Twentieth Anniversary of Fr. Bradford’s priesthood

In honor of the twentieth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood in the Catholic church, Fr. Bradford offered Holy Mass on Wednesday. May 30, 2018 at 4:00 pm in St Theresa of Ávila Church and on May 31, 2018, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, at 7:30 pm in St Lawrence Church, Chestnut Hill.

Father Bradford was the celebrant and preacher at the Corpus Christi Mass. He was assisted by Deacon Michael J. Connolly and Mr. Stephen Hardy. The cantor was Kevin McDermott and the organist was Mr. James S. Reedy.

Reverend Monsignor William M. Helmick, Pastor of St Theresa of Ávila Church wrote this note for the occasion.

A reception catered by chef, Paul Uttaro followed this service and there was a display of photos and leaflets from Father’s ordination in 1998.

Twentieth Feast of Title and Dedication of St. Athanasius

On Tuesday, May 2nd at 7:30 pm, we held a Solemn High Mass with Gregorian and Anglican chants as well as beautiful hymns honoring St. Athanasius, one of the four Greek Doctors of the Church. The Divine Worship form of the Roman Rite, promulgated by the Vatican in 2015, restores traditions of English Catholicism and brings treasures from five hundred years of Anglican liturgical life to the Church’s Lex Orandi, all in reverent and beautiful “Prayer Book English.”

We were honored to have our friend, Reverend Charles J. Higgins, Pastor of Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Parish, Newton return as homilist. A reception followed.

A downloadable, printable version of the poster is here.

Fr. Anthony Aarons preached at Mass and Evensong, Sept. 24, 2017

As the first two of our events celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of St. Athanasius, Father Anthony Aarons, TOR, was our preacher at Sunday Mass on September 24th and at Evensong at the Chapel of Mary, Stonehill College
 in North Easton, MA at 4:00 pm that day. This was the twelfth time since 2006 that Father Bradford and the Congregation of Saint Athanasius have co-sponsored a choral evensong at Stonehill College in Easton on or near the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham with Brockton’s Anglican parish.

A native of Jamaica, Father Aarons was an Anglican Priest before being received into the Church. He became a Franciscan and is a member of the Third Order Regular. Father Aarons was one of only 126 Americans selected by Pope Francis to be Missionaries of Mercy during the recent Holy Year of Mercy.

Father Aarons was interviewed the Friday before on our local Catholic TV channel where he discussed his conversion to Catholicism, his friendship with Fr. Bradford, the Congregation of St. Athanasius, and his being appointed a Missionary of Mercy.

You can view the video here:

Fr. Joseph F. Wilson Preached on Friday, September 29 and Sunday, October 1, 2017

The Congregation of Saint Athanasius observed its twentieth anniversary on September 29, 2017, Saint Michael’s Day with Mass is at 7:30 pm.  Fr. Joseph F. Wilson was our preacher at this Saint Michael’s Day Mass, at our Sunday Mass, October 1st, and was our keynote speaker at a catered luncheon following our Sunday Mass.

The luncheon was held at the Putterham Golf Course in Chestnut Hill and catered by Lisa Wisel, a member of St. Lawrence Church.

Fr. Wilson is a friend of our congregation since the months when we were preparing to be received. He is a native New Yorker and canonically resident in the Diocese of Brooklyn for 31 years. He has preached at many retreats and parish missions throughout the country in both Catholic and Anglican churches and has written for Fidelity Magazine, The Wanderer, and The Christian Challenge.

Fr. Wilson wrote a delightful essay about the times he has filled in for Fr. Bradford, “When Fr Bradford goes Away….”

 

Vespers and dinner at St. Benedict Abbey, Sunday, November 12

The abbot of Saint Benedict Abbey in Still River invited us for Vespers and Benediction followed by a dinner in observance of our 20th anniversary. The previous abbot had invited our newly-received congregation for a celebratory dinner twenty years ago on November 16, 1997. (It was snowing that day.)