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Showing posts with the label Classical Roman Rite

Celebrating the parish feast day

I am a little tired after the feast day yesterday fortunately it is a quiet day and I have been able to take things fairly easy. For the first time in a long while, I actually went and got some fish and chips. This is something I must do more often on a Friday evening because I had a chance to talk to several parishioners in the lengthy queue at the local fish shop - it seems that Friday fish and chips is still going strong in these parts.

At the morning English Mass in the parish, we honoured Our Lady by singing "Daily daily sing to Mary" and "O Mother Blest" which are both favourites at the parish Prayer Group. In the afternoon, the school Mass was delightful as always. Then in the evening, it was time to gear up for the Solemn High Mass. Frs Schofield (Deacon), Whinder (Subdeacon) and Fra Lawrence Lew OP, the preacher, all arrived in good time, for an excellent dinner of roast lamb which Patricia, the chef de cuisine of our parish Lunch Club manages to make mor…
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Seminar for Priests in Donegal

I just received notice of an event which is being organised by the Latin Mass Society of Ireland. They are holding a Seminar for Priests who wish to learn to celebrate the Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite or who would like to do a revision course in the basics of liturgical Latin and formation in the rubrics.

The seminary will be conducted by Fr Simon Leworthy FSSP at the Ards Capuchin Friary, Cresslough, Co Donegal. The friary is located in superb surroundings on the Atlantic coast.

Wednesday 20th October to Friday 22nd October 2010
Cost 110 euro including full board

It is still possible to book. Contact Pronsias 074 97 37 307
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Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary at Blackfen

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This coming Thursday 7 October at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, there will be Solemn High Mass (usus antiquior) at 8pm.

Music:
Victoria Missa Ave Maris Stella
Lobo Ego flos campi; Croce O Sacrum Convivium; Schubert Salve Regina

Celebrant: Fr Timothy Finigan, Deacon: Fr Nicholas Schofield, Subdeacon: Fr Richard Whinder, Preacher: Fra Lawrence Lew OP, Choir: Cantores Missae, directed by Charles Finch.

I am very much looking forward to celebrating this Mass. We rarely have a polyphonic Mass at Blackfen (though my parish choir have in their repertoire a Viadana Mass which they sing very well). Frs Whinder and Schofield are well-versed in the ceremonies and it is a particular honour to have Fra Lawrence Lew, a Dominican, to preach on such a feast day. Many of you will know Fra Lawrence via the blog Godzdogz and his superlative flickr photostream.

You are all, of course, most welcome to attend the Mass. Our Lady of the Rosary is at 330a Burnt Oak Lane, Blackfen DA15 8LW. Here are direct…
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Once an island of saints

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It has been a busy few days, liturgically speaking. On Friday, in addition to my morning English Mass, I celebrated a Missa Cantata at the chapel of the Good Counsel Network. Above is a photo (courtesy of the Ecumenical Diablog) taken from one of my previous visits there. You can see that the chapel is quite small, so it was down to the skill of Paul Smeaton, the MC, that elbow-bumping was kept to a minimum.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the dedication of Our Lady of the Rosary at Blackfen. In the morning we had Missa Cantata:


Then (after I had celebrated a wedding) we sang Vespers:


Vespers was followed by Benediction:


Then it was just a question of evening confessions and Mass to finish off the day. Today is Rosary Sunday and so in the morning our Missa Cantata was of the external solemnity. this afternoon, we had the Rosary, a devotional procession of Our Lady, and Benediction. The photos above from yesterday are by Mulier Fortis and I expect she will post some photos of today&#…
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Abergavenny - OORAH!

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The indefatigable Fr Tom Regan OSB of Our Lady and St Michael's Church, Abergavenny, has Solemn High Mass tomorrow 14 September for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross:
to celebrate the feast,to celebrate the anniversary of Summorum Pontificumto celebrate 150 years of Holy Mass in our Churchto prepare for the visit of the Vicar of ChristAs our American cousins would say - OORAH!

(The photo shows High Mass celebrated at Abergavenny for the 40 hours.)
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High Mass clip in 40s feature film

H/T to Gillibrand at Catholic Conservation for posting this YouTube clip with scenes from a Traditional High Mass - er - some time before Summorum Pontificum. The second half of the sung Confiteor before the Communion of the people is partly cut: presumably at the bidding of the film Director. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating view of High Mass in the 1940s when it was just a normal part of Catholic life. You only need to watch the first two and a half minutes.

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Fresno Traditional Mass Society celebrates 20 years

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On Sunday 3 October 3 the Fresno Traditional Mass Society will celebrate 20 years of regular celebrations of the usus antiquior in the Diocese of Fresno, California. Fr Michael Stinson FSSP will celebrate High Mass at 3.30pm, at the Shrine of St Therese in Fresno, followed by blessings with a first class relic of St Therese.

The shrine is at 855 E. Floradora Avenue and I just looked up Google Maps to find it. Above is a photo grabbed from the street view and below is a map showing the location of the shrine - over 5,300 miles from London:


View Larger Map

Congratulations to the Fresno Traditional Mass Society. I would also like to commend their website which has a simple and sensible answer to the routine objection "but I don't speak Latin" and a short guide on what to expect when attending the traditional Latin Mass.
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LMS Walsingham walking pilgrimage photos

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Joseph Shaw has written a series of posts about the walking pilgrimage from Ely to Walsingham which was held by the Latin Mass Society for the first time this year: See his posts from 20-22 August. He also has plenty of photos at his flickr set. Above you can see Fr Alex Redman walking in the pilgrimage in cassock, cotta and stole. Hardnut! If you have done a walking pilgrimage, you will know what I mean. Fifty miles might sound simple but it is enough to do your feet in comprehensively if anything is slightly out of kilter, and any minor discomfort can magnify over the miles.

Paul Smeaton got the idea going for the Pilgrimage so congratulations to him for pulling it off and to the walkers for doing the distance. You can bet that this will become a much loved and cherished tradition among them.

If you do actually walk for a reasonable distance in a spirit of penance and prayer, there is something very moving about reaching the pilgrimage destination. Here the pilgrims have reached the…
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Photos from Downside conference

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Seeing on Fr Ray Blake's blog that he is back from Downside, I followed his link to have a look at the photos in LMS Chairman, Joseph Shaw's flickr set: LMS Priest Training Conference at Downside.


The conference was put on by the Latin Mass Society to train priests to celebrate Mass according to the usus antiquior. this year, the guest speaker was Bishop Athanasius Schneider, the author of Dominus Est. A couple of years ago, I posted a video of bishop Schneider, and some helpful links. I expect that his address will be available soon at the Latin Mass Society website. Here is a photo of Bishop Schneider giving Holy Communion in the way in which he advocates in his book, with the communicant kneeling and receiving on the tongue:


And here is a photo of the whole gathering, after Pontifical High Mass on the feast of St Clare:


There may be an anti-baroque reader or two who will particularly appreciate this fine conical chasuble from the Downside sacristy. I don't know, though…
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Liturgy wars on Mars

The other day I received video response to my Summorum Pontificum celebration. I was interested in the service provided by xtranormal which enables you to make your own animated videos and have just tried it out.



I think many of you could have fun with this...
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Traditional Latin Mass in the other Newcastle

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I received this today from a reader in Newcastle, Australia:
There is good news from Australia, in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, approximately 100 miles north of Sydney. The Newcastle Traditional Latin Mass society has been formed there as a lay response to Summorum Pontificum. Since the ecclesial hierarchy there has not undertaken to implement Summorum Pontificum, a group of young dedicated laity has set about making the Extraordinary Form Mass available on a more regular basis due to the generosity of one Parish Priest allowing access to a parish Church and the generosity of visiting religious and diocesan clergy from outside Maitland-Newcastle who are proficient in the celebration of the Extraordinary Form.

This stable group has found a more permanent home at Saint Patrick's Catholic Church, in the parish of Wallsend many Sundays. Last Sunday, we were fortunate enough to have our first Missa Cantata celebrated by Father Terence Mary Naughtin OFM Conv. pictures are provided…
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Self-mortification

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LMS Chairman Joseph Shaw reports on an Exchange with the Tablet concerning the age of those who attend old rite Masses. In the post, he has some fine photos of the Chartres Pilgrimage, including the one above.

In the course of his post, he says, as an aside:Still, we don't read The Tablet for logic. We read it for self-mortification.I must say that I admire Joe's fortitude. I take the easy option, fasting on bread and water, wearing a hair shirt and scourging myself with chains.
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Different kinds of silence at Mass

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One of the attractions for many people, of the celebration of Mass according to the usus antiquior is that there is more silence. I can heartily sympathise with this preference from my relatively rare opportunities to assist at another priest's Mass in addition to celebrating my own.

Interestingly, though, the ceremonies of the usus antiquior provide little in the way of pauses for silence. The "silence" that people love so much is mostly when the priest is praying secreto, that is to say, he vocalises the words in such a way that he can hear them but others don't. Thus the "silence" is a more or less determined length of time which comes to an end when the priest reaches the next part that is to be said out loud or sung.

In the older form of Mass, there are three moments where the priest pauses in silence. At the memento of the living in the Canon, he remains for a short time in silence, remembering those for whom he wishes to pray (stat paulisper in quiet…
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Society of St Tarcisius

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The Latin Mass Society is sponsoring a new sodality for altar servers who serve the classical form of the Roman Rite: the Society of St Tarcisius. The aims are listed as follows:
1. To promote the dignified, devout, and accurate service of the altar in the traditional Roman rite.

2. To promote the spiritual formation of altar servers, in the spirit of St Tarcisius, who accepted death rather than allow the profanation of the most holy sacrament.

3. To disseminate information on the correct service of the altar, and arrange from time to time training events for servers.

4. To maintain a list of those who are willing and able to serve at the traditional liturgy, and provide this information to those organizing traditional events, where needed.The website says that the Society is "specifically committed to the traditional Latin liturgy of the Catholic church, in a form no later than that current in 1962" which is a rather good way of putting it.

This is a very welcome initiative …
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Young Catholic Adults Newsletter

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Young Catholic Adults helps to introduce younger people to the Traditional
Mass and the heritage of the Church. Hallmarks are the celebration of the classical Roman Rite, fidelity to the magisterium and to Papal teaching. YCA is affiliated to the International Juventutem Federation.

The aims of YCA are:
To foster authentic Catholic teaching and spirituality.To promote a spirit of charity as practised by the great saints of the Church such as St. John Vianney, St. Francis de Sales and the English Martyrs.It is principally aimed at young adults.We aim to promote a spir it of beauty and reverence in the Sacred Liturgy.Here is a link to the latest YCA Newsletter which was produced with the help of the St Catherine's Trust. There is also a Young Catholic Adults blog.
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New blog - Motus Septentrionalis

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A priest friend just emailed me news of a new blog Motus Septentrionalis ("Northern Movement") to promote the traditional liturgy in the North of England. Here is the introductory text:
This blog is offered as a forum within which events to promote and celebrate the Traditional Catholic Latin Liturgy can be organised in the North of England. The idea emerged during informal conversations at the 2010 Low Week Latin Mass Society training course at Ushaw College.Catholics who wish to attend the traditional liturgy are much better off if they are in easy reach of London, though it is good to see at Motus Septentrionalis a growing list of regular Masses in the North.

Meanwhile even further North, problems continue.
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Sanctus

The Mulier Fortis has posted a video on YouTube of the Sanctus at last Thursday's Annual Mass of the Society of St Catherine of Siena. I agree that it is very good in quality considering that it is from a small camera discreetly perched on a pew. No microphones, just human voices in a beautiful Church. The video includes the end of the Preface and I am relieved that the part that is recorded is reasonably sung without mistakes. (Not always the case.) The choir of the London Oratory School are, of course, absolutely brilliant.

For those not familiar with the usus antiquior, what happens is that after the Preface, the Celebrant, Deacon and Subdeacon say the Sanctus quietly, making the sign of the Cross at the Benedictus. Then the Subdeacon goes back to his place at the bottom of the steps and the Deacon crosses over to attend to the Missal while the Celebrant continues with the Canon in a low voice. You may notice that the Deacon steps back during the Memento in a traditional cerem…
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Annual Mass of the Society of St Catherine of Siena

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On Thursday evening I celebrated High Mass at the Conventual Chapel of the Knights of Malta. This was the annual Mass of the Society of St Catherine of Siena of which I am proud to have been appointed chaplain. Dr Laurence Hemming was Deacon and Fr Jean Claude Selvini Subdeacon. Jonathan Hague was MC. The Oratory School choir sang the Byrd 3 part Mass and the Gregorian chant propers. Fr Andrew Wadsworth and Fr Gareth Jones assisted in choir.


The photographs are from Mac McLernon's photostream where you can find many more. Here are a couple:


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CIEL UK Annual High Mass and Conference

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The Annual High Mass and One-day Conference of CIEL UK will be on Saturday 29 May at the London Oratory. There will be solemn High Mass at 11am. (The photo above is from last year's Mass, taken by Brother Edward of the London Oratory.) In a departure from previous annual Masses, the Mass setting will be Gregorian chant rather than polyphony. It is also hoped to include a motet composed by James MacMillan. The choir will be directed by Patrick Patrick Russill, the highly distinguished Director of Music at the London Oratory.

The Conference will then take place at 2.30pm in St Wilfrid’s Hall at the Oratory, chaired by Lord Gill. (Entry £5.) The speakers are Dr James MacMillan CBE, and the Very Rev Richard Duffield.

I wrote recently about an excellent address given by James MacMillan to the Thomas More Institute. His lecture at the CIEL Conference is sure to be of great interest as he is speaking about Liturgical Music pre- and post-Vatican II.

Fr Duffield, Provost of the Birmingha…
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Pontifical Mass - child's eye view

Carolina Cannonball, The Crescat writes of the Pontifical High Mass at Washington from the perspective of a mum who noticed particularly the reactions of the children who were there:
If we can think of it in terms of our children, our future, then we owe it to our faith to keep our churches beautiful and our masses solemn. The look of wide eyed wonder on their faces said it all. I have certainly noticed myself that babies and young children at a sung Mass in the usus antiquior seem to be much more contented that when I am earnestly reading texts in English through a microphone.

She goes on to describe the Great DC Blognic to which she took her young son because she wanted him to meet good, normal priests and seminarians. In a succinct and direct way, she explains how families can promote vocations:
I have one rule for my family... they must never bash The Church or say anything negative about a priest or other member of a religious community in front of my son. So far they have respecte…
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Academy of the Annunciation: a new initiative in Bournemouth

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I am very happy to pass on news of the founding of the Academy of the Annunciation in Bournemouth. The Academy plans to offer conferences and study days for lay people to equip students to evangelise effectively in the vineyard of the Lord. It is also looking to provide conferences for priests, religious, and seminarians.

The Academy will be based at the Sacred Heart, the home of the Bournemouth Oratory-in-Formation which is a beautiful setting: stunning Church and lovely environment with the beach and gardens only a few minutes' walk away. The Angel of the Annunciation logo (above) is taken from an image on the reredos of the Lady Chapel at Sacred Heart.


Bishop Philip Egan is seen here with Dr Denise Oliver (left) and Dr Christina Pal (right) who taught in Rome at the Pontifical North American College (seminary) and other places – Dr Pal at Christendom College and Dr Oliver at the Angelicum, the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas and elsewhere.

The first offering of the …
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How to make an act of perfect contrition

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How can you go from imperfect to perfect contrition? Gabriella D from Australia asked me this on Twitter today and I want to give an answer because I think that many people misunderstand what we mean when we talk about “perfect contrition.”

Perfect contrition is sorrow and detestation of sin arising out of the love of God. One way of exciting this contrition in our hearts is by considering the passion of Jesus Christ and making acts of love for Him. We can also think of the infinite love which God has for us, and express sorrow in our heart in the presence of this great love which we have offended.

Imperfect contrition is sorrow and detestation for sin arising from a consideration of the ugliness of sin or out of the fear of hell. Disgust at the ugliness of sin is more common today than fear of hell. That is because we do not preach enough, or with sufficient conviction about the four last things.

If a person commits an act of impurity, for example, perhaps by deliberately looking at a…
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Commemoration of Abbe Edgeworth

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A commenter passes on this interesting snippet from the Latin Mass Society of Ireland.

Bishop O'Reilly of Ardagh & Clonmacnois will the Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form) on Sunday, 23 September 2007 at St Mary's Church, Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford as part of a commemoration of the Bicentenary of the death of Monsignor Henry Essex Edgeworth de Firmont.

Bishop O'Reilly of Ardagh & Clonmacnois to offer Latin Mass at Monsignor Edgeworth commemoration

Although born in Co. Longford, Mgr Edgeworth was the confessor of Louis XVI and Vicar General of Paris at the height of the French Revolution. There is an article summarising his extraordinarily eventful life in the Catholic Encyclopaedia: Henry Essex Edgeworth.
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Our Lady Immaculate, our model for preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ.

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Listening with respect to the message of the angel, and prudently questioning him on how it was possible for her to be the Mother of Christ, Our Lady gave her immediate, willing and whole-hearted consent. From then on, her prayerful expectation of the birth of Christ is a model for us of the devout attitude we should endeavour to adopt during the season of Advent.

From the moment of her conception in the womb of Saint Anne, Our Lady, by a singular privilege, was free from original sin and never committed a single venial sin. Educated in the Temple from childhood, she faithfully and obediently followed the law of God as it was then in force for the Jewish people. She took part in the worship of the synagogue on the sabbath and went to Jerusalem for the great feasts. She observed those feasts with devotion, aware of their meaning which pointed to the Messiah, her own child, the One who is to come.

At those feasts, the psalms formed a major part of the liturgy. She would have known them…
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Bishop Budd on Summorum Pontificum

Fr Z has text and comments on the statement issued by Bishop Christopher Budd of the Plymouth Diocese.

I agree with Fr Z's comments and would add that Bishop Budd is a fair-minded man. I liked the last part of his statement:May I urge you to celebrate the present liturgy (the ordinary rite) of all the sacraments of the Church ‘attente et devote’. The quality of the parish celebration of the renewed liturgy is an important context for the permitted use of the rite now designated `Extraordinary’.The use of the older form of the rite should help and encourage priests in the proper celebration of the newer form. In fact, as Dr Hemming pointed out at the Merton Conference, the older form provides a necessary anchor for the newer form.
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