Multicultural Youth Mass at Lourdes

While at Lourdes, we saw a number of groups of girls and young women, supervised by sisters in the habit of the Dominicans. The berets and sensible skirts did not look at all frumpy - as one lady in my group observed: "Trust the French! They even manage to make school uniform look chic!" Naturally curious, I asked once or twice "Where are your from?" and was told that they were from the "Ecoles Dominicaines". On the Saturday before we left, I saw a large group assembling outside the St Bernadette Chapel. This photo shows just a small section:

The gathering piqued my interest even more and I began to realise that the assembly might be related to the Society of St Pius X - one of the young men helping to steward the Mass confirmed this.

Inside the chapel, I saw everything prepared for High Mass and realised that this was a major photo/video opportunity, so I rushed back to the hotel to get my big camera. Together with another couple of priests, I attended the Mass and was greatly moved by the devotion of the large congregation. The front section of the large chapel was taken up by the schoolchildren and the sisters. The rear section was taken up by families.

Below is a video that I made up of the photos I took and the clips I managed to film. No soundtrack or recording has been added - the singing is all recorded by my tiny camera microphone and therefore not of best quality - although if you hook up a couple of speakers it is not at all bad.



Now I know that this is an event of the SSPX and that there are problems there. I know that Bishop Williamson has said some silly things and I certainly do not agree with them.

Nevertheless, I was struck forcibly by the extent to which this celebration of Mass fulfilled so many of the genuine demands of the Second Vatican Council (hence the rather "tongue in cheek" overlay quotations.) I wondered why anyone would want to stop this kind of celebration.

I also reflected on the many times I have been told to "feel the pain of disunity" when attending ecumenical services. I have never felt that pain as much as when I saw these good people celebrate Mass, receive communion and kneel down to make their thanksgiving after Mass. Why are we not doing all we can to foster the unity of the Church? Why do we continue to ignore the SSPX chapels and schools in our dioceses? If only we could be fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with these good people pro felici statu Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae (for the good estate of the Holy Roman Church)

Popular posts from this blog

1962 Missal pdf online

The Church Music Association of America and Jeffrey Tucker of the New Liturgical Movement have made available the 1962 Missal online in pdf format (72Mb). The file is hosted at Musica Sacra , the website of the CMAA, thanks to a generous gift from Fr Robert Skeris While you are at it, take a look at the articles clarifying the rules for music at Low Mass and music at High Mass .
Read more

Request for Novena to Blessed Pius IX

Image
A priest friend of mine is ill in hospital. He has a special devotion to Blessed Pius IX. Could I ask you, of your charity, to say a Novena for his speedy recovery. Novena In Honour of Blessed Pius IX Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, hear our prayers and glorify your servant Pius IX, who consecrated the Universal Church to you. (Our Father...) O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you, hear our prayer and glorify your servant Pius IX who declared you Immaculate. (Hail Mary...) Saint Joseph, spouse of the most pure Virgin Mary, hear our prayer and glorify your servant Pius IX who declared you the Patron of the Universal Church. (Glory be...) Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immaculate Mary, our Hope, and Saint Joseph hear our prayers and glorify your servant Pius IX , granting to us through his merits and intercessions the graces which we ardently desire: that the glory of God be revealed through Father's illness. (Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory be...
Read more

Saint Gabriel

Image
The angels call for our veneration and awe as part of God’s creation. Part of the destructive modernism of the 1970s included advice to Catholic school teachers that they should not talk to children about angels. This wrought lasting damage which continues to need rectifying. We should include in our prayers a heartfelt recourse to our own Guardian Angels. The Archangel Gabriel “God is my strength” would be terrifying were he to appear to any of us. Our Lady was “troubled” at the word of Saint Gabriel and wondered at the manner of the salutation. Immediately, according to his mission, the awesome messenger explained himself. Modern retelling of the event is often reduced to the jejune “Mary said Yes to God”. In fact, she said “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word”. This conveys more accurately the flawless faith and trust of the Immaculata. In the infinitely wise providence of the Father, we now know the structure of the event in even more detai...
Read more

Downloadable booklets for Vespers

Image
Gregorian Chant Hymns is a most helpful website that I mentioned in a post just over a year ago. As I said then, the site "[...] promotes the learning of Gregorian Chant by making sheet music, recordings, translations, and instructions. There is a short guide to Gregorian Notation (those square notes) and to Latin pronunciation. Everything is available free of charge, in line with other great traditional music websites." Work has continued at the site and there is now a section which makes available pdf (or .docx format) booklets for Vespers for every Sunday of the Year and a few major feasts. There is the basic booklet for ordinary Sunday Vespers which is supplemented by separate files for the Sundays after Pentecost which contain the Magnificat and Collect. Then there are booklets, for example for Advent and Lent, where the office is different from the regular Sunday Vespers with its antiphons. All of the booklets have texts and notation for Benediction and the Maria...
Read more

Our Easter Faith: Not a Pious Crème Fraiche

Image
In public life, some basically well-meaning figures have the graciousness to wish us well at Easter and to recognise the importance of the Christian feast day. Perhaps they might assure us that their thoughts are with us at this time. That is kind of them and in Christian charity we should thank them for their kindness, but Easter should be a great deal more than that for us. We must believe that Our Lord Jesus Christ is risen from the grave, in the flesh, and lives for eternity. We cannot treat Easter as a jolly holiday that heralds spring, or the remembrance of a significant event from the past. It must change us today and every day, change who we are and what we do. The Christian faith cannot be a mild custard or blancmange of religiosity. (I am showing my age. Nowadays, I should say that it cannot be reduced to a pious crème fraiche .) We bow down and adore the King of Kings, risen from the tomb, who, “[…] continues for ever,...
Read more