Training Conference in May

PRIESTS’ TRAINING CONFERENCE

BUCKFAST ABBEY

3rd to 6th May 2011

The Latin Mass Society will be holding its seventh residential Priests’ Training Conference at Buckfast Abbey from 3rd to 6th May. The Abbot and community have extended a particularly warm welcome, and this new venue promises to be a great success.

Tuition will be provided by priests well experienced in the traditional rites and will be in small groups selected to suit the experience of each participant. Thus it is expected that there will be groups studying Low Mass, Missa Cantata and Solemn Mass.

There will also be tuition for servers who wish to improve their skills. Again tuition will be in groups according to ability and experience.

The conference will start with Mass at 11am on the Tuesday morning and will end after lunch on the Friday. For those travelling long distances, it will be possible to book a room for the Monday night. Accommodation will be provided in the guest houses of the Abbey and the Abbot has kindly allowed the conference to have extensive use of the Abbey Church both for tuition and for our liturgies.

If you would like to attend this conference, please complete the application form, which can be downloaded from the Latin Mass Society website. It should be returned to the address given with an appropriate cheque. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Latin Mass Society on 020 7404 7284.

Castleford Missa Cantata

The Mass tomorrow at St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road at 3.00p.m. will be a sung Mass.

Thanks to John Burton once again for agreeing to take on the musical aspect of this Mass every last Sunday of the month.

The next sung Mass at Castleford after tomorrow will be Sunday 27th. March.

This will follow our National Pilgrimage in honour of St. Margaret Clitherow which will take place the day before (Sat 26th. March) at York Minster. Missa cantata in the Minster at 1.30p.m. followed by procession via the Shambles (where she lived), onto the Ouse Bridge (near to where she met her excruciating death) to the church of the English Martyrs in Dalton Terrace, for veneration of the relic and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 4.00p.m. Already two Leeds Priests have said they will be attending in choro, with Middlesbrough and Hexham & Newcastle Priests also to be in attendance in choir.

Unless anybody knows better I understand that this will be the first ever public Missa Cantata in the Tridentine Rite.

God bless the Pope!

Ladyewell day of Recollection

I recently learned of a serious fire at the little Marian shrine of Ladyewell in the Diocese of Lancaster only a day after I corresponded with a chap in the Salford Diocese about pilgrimages for the North of England. I then picked up this which I hope will be of interest to some of you:

If you are within travelling distance of Preston in Lancashire, there will be a Lenten Day of Recollection led by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP at Ladyewell Shrine, Broughton, Preston, Lancashire PR2 5ST on Saturday, 19th March 2011 (Feast of St Joseph).

Schedule:
11am - Morning conference: St Joseph, a model of obedience.
12pm - Confessions and Holy Mass (usus antiquior)
1pm - Time to eat packed lunches.
2pm - Afternoon conference: St Joseph, a model of hope.
3pm – Exposition, Confessions (during Adoration) and Benediction
4pm - Tea and coffee.

Free admission. All welcome.
Contact: Matthew McCusker – E-mail : mjp.mccusker@googlemail.com or mobile: 07929 786775

(By kind permission of Rev Fr Thomas Hoole, P.P.and Shrine Director)

Thanks to Matt McCusker for this.

Masses this weekend - Sexagesima

This evening (Friday), Holy Spirit, Heckmondwike at 7.30p.m.

also St. Maries's, Manchester Road, Bury at 7.30p.m.

Tomorrow morning, Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall at 9.30a.m.

also English Martyrs, Alexandra Rd. South, Manchester at 10.a.m.

Vigil Mass, St. Mary of the Angels, Cross Bank Road, Batley at 3.00p.m.

Vigil Mass, St. Mary's, Gibbet Street, Halifax at 6.00p.m.

Sunday, Missa Cantata, St. Joseph's, Pontefract Rd. Castleford. 3.00p.m.

Sunday, Low Mass, Holy Name, Oxford Road, Manchester at 4.00p.m.

Sunday, English Martyrs, Dalton Terrace, York at 6.30p.m.

Very informative and interesting day

Today's visit to Whalley and Towneley Hall Museum in Burnley were thoroughly enjoyable. After Mass at Broughton we visited the C of E parish church in Whalley where we saw the misericords rescued from the neighbouring Abbey, now in ruins. For Cistercian fittings they seemed extremely ornate but very beautiful. The other parts are in Blackburn Cathedral, where the verger agreed they looked out of place.

We were able to chat with three very pleasant gentlemen after looking round the church in the parish office. One chap was the verger and he explained the problems the parish was experiencing as a result of plans to build houses galore in the district. Their views on clerical celibacy, women priests and Humanae Vitae were no surprise but they all had great integrity and were honest in their convictions - the man whose wife was a retired vicar said that ordaining women hadn't boosted numbers in church attendance.

The magnificent reredos installed in the early part of the last century by a generous four-barrel-named benefactor includes pictures of Saints James, Ethelreda, Francis of Assisi and Ursula. A small crucifix, slightly redolent of the one in Westminster Cathedral is centrally placed. I thought this to be a very eclectic little group of saints and apart from any personal family associations with the donor I am still pondering as to why these are together. Only afterwards it occurred to me that I ought to have asked about this.

A walk round the abbey ruins confirmed my belief that a Mass there would be very desirable, given that there is a magnificent stone altar reconstructed over the site of the original high altar.

A visit to the retreat and conference centre was very enlightening and I can think of no better place to organise a mid-week retreat with spiritual direction and Mass at very reasonable rates.

The last Abbot of Whalley was hanged at Lancaster for his involvement in the Pilgrimage of Grace and is sometimes referred to as a Martyr at the Scaffold.

Having witnessed the extravagant (by Cistercian standards) misericords at the Parish church in Whalley we went on to Towneley Hall museum to view the equally extravagant Whalley Vestments. We were instantly astonished at the size of them. They were either very big monks or the celebrating monks would be totally housed in them (hence the term chasuble - little house). The chasuble and dalmatic are works of art and are embroidered with what some say are strawberries, but to me resemble pomegranates.

The Towneleys who are direct descendants of the de Lacy family (and so linked with Bradford's Bolling Hall) still gather to attend Mass in the Hall at 7.00a.m. once a year on the Eve of All Saints we were told. We had a fascinating view of one of the original seven priest holes situated under a maid's bedroom and above a modern office. How must these trapped priests have lived out their stress and fear? The chapel is complete with an astonishing example of a Dutch carved

altar, Missal and altar cards. The low height altar and huge vestments were in great contrast to each other as they had been brought together by events in time, but by those who held and kept the Catholic Faith, which comes to us from the Apostles.

A very remarkable comment by Mgr Loftus

On page 17 of this month's edition of the Leeds Diocesan Leeds Catholic Post http://www.catholicpost.org.uk/latest/index.htm Leeds Priest Basil Loftus (retired) reviews a book which concerns the Church of the 1960s pastoral Council (Vat 2) some forty-five years on.

"Very wisely, not all the Conciliar documents are covered. Those, for instance, on Education and on the Communications Media are disappointing and inadequate, not to say , in some instances, harmful." writes Mgr Loftus.

As he raises this issue, the comment made me instantly ask myself two questions, firstly are we free to believe (by his example) that perhaps other Conciliar documents are more than disappointing and harmful and secondly what, for instance, makes him think the document on Education should be ranked in this potentially toxic group?

This said, I shall be sending for the book which Monsignor is reviewing and I look forward to reading it, if not to learn what was so "disgraceful" about the treatment of Lavinia Byrne.

I have just finished reading a very enjoyable collection of essays about the Bishops of Leeds put together in honour of Bishop emeritus David Konstant.

It is tragic to see what was built up, taken for granted and then lost over the last forty odd years.

In bookish holiday mood may I recommend The Heresy of Formlessness by Martin Mosebach which as the title suggests is a response to the ills we have suffered by self-styled liturgists and 1970s liberal revolutionaries who keep on running but haven't the foggiest idea where they're going.

Septuagesima

The green and the Gloria now give way to the purple and the tract this weekend as the season of Septuagesima begins.

The bulbs in the garden are looking healthy - the sword-like shoots of the daffodils are more than three inches out of the soil and the snowdrops are in bloom.

Snow is forecast.

Lent is on the horizon.

Masses this weekend

Vigil Mass, Saturday, St. Mary's, Gibbet Street, Halifax. 6.00p.m.

Sunday , St. Joseph's, Pontefract Rd., Castleford. 3.00p.m.

Sunday, Holy Name of Jesus, Oxford rd. Manchester. 4.00p.m.

Sunday, St. Augustine's, Harehills Rd. Leeds. 5.oo.p.m.

Sunday, English Martyrs, Dalton Terrace, York. 6.30p.m.

God bless the Pope!

Half term in sight

Our good friend Fr. Parfitt of Broughton will offer a sung Mass at Bewerley Grange chapel near Pateley Bridge, next Thursday, February 24th. for the Feast of St. Matthias.

I am also planning a trip to Whalley Abbey in Lancashire on Wednesday to assess its suitability as a place to hold a pilgrimage and sung Mass there in the summer holidays. This will also mean lots of paperwork and preparation if it proves viable, which I hope it will.

Mass in honour of St. Margaret Clitherow at York Minster

The Mass at York Minster to celebrate the National Pilgrimage in honour of St. Margaret Clitherow on 26th. March will be a sung Mass at the high altar at 1.30p.m.

We will process from the Minster at 3.00p.m. to the shrine of the saint in the Shambles and in a change of plan, onto the church of the English Martyrs in Dalton Terrace instead of the Bar Convent, because of ever increasing space limitation in the Convent chapel as more people register interest. Interestingly, English Martyrs has a very thought-provoking little collection of relics and objects associated with some of those very English Martyrs to whom the church is dedicated.

Pray for good weather and bring a packed lunch!

An excellent read

For a really good five minute read and lots of food for thought take a look at the following link

http://hughosb.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/facing-east-and-papal-fads/#comments

where Fr Hugh of Douai gives his thoughts on facing east.

The mustard seed

Father Hall's sermon at St. Peter's, Bradford, was a pearl today. So redolent of the Little Way of St. Therese in its humility and so powerful in its effect. Father cited examples from his life as Priest and teacher where green shoots, which he likened to the mustard seed of the Gospel, were springing up in his life. Full of hope and inspiration I was truly moved by what he said and much of it he said, he owed to having learned to offer the EF Rite of Mass.

The training day for servers went very well yesterday - please follow this link to see photos of the event

www.flickr.com/photos/24855617@N05/sets/72157625907456463/

Preparations for the National Pilgrimage in honour of our Patroness, St. Margaret Clitherow at York Minster are well underway. Another green shoot.

Busy weekend

Tomorrow - Saturday sees our joint Dioceses Servers' Training session, which involves Leeds, Salford, Middlesbrough and Hexham & Newcastle Reps. This will take place at English Martyrs, Dalton Terrace, York, concluding with a Missa Cantata at 3.00p.m. to which all are welcome. I hope our rookie servers will be ready to serve it!

Also on Saturday

Low Mass, Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall near Skipton at 9.30a.m.

SIXTH SUNDAY after EPIPHANY II Cl G
Gl Cr Pr of the Holy Trinity

Vigil Mass, St. Mary's, Gibbet Street, Halifax at 6.00p.m.

Sunday

Missa cantata, St. Peter's, Leeds Road, Bradford. 3.00p.m.

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

This weekend we see the last of the green vestments, as Epiphanytide which has run its full course, gives way to the liturgical season of Septuagesima which foreshadows Lent. It will set the scene, so enjoy the last of the freshness of the green, which has perhaps signified the growth of the Holy Child Jesus from his infancy to manhood and early ministry. It will not be seen again until after a temporally late Pentecost. Between the green of this weekend and the red of the Pentecost Mass we will see purple give way to the white of Holy Thursday to Good Friday black and then overnight give way to festal White and Gold. The colours are themselves are an aid to understanding at every level. As a change to the monotony the Church allows Rose coloured vestments in Lent, which is also a pleasant push to instil hope in to us to persevere with our Lenten sacrifices, fasts and alms giving.

Easter is very late this year, so too is February half term. The first of our Masses at Bewerley Grange chapel, Pateley Bridge, this year will be on Thursday 24th. February, a sung Mass for the feast of St. Matthias at 11.30a.m.

Finally - I am rarely, if ever, shocked by what I hear and see, occasionally though I see something which does sicken me. I offer the following link with a question. The question is quite simply, what have we done to deserve this? http://www.alma-de-cuba.com/history/

Regular sung Mass

Following the pleasant change of routine on Sunday at St. Joseph's Castleford, when we had a sung Mass, with epistle and Gospel chanted in the vernacular (Knox translation) instead of Low Mass, it was agreed afterwards by the singers, servers, rep and celebrant that each last Sunday of the month be henceforth a Missa cantata.
You would be most welcome to come along and join the singers - perhaps we can think of something to sing to raise the roof to end this month's Mass before the Marian Anthem is sung on February 27th. at 3.00p.m.

Suggestions I might suggest would include; Praise to the Holiest, Jesus my Lord my God, Faith of our Fathers, O Mother blest or Full in the panting heart of Rome.
Colours of day will not be considered.

Reminder that there is a regular sung Mass at Broughton Hall each first Sunday of the month at 11.30a.m and each second Sunday at St. Peter's, Leeds Road, Laisterdyke, Bradford at 3.00p.m.