Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament

The history of the Church since the Oxford Movement has seen the formation of a number of devotional societies—groups that seek to bring into the Church the fullness of Catholic Faith and Practice by bearing witness to particular doctrines regarded as neglected or misunderstood: the Society of Mary, the Guild of All Souls, the Society of King Charles the Martyr, and the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament. Members of these various societies are pledged to pray daily for the objectives of the society.

The Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament its one of the oldest of these. Founded in England in 1862 with the merger of other similar groups, the Confraternity began work in the United States in 1867. Members of the Confraternity belong to a society reaching from earth to heaven: The objectives of the CBS are to ensure the following:

- That due honor be given to the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament of His Body and Blood.

- Mutual intercession (especially at the Eucharist).

- The observance of the primitive and Catholic rule of receiving the Holy Communion after fasting.

The promotion of these objectives by example and prayer is binding on all associates. There is also prayer for the Reservation of the Blessed Sacrament for communion and devotion, and for the establishment of Mass as the chief service of worship on all Sundays and days of obligation.

The Confraternity also encourages frequent reception of communion, with proper preparation before and thanksgiving afterwards. The Confraternity has supplied Eucharistic vestments and wares to missions throughout the world, and its members pray daily for its intentions, contained in a quarterly Intercession Paper.

Parishioners of St. Paul’s Parish are blessed in that many of the objectives of the Confraternity have been realized here. The Feast of Corpus Christi (the ancient day of thanksgiving for the Holy Sacrament of the Altar on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday) is regarded as a day of obligation. It is observed here, with its Solemnity on the Sunday following the feast day itself.

Contact: Patrick White (202-319-9180 or pjwhiteiv@hotmail.com) or Colin Tooze (703-741-0348), Secretaries of St. Paul's ward of the Confraternity.

Walsingham Cell
The Society of Our Lady of Walsingham consists of pilgrims who support the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham through their daily prayers. Society members undertake to say the Angelus every day as a way of remembering the Shrine in their prayers. In turn, the society is remembered each day in the Shrine Prayers at Walsingham. Local members of the society may affiliate with the Cell of the Holy House of Our Lady of Walsingham and Saint Thomas of Canterbury. The cell sponsors the daily Shrine Prayers (Monday-Saturday at 5:30 PM) at St. Paul's and promotes the observance of the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham in October. The cell also endeavors to keep alive the spirit of pilgrimage between biannual parish pilgrimages to Walsingham. To this end, the cell will sponsor one-day local pilgrimages. Contact: Fr Sloane.