A group for young men aged 13 to 18 who are considering the priesthood meets every two months under the direction of the Vocations Director, Fr Paul Grogan, assisted by Fr Dennis Cassidy and Fr Peter Kravos.

Activities include the following: prayer, including The Divine Office and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; outings (recently group members have visited St Cuthbert's College, Ushaw, the Carmel at Wood Hall and St Pio Friary in Bradford); listening to short talks on the Christian life; and social activites.

The group currently has about six members. If you are interested in joining in, please contact Fr Grogan - Tel: 0113 2837199; Email: dolvocs@aol.com.

Our Last Meeting:

On Friday and Saturday 13 and 14 June members of the group went on a mini- pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Mount Grace, Osmotherley. Here one of the members recounts what happened.

The trip began with Fr. Dennis picking up the two of us at Wheeler Hall in Leeds. We met up with Fr. Paul at the Immaculate Heart Church in Leeds and then proceeded to Osmotherley.

Upon arriving we had a short wait before Evening Prayer, followed by a reasonable meal at the hostel. Then we headed into the village for a small social walk; a range of topics were covered in conversation.

The evening ended with Night Prayer. The hostel beds were a challenge to sleep on but nevertheless they were certainly character building.

The next day commenced at seven; a good breakfast was followed by Morning Prayer. After which we left the hostel and headed for the Lady Chapel. Upon reaching the bottom of the hill we had to climb to reach the Lady Chapel we began to say the most holy rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Fr. Paul giving every member of the group the opportunity to lead the prayer, the slow rhythmic action of walking aiding the meditation. Upon reaching the summit Fr. Paul lead the Litany of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus after which we had time for reflection.

Fr. Damian Humphries, a Benedictine priest, then gave us a brief but detailed history of the chapel before we left him behind and descended into the unknown with Fr. Paul leading us successfully to the ruins of a Carthusian monastery. After only a brief time one could appreciate the simplicity and austerity of the Carthusian lifestyle: it appeared to be a tough existence.

After visiting a reconstructed cell, we returned whence we had come. This time, certainly, the walk was more character building: we had to climb to steep hills. We disturbed a few sheep as we cut through their fields in an attempted short cut.

At twelve o clock Fr. Paul and Fr. Dennis celebrated Mass, with Fr Paul being the principal celebrant and wearing a beautiful chasuble borrowed from the Benedictines. After Mass, we proceeded to have a pub lunch and by sheer coincidence bumped into parishioners from St. Austin's, Wakefield, many of whom were glad to see Fr. Dennis, their former curate.

After the meal we returned to Wheeler Hall, after what was a very spiritual and entertaining adventure to Osmotherley.