Wednesday, 25 October 2017

Martyrs of Wales - and England - convert us again!


Today in the Ordinary Form calander is the feast of the Martyrs of Wales (you can read a brief biography of the six of them here). Until the recent republication of the Missal, there were two feast of the English and Welsh Maryts commomorated - one in May and one in October for the forty cannonised in 1970. but these have now been conflated with all the others who were the beatified martyrs whose feast was kept in May. 

It seems a pity that we have only one feast to celebrate so many heroic stories but I see no reason why I can't celebrate a Votive Mass of the Wlesh Martyrs today (as it is a Feria).

A great opportunity to pray for the conversion of both England and Wales back to the Faith of our Fathers and Mothers - something ever more needful in the world in which we live. In an era of closing churches and shrinking congregations, it would be good to hear more about converting our fellow citizens and even some strategies for calling back the lapsed.  These are in an even more perilous position as far as salvation is concerned, as they have heard the call, received the invitation and the grace of baptism and yet rejected or abandoned it. A very inconvenient truth to mention to them, I know.

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