NewsNovena to the Holy Child17 December 2011 Our Novena to the Holy Chiid in preparation foir Christmas starts today and finishes at midnight Mass on 25th December. Prayers: Hail and blessed be the hour and the moment in which the son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight in Bethlehem. Give us, O Lord, the grace to await with joy the celebration of the glorious day of our Saviour's birth. Clear a pathway in our hearts to make ready for your only Son, so that when he comes we may serve you in sincerity of heart. Hear our prayers during this Novena, and grant our petitions: may we not grow faint on our journey as we wait for your healing presence. We ask this through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and the intercession of His Blessed Mother. Amen.
Antiphone. Emmanuel, our king and law-giver, long awaited Saviour of the nations. In joyful expoectation of your coming, we humble entreat you: come, Lord Jesus, and save us in this present age. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be to...
Let us Pray.
O God, you see your people look forward with faith to the feast of the Lord's birth. Grant that we may feel all the happiness Our Saviour brings and celebrate his birth with glad and solemn rites. Take pity on our distress, O Lord, andd grant us the grace that when Christ comes again we may go out to meet him bearing the harvest of good works achieved by your grace. We ask this through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Petition to Our Lady
This blessing beg, O virgin Queen, from Jesus through His birth, by holy poverty to wean our hearts from things of earth. Amen.
Christmas Greetings02 December 2011
. To all our Benefactors and visitors to our web site we sent our Christmas Greetings. We wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas. From all the staff at St Rita's Promotions
The St Rita Rose28 November 2011 The St Rita Rose 
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” is a quote by William Shakespeare from his play Romeo and Juliet. At Rita’s Centre we have our own rose; a new rose called ‘The St Rita Rose’.
Testimonial "Earlier this year I purchased a St Rita Rose bush for my wife (her name is Rita) as a gift for her feast day. It is flourishing and has been blooming continuously - it is a delightful addition to our small garden. Thank you for bringing it to our attention" (name withheld but kept on file in the office)
The rose has been cultivated and named in honour of this incredible ‘Saint of the Helpless’. The story of St Rita’s life tells us that in January 1457 as Rita lay dying, she asked a relative to bring her a rose from the garden at her old home, a strange request in January. The relative went to the garden and there she found a lone rose in bloom. The rose was soon in Rita’s room, which we are told soon became full of the scent of roses.
On St Rita’s feast day, Sunday 22nd May, there will be Mass followed by the blessing and distribution of roses for the sick at 12noon at St Rita’s Centre, Honiton. Following Mass the new rose will be blessed and planted at the Centre by Fr Gerald Wilson, Vicar Provincial of the Order of Augustinian Recollects. The rose is a beautiful lemon/yellow floribunda chosen because yellow is the symbol of joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, gold and philosophy and is available to anyone from World of Roses £12.95 and for each rose bush sold St Rita’s Centre will receive a £2 donation. To Order a St Rita Rose bush telephone: 08452 606888. Web Site: www.worldofroses.com
Pilgrimage 18th - 22nd June 201208 November 2011 We are taking a pilgrimage to Roccaporena, Cascia and Assisi from Monday 18th June to Friday 22nd June 2012. Two nights stay in Assisi and two nights in Roccopoerna. Cost £665. We fly from Bristol Airport to Pisa. Closing date for depositss of £150 for those who would like to go is 14th Dec.
Open Day at St Rita's Centre05 October 2011
Report
on
Open Day held at St Rita’s Centre
on Wednesday 5th October 2011
We were honoured to welcome the Mayor of Honiton, Councillor Vernon Whitlock to our Open Day and Fr John Deeney who was representing Christopher Budd the RC Bishop of Plymouth and representatives from North Devon Health Care Trust, Youth Workers and leaders of other groups, some of whom have brought groups to St Rita’s Centre in the past for training purposes, meetings or retreats.
The Day began with a cup of coffee and a warm welcome from the organisers of the day, a brief history of St Rita’s and its development into a Retreat & Conference Centre was given by Fr Gerald Wilson O.A.R. Our visitors were then taken on a tour of the building to see the facilities available at St Rita’s for both its residential guests and day visitors. An excellent lunch was served by the staff in the delightfully positioned dining room overlooking the front garden and, after everyone had had enough to eat, they gathered together and offered constructive suggestions to help St Rita’s Centre plan for the future with continued development in mind.
As with most Open Days for any organisation, a lot of time and energy is spent planning and preparing for the day; we sent out over 60 invitations to businesses, schools, 6th form colleges as well as church leaders within the RC Diocese of Plymouth. Although the number attending our Open Day was small it interacted well and gave us a lot to consider as we make plans for the future.
Fr Gabino Areitio O.A.R R.I.P.06 July 2011 RIP - Fr Gabino Areitio O.A.R. died peacefully on Tuesday 5th July 2011 aged 95. His funeral Mass will be in Holy Family Church, Honiton at 10.00am on Monday 11th July. Fr Gabino is on the right in the photo on the right hand side at the top of this page.
Fr Gabino was born on 25th October 1915 in Durango, N Spain. He entered the Augustinian Recollect Novitiate on 4th November 1930 and made his Simple Profession there on 5th November 1931. On 8th August 1938 he made his Solemn Profession in Rome. He moved to England and was ordained on 26th March 1939 in Paignton, Devon. Fr Gabino lived in Ivybridge from 1938 until 1955 when he was sent to Honiton. He lived and worked at Holy Family Parish and St Rita’s Centre until October 2010 when he became too ill to continue. He spent some time in Honiton and the RD&E Hospitals before being transferred to a Nursing Home in Plympton run by the Augustinian Sisters; they looked after him until his death last Tuesday
St Rita's Day 201125 May 2011
May 2011
Dear Friends,
Over 400 people came to St Rita’s Centre to celebrate the feast of St Rita who has followers all over the world; but one person was absent this year: Fr Gabino.
For the past 50 years Fr Gabino has been at every St Rita’s Day Mass, now aged 95, he is unwell and living in a Nursing Home in Plympton and unable to attend this year’s celebration. One of his legacies is the devotion to St Rita that he helped to build up during his 50 years as Director of St Rita’s Promotions and before that with Fr Ernest Fry.
The devotion to St Rita is worldwide and with the help of modern technology it is growing stronger with each passing year.
This year’s feast day was an extra special occasion for us as two of our priests: Fr Gerald Wilson and Fr Carlos were celebrating their Silver Jubilees. The flower arrangers used a silver colour theme running through all the floral arrangements which reflected these jubilees. The music used was a replica of Fr Gerald’s Ordination Mass and the congregation lifted their voices in musical praise making the Mass an exceptional and moving experience. At the end of Mass Fr Gerald blessed all the roses for the sick; he also blessed The St Rita Rose which was planted in the garden at St Rita’s Centre later on that day.
In his homily Fr Gerald said, ‘The more helpless you are, the closer you come to God, because then you will depend more on his help’. He went on to speak about vocations saying that ‘from the moment we come into the world we are all invited to follow the call of Jesus , our vocation in life is often not clear only to be revealed to us gradually over the span of our lives’. Fr Gerald then explained the 9 vocations that St Rita had during her lifetime: daughter, wife, mother, widow, grieving mother, peacemaker, Augustinian Nun, suffering and miracle worker. ‘God’, he said, ‘through her intercession performed many miracles in her lifetime and today she is known as the patron of the helpless cases’.
The staff in St Rita’s Promotions work hard to ensure that the legacy left by Fr Fry and continued by Fr Gabino will continue well on into the future, with your valued help and support, together we will succeed.
Pat Gough
Promotions Administrator
The Year's Novenas05 January 2011 Novena’s throughout the year:
St Joseph – 11th – 19th March November month of the Holy Souls – Mass said daily for all our deceased benefactors. St Joseph is the protector of the Augustinian Recollects. He protects us in the same way that he protected his family. St Rita - Augustinian Nun. Rita was born near Cascia (Italy) around 1380. After tragically losing her husband and two sons she entered the Augustinian Convent in Cascia. Canonised in 1900 and is widely venerated as the Saint of the Helpless. Our Lady of Consolation Tradition says that the holy cincture was given to St Monica (Augustine’s mother) by Our Lady of Consolation. St Monica gave it to her son, Augustine, and so today a black belt is worn by all members of the Augustinian family. Holy Souls The month of November is traditionally set aside for the remembrance of the Holy Souls. A time to allow ourselves time to remember those whom we love and have passed on. St Nicholas of Tolentine, an Augustinian Friar is Patron of the Souls in Purgatory
Holy Child in preparation for Christmas and celebrating the real meaning of Christmas.
For Novena leaflets please contact:
Phone/Fax 01404 42635
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St Rita's Retreat & Conference Centre
Peace and Tranquillity in E. Devon
