The Hermeneutic of Continuity

Puella Paschalis has described in detail the trials and tribulations she underwent to get to the mysterious and little-known suburb of Blackfen. The cab driver at Bexleyheath even said he had to consult the A to Z. (For heaven's sake, it's only a couple of miles away!) Here is the full story in four parts, amusingly told with pictures: Part I Part II Part III Part IV Let me say, without any exaggerated chivalry, that the Puella Paschalis showed no signs to me of having undergone such an arduous journey. After all that, she even turned up with the Mulier Fortis for the 10am Mass on Wednesday making that two mantillas in the front row. To all my good friends in the Netherlands - God bless! The Puella brought memories of an excellent Boot Camp and the new springtime of the Church in your beautiful country.

Last night's Mass was a very beautiful, sacred and at the same time homely occasion. The Parish choir, led by Brenda who has been involved with the music in the parish since before I was born, sang Ludovico Viadana's Missa L'Hora Passa , as well as Crookall's Confirma Hoc and Gounod's Ave Verum at the offertory, and Mozart's Iubilate Deo at Holy Communion. The Schola who come regularly for our first Saturday Missa Cantata sang the proper texts in Gregorian Chant. We had Credo I and finished off with a rousing Te Deum in which there was actuosissima participatio . "Jubilee Secretary", Wendy, organised the printing of a fine booklet for the Mass so that everyone could follow the proper texts and "say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them." (Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium n.54) Our MC, Jonathan Hague ensured that there was a full complement of ten servers, as well as taking an after...

It is quite late so this is just a quick post with a couple of photos from the Jubilee Mass this evening. The sanctuary was full with clerics and chierichetti : The Church was full of family, friends and parishioners: And the party afterwards was superb. Many thanks to all those who came and all those who organised and helped. God bless you. More tomorrow...

On Saturday night, I celebrated Mass in English, versus populum, and preached on the priesthood with some personal reflections. Afterwards there was a lovely reception organised in the Parish Social Club by the Union of Catholic Mothers. The Social Club presented me with a new chalice. The above photo shows me with Eddie Conroy, the Chairman of the Club. I blessed the chalice yesterday after Mass and it will be used for the first time tomorrow evening. I'll also take some more detailed photos for you. (There are more photos of Saturday night's event at Mulier Fortis: Parish Club Presentation ) James Preece quotes Archbishop Nichols saying in his graduate dissertation: "The Church doesn't need any more golden chalices, it needs golden priests." This is, of course, a reminder to any priest of the need for holiness but I think that the recent enhancement of liturgical furnishing at Westminster Cathedral might indicate that the Archbishop would agree that both can he...

One you leave the main road, Blackfen can seem rather like a maze - people often get lost trying to find the Church. To add to the difficulty, there are currently roadworks blocking the normal route in. So here is a customised google map to help anyone who will be coming by car to my Jubilee Mass tomorrow evening. There is a route for alternative access to the Church and little clickable placemarkers with information. Here are the normal customised maps: By car By train and bus The postcode is DA15 8LW. The car park at Our Lady of the Rosary will be limited to those with mobility difficulties. We have the kind permission of Pastor Stuart Pendrick to use the car parks at the Baptist Church in Days Lane which is only a few yards away. Look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

Andrew Bosi sends me the following details of the Bus that has been organised for those wishing to travel to my Jubilee Mass from central London. Please ask people to be at Moorgate (Finsbury Square) for 4.45 or London Bridge for 5.15 p.m. We hope to use a stand on the east side of Finsbury Square but a routemaster bus should be fairly conspicuous, even though we hope to have RM5 which is red but may have to settle for RM6 which is gold in colour. We plan to return at approx. 10 p.m. People should let me know they are coming on this e-mail address: AndrewBosi@aol.com . The £5 fare will be collected on the bus. We hope to have a Gibson ticket machine but cannot promise. Oystercards including freedom passes, travelcards etc. regrettably cannot be accepted. Any rendition of "Transport of Delight" will be limited to the return journey.

A reminder that you are all invited to my Silver Jubilee Mass on Tuesday 28 July at 7pm at Blackfen. More details here . The Mass will be High Mass in the usus antiquior with Fr Charles Briggs as Deacon, Fr Christopher Basden as Subdeacon, and Fr Roger Nesbitt preaching. If you are coming it would be helpful if you could send a quick email to ordination.jubilee@gmail.com (but if you forget, or happen to be free at the last minute, you are still welcome to come.)

Last evening, at the kind invitation of the parish priest, Fr Joe O'Connor, I returned to the parish of Our Lady of the Annunciation in Addiscombe where I grew up. There are so many memories for me in that Church, both happy and sad. I attended my sister Sarah's baptism there, I celebrated my sister Mary's wedding, and I was myself ordained there. I recall the formative discipline of walking regularly along Bingham Road to Sunday Mass (and later, often, to daily Mass); but I also remember the sadness of my brother's funeral and the funerals of my parents which I celebrated in the same Church. Through all of this, God did indeed give joy to my youth as I grew in the knowledge and love of the Catholic faith. Our Lady of the Annunciation was also the Church in which I celebrated my first Mass - with Fr Guy Nicholls as Assistant Priest - on Sunday 29 July 1984, before going over to Holy Innocents, Orpington to concelebrate at the ordination of my classmate Paul Hendricks wh...

Fr Patrick Hayward of the Canons Regular of the Lateran, celebrated a Missa Cantata at Maiden Lane on Monday evening on the 50th aniversary of his first celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Cannon McDonald preached the sermon and Fr Southwell presented Fr Hayward with a Papal Blessing after Mass on behalf of the Latin Mass Society . On Sunday, Fr Hayward concelebrated Mass at with several Bishops, and with his colleague Fr Anthony Maggs CRL, also celebrating his Golden Jubilee. Above you can see Fr Hayward with the Sisters of Mercy from Bodmin, and friends. The Mass was at Christchurch, Eltham, which is the next-door parish to me, so I was able to get there for some of the celebrations. Please remember Frs Hayward and Maggs in your prayers and give God thanks for their many years of labour in the vineyard of the Lord. Bishop John Arnold was there. Bishop Arnold recently celebrated the Pontifical High Mass at Westminster Cathedral for the Latin Mass Society at which several ...

Fr Thomas Regan OSB of Belmont Abbey, and parish priest of Our Ladye & St.Michael's, Abergavenny, celebrated his 30th anniversary of priestly ordination the other day with High Mass in the Parish Church. Deacon was Dom Antony Tumulty OSB, and Subdeacon was Rev Andreas Erhardt (a permanent deacon). The chasuble Fr Regan is wearing is a rather special one from the parish's medieval collection which I mentioned once before. It was donated by Henry VII, having been embroidered in 1498 by Robynett his court embroiderer. It was already 150 years old when worn by the Abergavenny martyrs St David Lewis (parish priest there for 31 years) and St Philip Evans (curate for 5 years) until his martyrdom in 1679. Here is a close-up: