Clergy retreat
In the Footsteps
of the Great Saintly Priests
Monday 14th - Friday 18th October [2024]
Reflections on St John Fisher, St John Vianney and St Padre Pio
Preached by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP
“The priest is not a priest for himself; he does not give himself absolution; he does not administer the Sacraments to himself. He is not for himself, he is for you… where there is no longer any priest there is no sacrifice, and where there is no longer any sacrifice there is no religion.” (Saint John Vianney)
The saints offer models and examplars of holiness for every walk of life: a particularly worthy focus during this Year of Prayer.
This retreat will pick out some of the great priest saints of Europe – St John Fisher, St John Vianney and St Pio of Pietrelcina – to offer a reflection on the character and ministry of the priestly life.
St John Fisher stands as a reformation-era St John the Baptist, most recognised for his objection to King Henry VIII’s divorce of Catherine of Aragon and for his subsequent refusal to acknowledge Anne Boleyn’s daughter as heir to the throne. A cameo ring depicting Aristotle, which belonged to John Fisher, is held at Stonyhurst, having been presented to the College by relatives of Fisher in the 19th century.
The ring will be loaned for the retreat by the College to the CHC, in order to accompany the clergy during this time of prayer.
St John Vianney also experienced the turmoil and upheaval of religious life brought about in his own country, by the French Revolution. Known for his tirelessness in reconciling people to God, he is rightly upheld as a model of a curator of souls.
St Pio of Pietrelcina is widely known for the gifts he received of the stigmata and of spiritual insight, and his profound piety and charity.
- Secular and religious clergy, deacons and seminarians welcome!
- The retreat will be preached, with two talks every day (one on Monday afternoon and one on Friday morning)
- There will be opportunities for confession
- Clergy are welcome to celebrate Mass individually and in whichever rite, or to concelebrate
- Theodore House Oratory and St Peter’s Church available for the celebration of Mass
- Daily Holy Hour and Compline
Fr Armand de Malleray began his ministry in the Southwark Archdiocese in 2001. He has been giving clergy retreats at various venues in England and abroad for over two decades. Formerly rector of St Mary’s Shrine in the Liverpool Archdiocese, he is now based in Bedford. He is the author of the following books:
- On the Sacred Priesthood: X-Ray of the Priest in a Field Hospital;
- On the Holy Eucharist: Ego Eimi – It is I: Falling in Eucharistic Love;
- On Holy Mass: Near Missed Masses;
- On the Blessed Virgin Mary: Meditations on the Stabat Mater
Theodore House offers a wonderful venue for any retreat. The tranquil and beautiful surroundings of the Stonyhurst estate offer a peaceful setting and endless opportunities for walks.
All accommodation is en-suite, with comfortable facilities and a beautifully lanscaped garden.
For more information about Theodore House, please click here.
Arrivals are welcome on the Monday from 1pm for a 3pm start.
Departures on Friday are from 3pm.
Cost:
£375 (includes single, en-suite room and full board)
Please register below (deposit payment required):
Venue:
Fr Dominic White is a priest of the Order of Preachers and Prior of Saint Dominic’s in North London. He is also Acting Director of Research at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology in the Cambridge Theological Federation, and Research Fellow of the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology. Additionally he is founder of the Cosmos Dance Project and patron of the Eliot Smith Dance Company. Fr Dominic’s research interests include theology and the arts, sophiology (Wisdom theology), and the relationship between faith and culture.
Dr Joey Belleza is a philosopher and theologian, and CHC Assistant for Marketing & Communications. His research interests span the areas of Thomism, Franciscan studies, medieval mysticism, Church history, and sacramental-liturgical theology in general. His recent doctoral dissertation contrasted the poetics of Saint Thomas Aquinas with the poetics of the Franciscan friars Saint Bonaventure and Iacopone da Todi, viewed in light of their competing receptions of Neoplatonic metaphysics as formulated by the mysterious sixth century writer known as Dionysius the Areopagite.
Fr Emmanuel Mansford is originally from a small village in Bedfordshire. He joined the Franciscan of the Renewal in the Bronx, NY in 1998 and made his solemn vows in 2003. Ordained a priest in 2007, he lived for several years in the friary in the East End of London where he served as the local superior. In 2014 he became the vocation director for the friars and lived in New York City where he was involved in the friars apostolates of preaching the Gospel and serving the needy. He has a passion for preaching and people and loves to see God’s people encounter Him and come to life through the Gospel. He also enjoys playing and watching football and is a boyhood fan of Luton Town FC. He recently moved back to the UK to serve with the friars in their mission in Bradford.
Fr Roger Dawson SJ is a Jesuit priest, previously Director of St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre. He is trained as a clinical psychologist and has a long experience as retreat and spiritual director. He is currently the Superior of the Jesuits in Scotland.
Fr Lawrence Lew is the General Promoter of the Rosary and the Rosary Confraternity for the Dominican Order throughout the world. He is author of 
Stefan and Ella Kaminski both have Licentiates from the John Paul II Institute for Studies in Marriage and Family Life, having dedicated their studies to the themes of human love and sexual complementarity. Stefan serves as Director of The Christian Heritage Centre, where he has been creating and delivering Catholic formation content for the last five years. Ella previously worked at the John Paul II Institute in Rome, before joining Stefan in Lancashire following their marriage. She is engaged in teaching dogmatic theology to seminarians on the one hand, and 5-year-olds on the other. Together, they offer marriage preparation courses and ongoing formation for catechetists.
Fr Jean Gové’s research—in philosophy of mind and language—focuses on the relationship between thought, reference, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.
Fr Anthony Doe is a priest of the Archdiocese of Westminster, ordained in 1981. He is a qualified psychotherapist, with multiple post graduate degrees. He exercises his priestly ministry as a therapist and spiritual director, and is an experienced retreat director. Fr Doe has served as the Spiritual Director of the Venerable English College in Rome and is currently Spiritual Director at Allen Hall Seminary in London.
Our course welcomes both novices to the Prosopon technique and more experienced iconographers alike.
For years Nikita Andreyev apprenticed to his father, Vladislav Andreyev, complimenting this experience with postgraduate theological studies in Paris and the United States.
