Update

Next weekend sees the visit of the relics of St. Therese de Lisieux, our Cathedral will become a little Lisieux for the weekend, as Bishop Roche reminds us in his pastoral letter today.

Holy Spirit parishioners from Heckmodwike will be visiting the relics on Sunday and so there will be no Mass at Heckmondwike on that Sunday.

The Masses at the weekend will all be Votive Masses of St. Therese, this is because in the 1962 calendar, her feast is October 3rd. and all Sunday's Masses are to be Votive Masses of St. Therese, this will apply to both the new and old Rites of Mass.

Morning Masses at 7.00a.m. at St. Mary's Batley continue.

On Monday 5th. October there will be the annual torchlight procession at Batley culminating in Solemn Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament by the Bishop. Details later this week.

EXTRA MASSES

Mass at Sacred Heart, Howden, near Goole on Tuesday 29th. September at 7.30p.m. This is a first for us. Thanks to the Middlesbrough rep for organizing this Mass who lives in that area.

Mass will be offered again at Bewerley Grange Chapel on Tuesday 27th. October at 11.3oa.m.

Mass for the feast of All Souls, Monday 2nd. November at 7.30p.m. at St. Mary's, Batley.

Plans are well under way for a new wave of regular Masses and for the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

God bless the Pope.

Benedict XVI bound for Britain

I was delighted to hear on the wireless at teatime that the Holy Father, the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI is to make a state visit to Britain sometime next year.

This planned visit to Britain is a wonderful opportunity for the Catholic Church to re-assert some sort of positive and lasting identity and to invite the lapsed and would be converts into full communion with Rome.

Deo gratias!

Just had to post this

Ego volo celebrare Missam iuxta ritum sanctae Romanae ecclesiae, ad laudem omnipotentis Dei, totiusque ecclesiae triumphantis, ad utilitatem meam, totiusque ecclesiae militantis, pro omnibus qui se commendaverunt orationibus meis in genere et in specie, ac pro felici statu sanctae Romanae ecclesiae.

I intend to celebrate Mass according to the rite of the holy Roman Church, to the praise of the almighty God and of the whole Church triumphant, for my benefit and that of the whole Church militant, for all who have commended themselves to my prayers in general and in particular, and for the happy estate of the holy Roman Church.

Taken from Fr Zuhldorf's WDTPRS I thought I must share the sheer purity of this prayer, given the words recently directed by our Holy Father to the South American Hierarchy on their ad limina visit to Rome.

2nd. anniversary of Summorum Pontificum

Tomorrow is the first anniversary of our first regular 2nd Sunday Mass at St. Peter's, Leeds Road, Bradford at 3.00p.m. I should like to thank Fr. Hall, the celebrant, Fr. Frank, the Parish Priest and Dorothy the sacristan for their continued help and and kindness. The Mass will be Missa cantata.

Monday is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and also marks the second anniversary of the coming into force of the Motu proprio which derestricted the use of the Old Rite of Mass and Sacraments and Breviary. Thanks be to God!

Mass on Monday at 7.00a.m at St. Mary's, Batley and at 9.30a.m. at Sacred Heart, Broughton.

Today I attended an English Heritage event at Bradford's Reform Synagogue, which is the only one in Northern England.

God bless the Pope!

200th. post

This is the 200th. post since I began this blog 15 months ago.

Tonight saw the second Mass of the day in the traditional Rite at St. Mary of the Angels, Batley. The first was a votive Mass of the Sacred Heart at 7.00a.m. and the second was a sung Mass in honour of our Blessed Lady to mark Fr. Wiley's 50th. birthday. Well over 120 people attended the Mass, at which there were many excellently behaved children present. The parish ladies had laid on a delightful feast in the parish club afterwards and it was lovely to see a superfluity of nuns from the nearby convent at the Mass and the party.

Ad multos annos Fr. Wiley!

Last Friday there was a traditional sung Requiem for a member of my own family at which well over 200 were in atttendance. (Fr. Wiley was again the celebrant.) Questions after the Mass at the reception included the one I am often asked at such occasions, "Why did they have to change everything"? Not altogether sure of the answer, I can say with certainty that the Pope is now trying to to redress the balance.

Mass at Sacred Heart, Howden, near Goole at the eastern end of the diocese, on Tuesday 29th. September, will be a Missa Cantata, for the Feast of St. Michael at 7.30p.m. Fr. Smith, Episcopal Vicar for clergy and PP of St Marie's, Halifax will be celebrant.

Plans are underway for Mass in half term at Bewerley Grange, Pateley Bridge. Fr. Parfitt will offer this Mass. Details to follow.

Getting back into the swing ....

Summer holidays already seem far away, and I've only been back at school for one day!

My class and indeed my department's exam results were beyond reproach at GCSE and GCE level and although my nerves were wrought by the end of term a good long break and trips to Belgium, France, Scotland and Northern Ireland have helped to leave me feeling fully refreshed.

On Saturday I have to be in London for an LMS meeting and on Sunday there is the usual Missa Cantata at Broughton Hall at 11.30a.m. Please note, however that on Sunday there will be no Mass at Heckmondwike on Sunday, nor on Saturday 12th. September as Fr. Abberton is away.

Tomorrow at 7.00a.m. there will be Mass at St. Mary's, Batley, at 9.15a.m at Our Lady of Good Counsel, Seacroft, Leeds, at 9.30a.m. at Broughton and at 7.00p.m. again at St. Mary's Batley.

The evening Mass at Batley is a Missa cantata and marks Father Wiley's 50th. birthday.

Looking ahead there will be Mass at a new venue on the Feast of St. Michael, at Sacred Heart, Howden, near Goole. Watch this space for further details.

Finally the regular last Sunday of the month Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes, Cardigan Road, Leeds will now be at 6.00p.m. instead of 3.00p.m.