Our Solemn Pontifical Mass on Saturday,December 1st was very well attended. The Mass was Of Our Lady on Saturday with commemoration of St.Teresa and was followed by the Blessing and distribution of roses with veneration of St.Teresa. Bishop Anthony was accompanied by his chaplain,Father Emilio. We thank Dame Patricia Earl-Williams for her hospitality and for all she does; also thanks to Joan and Mary for contributing much of the following lunch. It was a pleasure to see you all again and hear all your local news. In particular Bishop Anthony wishes to thank everybody in the St.Teresa’s congregation for their great and continuing financial generosity which is sincerely appreciated.

There was Solemn Mass and Benediction at Petworth at 1pm(changed from Noon) on Friday,December 7th.  We thank the Midhurst/Petworth stalwarts for all they have done over several years. Bishop Anthony thanks Mr.Seb O’Leary for collecting him and driving him down to Sussex. The venue usually changes every time by rota because we have several most generous Faithful who are happy to be host or hostess. This time Miss Grey erected a most beautiful altar in her drawing room and provided us later with a delicious fish lunch. Mrs Ullathorne brought the “Midhurst Monstrance” that was bequeathed to her by her late uncle,a Catholic priest for 44 years,and which we use every time there is Benediction at the Mission. The solid silver monstrance is just under 3 feet tall and has rubies at the base. It is mid 19th Century French and lives of necessity in Mrs Ullathorne’s bank. We are privileged indeed.
All members of the Midhurst Mission are devout and traditional Catholics who left the Novus Ordo Church over the decades since the 1960s demise of the Old Mass. Bishop Anthony is humbled to serve you all.

Most of our Missions are a mix of traditional Catholics and ex-Anglicans, but, like the Midhurst Mission, the people at Monmouth are all traditional Roman Catholics who have remained fervently loyal to the the Old Rite in Latin and in no way whatever miss their previous “reordered” churches!! On Friday,December 21st,Solemnity of Saint Thomas the Apostle,Father Flynn sang Solemn Mass at Mrs Peterson’s in Usk at 7pm. Mr.Terry Evans of Abergavenny played the piano and carols were sung before and after the Mass,including the very well loved,famous Catholic carol “Come,come,come to the Manger” by S.P.Waddington. Father Flynn spoke in his homily about the poignancy of the Feast of the “doubting” Saint Thomas occurring just before the Birth of Our Lord. A festive supper followed Mass.
Very many thanks to Mrs Peterson for all she does in Monmouth and Usk and also for her unstinting help in our other Monmouthshire and South Wales Missions. The Monmouth people sometimes say that we don’t mention them enough. Well, we are profoundly grateful.  Thanks indeed to you ALL+

They are a source of real income to the Archdiocese and help tremendously with the postal bill for the despatch of the monthly Notes.As we’ve already stressed: many of our older Faithful don’t have access to a computer – and thus to our Web Site – and really do rely on the “old fashioned word” as a vital means of communication. Particular thanks to all who’ve sent stamps during December. Epiphany donations would  be most welcome. Cheques should be made payable to “The Traditional Roman Catholic Church” and sent to Bishop Anthony at the address at the top of the Kalendar or to Mr.Simon Gibbs,our ArchConfraternity Treasurer, at:
Gibbs & Co.,Blackwell House,Guildhall Yard,London,EC2V.5AE.
God will bless you.  Holy Mass is offered monthly for all our benefactors.

Although we are now firmly and permanently The ArchConfraternity of Our Lady of Victories, you may have observed that monetary donations are still payable to “The Traditional Roman Catholic Church”. At present, because of banking procedures, our treasurer,Simon Gibbs,and the Chapter of Advice decided to retain the old name in this one matter.

The Third Sunday of Advent was on December 16th and there was Solemn Pontifical Mass interspersed with appropriate Advent & Christmass Readings at Noon at the Hampstead Oratory. It was good to welcome some  new souls.  Actress Miss Victoria Carpenter and writer  Mr.Robin Saikia gave readings and we thank them for helping to make this special service a great success.  A buffet lunch followed the Mass. Somehow Gaudete Sunday,with its pink vestments and flowers,is always such a joy in the middle of the Advent season as we wait once more for Our Divine Lord

Mr.& Mrs Mistry;Jenny Rees;Rose Gothsch;Peggy&Charles White;George Hepworth;Wendy Taylor;Jill Streeten;Shelley Breach;Linzee Hickox;Les Purcell(Hampstead);Marie Jones;Ralph Tuck;Mavis Williams(Breconshire);
Meryl Lay(Bracknell);Richard & Heike Podger;Will Malyon(Canterbury);Valerie Crombie;Billy Robinson;Olive Almond;Vernon and Elsie Davies;Janina Harper;Malcolm Hall;Margaret Wyatt;Gertrude Perkin;Michael Ryan;
Honey Coleman;(Southampton);Marie Dufekova;Fr.Bohuslav;Jan Graf;Eva Motlova;Jirina Starkova;;Hanna Malinova;Sonja Trpikova(Czech Missions);Naomi Jackson;Eileen Thomas;Tony Keane;Barbara Evans(Ebbw Vale);Lyndon Brain;Breda Williams(Cardiff);Nancy Phillips;Mr.Brynfil Taylor;Gordon Griffiths;Kate Haines;
Eileen Jones;Christine Tidey(Abertillery);Cissie Sweet;Jane Llewelyn;Howard Hillier;William Bard;Stan Jones;
Mrs Hopkins(Six Bells);Patrick&Irene Cornesh(Finchley);John & Mary Hart(Alton);Della Edling(Covent Garden);
Ena Wotherspoon;Hilary Walton;Mrs Grey(Oxford);David Springham(Hounslow);Nigel & Brenda Dawson;Lisa & Kath  Mitchell;Joan Rawlins;(St.Pancras);Constance & Eric Harris(Winchester);Arthur Medrow;Tom Dale;Robin Bencard(Battersea);Peggy Witcombe(Blackwood,Monmouthshire);James Milton;Aidan Magner;Teresa Mitchell;
Betty Baker;Ann Mocatta(Worthing);Gerald Wilson;Tom Smith(Edinburgh););Mrs O’Connor;Netta Piotrowska;
Hanna Mlodnicka;Diz Harford(Shepherds Bush);Eileen Conrad-Frankowska(Bath);Beryl Hickman(Southampton);
Christopher Biston(Norwich);Ross Fraser(Dundee);Isobel Hurgon(Carmarthenshire);Penelope Morgan(Monmouth)
Gee Cayley;Ernest Taylor;Sylvia Wynn(Hove);Noel Clarke(Huddersfield);David Gibson(Bow);Alan Feldman(West Ealing);Mr.Duncan(Evesham);Juliet Spicer(Edinburgh);Mrs Doris Lake(Liverpool);John Smith;Nigel Bunce;Ian Ellison(Swindon);Will Owen;Jon Guiaullme;Tony Jaques;Anthony Gross (Chelsea);Tony Banks;Lyn Hobb;Tanya
Wolfman(Brighton);Mrs Pelbrough-Power (Huntingdon);Frank Raymond;Timmy Williams(Midhurst);Kate Dorran;Ben Catty(Finchley);Sister Tessa Fisk(Lindisfarne);Phillip & Mavis Boylan(Whitehaven,Cumbria);Gladys Target;Elyned Powell(Rhondda);Ron Meehan(Cwm);Pat Wroe;Eric Bilton(Barnsley); Anna Protheroe;Mrs  Susie Shaw(Newcastle on Tyne);Bill Barnes(Cambridge);Kim Morgan;Ben Andrews(Cardiff) ;Allan Connaught;Cathy Bosworth(Northampton);Stephen Chester;Baby Charles Oldfield(Shepherds Bush);Mr&Mrs Ford(Dulwich);Grace  Withers;Mary O’Shea;Mary Molloy(Manchester);Terry Fouracre(Ebbw Vale);Mair Llewelyn-Price(Cardigan);
Walter Beddows;Anne Greenhalgh(Peterborough);Gainor Beynon(Ystradgynlais);Mair Davies(North Kensington)
Zdena Vychodilova;Eva Vojnova;Zdena Havlova(Chrudim/East Bohemia);Ceinwen Game (Brecon);

Genuinely sincere thanks to one of our Southampton stalwarts,Mrs Peggy Derwent,for another most generous donation to the ArchConfraternity. We have all been praying for Peggy that her eyesight would improve – and recently she received excellent news from her eye specialist. Thanks too to Father Damian Mead, Vicar General of the Anglican Catholic Church, for his Christmass donation. We all wish the ACC every good thing and continue to pray for all their people.