Cardinal Mayer RIP

The first head of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei , Cardinal Paul Augustin Mayer has died just three weeks before his 99th. birthday. A Benedictine Abbot, he will be interred in his Abbey at Metten in Germany where he was professed monk in 1931.

May he rest in peace.

Recent press release

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

Successful Latin Mass Society Priests’ Training Conference at Ushaw College, Durham, 12 – 16 April 2010 (Low Week)


Between Monday 12 and Friday 16 April the Latin Mass Society (LMS) hosted its fifth national residential conference in four years to train priests in the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. The conference was held in Ushaw College, Durham, and twenty priests were trained.

This year, for the first time, the conference included separate tuition for laymen to become proficient MCs for the ceremonies of the Extraordinary Form. Ten laymen attended the course.

Among the clergy present were two young priests from the Archdiocese of Colombo, Sri Lanka, who had been sent by Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, ex-Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship in Rome. Archbishop Ranjith is actively reintroducing the Extraordinary Form into his diocese.

Apart from the expert small group tuition given by experienced priests, there were Latin classes and lectures, daily Lauds, Compline, Vespers, Rosary and Benediction. Each morning the college’s numerous side chapels were used by the priests to say their private Masses.

Traditional Rite liturgies were offered each day in the seminary’s magnificent St Cuthbert’s chapel and there were impressive opening and closing High Masses at which the Church’s treasury of plainchant and polyphony was heard.

At the conference dinner on the Thursday evening, a letter of support from Archbishop Ranjith was read out. The archbishop encouraged the LMS in its work of implementing the Motu Proprio and helping priests learn the Extraordinary Form of Mass and he congratulated the Society ‘in this beautiful undertaking in the name of the Church’s Tradition and orthodoxy which is our need and the need of the time’.

The LMS has already announced its next residential training conference to be held at Downside Abbey from Tuesday 10 to Friday 13 August. Full details are available from the LMS.

The picture above shows Rev. Fr. S. Brown offering early morning Mass at the recent conference. With thanks to my friend Roydosan over on the LMS Middlesbrough blogsite from whom I've copied this picture.

Mass attendance

Without wishing to appear remotely virtuousI attended four Sunday Masses this weekend in this diocese (three Low and one Missa cantata). As far as I could make out from head counts from the sanctuary there were well over a hundred in attendance in total, something I would have only dreamed of even 5 years ago.

We are fortunate in this diocese in having daily Mass and a choice of venues at the weekends.

We have many priest celebrants (over twenty) who have trained at LMS conferences and with our tutor Father Parfitt or have brushed up with our Reverend co-ordinator, Fr. Wiley, who again acted as sacristan at the conference at Ushaw.

Moreover many clergy are very welcoming to us and who realise we don't have horns and demand long sermons in Latin!

There is still widespread ignorance about the availability of the Extraordinary Form and far less open hostility from those who believe the Pope was wrong to liberate this Rite of Mass.

I notice again that the times of some of the the EF Masses are listed with the wrong times in the diocesan newspaper the Catholic Post. I shall contact the editor about this.

If you are new to this blog and are interested in attending an EF Mass please see details to the left of this posting.

Please note there will be Mass again, this time on the Feast of Corpus Christi at 11.30a.m. at Bewerley Grange chapel near Pateley Bridge on Thursday June 3rd.

(The photograph shows Fr. Geoffrey Parfitt at Bewerley last year)

Pass me a blood pressure tablet

The "Catholic" Education Service has appointed a new Deputy Director. A good Catholic? I wouldn't know.

Greg Pope, a retiring Labour MP, certainly not known for his pro-life, pro-Catholic views is to be Ms Stannard's number two.

Mr. Pope's voting against a reduction in the abortion limit to 16 weeks, was explained away by a spokesperson at the "C"ES, as in the past and who pointed out we are all on a Faith journey.

See also http://spuc-director.blogspot.com/2010/04/catholic-education-service-appoints.html

God help us! I thought it was April 1st. before the absolute disgrace of the situation sank in.

Time for a Votive Mass for the forgiveness of sins.

I understand that the four Fridays of May are to be put aside as days of Penance for the sins of perverted clerics and their bishops who were complicit in the cover ups.

Perhaps it is high time to reintroduce meat free Fridays, or Vegetarian Fridays or Fish Fridays and offer this up for the victims and perpetrators of these utterly atrocious crimes.

Old sins tend to cast long shadows.

Sunday's Masses

Masses tomorrow are at;

Castleford, St. Joseph's at 3.00p.m.

Leeds, St. Augustine's at 5.00p.m.

The Holy Gospel is about the Good Shepherd, most fitting given the anniversary of the Holy Father's accession to the Pontificate on Monday.

At Mass in Halifax this evening Father Smith spoke of the recent vitriol directed against the Pope by a blood thirsty media and rabid atheists.

God bless the Pope!

Happy Birthday Pope Benedict

Dr. Joseph Shaw, the LMS Chairman, proposed a toast to the Holy Father on the occasion of this the Pontiff's birthday . This was followed by a lively rendition of "Happy Birthday to you Pope Benedict, Holy Father".

The Conference at Ushaw was a great success judging by the comments made by the participants who also had lots of welcome ideas about what they would like to see next time in addition to what was on offer this year.

Contacts were made and friendships were formed, renewed and strengthened.

At many such previous events I have attended much of the conversation has focused on negative things, this time there was an overriding positive exchange of views.

As usual there were many personally inspiring events.

One was a poignant account given by one of the tutors, Fr. Elkin, who was at Ushaw from 1946 until his ordination in 1959. He spoke of the hard times endured by the boys and men at the College. There were four hundred resident students in those days, today there are 26. This said, Father was generally filled with hope about the future of the Church and felt that the efforts of the LMS was playing its part in helping to form the future.

Some of the younger domestic staff at the College were quite mesmerised by the liturgy and a 20 year old student of music who formed part of the excellent schola, who is at the NCM in Manchester gave a few of us an insight into his feelings about how William Byrd must have felt when composing some of his music in penal times and the dangers involved in performing it and how this affected him. Discussion ensued and revealed many other people's experiences for better or worse for allowing themselves to become involved in promoting the 1962 Liturgy.

The best joke I heard this week was:

Q: What was the recessional hymn at Vatican II?

A: Go the Mass is ended!

Sad news

I am sorry to report that Fr. Abberton's mother died this evening. Our prayers go out to him.

Please check his parish website http://www.holyspiritchurch.org.uk/ for times of Masses (OF & EF) as changes are expected over the next few weeks.

Quasimodo Sunday

Low Sunday, Missa in albis, Divine Mercy Sunday...another day of obligation in which the Gospel recounts the way the events of recent days impacted on Thomas when he faced the risen Lord.

Saturday 10th. April Vigil Mass at St. Marie's, Halifax, 6.00p.m.

Missa cantata, Sunday 11th. April, St. Peter's, Leeds Road, Laisterdyke, Bradford, 3.00p.m.

and Low Mass, St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford, 3.00p.m.

Holy Mass, English Martyrs, York at 6.30p.m.

Battle is o'er, hell's armies flee

Jesus, my love, is crucified