Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Ushaw College to close

We have had information that Ushaw College is to be closed as a seminary. My blood boils when thinking how much was spent on the creation of the "Youth (or YOOF?) Village" in the diocese. So much was subscribed by honest Catholic laity to have this monstrosity of Modernity thrust upon us to train(?) our young people. Surely less money could have been expended in renovating & continuing the modernisation of the historic fabric of Ushaw College with all it has given to the diocese & Church. What can we do? I have heard that some are writing to Northern Cross (if they publish such letters) but this isn't something having an effect on those who love the EF of the Roman Rite it is important to ALL Catholics throughout the north whose diocesan priests were trained there - however badly some turned out rubrically! Archbishop Kelly tells us that it was "a difficult decision" to agree the closure but were the alumni consulted? Surely they are due some consideration. Perhaps we should consider a petition against the move. Please let me know what you think.

3 comments:

  1. The LATIN MASS SOCIETY has expressed interest in taking over Ushaw College. It would like to see it used as a European Seminary for the training of priests in the Traditionalist organisations like FSSP or the Institute of Christ the King. Great news!!
    The question is: how can we help the LMS to achieve the goal? Is anything being set up?

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  2. Sad news indeed. Angela and I had our wedding reception at Ushaw College and will miss going there for Corpus Christi processions, Sunday lunches, bonfire parties, and of course for visiting our seminarian friends, should the proposal to close the college be implemented.

    Presumably the bishops have already investigated a joint venture with English Heritage or with The National Trust? Such a venture could potentially provide the necessary income and safeguard Pugin's fine work, as well as providing good opportunities for evangelisation.

    But at the end of the day, seminarians can always study in Rome or one of the other English seminaries.

    I think it's great that the Diocese is pumping so much money into formation for the youth. It's from the youth that holy families and future seminarians come. And there are hundreds of times as many youth as seminarians. They need all the help we can give them, given all the pressures and temptations they face nowadays, and given the lack of formation at home.

    The problem is that, in my experience, the institutional Church tends to be liberal in the way it forms the youth. If one of the excellent new ecclesial movements, such as Youth 2000 or Faith or The Sion Community, were running YMT, rather than the Diocese running it, I'd wager that there would be more of an emphasis on the personal encounter with Jesus, plus more formation in the "difficult to talk about" topic of sexual morality, as well as education on what happens at Mass, etc.... rather than an emphasis on "justice and peace" and "having fun" - which is the impression YMT gives, but that's probably unfair.

    Let's pray for YMT. Their set-up is more than most other dioceses have got, and I've no doubt they've done a lot of good for a lot of people, and will continue to do so, especially with our support.

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  3. Dear all_4_gzus (or may I call you Paul)
    I didn't in any way decry working for youth. What I did decry - STRONGLY - was the waste of money setting up the present facilities. What was wrong in utilising probably half of the expenditure in maintaining & modernising the historic fabric of Ushaw College?
    Looking at the lack of seminarians, don't you think that families themselves brought up their sons to offer themselves as priests? Perhaps most of today's problems are caused by the fact that there is no longer ONE True Church but rather (outside of traditionalist communities) a proliferation of mod/trendy groups (including the happy-clappies) who really don't appreciate what it was to be a Catholic.
    What do you feel would be the response of today's Church if told that all the modernistic mumbo-jumbo was being replaced by dyed-in-the-wool Catholicism? In my opinion it wouldn't be implemented. Oh, if only we hadn't been so OBEDIENT when the Mass was protestantised following Vat II!

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