The Hermeneutic of Continuity

Here is the text of the sermon given by Fra Lawrence Lew OP at last night's Mass at Blackfen for our patronal feast of Our Lady of the Rosary:
Last month I had the opportunity to visit the cell of Saint Pius V in Santa Sabina, the oldest Dominican priory in Rome. And there in his cell, which is now a chapel, we were surprised to see that he had a wide-screen television!

Well, actually… to be precise, what we saw was a fresco on the ceiling of the cell, showing the pope praying the Rosary… and as he does, an angel pulls back a curtain, and he appears to be watching the outcome of the battle of Lepanto on a wide-screen television… I think this is entirely appropriate because today’s feast widens our vision. And it is also appropriate that we celebrate this feast using the form of the Mass essentially codified by Pope St Pius V. This beautiful liturgy is itself a widening of our Catholic vision, of our hearts and minds. As Our Holy Father said: “Let us generously open our hearts and …

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…

As it is just after midnight, I thought I would put up a quick post to promise you all prayers on our parish feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary. I'll be saying Mass in English in the Church at 10am, and at the school at 2.30pm. We then have Solemn High Mass in the usus antiquior at 8pm.

Please remember me and the parish in your prayers.

A lovely family that has occasionally come to my parish, recently moved into the area. I saw Mum & Dad and the children today and, as usual with newcomers, made sure that they knew they could come into the parish Social Club after Mass.

Having another good Catholic family move into the parish is always a bonus but today I was given an extra boost. The children are quite young and understandably a bit confused about moving house, and everything that involves. One of the girls (aged 3 I think) asked Mummy "Are we going to our normal Church today?" Mum replied "No, we're going to our new Church." The little one then said "Oh, is that the Pope Benedict Church?"

That made my day! Viva Pope Benedict!

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…

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&#…

Yesterday before evening Mass I took my camera out to photograph our Lady Altar which was decorated for the feast of the Assumption. Afterwards, I thought that with the light just after a heavy rainfall, it would be a good opportunity to try and get a good photo of our outside statue, avoiding cars, sheds and buildings. More or less crouching in a puddle, I was rewarded with this one which, I think, might do for a postcard.

The title of the post is from the pre-1950 antiphon for the feast of the Assumption:
Gaudeamus omnes in Domino, diem festum celebrantes sub honore beatae Mariae Virginis: de cuius Assumptione gaudent Angeli, et collaudant Filium Dei.

Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating the feast day in honour of Blessed Mary the Virgin: in whose Assumption the Angels rejoice, and highly extol the Son of God.I'm not sure that the post-1950 propers with the Signum magnum introit are an improvement.

Here is the photo of the Lady Altar:


Say a prayer for the repose of the sou…

Many Parish Priests or "Pastors" as they are called in the USA, write a short article each week for their parish newsletter. I do this myself, having got the idea from seeing newsletters from parishes in the US. In England we generally don't have as much space since we can't usually run to the 4 or 8 page folded large formats that they have in US parishes. Nevertheless, I think it is worthwhile for the parish priest to use the newsletter as an opportunity for catechesis.

Now and again, there is an outstanding "From the Pastor" piece, and today I received one such. It is from Fr George Rutler at the Church of Our Saviour in Park Avenue New York City:
FROM THE PASTOR
June 27, 2010
by Fr. George W. Rutler

Insecurity is characteristic of adolescence. Those formative years are a time of figuring out how the self relates to others, moving from self-absorption to self-awareness. There are those who live a lifelong adolescence, whose narcissism, like an orchid living…

There must have been quite a few roads undug, kitchens unfitted, currency deals undone, black cabs in the driveway, and schools closed early yesterday afternoon, judging by the numbers who came to the Rosary Social Club to watch England v Slovenia.


A few years ago the Club Committee installed a big screen with projector as well as a large screen television near the bar especially for football matches so it makes for a comfortable place to watch the matches in company with others. There was plenty of wild celebration when England scored. Some of the "naughty boys" section started up a singing of "Vindaloo" at various points, though mainly with the chorus "Na na na ..."


We even had a vuvuzela. I guessed that they must be in the shops over here by now.

The match was watched with a discerning eye by people of all ages:

Today was a highlight in the Blackfen social calendar: Our Lady of the Rosary School Fête. It is a great opportunity for people to meet up with old friends. As well as the children currently at the school and their parents, many former pupils and parents come along to meet up again. It is a kind of live "Friends Reunited" and much better than the online version. I was talking to one young man that I first knew when he was a child at the school and was rather pleasantly taken aback to hear that he is now in the second year of his Law degree.


The stalls seemed to be loosely organised into various topic-focussed areas. The industrial scale barbecue, candy-floss, cakes and teas were in the playground. For throwing things, there was the coconut shy and the crockery smash. Children wishing to look outlandish could get their hair sprayed bright colours or their face painted to look like spiderman, a tiger, or simply the St George's flag. There were several Tombolas: for teddies…

Recently our youth group Cross Section had a visit from a favourite presenter whom I tend to refer to as "Reptile Man". He speaks about the care of reptiles and his talk is educative in terms of zoology. It is also an opportunity to cross the threshold of "ugh" as our picture shows. (He had some arachnids with him too.)

Congratulations to Paul Fox and Katie Stone who were married today at Our Lady of the Rosary.

Although it snowed again yesterday afternoon, and the ground today was not best suited to the train of a wedding dress, Katie's bridesmaid, Alice managed very well. Fortunately, the sun was out and so the light was good for photographs. The professional photographer may send me one or two of his shots in return for a link here.

I did like the gleaming white Roller - luvverly motor!

(Finesse Wedding cars, a one-man firm based in Bexleyheath 020 8301 1480 - 07956 505 807)

Our Crib Service today was a heartwarming occasion with little shepherds, angels and kings taking part in a tableau to celebrate the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Some of the older ones read passages from the Holy Scriptures:

and some of the younger ones just took part in their own way:

One young shepherd was particularly enthused by some of the carols:

The Kings made their procession with gifts as described in Holy Writ. It was great that so many dads came along like St Joseph, the "upright and just man", supporting the family occasion:

And finally, all the children gathered to sing, to receive a blessing, to be photographed by loving parents and to help us all to enter into the spirit of the feast day:

The temperature has dropped in this part of the world over the past couple of days and the pond at Aylesford had chunks of ice floating on the surface today.

Aylesford, the Carmelite Priory confiscated by King Henry VIII and re-acquired by the Carmelites in 1949, was the home of St Simon Stock who received the vision of Our Lady, granting him the brown scapular which is worn, in miniature form, by Catholics all over the world. I always love to visit the Priory which is a mixture of ancient and modern buildings, the home of a community living and working in the service of the gospel.

A forty minute drive in the coach took us there from Blackfen today for a "Christmas Lunch" organised by the Union of Catholic Mothers. I know it is still Advent but these occasions are a good way for people to get together, spend a day out safely, and enjoy a good lunch in good company. I'll admit that I did doze a little on the coach on the way back but I think I was not the only one.

The other day I mentioned that one of my commenters was prepared to fund the construction of a minor basilica in Blackfen if he were to win the National Lottery. My agent has replied encouragingly as follows:Dear Fr Finigan.

Reference the National Lottery, we're on our way. I had three numbers come up, last Saturday, and won £10.

Therefore, please see, herewith, initial pencil sketch of possible new Blackfen Church.

If approved, you might have to tell the neighbours.

And move the bus-stop!!! "
It does seem churlish to quibble but I have to say that I was thinking along the lines of a Baroque Church. Therefore, while negotiations continue, I'll encourage Keith and Steve to carry on mending the leaks in the roof of our present building. (They're doing a sterling job in freezing temperatures.)

Each week, a team of ladies in the parish cook a three-course lunch for about 40 people. I would like to get to this more often - for both pastoral and gastronomic reasons. Today was the Christmas lunch and although I was late after celebrating a funeral this morning (please pray for the repose of the soul of Jillian O'Shea), there was some left for me.

Background was provided by Mary on the keyboard. She is a regular blog reader and often brings in print-offs for others who do not have the internet, so it is good to be able to feature her here.

The Team were keen to be on the blog also - they sent me back into the presbytery to get my camera! Above you can see Maura on the left and Head Chef Tricia on the right. The specifications for the sparkling, state-of-the-art, kitchen was designed especially to make sure the Lunch Club meets all the "elfin safety" regulations.

Here are two more stalwart workers, Audrey and Tracey:

I have to say that although priests do sometimes get …

Nearly two years ago, I blogged about a Visit to Chis 'n Sid, the popular nickname for our local non-denominational school, Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar. For non-UK readers, I should explain that a "grammar school" in the UK is a school where pupils are selected by academic ability.

Today, I was at the school again, at the invitation of one of the senior pupils who is a parishioner at Blackfen. The subject was the same: "Science and Religion", and I received a warm welcome at the voluntary lunchtime "Christian Union" meeting. The turnout was very impressive - and included at least half a dozen members of staff, mostly from the science department. The school includes pupils of all religions and none, so I had no idea what the makeup of the audience would be. My young parishioner made the wise decision of advertising the talk without specifying that it was organised by the Christian Union, so that people did not have to wonder whether they had to be Ch…

For the second night of our Forty Hours devotion, we had a Missa Cantata (the Mass for Peace) at the Lady altar. It was a little cramped so we only had the MC, thurfier, two acolytes and two torchbearers. I was proud that all the servers were under 15 years old. My sermon drew largely from Pope Benedict's writing on truth and conscience since I am reading his little book on conscience at the moment.

Tonight the Youth Group are staying all night. After Mass they got in some fish and chips and we watched the film about St Thérèse (Amazon link below) which came out a couple of years ago. It was perhaps a little slow for some of the younger ones but the second half of the film is quite moving, and rewarded those who persevered. During this time, there was a good number of people watching in the Church and, after the film, the youngsters went in to take a turn.

I have been very pleased that the devotion has gone so well. Putting on the Forty Hours is daunting in a one man parish, but my …

This evening our Forty Hours in the parish began with the splendid ceremonies of the Missa Cantata, followed by the Blessed Sacrament Procession and the Litany of the Saints.

For my sermon, I emphasised first of all the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ, without which this devotion would be meaningless. I also spoke of the fruits of the Holy Eucharist in terms of our union with Christ and the pledge of future glory, but especially of the unity of the Church. In this respect I was inspired by Fr Zuhlsdorf's post "Whose ecumenism?" in which he suggests that we should start calling Pope Benedict

The Pope of Christian Unity
Pope Benedict has begun to "walk the walk" rather than simply "talk the talk" on ecumenism, providing for the real and concrete prospect of unity with those Anglicans who share our faith. It would be insulting to refer to negotiations with the SSPX as "ecumenism" but the Holy Father has unambiguously set out his motivation…

This week, we have the Forty Hours Devotion at Blackfen. This is the first time we have had this at Blackfen for decades, and it is in fact the first time that I have taken part in the devotion. We begin with Missa Cantata at 8pm on Thursday, with Procession and Litany. There is an English Mass at 10am on Friday, then a Missa Cantata at 8pm. The devotion concludes with Missa Cantata on Saturday at 10.30am with Litany and Procession.

I was nervous before the weekend as people had been slow to sign up. The parish Youth Group are going to be there all night Friday to Saturday and then the excellent Knights of St Columba said that they would cover any slots unsigned for. Now, however, most of the hours are covered and so the Knights can choose their times to provide a little extra security for others.

Of course, if you are in the vicinity of Blackfen, you are most welcome to call in to make a visit at any time. I pray that this devotion will bring many blessings upon my parish, not least vo…