On Thursday 21 November a group of around 50 priests celebrating 40, 50, or 60 years of priestly ordination (plus one permanent deacon ordained 40 years) joined the college community for a thanksgiving Mass and a festal supper. Vincent Cardinal Nichols, who will celebrate 50 years a priest in December 2019, presided at Mass and reminded us all to look for the “unseen” as well as the “seen” in our pastoral ministry.

The Cardinal preached powerfully, and with an eye on eternity

At the end of Mass we all turned to the Martyrs Painting and sang a Te Deum – as had been done by the seminarians during the days of the martyrs when news reached the college of the death of one of their number – in thanksgiving to God for the service of all these priests.

Drinks and supper followed Mass and as always this was a great opportunity for the seminarians to get to know some of the more experienced priests of their dioceses and beyond (and for several of us to say hello to current or former parish priests!). During his post-dinner speech, Fr Rector noted that both the seminarians and the jubilarians were looking at each other thinking the same thing: that’s the future! Ad multos annos!

A lovely VEC dinner was shared by everyone

“That’s the Future”