Guild Announcement: Day out in Blackfen, including High Mass and the first ever official meeting of the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma

It is with great pleasure that I can now announce the first official meeting of the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma, which is an association of Catholics who use the new media. The Guild is very grateful to Fr Tim Finigan of The Hermenuetic of Continuity for agreeing to host the meeting and arranging it so that members will be able to join his parish on Saturday, 1 October, for the celebration of High Mass as well as Solemn Vespers and Benediction.

The meeting of the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma will be held on Saturday 1 October 2011 at Our Lady of the Rosary (Blackfen), 330a Burnt Oak Lane, Sidcup, Kent DA15 8LW. The day will begin with High Mass (EF) at 10:30am, which will be followed by a talk by Fr Tim Finigan. Lunch will be kindly provided by the parish (donations may be offered). The Guild then will meet (relatively informally) at 1:40pm to discuss its aims and mission, as well as any other matters arising from its preliminary meeting, which was held last May. At 2:30pm, Guild members will be able to join the parish in celebrating Solemn First Vespers of the Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church, which will be followed by Benediction. Of course, Mass, Vespers and Fr Finigan's Talk are parish events, open to all.

Any Catholic who uses social media - blogging, Facebook, YouTube and the like - is more than welcome to join the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma. It is a group specifically for those who engage online with the world, other faiths, philosophies or Christians. One of its principal aims is to support members in their desire to promote the Gospel and to deepen their spirituality, especially as they face the many trials and temptations that arise as a result of being present on the Web. In that sense, the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma is a response to Pope Benedict XVI's call for a truly Christian witness on the internet, as voiced recently in his Message for the 45th World Communication Day ("Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age").

Membership of the Guild is free and details on how to join may be found above (How to Join). Those members wishing to write posts for the Guild blog are required to abide by two rules only - the first being that posts remain faithful to the Church's magisterium and the second being that personal insults or overly controversial or uncharitable remarks should be avoided.

Blessed Titus Brandsma was chosen as our patron, thanks to an inspirational suggestion made by Fr Tim Finigan. It is really wonderful to have such a courageous and loving witness to the Gospel as our heavenly mentor. Those wanting to know more about Bl Titus might like to read this short blog post on his life (here).

Please do not hesitate to contact me at areluctantsinner@gmail.com if you require more information about the Guild or the planned day in Blackfen. Directions to Our Lady of the Rosary can be found on the parish website.

"They who want to win the world for Christ must have the courage to come into conflict with it."

Blessed Titus Brandsma

Bl Titus Brandsma, pray for us

Posted by Dylan Parry A Reluctant Sinner blog