Where the priest bloggers were...

One or two people have commented that UK Catholic priest blogging was a bit quiet last week. Here you can see the reason: several of us were at Merton. Above, left to right, are: Frs Paul Harrison (Thoughts from Walney Island), John Boyle (South Ashford Priest), Ray Blake (St Mary Magdalen, Brighton), Sean Finnegan (Valle Adurni) and myself.

Mac McLernon (Mulier Fortis) and Damien Thompson (Holy Smoke) came for the Thursday Solemn Mass and Pontifical Vespers. (Apologies for the poor quality of the photo.)

Fr Hunwicke of the (Liturgical Notes) was also there, and so were the Anglican Seminarians of massinformation. One of them has posted this video in their article Latin Mass Society - Merton 2008. It shows the procession at the beginning of the Pontifical High Mass celebrated by Rt Rev Emmanuel Marie de St Jean, Abbot of St Mary's Abbey, Lagrasse. Near the beginning of the procession is Fr George Mary Roth of the Franciscans of the Immaculate. He says Mass every day for the sisters down in Cornwall. Many houses of the sisters of the Immaculate have now asked for their Mass to be celebrated in the usus antiquior.


video

After the Mass on Friday, the Revd Canon Dr Robin Ward very kindly introduced himself to me and told me "all my students read your blog". Canon Ward is the principal of St Stephen's House, Oxford, an Anglican Theological College and Permanent Private Hall of the University of Oxford. Many of the students there are candidates for ordination in the Church of England. I never got to visit St Stephen's when I was an undergraduate - this is a deficiency I must make up on my next visit to Oxford.

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