Forming deacons for the archdioceses of Southwark, Westminster and Cardiff, dioceses of Arundel and Brighton, Brentwood and East Anglia, and the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.
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Formation Day brought forward a week
Due to the restrictions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic it has proved impractical to go ahead with the Residential Weekends held at High Leigh as part of the Formation Programme. Alternative arrangements are being made and will be shown on the Formation Programme page of the website as they organised.
It is with great sadness that we note that St John's Seminary at Wonersh is to close it's doors after the 2020/21 academic year. As well as forming priests for 130 years, Wonersh has been the home of the Southern group of formation. for the Permanent Diaconate since its restoration and hundred's of deacons for Southwark, Westminster, Arundel & Brighton, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Brentwood, Cardiff, Northampton and East Anglia diocese (at least) and the Ordinariate have been formed there and will remember it with affection. The current programme is based at the moment at St Mary's University campus and would had been expected to return to Wonersh In September 2021.
Due to the unavailability of St John's Seminary until at least January 2021 it has been decided to relocate all Formation Days for the 2020/21 year to the Strawberry Hill Campus of St Mary's University, Twickenham TW1 4SX. There is no change at present to the dates of the Formation Days as previously published. The two Residential Weekends should still take place as usual at High Leigh.
A contingency plan for the disruption of the Formation Programme due to the Coronavirus (Covid19) has been added to the Resources Page. This will be updated at the situation develops. As at 15 March all planned events are ON.
The full programme for the Formation Day on 7 September 2019 is now available for download from the Resources page
The draft programme for the 2019/20 year, listing all the sessions for each Formation Day and Residential Weekend is on the Resources Page of the website and via the link on the Formation Programme page. It is available for download from either location. Minor updates may be added to this programme in the next few weeks.
The dates for the Formation Programme for 2020-21 have now been agreed with our hosts and are available for download on the Resources page of the website.
Six students from the Southwark Archdiocese received minor ministries from Bishop Patrick Lynch, Auxiliary Bishop for S E London, at St Edmunds Church, Beckenham on 22nd June. David Daly, Sandy Misquitta and David Silk (front row of photo) received the Ministry of Acolyte whilst Ray Williamson, Con Diver and John Fogarty received the Ministry of Lector.
Due to the restrictions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic it has proved impractical to go ahead with the Residential Weekends held at High Leigh as part of the Formation Programme. Alternative arrangements are being made and will be shown on the Formation Programme page of the website as they organised.
Shared Formation Event
2022
Induction day (and 2022/23 formation day 11)
11 June
Formation day 1
10 Sept
Formation day 2 and Aspirants day 1
24 Sept
Formation day 3 and Wives day 1
15 Oct
Formation day 4
Formation Day 5 and Aspirants day 2
Residential Weekend, High Leigh
29 Oct
19 Nov
9 to 11 Dec
2023
Formation Day 6
Formation Day 7 and Aspirants day 1
Residential Weekend, High Leigh
Formation Day 8 and Wives Day 2
Formation Day 9 and Aspirants Day 4
Retreat 1st/2nd years
Formation Day 10
Pre-ordination retreat 3rd years, Douai Abbey (tbc)
Formation Day 11 (with Induction for 2023/24)
14 Jan
4 Feb
17 to 19
Feb
11 Mar
15 Apr
21 to 23
Apr
13 May
21 to 26
May
10 June