Into a New Year with the Papa Stronsay Calendar

Next year, the Year of Our Lord 2010, is set to be a memorable one.
All kinds of interesting anniversaries occur during its 365 days — we commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the martyrdom of the great St Catherine of Alexandria, 500 years since the death of the friend of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, St Catherine of Genoa, 350 years since the deaths of St Vincent de Paul and St Louise de Marillac, and 500 years since the birth of the great Jesuit St Francis Borgia. Furthermore we continue to join the Church in deepening our understanding and appreciation of the Sacred Priesthood through the Year for Priests.

1950 years ago, next year, the Holy Apostle St Paul was shipwrecked on the Island of Malta and to demonstrate how the Popes hold these anniversaries in veneration, and have done so through the ages, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, will visit that island for the occasion.

For many 2010 will be their first year, for others it will be their last. In it some will give themselves to another in marriage, others will give themselves to God. Some, like Venerable Cardinal Newman will be raised to the Altars as a Blessed. For some the memories of 2010 will never be erased, for others the year will not be able to be forgotten quickly enough.

Time, the messenger of fate!

Cunning master of debate,

Cunning soother of all sorrow,

Ruthless robber of tomorrow,

Tyrant to our dallying feet,

Though patron of a life complete.

Here in the monastery we are busy preparing something new for 2010 — the Papa Stronsay Calendar.

It is the first time we have printed a wall calendar and we hope that it will be for all of our friends and readers an uplifting companion during the forthcoming year. Our calendar shows you the feastdays and holy seasons at a glance with beautiful images from the monastery island of Papa Stronsay in 2009.

What we now need to know is what the response will be to the publication. Each Catholic subscriber is going to receive a copy free with their paper but what we must find out is how many extras we must print. Hence this post.

Extra calendars, in full colour and printed on glossy paper, cost £5 each. If you would like to purchase extra copies you can do so right now by either:

- clicking on the calendar purchase button on the left of this blog page to make the order via paypal.

- or by emailing us your address and the number of copies you would like via the contact button on the left hand side of this blog. In this case we will invoice you with your calendars.

Thus you will receive two, three, ten or however many calendars you would like.

A calendar is an ideal Christmas gift and it is one that lasts the whole year round. Please support this project generously by ordering a good quantity of them. If you would like to let us know as soon as possible, this will help us to let our friends at the printery know in good time.

Likewise, you could also simply subscribe to Catholic or you can also take out gift subscriptions online by using the "Subscribe to Catholic" button located likewise on the left hand side of this blog.

What makes our paper different from the others in the paper rack, or our calendar different from the plethora of other Scottish calendars?

We hope you will find it is because they are prepared to the high standard of St Francis de Sales who wrote:

"In order that you may always give good news,

entertain others as if you came from the other world,

for if you talk to them in the language of the parts where they live, it will be no great news to them..."