All is well in Papa Stronsay.

Update

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The Papa Stronsay Minor Lighthouse

Far in the bosom of the deep,

O'er these wild shelves my watch I keep;

A ruddy gem of changeful light,

Bound on the dusky brow of Night,

The Seaman bids my lustre hail,

And scorns to strike his tim'rous sail.

(Sir Walter Scott)

 At the end of June we welcomed the Commissioners of the 

Northern Lighthouse Board of Scotland.

 The sea launch taking the Commissioners back to their ship

which was anchored off the coast of Papa Stronsay.

The Northern Lighthouse Board is the General Lighthouse Authority

for Scotland and the Isle of Man.

The Board currently operates:

208 Lighthouses

160 Buoys

31 Beacons

27 Racons (radar beacons)

4 Differential Global Positioning System Stations

29  AIS Stations (Automatic Identification Systems)

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The Great Wall of Papa Stronsay

Work continued this year on the Great Wall

which provides significant shelter from all winds

coming in a southerly direction. 

 The stone wall is nearly three feet thick and ten feet high.

On a wall this size, it takes a lot of work to make a little difference.

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General  Round-up of Summer Work
in Papa Stronsay.

  

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The Summer Weather.

The Summer has not accentuated itself this year.

We have had a few good days of sunshine

and some beautiful evenings.

We are looking for a time of suitable weather for an evening bonfire ...

... perhaps on August 15th
the feast of Our Lady's Assumption 

or on the 22nd
that of Her Immaculate Heart...
we wait in the hope of a reliable break of calm and sunshime. 

The Little Christmas

It is a Redemptorist tradition to commemorate the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the 25th of every month. This tradition is known as the Little Christmas.

The image of our infant Saviour is venerated at the foot of the altar on which He is daily sacrificed for our sins.

Feast of the Diocese

Not every diocese can claim its own Marian feast, but we are lucky enough to live in one that can.  Today, 9th July, we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Aberdeen. The statue, which is now in Belgium, is known in that country as Our Lady of Good Succour.

The miraculous statue of Our Lady of Aberdeen.

The Holy Mass of Our Lady of Good Succour, celebrated before the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.

Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. - John 6:54

For if the blood of goats and of oxen, and the ashes of an heifer being sprinkled, sanctify such as are defiled, to the cleansing of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who by the Holy Ghost offered himself unspotted unto God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God? - Hebrews 9:13-14

Record Breaking Cherries?

This year our greenhouse has been a huge success, especially in the fruit department.  Our cherries have grown fantastically; so big that we thought we should see what the record for cherry size is.

One of three cherry trees in our greenhouse.

Picked from the tree in the morning, and on the table at lunch...could they come much fresher? 

These cherries have very small stones.  Almost the whole thing is flesh. 

Guinness World Records give the heaviest cherry in the world as 21.69 g (0.76 oz).  The record was set in 2003 in Italy.  Br. Jean Marie, F.SS.R. places the contender on the scale.  He has done much of the work in the greenhouse.

Look at that!  Without even trying we have a cherry weighing in at 19 g (0.67 oz), just 2.69 g off the world record!  Could these be the heaviest cherries in Scotland?

The average weight for this years cherries has been 16g (0.56 oz).

Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much more value than they? - Matthew 6:26

Thanks be to God for the wonderful gifts he has provided us with!

A Very Foreign Feast

Today, 4th July, our American confreres celebrate their independence from the United Kingdom.  Although we would not naturally be inclined to mark the day, they made sure it was well remembered!

Br. Seelos baked a cake.

On this foggy day, our three Americans try to find the closest place to home...

 ...under the flag!

God bless America.

Fr Hunwicke's First Mass in the Old Rite

Fr Hunwicke celebrated his First Mass in the Old Rite at Brompton Oratory.  Br. Martin was highly honoured to be able to serve Father at the altar.

 Fr. Ray Blake greets Father before the First Mass.

Dealba me, Domine, et munda cor meum; ut, in sanguine Agni dealbatus, gaudiis perfruar sempiternis.

Make me white, O Lord, and cleanse my heart; that being made white in the Blood of the Lamb I may deserve an eternal reward

Hanc igitur oblationem servitutis nostrae...

 Behold the Precious Blood of Jesus, shed for the forgiveness of our sins!

 Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam. Amen.

 May the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ keep your soul unto life everlasting. Amen.

Priesting of Rev. Fr John Hunwicke

It was our great privilege to be able to attend the priesting of Fr. John Hunwicke on Wednesday 27th June, Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour at the Oxford Oratory.  Father has waited long for this great day!

The ordinand lies prostrate whilst the Litany of the Saints is sung.

The laying-on of hands. After the ordaining bishop, all the priests present lay their hands upon the head of the ordinand.  Above, the Rt Revd Monsignor Keith Newton, Fr. Hunwicke's superior in the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham lays hands; and below, Fr. Michael Mary, F.SS.R.

Anointing the hands of the priest. 

First Blessings.

Speaking with Msgr Kieth Newton.

Three generations.  Father and Mrs Hunwicke with the eldest of their five daughters and the eldest of their five grandchildren.

CONGRATULATIONS FATHER!

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Last night saw the summer solstice - the longest day of the year.  It's wonderful being as far north as Papa Stronsay is, to experience the light through the night:

 The Sun set at about 10:45pm.

 10:48pm.

 11:00pm.

 Midnight and still not dark!

 12:02am.

12:03am.

Corpus Christi with the Traditional Redemptoristines

The Traditional Redemptoristines in Brazil had lovely Corpus Christi fesivities, celebrated by Father Everaldo Bon Robert.

There are more photos on the Redemptoristine blog HERE