After the seminar for the publication of Dr Hemming's new book, Fr Ignatius Harrison, the Provost of the London Oratory, celebrated a Missa Cantata in the Little Oratory downstairs. The Oratory Choir sang as ever with consummate skill and we were all able to come before the Lord, asking Him to bring us into His presence.
The Mass was for the feast of the Precious Blood. This was the feast day on which I was born. The feast was originally instituted by Blessed Pope Pius IX to the Friday after the 4th Sunday of Lent, then later to the first Sunday in July. (Was that Pius XI or Pius XII? I forget.)Fr Andrew Wadsworth preached an excellent sermon on the Precious Blood which has prompted me to take up Fr Faber's book on the subject and to preach on this theme in the parish this weekend.
(I know that Fr Wadsworth's sermon has been published on the internet but have lost the link. If you can post it in the combox here, I will update the post.)
5 comments:
Nice pics Father...
cool choir dress for those clerics in the sanctuary or are they servers?
They are members of the Confraternity of the Precious Blood, founded by Fr Faber. (They are serving the Mass but are not clerics.)
Father you are right first time. It was Bl Pio Nono. I recently read a sermon somewhere in which the preacher said the feast was kept on 1 July way back in 1855. Pius XI in 1933 made the feast a Double of the 1st Class.
Father, the Archconfraternity was not founded by Fr. Faber, but he obtained permission to erect it in the Oratory Church. It has ceased its general activities, but all the Brothers of the Oratory are automatically members. Its robes are worn by the Brothers instead of the usual Oratorian habit on certain occasions, particularly in processions.
Many thanks indeed for that further information, Cerimoniere.
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