Pastoral Letters

Fr Tom Thomas IC

Apostolic Administrator of the Falkland Islands and Superior of the Ecclesiastical Mission to St. Helena, Tristan Da Cunha and Ascension Island

Pastoral Letter for the Fourth Sunday of Lent 2025

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

My warmest wishes to you all on this fourth Sunday of Lent. I hope that you are all well. I look forward to seeing you all at some point this year.

We are already half way through our Lenten pilgrimage as pilgrims of hope in this year of Jubilee. The focus of our Lenten journey is conversion. As mortals we are reminded of the passage of time, seasons and our own passage from this World to the realm of God. On Ash Wednesday we were reminded once again that we are dust unto dust we shall return (Gen 3:19). But this reality of our mortality should not frighten us but rather enlighten us to know that we have a God on our side who has become one like us in everything except sin. In his infinite mercy he died for our sins and that we can share in his resurrection.

On the First Sunday of Lent we journeyed with Jesus into the wilderness full of the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. The temptation Jesus had in life is the result of his decision to carry out the mission entrusted to him by the Father to live to the very end his reality as ‘the beloved son’ who trusts totally in the Father. Jesus’ incarnation is to free us from sin and from the ambiguous fascination of planning our life leaving God out. Jesus fought the devil himself until its head is crushed at the food of the Cross. We can all identify with moments in our lives where we enter a ‘wilderness’, a place where we lack spiritual consolation. For because ‘we walk by faith, not be sight’, we perceive God as ‘in a mirror, dimly’ and only ‘part…our experience of evil and suffering, injustice, and death, seem to contradict the good news; they can shake our faith and become a temptation against it. (CCC 164)

When our faith is shaken, and we are vulnerable we can be tempted to begin to believe that we are alone and that we are not loved. As Christians we know that this can never be true for we are never alone and we are always loved. The reflection on this Sunday’s gospel shows the everlasting love of the father. To experience the Father’s Love, we need to give into his Love.

I would like to ask you three questions; What do you do with your hunger? Who do you worship? and What do you do with power? These three questions might help you to focus more on the question God puts to Adam; Where are you? (Gen 3:9). Lent is a pilgrimage to the origins! The perennial temptation of many of us: leave it until later. Not now; there is plenty of time later. Tomorrow, the mystical land, where 99% of human productivity, motivation and achievement is stored.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes metanoia like this: it involves a radical reorientation of our whole life.  A return, a conversion to God with all our heart. An end of sin, a turning away from evil. A desire and resolution to change one’s life, with hope in God’s mercy and trust in the help of his grace.

Bishop Robert Barren says this: “Christianity is above all, a way of seeing. Everything else in Christian life flows from and circles around the transformation of vision”. Conversion is a transformation of vision. A new of seeing, relating and living life. Conversion is not preserving one from problems and misfortunes, but allows one to face them in a different “way”.

I pray for all of you and invite you to journey with Mary our Mother who followed her son Jesus during his final journey to accomplish the mission entrusted to him. Let us also like our Saviour make our journey in hope and faith for the good of the Church and the World. We shall hear the invitation: “well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have shown you are trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness”. Blessed Lent.

With every blessing

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Tom Thomas IC

Apostolic Administrator

Fr Tom Thomas IC

Apostolic Administrator of the Falkland Islands and Superior of the Ecclesiastical Mission to St. Helena, Tristan Da Cunha and Ascension Island

Pastoral Letter for Advent 2024

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

My warmest greetings to all. I had the privilege to meet Fr. Ambrose and the parishioners in mid-November at Stanley, my first pastoral visit. I had a rewarding and useful time. It was a pilgrimage.

I am sure that we are all aware of the passage of seasons and times. I thought of writing this letter to you to invite you to prepare well for Christmas this year. We are in the Liturgical Year C and Sunday readings are from the Gospel of Luke most Sundays with a few exceptions. We have this year the introduction of the new Lectionary for our Scripture readings. The Lectionary is a book contains readings for Mass (Sundays and Weekdays), for Saints and Sacraments, and other occasions, such as funerals. The new edition of the Lectionary for Mass (Ordo Lectionum Missae) is from the English Standard Version – Catholic Edition of the Bible confirmed by the Apostolic See in 2023 comes to use on the First Sunday of Advent 2024. I hope and pray that the new translation of the Lectionary will help us to deepen our love for God’s Word and the effective proclamation of the Word of God. Hence our special veneration of the Word of God, are to be liturgical action, truly signs and symbols of higher realities and hence should be truly worthy, dignified, and beautiful.

The Church has just concluded the synod on Synodality. It was a time to renew and transform the way the Church gathers to listen, discern and respond individually and collectively to the will of God in our times. The synod on synodality is of particular importance to our local parish communities too. We must all ask: How is this “journeying together” happening today in our Local Church? To listen, as the entire People of God, to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church. How – by listening together to the Word of God in scripture and the living Tradition of the Church, and then listening to one another, especially those at the margins, discerning the signs of the times. It is of greater importance in our own local communities to start this process of listening and discerning the will of God and work together for the good of our communities. I hope that you will work in collaboration with your priest for the well-being of the community and for your personal spiritual well-being.

Pope Francis will declare this liturgical year as the Year of Jubilee 2025 with the opening of the Holy Door of the St. Peter’s Basilica on the 24 of December 2024 in Rome and the Jubilee Year will formally conclude in Rome on the Solemnity of Epiphany, 6 January 2026. The theme is “Pilgrims of Hope”. A Jubilee year happens in every 25 years. The first Jubilee was declared by Pope Boniface VIII on 22nd February 1300 to mark the beginning of that century. He later recommended it occurring every 100 years. Pope St. Paul Il set the present 25-year interval in the 1500s and an “extraordinary” Jubilee Year is proclaimed for very special reason.

The logo of the Jubilee Year 2025, which it says, depicts humanity coming from the four corners of the Earth in the act of clinging to the Cross. It will be year of hope for a world suffering the impacts of war, the ongoing effects of COVID-19 and a climate crisis. Every Jubilee Year is indeed a time of conversion and emphasis on God’s mercy and forgiveness of sins, Jubilees begin with the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica. Holy Doors at each of the four papal basilicas in Rome are destination points for pilgrims, who pass through seeking special graces. In his letter of the Holy Father for the Jubilee 2025 invites all of us to study the key documents of the Second Vatican Council: Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy, Dogmatic Constitution of the Church, Dogmatic constitution of the Divine Revelation and the Pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world. Holy Father believes that this study will provide direction and guidance to us, so that it can press forward in its mission of bringing the joyful proclamation of the Gospel to everyone.

Pope Francis continues: “we are pilgrims because we have been called: called to love God and to love one another. Our pilgrimage on this earth is far from a pointless journey or aimless wandering; on the contrary, each day, by responding to God’s call, we try every step needed to advance towards a new world where people can live in peace, justice and love. We are pilgrims of hope because we are pressing forward a better future, committed at every step to bringing it about. This is the end, the goal of every vocation: to become men and women of hope. As individuals and as communities, amid the variety of charisms and ministries, all of us are called to embody and communicate the Gospel message of hope in a world marked by epochal challenges.”

It is therefore, important for us to prepare ourselves as a pilgrim community to celebrate the Jubilee Year in the best way possible. I encourage all of you to read the Church’s documents recommended by the Holy Father for our consideration, the Word of God and other materials that will come out during the Jubilee Year. It will all help us enormously to deepen our faith in the Lord. May this time of advent in preparation for Christmas be a time of giving and sharing. God the Father has given us His Son Jesus as a brother showing us the way and by sharing his life made us partakers of eternal life. Let us adore the humble Child of Bethlehem! Let us also worthily wait for His glorious second coming! Stay awake at all times!

May God blesses always and keep us safe.

Fr. Tom Thomas IC

Apostolic Administrator

The Apostolic Prefecture of the Falkland Islands and the Ecclesiastical Mission to St. Helena, Tristan Da Cunha and Ascension Island

Press Release: Appointment of a new Apostolic Administrator

The Dicastery for Evangelisation has appointed Father Tom Thomas IC as Apostolic Administrator of the Prefecture of the Falkland Islands. 

Father Thomas, a priest of the Rosminian order serving as Rector and Parish Priest of St Etheldreda’s, Ely Place, in central London, takes over as Apostolic Administrator of the Prefecture whilst continuing his work in the parish. 

In addition to his appointment as Apostolic Administrator of the Falkland Islands, Father Thomas will also serve as Ecclesiastical Superior of the Missions for the South Atlantic islands of Ascension, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha for a period of five years. 

Fr Thomas said: 

I am humbled to have been asked to serve the faithful in the Falkland Islands, as well as those of Ascension, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha, and thank my superiors for the trust they have placed in me. I hope to visit and work with the faithful and priests in the Falkland Islands in the near future, as well as continuing to work at St Etheldreda’s church in London.

Father Thomas succeeds Abbot Hugh Allan, OPraem who has completed his mandate from the Dicastery. 

Biography 

Father Tom Thomas was born into a Catholic family in Kerala, India, on 12 January 1972. He was educated in the country from school to university and graduated with a BA in English Literature, Psychology and Sociology from Bangalore University in 1996. 

He spent two years with the Claretian Fathers, before joining the Institute of Charity – the Rosminians – in 2000. Following a two-year Novitiate, he completed his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Lateran University, before being awarded a postgraduate diploma in pastoral ministry by Dublin City University. In the west of Ireland, he trained for pastoral ministry in healthcare, obtaining a Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) qualification from Cork University Hospital. 

On 29 August 2007, he made his Solemn Profession for the Rosminians, and a month later was ordained Deacon by Bishop John Arnold in Coimbatore, India. On 26 May 2008, he was Ordained Priest by the Bishop of Pala, Mar. Joseph Kallarangatt. 

Following his ordination, Fr Thomas worked as the assistant Novice Master and administrator of the Noviciate in Coimbatore, before being invited by the Provincial of the Rosminians in England and Wales, in 2010, to serve in the UK. 

Fr Thomas is a British citizen and has served the dioceses of England and Wales in a number of capacities working as a priest or assistant priest in Cardiff, Rugby, Nottingham, and London. 

He is currently Rector and Parish Priest of St Etheldreda’s Church, Ely Place, London. 

Fr Thomas speaks English, Italian, Malayalam and Hindi, and has a working knowledge of Latin, Hebrew and Greek. His hobbies include reading, gardening, music and travel. 

Abbot Hugh Allan, O.Praem.

Apostolic Administrator of the Falkland Islands and Superior of the Ecclesiastical Mission to St. Helena, Tristan Da Cunha and Ascension Island

A New Apostolic Administrator

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In October 2016, I was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Falkland Island and Superior of the Mission sui juris of St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha for a term of five years. It has been a privilege to serve for some extra time and I have loved my eight years of ministry in the South Atlantic.

Now, the Holy Father has appointed a new priest to look after this mission. Fr Pattasseril Tom Thomas is a Rosminian priest and comes to you with a wealth of talents and experience. He is parish priest of St Etheldreda’s, Ely Place in central London and he will continue in that role as well as being your new apostolic administrator. Please pray for him and support him.

Your new pastor will need your support, your love and your prayers. I know you will welcome him with open hearts. He is blessed to be given this task.

It has been an incredible honour to visit the islands and to be welcomed so whole heartedly into your community, your families and your homes. To witness the gospel of Christ lived out in the islands has been a wonderful experience, and it has been a humbling and beautiful gift to share in your lives. Your Christian witness will stay with me always.

Sometimes, on my journeys to visit you all, I would meet people who would say things like “why travel such long distances for so few people?” They seemed to think it was a waste of time. How completely wrong those voices are. Every soul is a precious and beautiful gift from God, and it has been a privilege to travel the long distances, remembering the words of the gospel “that every hair on your head is counted.” God loves you and wants you know his saving love. That is the message of Christ, and it is the true mission of the Church, to bring the message of the salvation of souls to every corner of the world.

My heartfelt thanks to Fr David and Fr Ambrose for being such great pastors and serving you with great dedication and compassion. It has been a joy to serve with them both.

Please forgive me any time I failed you in this ministry or not been the pastor you needed. You have always been very patient with me, and I am grateful for that kindness. Above all, please accept my thanks for giving me the gift of being your brother in Christ.

Finally, my thanks to the Holy Father for allowing me to serve you all for these eight years. As your new pastor takes up his task, I entrust him and you all to the loving and joyful heart of the patroness of the Prefecture and Mission, Our Lady, Star of the Sea.

You will all be in my prayers, every day. Please pray for me too.

Your brother in Christ,

+Hugh o. praem.

Abbot Hugh Allan, o.praem.

Abbot Hugh Allan, O.Praem.

Apostolic Administrator of the Falkland Islands and Superior of the Ecclesiastical Mission to St. Helena, Tristan Da Cunha and Ascension Island

Pastoral Letter for Easter 2024

 Dear friends in Christ, 

For us Christians, Holy Week, which culminates in the joy of Easter, is the most sacred time of year. It is a time to reflect on what the “good news” of the Gospel really means. 

The joy of Christian life begins at Christmas, but it comes to fruition on the other side of Calvary. No matter how intelligent or talented or privileged we might be, none of us can avoid the sufferings that go with the fabric of daily life. What we do with those sufferings determines the course of our lives. We can allow them to break us, or to break us open to become something greater than our old selves. To allow the power and wonder of the resurrection to help us rise from sorrow. 

St. John Paul II once described the Bible as “God’s great book about suffering.” He meant that Scripture is the story of God’s willingness to suffer for humanity, and his call to each of us to join our own struggles to his in healing the evil and pain in the world. Real joy, enduring joy comes from our solidarity with others. As Christians, we never run away from problems, but embrace the difficulties of life so that we also know the joy of the Resurrection and the new life it brings. 

The cross is the way Jesus accomplishes our redemption. Only by sharing that experience with him can we rise with him on at Easter. In other words, there’s no resurrection without the crucifixion. 

In offering God the personal sorrows and sufferings which each of us daily face, and in working to ease the sorrows and suffering of others, we join ourselves to Jesus, in his death and in his resurrection. We share in his sacrifice for the world … but we also share in the reward, for he draws us with him out of death into new life on this Easter day. 

When we speak about the Gospel message of joy and hope, this is what we mean: the joy of restored life; and our confidence that even in dying, we will live forever in the Lord. Alleluia! 

Jesus Christ is our deliverer – Jesus Christ is Lord. May his peace fill all of us throughout the Easter season. I hope you all have a wonderful Easter. The fasting of Lent is over (alleluia!) and so now we can celebrate and rejoice. Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia. 

With my love, prayers and every blessing, 

+Hugh o. praem.

Abbot Hugh Allan, o.praem.

Abbot Hugh Allan, O.Praem.

Apostolic Administrator of the Falkland Islands and Superior of the Ecclesiastical Mission to St. Helena, Tristan Da Cunha and Ascension Island

Pastoral Letter for Christmas 2023

Dear friends in Christ, 

When I was a school chaplain, I remember speaking to a class in Year 11 (around 15 years old) about the concept of responsibility. It was a something they seemed to really struggle with. That was until I talked about having a baby, and how life changes completely for a parent when they have someone they are completely responsible for. It was only then they seemed to understand the importance of sacrifice and responsibility. Clarity came to them when we talked about it all in terms of a baby. 

It is part of the wisdom and wonder of God that He comes to us as a fragile, beautiful baby that needs to be cared for and loved. With a baby, there comes a clarity in our eyes to live up to this new gift, and to take to heart the importance of giving everything to the smiling face we see in the crib. In looking into the Crib, we can all be given the gift of clearly knowing that God, who created all things and knows all things, loves us with a love beyond our comprehension. That He, who is all powerful, becomes a fragile little baby shows the depth of His love for us and His desire for us to get to our true home in heaven. 

Our response to this love should be to live the fullness of our Christian faith; to live the truth of Christ, who is the same today as He was yesterday and as He will be forever (Hebrews 13.8). In a world of turmoil and change, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Whatever confusion and chaos the times we live in can cause in our hearts, do not be afraid. Remain constant to Christ. St Augustine reminds us of that essential truth, “God created us to make the times we live in, not the times to make us.” 

The timeless and unchanging truth of Jesus Christ we see in the crib at Bethlehem. This Christmas, may it stir in all our hearts a clarity of vision so that we can see our responsibility to become more like Christ every day. If we want the world and the Church to become a better place, then we need to become better people. This means embracing the importance of conforming our lives to the loving and vulnerable baby at Bethlehem. Look into the crib and clearly see the joyful love of God come down from heaven to set us free from turmoil and chaos. He wants our hearts to rest in the clarity of His unending love. In the words of the “motto” I took when I became Apostolic Administrator seven years ago, “the purpose of our Faith is the salvation of souls” (1 Peter 1.9). This is the truth we see so clearly in babe at Bethlehem. 

May this Christmas be filled with joy, happiness and, I hope, laughter in your homes. Despite the problems and difficulties we face, never let go of the joy that comes from being loved by God – and the knowledge that to Him we are indeed lovable. 

And may 2024 truly be a year of grace for you and all those you love. 

Be assured of my prayers and my hope to see you again very soon. Please pray for me! 

+Hugh o. praem.

Abbot Hugh Allan, o.praem.

Abbot Hugh Allan, O.Praem.

Apostolic Administrator of the Falkland Islands and Superior of the Ecclesiastical Mission to St. Helena, Tristan Da Cunha and Ascension Island

Pastoral Letter for Easter 2023

Dear friends in Christ,

“Surrexit Christus, spes mea” – “Christ, my hope, has risen” (from the Easter Sequence)

These are the words which the ancient hymn puts on the lips of Mary Magdalene, the first to encounter the risen Jesus on Easter morning. She ran to the other disciples and breathlessly announced: “I have seen the Lord!” (Jn 20:18). We too, who have journeyed through the desert of Lent and the sorrowful days of the Passion, at Easter rise the cry of victory: “He has risen! He has truly risen!”

Every Christian relives the experience of Mary Magdalene. It involves an encounter which changes our lives: the encounter with a unique Man who lets us experience all God’s goodness and truth, who frees us from evil not in a superficial and fleeting way, but sets us free radically, heals us completely and restores our dignity. This is why Mary Magdalene calls Jesus “my hope”: he was the one who allowed her to be reborn, who gave her a new future, a life of goodness and freedom from evil. “Christ my hope” means that all my yearnings for goodness find in him a real possibility of fulfilment: with him I can hope for a life that is good, full and eternal, for God himself has drawn near to us, even sharing our humanity.

If Jesus is risen, then – and only then – has something truly new happened, something that changes the state of humanity and the world. Then he, Jesus, is someone in whom we can put absolute trust; we can put our trust not only in his message but in Jesus himself, for the Risen One does not belong to the past, but is present today, alive.

May we all remember that life is worth living and we should live the fullness of our Catholic faith. Remember that the resurrection is the guarantee of the truth of our Faith. With that in our hearts, embrace the challenge to live the beauty of holiness in following the teachings the Christ. Not just the ones we may find comforting and easy, but more importantly the ones which challenge us and help us to live as saints.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter. The fasting of Lent is over (alleluia!) and so now we can celebrate and rejoice. Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

With my love, prayers and every blessing,

+Hugh o. praem.

Abbot Hugh Allan, o.praem.

Abbot Hugh Allan, O.Praem.

Apostolic Administrator of the Falkland Islands and Superior of the Ecclesiastical Mission to St. Helena, Tristan Da Cunha and Ascension Island

Pope Benedict XVI RIP

Dear friends in Christ.

When I was a novice, I remember a religious sister telling me that Pope Paul VI was “her” Pope. He was the Pope she connected to the most and loved. It always puzzled me as a comment since the Pope is the pope is the pope! That was until the pontificate of Pope Benedict; then I understood her sentiments.

When he appeared on the balcony of St Peter’s, it was like a miracle. After the death of St John Paul, there was a deep anxiety and worry about who would come next. After St John Paul’s long tenure as Pope, who would the Cardinals elect to follow in the shoes of the fisherman? Who could possibly serve as the next Pope? Well, they chose a humble worker in the Lord’s vineyard. A great and good man. Someone who had faithfully served the Church for so many years.

Reading the works of Pope Benedict, there was always one overwhelming thought that would come to my mind, that this was someone who genuinely believed. As we hear in the gospel of St John, “This is the work of God, to believe in the one whom he has sent” (John 6.29). Pope Benedict truly did the work of God. He believed and he passed on that sense of belief in the Lord.

This was the overriding theme of the life and pontificate of Pope Benedict – he always pointed to Christ. There was no confusion, no chaos, just his clear and beautiful proclamation of Jesus Christ as our Lord and God. Even his resignation was, in a sense, his last act of pointing always to Christ.

Whether someone agrees with his choice or not, it took great humility to recognise that this is what he felt the Lord calling him to do.

As we mourn the death of our Pope Emeritus, a great man, a great theologian and a great Christian, we remember above all that he was the servant of the servants; that he gave his life in helping others come to know the one who loves us with a love beyond comprehension. He was, to the end, a true servant of our saviour, Jesus Christ.

Please pray for his soul as he goes from this life to eternal life. Pope Benedict was baptised in the Easter waters on Holy Saturday. May the Lord, who is the resurrection and the life, lead him to eternal rest and peace.

On a personal note, in echoing the words of that religious sister, Pope Benedict was “my” Pope and today, not only has the world seen the passing of a great man, but this poor sinner mourns the death of someone I loved very much.

With the assurance of my prayers and every blessing.

Abbot Hugh Allan, o.praem.

Abbot Hugh Allan, O.Praem.

Apostolic Administrator of the Falkland Islands and Superior of the Ecclesiastical Mission to St. Helena, Tristan Da Cunha and Ascension Island

Pastoral Letter for Christmas 2022

Dear friends in Christ.

A few years ago, I heard about a teacher who went to Russia after the fall of communism. She was sent to an orphanage outside Moscow. She was there from September to March and as they approached Christmas, she realised these children had never heard of Christmas. Under the communist regime, the celebration of Christmas had been banned and these orphans had never been taught about the joy of Christmas. So, she spent a few lessons telling them the Christmas story. The children loved it. They could not hear enough and were so excited to hear about the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the stable, the star, the three kings and so on.

After speaking to them all, she asked them to draw the nativity scene. She said it was amazing how close the pictures the children drew resembled what we know of as the stable at Bethlehem, except for one boy. He drew a picture of the stable, the crib, the animals, but there were two babies in the crib! The teacher panicked and thought she had got something wrong in telling the story. She sat the orphan boy down and asked him about the picture. She said, “you do know that Mary only had one baby?” Yes, said the boy. “But then why have you drawn two babies?” asked the teacher. “Well,” said the orphan boy, “you said that we all have a home in the holy family at Bethlehem; I don’t have a family and I thought Jesus wouldn’t mind me sharing his crib.”

The joy and hope of that child, after hearing about the wonder of Christmas, is a joy and hope we should all keep in our hearts as we celebrate the birth of our saviour, Jesus Christ. It is the truth of our Christian faith that our saviour is true God and true man. In coming to be one with us, he makes a home for us, and we belong to a family, the holy family of Bethlehem.

It is a truth that brings us joy and hope. Even in the midst of the difficulties of life, there is always a place where we truly belong, where we can be at home. It is the place where Christ dwells amongst us; no longer in the crib, but in the tabernacle, in our churches. He longs for us to be with him, to spend time with him. To simply dwell with him, as he comes to dwell amongst us.

As we move from 2022 into 2023, make a new year resolution – no not to lose weight or be more healthy, as good as those things as. Make a new year resolution to spend time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Make time to go into church, even if it just five minutes in your day, and spend time with the Lord. It is the greatest gift that God has given us; the abiding presence of his son in the most holy eucharist. Knowing that we can simply open the church door and he is there – that should take our breath away! Never take it for granted. Remember what a beautiful and precious gift we have been given that we can spend time with the Lord. Not in the small confines of the crib, but in our beautiful churches and truly feel the warmth of his abiding presence. He makes his home with us; please never forget what an awesome gift we have been given.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a truly blessed New Year. May the Lord of all things, bless the year ahead and fill 2023 with joy, hope and love.

I will offer Mass for you all on Christmas day and entrust you the babe of Bethlehem. May you always make space for him in your homes, as he welcomes you into his family, the Church, which he gave to us to help us get home to him in heaven.

Hopefully, God willing, I will get to visit you all 2023.

Please pray for me!

With the assurance of prayers and every blessing,

+Hugh o. praem.

Abbot Hugh Allan, o.praem.

Abbot Hugh Allan, O.Praem.

Apostolic Administrator of the Falkland Islands and Superior of the Ecclesiastical Mission to St. Helena, Tristan Da Cunha and Ascension Island

Pastoral Letter on the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II RIP

Dear friends in Christ, 

Her Majesty the Queen was an unfailing example of Christian duty, service and perseverance. As a monarch, she served with all her heart and gave her whole life in service to her people. As we pray for her soul, we thank God today for her long and happy reign. 

We remember, as well, that she always lived her faith in Jesus Christ. As she said in her Christmas message in 2014:

For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people, of whatever faith or none.

May we all live that same Christian life of selfless dedication and service. 

After vespers this evening, my monastic community prayed for the Queen and it seemed right to sing, “God save the Queen”. Now we know for the last time. We pray that she goes now from a corruptible crown to an incorruptible crown, in God’s mercy. May she rest in peace. 

We also pray for her family and for all those who will mourn her passing to eternal life. For us, she was our Queen; for her family, she was a mother, grandmother and great grandmother. May they be consoled by the love of Jesus Christ. 

We pray especially for King Charles III. May the good Lord endow many blessings upon him and grant him the graces he needs in the years ahead. 

For her late Majesty, the Queen, we pray eternal rest. 

We also say with great faith, God save the King. 

With the assurance of prayers and every blessing, 

+Hugh o. praem.

Abbot Hugh Allan, o.praem.