We did manage to visit Beachy Head yesterday on the way over to Shoreham-on-Sea. It was a good blustery English summer's day which added to the experience of walking near the edge of the highest coastal chalk cliff in Britain. Above is one of the photos I took. I might get a chance to stitch together a YouTube video about the site.Fr Sean Finnegan (of the Valle Adurni blog) was, as ever, a magnificent host, not only setting us up for our Masses but also giving us an excellent lunch. He has posted an amusing lament on the subject of his Church: Oh Lord! A prayer.
Today, we took the train to Lewes to visit Fr Richard Biggerstaff at the parish of St Pancras. Fr Jonathan Martin is staying with him during the summer. Below, you can see the fine Church; thankfully, the Ditchling altar has survived various phases of "re-ordering".
I realised today that I love serving Mass in the usus antiquior as well as saying it. I served Fr Briggs' Mass after saying my own and tried to remember what my own altar servers have learnt. I don't think I made too many mistakes.This evening, Fr Ray Blake joined us at Eastbourne for dinner - Frs Biggerstaff and Finnegan were busy with parish commitments. Thanks to the fine weather today, we were able to take coffee and a digestivo outside on the terrace while discussing various interesting items of news that are breaking over the summer.
7 comments:
Just arrived home, thankyou for an excellent dinner and amusing conversation.
Glad you are enjoying Eastbourne Father. I was going to ask where you are staying so I could walk along the sea front and wave to you - but realised this sounded a bit intrusive. Do hope you enjoy the rest of your stay. Have a little walk East of the Pier as well - it's quite different from the 'posh end'!
Reverend and Dear Father,
Greetings to you in the Sacred and Immaculate Heart
I too have been privalaged with serving Mass in the Extra-ordinary Form.
Truly,in the words of dear Saint Thomas More in response to the tauntings of a then minister of state, of the occasion of the King finding out that his Lord Chancellor was serving Mass;
' My lord, the King cannot be offended with me for the service that I render to his Lord, nay, to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords'.
Thanking you dear Father, Firstly for your example, and secondly for a wonderful blog.
In Christ and our Good Mother
Calvin James
President
SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM JOHANNESBURG
http://summorumpontificumjhb.blogspot.com/
Regards to Fr Richard--a friend from my days with the St Barnabas Society
Good to see you, Fr Ray - what an excellent evening!
Sorry, October671, I didn't make it down past the pier. I forget on these occasions that there is always the possibility of a gathering for readers of the blog. Will try to remember next time.
Calvin - thank you. Great blog!
I'm glad the Ditchling altar has survived. Some of the church's patrimony didn't. I have a copy of the Liber, one of many that was thrown out of the church in Lewes in the late 70's / early 80's. Not even sold or donated to sympathetic recipients: just dumped outside the presbytery. Still, their loss was my gain!
What beautiful pics.
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