
Dear Bishop Pat,
First, thank you for your interesting blog. Even if I don’t all the time agree with you in your opinions and theology, your blog is well needed to make the world know about the corruption, abuse and bullying going on the Catholic church. Keep up the good work!
You have earlier mentioned about St. John’s Seminary, Wonersh on your blog. The seminary is due to close in June or July, BUT they are still asking and begging for financial support, both on their website and by snail mail!
The menu on the website has its own tag “Support” when clicking on that there is a heartbreaking story about their chapel
and how much in need of money they are to refurbish that. The same text is written in the snail mail I’ve got a couple of times AFTER they announced they are closing, last time only a couple of weeks ago:

“Around Easter 2019, we launched our Chapel Challenge Appeal, having been overwhelmed by the generosity of so many towards our Seminarians’ Room Refurbishment Appeal the year before. We didn’t want to ‘push our luck’ so-to-speak in asking for more help from already generous donors – so we tried to make it clear that our Chapel Challenge Appeal was not being made to those who had been generous to us already, but rather to those who may have missed our Seminarians’ Room Refurbishment Appeal, and also to the ‘Old Boys’ of Wonersh – whether ordained or not.
While the Chapel is still very much fit for purpose and in daily use, work needs to be done to stabilise the original parquet flooring, to upgrade the heating and lighting, and to improve the sound system – and the Chapel desperately needs redecorating. This involves much more than just a lick of paint. There are many fine features, which have been delicately painted, and which need to remain in such a way, as the Chapel is a Grade II listed building.
Any Chapel Challenge Appeal donations, large or small, will be very gratefully received (cheques payable to: St John’s Seminary). Please send to:
Mgr Gerald Ewing
St John’s Seminary,
Wonersh , Guildford,
Surrey GU5 0QX
(It is also possible to donate by Bank Transfer, and to Gift Aid. You may even like to remember the Seminary in your will. For further details email: rector@wonersh.org )
Support the seminary!
On top on that they actively seek out new donors and contributors, especially “Old Boys of Wonersh – whether ordained or not”. As they state in their appeal:
“… our Chapel Challenge Appeal was not being made to those who had been generous to us already, but rather to those who may have missed our Seminarians’ Room Refurbishment Appeal, and also to the ‘Old Boys’ of Wonersh – whether ordained or not.”
Their earlier “Seminarians’ Room Refurbishment Appeal” which according
to the seminary was a success didn’t benefit the seminarian rooms at all but rather the staffs rooms which were upgraded to fancy apartments and suites. Plus spent on other things benefiting the staff.
And now they are begging for more money.
Knowing how the place works and how they misuse money and treat people I’m disgust and offended by these appeals which in my eyes are scams.
And as a former Wonerhs seminarian I’m deeply offended that they are targeting former students / seminarians, not only on their website but also by appeals by snail mail.
God bless,
PAT SAYS
Its strange if Wonersh is still collecting money if is going to close this June?
The talk was that the bishop/ bishops were goibg to sell the building and land for God knows how many millions?
Here we have another situation which needs transparency.
INTERVIEW OF BILLY MURRAY, LARNE UNDERTAKER.
Billy Murray was a much loved character in Larne.
He and Norman were generous in the extreme to me when my mum Jo died in 2006.
For a joke Billy used to measure me with his eyes and tell me the size of coffin I would be going into.
I told him he might be away before me and he was.
https://vimeo.com/61572587?ref=em-share
*****UPDATE ON WONERSH
Worersh seminary has this morning taken down their website?