RAF ROMAN CATHOLIC PASTORAL ADVISORY GROUP NEWSLETTER – SPRING 16
From: WgCdr Jeremy Wynne, Acting Chairman RAF Principal RC Chaplain’s PAG
I am delighted to be able to update you on the activities of the RAF Principal Roman Catholic Chaplain’s Pastoral Advisory Group (PAG) since our last newsletter. The PAG exists to foster a sense of fraternity and friendship amongst the serving Catholic members of the RAF, their families and veterans. The PAG also offers advice and practical support to the RAF Principal RC Chaplain, Fr James Caulfield, and to our other RC Chaplains, both in regular service and those officiating chaplains. We do hope that you will be inspired by reading this newsletter to get involved with the PAG. This could be by attending one of our events, or by volunteering to work alongside us as a PAG member. Continue to check the Bishopric Forces website where we will regularly update you with news and reports of our activities.
Thank you for taking the time to read about the RAF RC community and what we hope to achieve in the coming year. If you have any ideas about how and where we can serve you better, please do get in touch.
Kind regards
Jeremy Wynne
DIARY MARKERS
HCPT Pilgrimage to Lourdes
26 Mar – 2 Apr 2016
The RAF Group take a group of children on pilgrimage with the wider HCPT Pilgrimage each year. We are always looking for children to take and for volunteer helpers. To express an interest please contact
59th International Military Pilgrimage to Lourdes 19 – 22 May 2016
By air from Stanstead. This is always a very special occasion with Armed Forces gathering annually from around the world in solidarity and peace.
RAF Retreats
There will, once again, be 2 RAF Retreats in 2016 These are amazingly powerful experiences. Please read an account from someone who attended last year’s retreat at Worth Abbey later in this newsletter and be inspired to join us this year.
13 – 16 Jun 2016 at Belmont Abbey, Herefordshire
3 – 6 Oct 2016 at Worth Abbey, West Sussex
These retreats are open to all Regular and Reserve Armed Forces personnel and MOD civilians. DIN reference: 2015DIN01-236 provides more info or contact to express your interest.
World Youth Day – Armed Forces RC Pilgrimage to WYD16
From 22 Jul – 1 Aug 2016 you are invited to join the RAF contingent in travelling to Krakow in Poland to join the Holy Father, Pope Francis, for this global gathering of the youth. There will be the opportunity for Force Development visits to important WW2 sites. For more information refer to 2015DIN01-190.
Remembrance Mass at Westminster RC Cathedral at 1030 on Sunday 13 Nov 2016
Each year a group of RAF personnel attend this Remembrance Mass at Westminster Cathedral in uniform. Afterwards there is a moving wreath laying ceremony at the RAF Memorial at Runneymede.
Mass at the RAF Church, St Clement Danes
And don’t forget that Mass is said at the RAF Church on the Strand in Central London on the first Tuesday of every month. Whether you are visiting London or based there, you will be very welcome. For more information and to confirm timings please visit
A personal account of the
2015 Worth Abbey Retreat by
Flt Lt Wendy Vaughan
Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ
From the rule of St Benedict, Chapter 53
The Benedictine Monastery at Worth is set in the beautiful West Sussex countryside. 22 monks live there who follow the life-giving guidance of the rule of St Benedict, a Christian saint who wrote his precepts in the 6th century. Living in an open cloister enables visitors to attend any or all of the 6 services held every day from morning prayer to compline. Luckily for us, some of these traditions also include hospitality, education, and the lay participation in monastic life. Many differing retreat programmes are held throughout the year, including the annual RAF Retreat that I was lucky enough to attend.
If you have never been fortunate enough to have had the time to go on retreat, let me dispel some of the common misgivings that you may have.
Firstly, you do not have to be a Roman Catholic, or indeed particularly religious to attend. I was pleased to discover, rather than bursting into flames during Mass, I was invited to receive a blessing instead of taking communion. One of my own misgivings was that, as I am not Roman Catholic, would I inadvertently offend not knowing their traditions and, furthermore, would I feel comfortable being there, not fully understanding Catholicism or even wider religious subjects?
Secondly, I had some reservations initially as to whether I would be lectured or preached at by the monks, would I feel they were able to relate to a modern day lifestyle of convenience and freedom?
However, as this was my third retreat, I can safely say that the Benedictine brothers and sisters who I have had the pleasure to meet are the most welcoming, kind, humble and understanding people I have ever met, and there was certainly no preaching or judgement. They were all much more worldly-wise than perhaps I would given them credit for prior to attending my first retreat. Most, if not all, have lived and worked abroad in communities carrying out missionary work in poor and remote areas, and understand the pressures of modern life. This is epitomized by the Abbot, Christopher Jamieson who has written 2 books called, ‘Finding Sanctuary’ and ‘Finding Happiness’ and indeed worked as a teacher for 25 years before his calling to the priesthood.
And really, their lifestyle, is their choice, as much as ours is our choice. The monks wake up every day choosing the monastic life, there is no obligation to remain in the community. The format of the retreat itself is based around the monastic schedule; you are invited to join in on all times of prayer and reflection but nothing is mandatory.
Thirdly, how could a retreat help me? Why should I make time for this in my busy life? If you always feel too busy to do everything you want to do, this is exactly why going on retreat could provide you with the answers to whatever questions you may be asking of yourself at any time.
A good start is to have an open mind about a retreat. If you attend with at least that, there is no doubt you would leave with a lot more.