Fr Oliver Writes on 16th July 2013
Dear Douai Society Member
The Annual Mass for the Members of the Douai Society, living and dead,
will take place in the Abbey Church at 11 am on Sunday 18 August. This
will be followed by a good lunch in the Guest Refectory . . . with the
AGM squeezed in between these two more important events.
Please find the application form for the lunch by following this link and printing out the form. Please forgive this slightly cumbersome way of making the form available; I know that some people prefer not to receive attachments to e-mails. If anyone knows a better way of making this available, please let me know. This is a bit clunky but it does work . . . . usually. If there is a problem, please send me an e-mail request and I will send the form as an attachment.
May I remind you that wives are very welcome to attend the Mass and the lunch. In recent years some of them have also chosen to attend the AGM, but they would also be very welcome to walk in the grounds and perhaps visit our small flock of Jacob's sheep (I am now the assistant shepherd so I have to declare an interest!). If they do attend the AGM, I should remind you that only Subscribing or LIfe Members of the Society can actually vote.
On the events page of the website you will also find an application form for the Old Dowegians Retreat which is also open to wives. This will take place on the weekend of 13-15 December. Full details are on the application form.
I have been very slack about producing a newsletter for either 2012 or 2013, but I have to say that this is partly because I have not had a huge amount of information. I recall one editor of a newsletter saying in the past that he was quite prepared to make things up if nobody sent in any genuine news, but I would rather not go down that road! If more (genuine) items could appear in the next few days I would make a serious effort to have a Newsletter ready for the 18 August.
with best wishes
Oliver
Fr Oliver Writes on 15th April 2013
Dear Old Dowegian
Old Dowegians’ Lunch Friday 7th June
2013
Lunches in London organised by the Douai Society for all age
groups have proved to be popular and well received by all those who have
attended them. It seems that sharing a common experience of attending the School
evaporates any age differences that might otherwise apply. Indeed, the mingling
of generations has added another dimension to the enjoyment of these occasions!
Since the start in January 2012, there have been three lunches, which have been
subsidised by the Douai Society with the usual contribution of £10 per Old
Dowegian. The Council has decided to organise at least two of these ‘all age
groups’ lunches a year, with a flagship lunch during the summer where a greater
subsidy will apply and where spouses will be most welcome. The first of these
flagship lunches is set for Friday 7th June at The Naval &
Military Club in St. James’s Square. A three-course lunch, with wine and a glass
of port, will cost £35 for each Old Dowegian or £70 if your spouse is also
attending. This represents a larger subsidy than usual, and we hope that this
enhanced subsidy will encourage as many Old Dowegians and their spouses to
attend as possible. Please use using this link to access an application form.
Please note, that in keeping with the practice adopted by
clubs in the St. James’ area, the dress code is jacket, collar and tie
(preferably OD) for gentlemen and the equivalent for ladies. Please return the
proforma (and your cheques, payable to ‘Douai Society’) by 24th
May 2013 to Hon Secretary David de Freitas, 68 Burnfoot Avenue, Fulham,
London SW6 5EA daviddefreitas@aol.com together with
details of any dietary requirements. NB please do NOT send application
form, cheque or anything else to me (Fr Oliver)
Douai website
Fr Wilfrid designed the original format of the monastery
website and Fr Gervase has expanded it and maintained it ever since; we are very
grateful to him for keeping it up to date so conscientiously for many years.
There has now been a redesign and Fr Hugh is now responsible for the site: the
address remains the same: www.douaiabbey.org.uk and there is a
link to the Douai Society under "School" in the first paragraph of the opening
page.
Abbot Finbar
Abbot Finbar has now been the Prior Administrator at Quarr
Abbey on the Isle of Wight for five years. He is returning to Douai in May or
early June and will be taking up the post of Guestmaster.
Concert at Douai - this coming
Saturday
I have to declare an interest here: I am a trustee of Prior's
Court, a school and home for young people with autism and severe learnig
difficulties. It is an extraordinary place and extremely expensive to run; to
give you some idea, there are 55 pupils and 430 staff! You can find out more
about Prior's Court on www.priorscourt.org.uk
We are holding a fundraising concert for Prior's Court at
Douai on Saturday 20 April at 7.45 pm; the performers will be Reading
Phoenix Choir who have a very good reputation locally and have been
successful in national competitions. Their website is www.readingphoenixchoir.com
Tickets for the concert (£12 & £10 concessions) are available from Newbury
Corn Exchange 0845 5 218218.
The Pavilion
The Douai Park Recreation Association, who hold the lease for
the Park, have now applied for planning permission to replace the Pavilion with
a new building. More details will be available in due course. The Association is
very much aware that the Pavilion was originally built as a memorial for those
Old Dowegians who died in the First World War and a plaque on the new building
will commemorate that dedication. Unfortunately the condition of the pavilion
means that it is no longer practical to refurbish it.
Solemn Profession at Douai
We are delighted that Br Gabriel made his solemn profession
(final vows) on Saturday. Two other monks, Brs Damian and Anselm, are in their
period of temporary vows and together with Br Gabriel continue their studies at
Blackfriars, Oxford.
(Please note that this e-mail comes to you from a
different e-mail address - my own address for incoming e-mails remains
oliver@douaiabbey.org.uk)
with best wishes
Oliver
Fr Oliver Holt OSB
Douai Abbey
Upper Woolhampton
Reading RG7 5TQ
Tel: 0118 971 5319
E-mail: oliver@douaiabbey.org.uk
Fr Oliver Writes on 4th January 2013
Dear All
Firstly may I wish you all a Happy New
Year.
Secondly I must confess that I have still not got
round to editing the Newsletter for 2012 which should be sent to all members of
the Society together with the latest copy of The Douai Magazine - I would
prefer not to set a deadline for myself, but I will get on with it as soon as
possible.
I have to bring you the sad news of some recent
deaths; please pray for them and for their families:
Nigel Furminger (1974-79) died on
27 December after suffering from cancer. He leaves behind his wife Helen and two
daughters, Isabelle and Lorna. His funeral takes place on Monday 7 January at 10
am at St Augustine's Church, Crescent Road, Tunbridge Wells TN1 2LY
Mary Brister died on 27
December after being ill for many years. She was the wife of Bill Brister
(1939-42 and Past President of the Society), mother of David (RIP) and Anthony,
grandmother of Paul, Adrian (RIP) and Gregory - all Old Dowegians). Her
funeral will take place on Friday 11 January at 2 pm at Farnborough Hill School
where she taught English for many years (Farnborough Hill School, Farnborough,
Hants GU14 8AT) The family have asked for
no flowers
please, but donations if desired to The Catholic Children's Society
(Westminster) ref MB c/o J Gorringe & Son F/D, 55 Hare Lane, Godalming GU7
3EF..
Christopher Sheehan (1943-46) died in Jersey on 20 November. His funeral
took place on 6 December. He was a cousin of Paul Rutland-Barsby (1949-52)
who told us of his death.
David Allanson (1953-58) died in his sleep this morning (3 Jan) after a
long illness. His brother, Chris (52-57), was just about to fly to
South Africa to see him.
Other
news
The
Douai Society has recently bought a very sophisticated camera stand for the
Archives at the Abbey. This can be used to take top quality pictures
(without camera shake and with the right sort of lighting) of the various
holdings in the archives. Mike Skivington (Past President) and John Kerr
(President) had already begun to take photos of some of the old school archives
and it was suggested that the acquisition of this stand would enable them and
others to achieve better results. Fr Abbot (who is also the librarian and
archivist) is very grateful to the Society for this generous
gift.
Social and
Spiritual Occasions
There will be
another lunch at The Star Tavern, 6 Belgrave Mews, West London SW1X 8HT (nearest
tube Knightsbridge, Sloane Square or Victoria) on Friday 8
February: 12.30 for 1 pm If you wish to attend please send a cheque
payable to "Douai Society" for £23 to the Hon Sec, David de Freitas, to his home
address: 68 Burnfoot Avenue, Fulham, London SW6 5EA by 1st February.
A lunch has also
been arranged at the Naval and Military Club in St James Square on
Friday 7 June - booking details will be available
nearer the time.
The Annual
Mass for the Douai Society, followed by the AGM and lunch will be at
Douai on Sunday 18 August 2013.
In my last circular
I said that it had been impossible to find a free weekend for an Old
Dowegian Retreat in 2013 but since then a weekend has become available.
It is Fri 13 - Sun 15 December - I have pencilled it in,
but it would be useful to know as soon as possible if there is any interest
before I firm it up. Please let me know if you and any other members of
your families would be interested in attending this retreat - it would
obviously have an Advent theme.
I also said that I
would look into the possibility of a mid-week retreat (eg Mon evening to Wed
after lunch or similar pattern during the week) for people who would prefer not
to be here at a weekend. I only had one person who expressed some interest, but
I mention it again in case other people (perhaps, but not necessarily retired)
might like to spend two quiet days here, participating in the prayer of the
community and attending some not-too-demanding talks. Please let me know
if there is any interest and I will then look for some
dates.
Concerts
I continue to
organise concerts at Douai and we are very lucky in the choirs, orchestras and
other groups who ask to come here. A full list can be found on our website (www.douaiabbey.org.uk) , but I would
like to highlight three concerts that I am particularly looking forward to
myself:
Sat 16
February Reading Bach Choir Bach's St John
Passion
Sat 9
March Arion
Orchestra with Evelyn Glennie as the solo
percussionist in two concertos by Vivaldi and Rosauro - Evelyn
Glennie is the famous percussionist who played a prominent role in the
Olympics Opening Ceremony - she is possibly the biggest star who has
ever played at Douai (other people will probably react to this
comment!)
Wed 15
May London Community Gospel
Choir part of the Newbury Spring
Festival
Please look at the
website to see details of booking, but in fact tickets for all concerts can be
booked through the Newbury Corn Exchange (08455 218 218) - booking for
some of these concerts might not yet be open, but put the dates in your diary
anyway.
with best
wishes
Oliver
Fr Oliver Writes on 27th November 2012
In
my last e-mail I told you about a London lunch which the Hon Secretary,
David de Freitas, has arranged at The Star Tavern, 6 Belgrave Mews,
West London SW1X 8HT (nearest tube Knightsbridge, Sloane Square or
Victoria) on Friday 30th November - 12.30 for 1pm - ie this Friday.
There has been a good take-up rate, but there are still ten places
left. Allowing for the Old Dowegian subsidy of £10, the cost will be
£22 per head (3 courses to include half bottle of wine). If you wish to
attend please contact David (NOT me, please) via e-mail -
Daviddefreitas@aol.com - by 10 am tomorrow morning (28 November) -
sorry about the short notice, but this is specifically aimed at people
who like leaving things to the last moment!
I will not be able to attend myself as I will be celebrating the
Requiem Mass for Chris McClement (58-62-66) who died of cancer on 17
November; I was in contact with the family before he died and was in
fact able to anoint him the night before he died with the whole family
present; this includes his sons, Duncan and Jamie, who were also Old
Dowegians. The Requiem Mass is on Friday 30 November at 3.30 pm at St
Joseph's, Brook Lane, Thame, Oxon OX9 2AB.
I can give you advance notice of next year's AGM and Lunch which will
be held at Douai on Sunday 18 August next year. An application form and
other details will be available in due course. We have had two retreats
for Old Dowegians and their wives in the last two years but have not
been able to find a suitable weekend in 2013. However there are plenty
of other retreats held here which you might like to consider attending.
It happens that I am leading one just before Christmas, entitled "Light
of the World". It starts with Vespers on Friday 21 December and
finishes after lunch on Sunday 23 December. Details and a booking form
can be found on our website if you follow this link which will also
tell you about other retreats in our programme:
http://www.douaiabbey.org.uk/retreats2.htm#41112
I realise that many of you are retired and that you might therefore be
able to attend a mid-week retreat, either by yourself or with your
wife. It would be helpful if you could let me know if this is the case
and which time of the year you would prefer. If there is sufficient
interest I could then look for possible dates and then circulate the
results.
You may remember that a London lunch was held in January this
year at Armoury House, the HQ of the Honourable Artillery Company. It was very
successful and it was hoped that it would be repeated from time to time.
Unfortunately it turned out that that particular arrangement could not happen
again and so the Council of the Douai Society has been exploring other
possibilities.
After extensive research (not all of which involved
tasting sessions!) another venue has been found. David de Freitas has arranged a
lunch at The Star Tavern, 6 Belgrave Mews, West London SW1X 8HT (nearest tube
Knightsbridge, Sloane Square or Victoria) on Friday 30th
November - 12.30 for 1pm. Allowing for the Old Dowegian subsidy of
£10, the cost will be £22 per head (3 courses to include half bottle of wine).
If you wish to attend please contact David (NOT me, please) via e-mail - Daviddefreitas@aol.com - by 23rd
November. Max number 34 - applications on first come first served basis.
And from Fr Oliver on 31st October 2012
I have to give you news of three Old Dowegians who have died since the AGM
in August.
John Fletcher O'Donnell (49-52-57), father of Luke
(79-84), Daniel (80-85) and Benjamin (83-88) died on 17 October. A memorial
service will be held at 11.30 am on Monday 26 November at St Mary's Church, High
Street, Wivenhoe CO7 9BJ to which his friends are welcome
David Evan Pugh (58-61) died on 15 October. (By pure
chance I stayed in the Bed & Breakfast run by him and his wife at Hickling
on the Norfolk Broads in 2007)
Peter Ashforth (63-67) died on 5 October - he lived for
many years in Singapore.
We pray that they may all rest in peace and that their families may by
comforted.
Other news:
Fr Peter is now Prior of the monastery in place of Fr
Bernard who becomes Sub-prior. Fr Peter is also Parish Priest of our local
parish (Woolhampton, Pangbourne, Burghfield and Theale). He had the sad
responsibility of closing the Maison St Benoit in Douai, France in January and
then, after looking after the parish in Ormskirk for two months while Fr Godric
was on a mini-sabbatical in Israel, went on his own two month stay in Israel -
he has many stories to tell about his time there, as does Fr Godric.
Many Old Dowegians, monks from other monasteries, priests of the diocese
and other friends attended Fr Romuald's funeral in July. There was also a large
gathering in September for the Memorial Service for Kevin Maguire (teacher in
the school and parishioner for many years).
Fr Christopher Jamison (former Abbot of Worth) is based here at weekends
when he is not working for the Bishops' Conference as Director of Vocations for
England & Wales. He appears in "Songs of Praise" on BBC 1 this coming Sunday
(4 November at 16.45) with Ann Widdecombe and their encounter was filmed in our
Abbey Church.
I must apologise for the fact the the 2012 Newsletter has
not yet appeared . . . but it does mean that there is still room for your news,
if you haven't sent it to me yet!
And from Fr. Oliver on 29th June
One item of news is bang up to date: Paul Mahoney
(1960-63) was yesterday elected the UK judge on the European Court of
Human Rights in Strasbourg - the spooky thing is that one of the other two
candidates put forward by the British government was another Old Dowegian:
Ben Emmerson (1976-79)! We have obviously produced some good
lawyers over the years
Recent deaths
Sir Brandon Gough (51/55) died on 24 April and a memorial
service was held in Westminster Cathedral on 26 June; I believe that some
members of the Society Council attended. An obituary appeared in The Daily
Telegraph and I hope to reproduce that in the newsletter. We have also heard
about the death of Christopher Hince (51/54) after a long
illness. May they both rest in peace. I must apologise that I did not follow my
usual practice of sending out news of deaths, at least to the contemporaries of
those who have died. Kevin Maguire who taught Modern Languages
for many years in the school and was also very much part of the Abbey and Parish
communities has also died recently after some years of very poor health. His
funeral took place in France where he and Odile have lived for many years, but
it is hoped that a memorial mass will be held at Douai in the coming
months.
News from the Abbey
In January we closed the Maison St Benoit, our house in Douai, France where
we had established a Benedictine presence since 2005. Fr Peter is now back in
the monastery, although at the moment he is enjoying a mini-sabbatical of two
months in Jerusalem. Fr Godric was also in Jerusalem for a similar period
earlier in the year.
Fr Paul has been appointed Secretary to the Family Life and Worship
Department of the Bishops' Conference for England and Wales; he will continue
his "day job" as Professor of Liturgy at Sant' Anselmo, the benedictine college
in Rome.
At last, after years and years of negotiation, we have signed a 99 year
lease for the Park and the Pavilion. The lessee is the Douai Park Recreation
Association made up of Woolhampton Cricket Club, Thatcham Tornadoes (youth
football teams), Elstree School, Woolhampton Primary School and Douai Tennis
Club. The Association hopes to develop the Park in various ways, and
particularly to refurbish/rebuild the Pavilion. They are aware that the Pavilion
was built in the 1920s as a memorial to those Old Dowegians who died in the
First World War and it is proposed that a plaque on or in the building should
record this fact.
Our new monastery buildings (Refectories, Guest House, cloisters and
Library) have recently won an award from the Southern Region of the RIBA. I was
lucky enough to go with David Richmond, the architect and his wife to the
presentation dinner at STEAM, the Great Western Railway museum in Swindon.
Fr Romuald is not well at the moment and Br Ganriel has just had a very
serious heart operation; Fr Terence has also not been well but is in good
spirits.
There will be more news in the coming Newsletter (I'm not going to be
foolish enough to say when it will be published! Of course a huge amount
depends on when you send me all your news!)
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