LMS Requiem and Towards Advent

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The Latin Mass Society annual requiem was very well attended yesterday. Bishop John Arnold was celebrant, assisted by Fr Nicholas Schofield. Fr Andrew Southwell, the LMS chaplain was Deacon and Fr David Irwin Subdeacon. The choir of the Cathedral sang with customary skill and I was pleased that several servers from Our Lady of the Rosary were assisting. I expect that there will be some more photos at Joseph Shaw's photostream soon.

After Mass I had the chance to meet some people at the Towards Advent Festival which was just finishing. Joanna Bogle works very hard each year to get good Catholic groups to come and display items related to their work. Aid to the Church in Need managed to sell a lot of things in support of their work, I met the people from the Association for Latin Liturgy, some Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and many others. There was a certain buzz after the Holy Father's visit. Considering the ferocious opposition to the visit beforehand, my suggestion that he was protected by the Our Lady and the holy angels while he was in England was not sniffed at.

The Buckingham Arms was almost taken over by Catholics afterwards (though there was also an impressive group of Sergeants from the Grenadier Guards who were having a formal meal - a couple of military types knew enough of the lingo to engage them in conversation.) The day was rounded off by a good plate of pasta at the Spaghetti House near Victoria which I heartily recommend.

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