Dear Friend,

You will surely agree with me on the necessity of promoting the family as an institution, so badly attacked in our modern world. This implies a renewed understanding of the sacrament of matrimony, upon which the family is grounded. Whether you are married or not, or were married or do intend to remain celibate: reflecting with us on the riches of this sacrament will enable you to appreciate it better, for your own benefit if you are married, or simply to support spouses or prospective spouses among your relatives, friends and colleagues in their beautiful calling. For this reason, I would be very glad if you could attend our session (many different options to participate below).

I assure you of my prayer. Fr de Malleray, FSSP


Please book for your Session at Douai Abbey on 24-26 February on the theme: ‘The beautiful sacrament of Matrimony’.

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Ø  MATRIMONY SESSION: 24-26 February 2012, by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP


Ø  Theme: ‘The beautiful sacrament of matrimony’. Formarried and single lay persons alike.

We will explore the perspective set by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in his Address on 27 January 2007: “the expression "truth of the marriage" loses its existential importance in a cultural context that is marked by relativism and juridical positivism, which regard marriage as a mere social formalization of emotional ties. Consequently, not only is it becoming incidental, as human sentiments can be, but it is also presented as a legal superstructure of the human will that can be arbitrarily manipulated and even deprived of its heterosexual character.

This crisis of the meaning of marriage is also influencing the attitude of many of the faithful. The practical effects of what I have called "the hermeneutic of discontinuity and rupture" with regard to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, is felt especially acutely in the sphere of marriage and the family.

Indeed, it seems to some that the conciliar teaching on marriage, and in particular, the description of this institution as "intima communitas vitae et amoris" [the intimate partnership of life and love] (Gaudium et Spes, n. 48), must lead to a denial of the existence of an indissoluble conjugal bond because this would be a question of an "ideal" to which "normal Christians" cannot be "constrained". [... On the contrary,] marriage has a truth of its own - that is, the human knowledge, illumined by the Word of God, of the sexually different reality of the man and of the woman with their profound needs for complementarity, definitive self-giving and exclusivity - to whose discovery and deepening reason and faith harmoniously contribute.”

Ø  Starts Friday 24th February 5pm (arrival from 4pm) – ends Sunday 26th February 2012 (departure from 4pm).Please note: depending on your working hours and means of transportation, later arrival or earlier departure times should not prevent you from attending. Led by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP.
Ø  Location: Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 5TQ, England. Abbey website:www.douaiabbey.org.uk. Nearest train station (1.2 mile): Midgham (between Reading and Newbury). Taxi, or lift by Guestmaster possible: Tel : 0118 971 5399.

Ø  Schedule: Spiritual conferences, Eucharistic adoration. Meals with music or with table readings. Possibility of attending Holy Mass in the EF each of the three days (i.e. Friday 6pm, Saturday and Sunday). Retreatants not used to silence will have times and areas to talk if they wish. Parents wishing to bring children, please contact us.

Ø  Cost: Substantial discounts granted by Abbey: please contact us if money is an obstacle. Or: £150/person for single room or £120 for shared room, full board, including VAT.

Ø  Booking: please send us a £30 deposit, by cheque made payable to FSSP ENGLAND. You do not need to pay anything further until we meet at the retreat.