Renovation work in the Presbytery

Renovation work in the ground floor of the presbytery--future room for meeting/dining/kitchen.

Dear Friends and Family,

A blessed last Sunday of January to you all! Several of you have asked about the renovations at Lanherne, so today's post will show you photos of the ongoing work in the room that will become kitchen, dining, meeting area, and even... Confessional!

To back up: 12 months ago renovation work began at Lanherne. This was preceded by about two years of planning and obtaining permissions from the British government. Lanherne is a "Grade 1 Listed Building"--the highest level of historic building. And in England, historic buildings are a big deal. So any work in it has to be very carefully done--you must use the same materials to repair a window as the window was built with, restore wooden frames using the same style and techniques, carefully preserve floorboards and plaster that may be hundreds of years old, document everything before an after work is done--it is similar to restoring a museum. Thankfully, we have an excellent team of craftsman, project director, and oversight board.

The following photos will show you the work in this one room, followed by some commentary.

First, in the above photo, much of the shelving was sagging and a decision was made to replace it all, as well as to install new radiators, pipes, and wiring. So much of what is done cannot be seen.

The old fireplace restored, chimney cleaned out and repaired. Some stonework still has to be fixed, as you can see.

The opposite end of the room from the shelving. The middle cabinet is... where the priest will go to hear Confessions. You can see more clearly in the photo below, the small wooden panel that the priest opens to hear the penitent who kneels on the other side of the wall. They enter that side of the Confessional from the church. To soundproof the Confessional much extra insulation was added. But when a room is very well soundproofed there is no ventilation... To remedy that problem they cut a hole in the floor, leading to the "basement" (with its dirt floor) underneath. A ventilation fan will be placed in the floor to provide air circulation.

The two side cabinets will house the kitchen. Though you can't see it well, there is a sink on the right-hand side. There will also be a small fridge, a stove in the left-hand cabinet, cupboards above both, etc. The goal has been to soundproof the Confessional well enough so that a priest can hear Confessions at any time during the day, regardless of whether or not someone (for example a priest on retreat) is cooking in the cabinets next to it.

Side windows. Amazingly, this batch of wires and boxes, which has been subjected to much dust, paint and other debris, is still functioning to provide internet to the presbytery. Once the work is done, new wires and boxes will be installed.

Much of the work is hidden. For example, new piping and wiring were laid under the floor or elsewhere. Before repainting the walls, they stripped them and carefully removed decaying plaster, while keeping what was good. They then patched up the plaster so that it would be smooth, and began a process of painting. A similar process has been carried out for the wood.

This room is just one of about 12 rooms, along with the hallways, all of which has taken a great deal of work and care. The building is looking nice. While the hammering, electric saws, and other noises that began 12 months ago are still ongoing, we are hopeful that by April 1st the presbytery will be complete. And then it will be on to other aspects of the buildings and grounds, for much still needs to be fixed. But thanks be to God for the beautiful work done so far.

I had planned to also write about the analogous work of the renovation of a soul--of God's work of renovating a soul. But I'm afraid that fatigue is setting in at this point in the evening, so I had best sign off now.

May Jesus and Mary grant you a blessed and peaceful night!

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

My Uncle Ned

My Uncle Ned, who left this earth seven years ago.

Dear Friends and Family,

Tonight, I want to share with you a part of my life that has a reminder always sitting on a shelf nearby: my Uncle Ned. Born with cerebral palsy, Uncle Ned was also born with a special child-like heart and was a wonderful gift to us for many years. I would see him when he came to visit or on some family trips. The photo album that sits in my room is a reminder of the blessings of his life and of how precious every moment on this earth is--of how I should take nothing for granted, of how whatever problems I may be facing are nothing. I've sometimes asked, "Would Uncle Ned be worried about this?" or "Do my little difficulties measure up to what he had to face every day?" Such thoughts normally quickly help put me in my proper place, and turn back to the Lord with a joyful and grateful heart.

I thought the best way to share about him with you would be to share some photos. These are photos in a book put together by my mom, taken here with my phone and uploaded to the blog. I apologize if some are not oriented correctly. Couldn't figure out how to fix that... but then I thought, would Uncle Ned be bothered by it? :)

Uncle Ned "jogging" with my grandad.

Uncle Ned and Grandad.

"Going for a drive."

Helping stack the logs

Moving a big branch at the cottage.

At the special olympics.

Bowling.

With my mom at the special olympics.

May Jesus and Mary watch over you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Key Areas of Responsibility 2019

Dear Friends,

On this weekend of the Feast of the Holy Family, I will be praying for each of your families, especially in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. May God grant you an abundance of graces for this coming year!

As a way of confiding to your prayers my priestly life and ministry, I thought it might be helpful to provide you with a list of the ten key areas of responsibility that I will need to work at throughout this coming year. Please pray that I might live these well, serving the Lord according to His desires and helping souls follow the path that leads to Heaven.

Below, I will try to say a few words about something in each area. Of course, important parts of the work are confidential so I will not list those nor anything that involves individuals. So the list below is not exhaustive but is simply meant to give you a little idea of the upcoming work in each area.

Lanherne Nuns: In the first place, caring for the Nuns spiritually through the Sacraments other liturgies, blessings, etc. Also, fostering their contemplative life by assisting in various practical ways so that they do not have to interact with the public as much and can be more dedicated to prayer, silence, and solitude.

Lanherne Congregation: Offering the Sacraments and sermons, Holy Hours, teaching catechism, the Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation, blessing sacramentals, homes, etc. 

Saint Edward’s Congregation: Offering the Sacraments and sermons, teaching the Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation, formation for altar boys, trying to assist young adults’ group, home blessings, etc. 

Village: trying to reach out to those in the village and surrounding areas. For example, I visited the village pre-school last week and the children will hopefully be coming to hear me read a story to them about Our Lord.

Visitors: various people stop by looking for information on Lanherne, or with prayer intentions, or looking for Confession, etc.

Priestly Retreats and other Assistance: Though not currently in great numbers, some priests come to Lanherne for their annual retreat. Also, availability for Confession or other fraternal priestly assistance, which takes place on a fairly regular basis.

Spiritual Direction: For years, I have had to turn down almost all requests for ongoing spiritual direction because there are so many (Not that I’m great at it. There just aren’t many priests available!). But for some discerning a priestly or religious vocation, or with a particularly demanding responsibility in the Church, etc. this is an ongoing work.

Lanherne Renovation Project: Working with the trustees, project manager, construction crew, etc. Upcoming (hopefully, at some point), phases that now need to be planned are the church, more work in the convent, grounds, roads, landscaping, hopefully, the hall and at some point guest quarters. Please pray for wisdom—and for funds!

Studies in Theology and Civil Law: Licentiate in Theology at L’Institut St. Thomas D’Aquinin France, then—God-willing—a doctorate (but with no residency requirement, so I can write from Lanherne!). Ongoing civil law studies.

Canonical Work for the Diocese: As a canon lawyer, assisting with necessary canonical work for the Bishop.

Beyond what is listed… there is of course daily priestly prayer—in which I should spend several hours daily, then various other things that don’t fit into any category. To take a few recent examples: driving lessons in view of passing the British Drivers’ test; dealing with a notice from the power company that power would be shut off for part of next week; calling someone whose spouse just died; assisting to a theologian-friend who needed someone to review an article before publication; advising a family in need; replying to letters, etc. 

I am so very blessed to be a priest and to have the privilege of serving here at Lanherne. Please pray that I might become a better priest—there is a lot of work needed in that area!—and above all that I might be faithful to God’s will in these different key areas of responsibility.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Epiphany Blessings

Close-up of Creche in Lanherne's Chapel.

Dear Friends and Family,

A blessed Feast of the Epiphany! May God grant you some share of the graces of wisdom and adoration that the three wise men received on this day so long ago.

Here, it has been a very blessed day, and is not quite done... but I'll come to that. Thank you for your prayers for a speedy recovery. While much of the past 10 days disappeared in sleep or waking hours where my brain was not functioning well, I now seem to have pulled out of the flu bug. As a precaution I slept a bit later than usual this morning, but was then able to tackle the day's Confessions, two sung Masses, visiting, etc. and my throat is still functioning, albeit a bit tired--but that can be cured soon enough by turning in earlier than usual tonight.

Where to begin to recount the many blessings of today? So many of them have proper names--they are the members of the two congregations, that of Lanherne and that of St. Edward's. It is humbling and wonderful to see so many good people, making so many sacrifices for their faith, manifesting charity and support in so many ways toward one another, working so hard to raise their children well, etc. etc. To give just a few small examples: After the Mass in Plymouth, I discovered that our organist had not only worked to prepare the beautiful music that he led during today's Mass, but had also been up until 5 AM baking a special Mexican cake that is eaten on the Epiphany! So after Mass, we had the joy of eating that cake and the suspense of seeing who would get the pieces with the three statues of baby Jesus.... Then there will little children to play with. While waiting for the cake to arrive in the hall after Mass, and trying to keep the children from rioting, I led them in a game of "Simon says" which went fine, the last "Simon says" was "Simon says go quietly to the table and stand there as I lead the blessing of the cake..." worked like a charm.

Then there was holding a little baby boy, and then--earlier in the morning--picking up a bigger boy, now about 4 years old, but who is such a joy, a little down-syndrome boy that God has blessed us with at Lanherne. Hopefully a future altar boy in a few years... There would be so many other examples of sacrifice and charity to relate, but if I did so I would either be indiscrete, or foster pride by publishing what they'd done, or both. So, I'll just mention one more: a young mother who generously provided everything necessary for the Epiphany blessings, which leads me to the other sort of blessings from today.... the liturgical ones.

On the Feast of the Epiphany, the traditional custom is to bless "Epiphany Water" on the eve of the Epiphany. It is by far the longest blessing of the year, taking about 30 minutes if not sung, and a good deal longer if sung. It involves a litany of the saints, an extended exorcism, a Te Deum, etc. Then, on the Feast of the Epiphany, chalk is blessed (including an exorcism) for use in blessing homes. Then gold, frankincense, and myrrh are blessed. For the gold, the congregation can place wedding rings, etc. on the plate to be blessed. Such items are blessed (and exorcized) and then given back to people. As for the Epiphany water and chalk, those are distributed to the faithful to take home and use to bless their homes. The chalk is used to write the year and initials of the three wise men over the doorpost to the home, to call down God's blessing and protection on all who enter.

Then, for the fourth time during Christmastide, I had the privilege of kneeling before the Infant Jesus, incensing Him, adoring, Him, then picking up His tiny statue and presenting Him to each of the Nuns and to each of the faithful for their adoration.

But the day's blessings are not yet done... In just a few minutes the Nuns will be singing Christmas carols before the creche, so I will sign off and head down to the chapel to pray and hear them sing.

May Jesus and Mary watch over you and grant you an abundance of blessings as we begin this new year.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Sick this weekend...

Dear Friends and Family,

I caught a rather nasty flu bug, am sleeping a lot, and my head is not working too well this weekend, so I won't be posting tomorrow.

But am remembering all of you in the novena of Masses I'm celebrating here at the convent this week.

May Jesus grant you the peace and joy that He desires to place in every soul of good will.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Giving Thanks to God as I Prepare for Christmas

Nativity in front of the monastery, just above the main road of the village, for all to see...

Dear Friends and Family,

Just 30 hours from now I will be in the midst of offering the Midnight Mass, by candlelight, in Lanherne's historic chapel--in this place where St. Cuthbert Mayne offered the Mass in exactly the same way shortly before his martyrdom. There will be nuns off to one side, veiled behind their grill but chanting God's praises, there will be a number of the little local flock in the pews, eager to adore the newborn King, there will be some visitors--those who may have never attended a Mass before, or not for many years, and above all there will be the holy angels and saints, and the Queen of this night, the Blessed Virgin Mary, adoring the King of Kings as He is rendered present upon the altar.

And I will have the privilege of entering in procession while carrying a statue of the baby Jesus, giving Him a kiss and placing Him in the manger, kneeling to incense Him, then moving to the foot of the altar to begin the Holy Sacrifice, in which the sacred mysteries take place... then the great blessing of bringing Him to each of the Nuns, then to each of the faithful, so that He might enter their hearts and souls. Then all will kneel in adoration of the Word made flesh within them, as the Nuns chant to their newborn Savior. What a night... but one that is not done yet!

As the final blessing is given and the last Gospel--the beautiful prologue to St. John's Gospel--is read, the Nuns will prepare to intone Christmas Carols, and I will prepare to kneel once again before the statue of the baby Jesus, to incense Him, and to bring Him to each of the Nuns, to be kissed, to be adored... then to each of the faithful, young and old, that all might greet Him with a kiss as this Christmas Day begins.

After placing Him back in the manger, and returning to give thanks with the altar boys in the sacristy, all will head to the hall, for hot chocolate, perhaps some cake, and Christmas greetings.  Then, when the clock strikes perhaps 2:30 or 3:00, I'll return to the chapel--where now all will be quiet and still--to kneel before the newborn King, to thank Him for coming among us.

What an amazing privilege... God is so incredibly good to give a poor priest like me such a blessing.

Each of you will be remembered in a novena of Masses that I will be offering here, beginning with the midnight Mass. May Jesus and Mary grant each and every one of you all the spiritual gifts that you need to live well this holy Christmas season.

And to those of you across the Atlantic, who pray for me every night, who offer sacrifices for me, and who also make possible my priestly life and ministry through your donations, may God reward you. If you have two minutes and wish to see a glimpse of the mission territory I am working in, look here: https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/2-in-5-uk-millennials-cant-identify-baby-in-bethlehem-christmas-story . Please pray especially, this Christmas, for a number of families I am in contact with, who have drifted away or have never known the Faith. May God draw them all close to His most Sacred Heart.

Sending you much Christmas love and prayers,
Fr. Pillari

Retreat near Lourdes

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you for all of your prayers these past two weeks. It was a very blessed week of retreat near Lourdes! And also a good week of studies in Toulouse.

As you may be aware, France is currently going through some crippling strikes and manifestations. Thankfully I still managed to travel safely, though without much sleep the past two nights. It is now 10PM, after a very blessed but long day of apostolate, but I wanted to at least show you a few photos.

The house at the entrance to the Monastery, where I stayed for 7 days. 

Seven days of silence with Our Lord and Our Lady--quite a blessing! Since I was so close to Lourdes, I would read an account of the apparitions during my meals, and thus had the joy of reliving the blessed days of Our Lady's apparitions to Bernadette, her childhood trials that proceeded the apparitions, the struggles and joys of her family, etc.

The days were punctuated by the morning and evening chanted offices of the Sisters of Bethlehem, who chant beautifully, and some hikes to pray the rosary. I'm too tired to write more at the moment, but it was a week full of graces. So much good comes from living in silence and solitude with Jesus and Mary. But the first Sunday night there, I was also invited to come speak to the Sisters during their evening recreation, and to begin teaching them the Traditional Mass, which they wanted to experience for the first time when I offered their Mass Tuesday and Wednesday.

A stream I hiked along back into the mountains, passed some ruins.

Early yesterday morning, as I drove to the airport in Toulouse, I was able to stop in Lourdes and spend an hour at the Grotto. Here are a few photos.

Looking toward the main church, hidden in the background. The grotto is just behind it.

You all were in my prayers. May Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception, bless and guide each of you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari