Events

 Gallery of recent events:

First Cohort of students, staff and friends of the Diploma in the New Evangelisation:





The Guild of Our Lady and St Joseph Living and Sharing the Gospel   5th July 2014

Nearly 40 people from across the UK gathered at Ealing Abbey, West London on Saturday, 5 July to attend the inaugural event of the Guild of Our Lady and St. Joseph. Calling attention to the need for the New Evangelisation, talks were given by Dom Dominic Taylor, OSB, Ealing Abbey; Dr. Caroline Farey, of the School of the Annunication and Father Bernard Barrett, a priest of Northampton Diocese. 

Father Barratt noted how “symbolic actions unite us” and reminded us of Pope Francis’ recent call to discipleship and the importance of intentionality.  Dr. Farey explained how decoding the symbols in sacred art can be a powerful tool for evangelisation. 

“Our three speakers were dynamic and this, combined with warm Benedictine hospitality, resulted in a brilliant day which enthused everyone present to ‘go announce the Good News’.” Said Guild President, Margaret Wickware.

“I found out about the day from facebook’ said a young adult ‘and I just had to turn up.’  ‘It’s been a fantastic day, full of ideas and encouragement. I am excited to hear there is to be a distance learning course on the New Evangelisation and especially that there is a bursary to help people like me embark upon such a study! God is good indeed!’ said another young adult.

Formed just four months ago, The Guild aims to support the mission of the Church in the work of The New Evangelisation mostly through prayer; and specifically in its support of the work of the School of the Annunciation, the recently established centre for the new evangelisation based at Buckfast Abbey.  

Photographs of the Inaugural Mass   Visit the photo gallery on the Buckfast Abbey website for photos of the Inaugural Mass of the School of the Annunciation in the Abbey Church on the 25th March 2014.

School of the Annunciation celebrates Inaugural Mass

During the inaugural Mass for the School of the Annunciation on the great Feast of Our Lady on the 25^th March 2014, the Staff made a public Profession of Faith before the Abbot of Buckfast Abbey and the assembled faithful. The Profession will be made annually on the Feast of the Annunciation by the Staff.

This Profession of Faith is longer than the one we make at Mass on Sundays and at other important occasions. It is a Profession of Faith that the Church asks those involved in higher education, teaching Catholic Theology and other related subjects, to make. We have placed it below for you to read. In order to understand a little better what the final three paragraphs mean, you could look at the official commentary given by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith explaining what the Church understands by these passages: https://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDFADTU.HTM

At the School of the Annunciation we want to help people come to a deeper appreciation of the nature of the magisterium of the Church and how Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit, the Soul of the Church, guides our lives through the gift of God’s life-transforming truth, expressed through Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium. One of the messages commentators have noted that Pope Francis emphasises is how we cannot have Christ without at once embracing His Mystical Body, the Church.

Profession of Faith

I, N., with firm faith believe and profess each and everything that is contained in the Symbol of faith, namely:

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

With firm faith, I also believe everything contained in the word of God, whether written or handed down in Tradition, which the Church, either by a solemn judgment or by the ordinary and universal Magisterium, sets forth to be believed as divinely revealed.

I also firmly accept and hold each and everything definitively proposed by the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals.

Moreover, I adhere with religious submission of will and intellect to the teachings which either the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops enunciate when they exercise their authentic Magisterium, even if they do not intend to proclaim these teachings by a definitive act.

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St. Gregory Thaumaturgus on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Today the grace of God and the hope of the unseen shine through all wonders transcending imagination, and make the mystery that was kept hidden from eternity plainly discernible to us.

Today are woven the chaplets of never-fading virtue. Today, God, willing to crown the sacred heads of those whose pleasure is to hearken to Him, and who delight in His festivals, invites the lovers of unswerving faith as His called and His heirs; and the heavenly kingdom is urgent to summon those who mind celestial things to join the divine service of the incorporeal choirs.

Today is fulfilled the word of David, Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad. The fields shall be joyful, and all the trees of the wood before the Lord, because He comes. David thus made mention of the trees; and the Lord's forerunner also spoke of them as trees that should bring forth fruits meet for repentance, or rather for the coming of the Lord. But our Lord Jesus Christ promises perpetual gladness to all those who believe in Him. For He says, I will see you, and you shall rejoice; and your joy no man takes from you.

Today is the illustrious and ineffable mystery of Christians, who have willingly set their hope like a seal upon Christ, plainly declared to us. Today did Gabriel, who stands by God, come to the pure virgin, bearing to her the glad annunciation, Hail, thou that art highly favoured! And she cast in her mind what manner of salutation this might be. And the angel immediately proceeded to say, The Lord is with you: fear not, Mary; for you have found favour with God. Behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever: and of His kingdom there shall be no end.

(The First Homily, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/06091.htm)