actors who have played the “short, stumpy Roman Catholic Church priest, with shapeless clothes and a large umbrella”, have included Sir Alec Guinness, Kenneth More and Andrew Sachs. In the current BBC adaptation, the role is taken by Mark Williams. In the second series of Father Brown broadcast in 2014, its audience reach was almost 25% of the afternoon TV viewing audience (1.9m). The show is a co-production between BBC Worldwide and BBC Drama Production and is made by BBC Birmingham Drama Village. Executive producer Will Trotter describes it as “compulsive viewing” for BBC One Daytime. “The success of this second series has proved that viewers have really taken Mark Williams as Father Brown to their hearts,” he says. “We are delighted that we can continue to bring such a well-loved character to life.” Father Nye entered the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in 1955 and was ordained as a priest in 1966. "The scripts were set in the 1950s," he says, "and I tried to make sure they were as faithful to pre-Vatican II as I remembered those times, through my comments and requests for changes. Especially important was to make the drama authentically Catholic on theological points, such as use of the confessional, prayers for the dead (there would be a number of corpses lying about!), the use of Latin and of the Douai Bible when Scripture was quoted." Certain Anglican terms such as 'vestry' had to be changed to 'sacristy', Fr Nye noted; and the old village church, which was used as a location, had to have old monuments covered up to make it more authentically a Catholic church. "Having watched the episode on TV, I found Father Brown real and acted by Mark Williams in an engaging and understated way, by no means a caricature," he says. "His cassock and soup plate hat wouldn't be the regular gear of many priests of the time, but I let that pass for its dramatic value of character recognition. And the atmosphere was suitably 1950s, something the BBC does very well. The plots may not have been Chesterton, but they made pleasant afternoon viewing." The Father Brown of GK Chesterton’s short stories not only carries out his normal duties as a Catholic priest: he also gets involved with solving crimes. In ‘The Man in the Shadows’, the first episode of series three (broadcast on 5 January 2015), Father Brown gets involved with MI5, which places fellow villager, Lady Felicia, in a compromising situation. Source: Jesuits in Britain

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