Missa Cantata at St Henry's
This evening's Mass at the Cathedral of St Henry in Helsinki was sung with a very competent small schola executing the chant flawlessly. I was very grateful for the opportunity to celebrate with a choir singing the Missa Lux et Origo. There will doubtless be some pictures at the blog Summorum fairly soon. (The title of course recalls the Motu Proprio but has another slight reference in that the Finnish name for Finland is Suomi.) In the meantime, courtesy of Summorum, here is a picture from yesterday's Low Mass.
The windows behind the altar were donated by an Irish lady, Mary Ryan 1n 1907, in memory of Fr von Christieeson. Either side of the Crucifixion, there stand St Patrick and St Bridget.
After Mass, Marko Tervaportti and his wife Pilvi treated a small group of us to dinner at their house. They say a decade of the Rosary with their two little girls before bedtime and it was a great privilege to be able to join in with this and to give a blessing afterwards. The Finns' sense of humour is very similar to the British and I greatly enjoyed the banter about the former Soviet Union and the GDR which, apparently, had quite an influence on Finland, as well as lots of intelligent and witty conversation about the Church today and various possibilities for evangelisation.
Tomorrow morning, I will be celebrating a Low Mass in the Blessed Sacrament chapel of the Cathedral before flying back to England. To any priests who like to celebrate the Classical Roman Rite, I would recommend a stay in Helsinki. It is a beautiful and fascinating City, the Finns are excellent hosts, and they would warmly appreciate your visit. I suggested that it should not be impossible to combine visits for three of us and celebrate High Mass.
The windows behind the altar were donated by an Irish lady, Mary Ryan 1n 1907, in memory of Fr von Christieeson. Either side of the Crucifixion, there stand St Patrick and St Bridget.After Mass, Marko Tervaportti and his wife Pilvi treated a small group of us to dinner at their house. They say a decade of the Rosary with their two little girls before bedtime and it was a great privilege to be able to join in with this and to give a blessing afterwards. The Finns' sense of humour is very similar to the British and I greatly enjoyed the banter about the former Soviet Union and the GDR which, apparently, had quite an influence on Finland, as well as lots of intelligent and witty conversation about the Church today and various possibilities for evangelisation.
Tomorrow morning, I will be celebrating a Low Mass in the Blessed Sacrament chapel of the Cathedral before flying back to England. To any priests who like to celebrate the Classical Roman Rite, I would recommend a stay in Helsinki. It is a beautiful and fascinating City, the Finns are excellent hosts, and they would warmly appreciate your visit. I suggested that it should not be impossible to combine visits for three of us and celebrate High Mass.
