Mass today at Bewerley Grange was for the feast of St. Boniface, apostle of Germany, who was an English monk and Bishop and was in old age martyred by pagans, saying that meeting violence with violence was not the way of Christ.
Probably due to the extended holiday the Mass was less well attended than usual but nevertheless the prayer for the Queen and the National Anthem were sung with no little gusto before the Salve and the Angelus after Mass.
On Thursday Fr. Parfitt will offer Low Mass at 11.30 a.m. at Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall near Skipton for the non-obligatory Feast of Corpus Christi, the solemnity of which will be observed externally at the weekend. (More information soon.)
Preparations for Bishop Rifan's visit and Pontifical High Mass continue and I am pleased to announce that Bishop Roche has expressed the desire to attend. New vestments for the occasion have been ordered and serving and singing are sorted. Servers from Leeds, Salford and Hexham & Newcastle have agreed to serve and our own schola will sing with the St. Austin singers from Wakefield. Refreshments will be available after Mass. The Recessional hymn will be For all the Saints.
There will be a Solemn High Mass in anticipation of the Feast of Ss Peter and Paul on Thursday 28th. June at Immaculate Heart of Mary, Harrogate Road, Leeds, LS17 6LE. This will be at 7.30 p.m.
I was very impresssed with the music today from St. Paul's in London for the service to mark the Jubilee. I thought that Dr. Williams spoke well and the only thing that irritated me was the BBC Radio 4's News at one o'clock. An interview with a Cof E bishop and a rabbi was introduced with
the remark that the title Defender of the Faith was one bestowed upon Henry VIII by himself and moreover the title was his own invention. Neither speaker corrected the interviewer. Not that the BBC is selective about such howlers. Earlier this year I heard on the same programme that a copy of the Koran had gone on show in London and was seven thousand years old. Fancy that!
