» Last Thursday Fr Abbot travelled to Shropshire for the funeral of the mother of Fr Peter Philips, a friend and fellow church historian. On the journey he experienced something of England's recent wintry weather.
» Today Fr Alban goes to Worth Abbey to lead a three-day retreat for the brethren there.
» Next Sunday begins, liturgically, as the Fourth Sunday of Advent but ends as Christmas Eve. This means that there is an obligation to go to Mass both for the Sunday and for Christmas, and this sacred duty cannot be met by just one Mass on Sunday. For those who are fully occupied on Christmas Day itself this means going to two Masses next Sunday: a morning Mass for the 4th Sunday of Advent and the Vigil Mass of Christmas of Eve in the evening. In the abbey church at Douai there will be Mass as normal at 1100 for the 4th Sunday of Advent, and at 9pm the Vigil Mass of Christmas.
