Easter IV

The 1.00 p.m. at St. Patrick's on Sunday will be a Low Mass. Fr Hall has to leave smartly after Mass for another engagement so there will be no confessions available after Mass. 

Habemus Papam!

 

Pope Leo XIV

American Cardinal Robert Prevost emerged yesterday as the 267th successor of St. Peter. 

May Christ guide, protect and preserve him.

Conclave & Easter III

 

The conclave to elect a successor to St. Peter is now well underway. The first ballot saw black smoke. The results of that secret ballot are known only to God and those men in the Sistine Chapel. Its results will have undoubtably fuelled much anxiety, joy or need simply for prayerful reflection. I found this prayer while surfing the web:

Lord, as the Church enters this time of transition, we ask for the guidance of Your Holy Spirit. Pour forth Your wisdom upon the College of Cardinals as they gather to discern Your will for the successor to the Chair of St. Peter.

Grant them clarity of mind, purity of heart, and courage of spirit, that they may choose a shepherd after Your own heart, one who will lead Your flock with wisdom, holiness, and love.      Amen

Sunday's regular 1.00 p.m. Mass at St. Patrick's in Bradford will be a Low Mass. I hope that by then we will have a pope. 

Each failed ballot until the appearance of white smoke will continue to cause joy or anxiety in increasing measure and therefore increased prayerful reflection. 

Oremus pro invicem.

Mother of the Church, pray for us.

Easter II

This Sunday's Mass at St. Patrick's, Bradford at 1.00 p.m. will be a Low Mass and will be livestreamed. 

With the death of my mother-in-law, I have not yet thanked all those who made the Sacred Triduum such a resounding success. The servers, Fr. Frantisek and our cantatrix, Madeleine all contributed to make the whole thing a very smooth and extremely moving event. Likewise, the visit of the relic of the Holy Cross on Low Sunday with Benediction, after Mgr. Grogan's Low Mass was executed very smoothly. 

As the conclave now approaches, we must pray that a pontiff with the humility of Pope Francis will emerge and who will unify the Church and help heal those so unnecessarily re-opened wounds of division, especially in the field of liturgy, inflicted over recent years. 

My prayer is for a unifier Pope who is not afraid to promote orthodoxy and orthopraxis.

The link for this Sunday's Mass:

https://www.youtube.com/@LMSLeeds

Low Sunday

 

The funeral Mass of the Holy Father will take place on Saturday in Rome followed by his burial at St. Mary Major, in a break with tradition. May he rest in peace.

On Sunday, which is Low Sunday (also known as Quasimodo Sunday or Divine Mercy Sunday) we shall have Low Mass at St. Patrick's, Bradford at 1.00 p.m. followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and then veneration of a relic of the Holy Cross, which is being taken to every diocese in the country thanks to the Latin Mass Society as part of the Jubilee Year. Thanks to Mr Waddington for facilitating the visit in this diocese.

The relic was authenticated for public veneration in 1945 by Archbishop Peter Amigo.

Prayer for the election of a new pope

O God, eternal shepherd,
who govern Thy flock with unfailing care,
grant in Thy boundless fatherly love
a pastor for Thy Church
who will please Thee by his holiness
and to us show watchful care.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Please also remember the soul of the late Pope Francis in your prayers. 

 

Easter Vigil

The Mass on Holy Thursday and the Liturgy of Good Friday were well attended and were very smooth in their execution and beautifully accompanied. 

Saturday at 7.30 p.m. sees the start of the Easter Vigil. 

At the Vigil the Easter fire is blessed and then the flames from it light the blessed paschal candle. The candle has been studded with five grains of incense and is carried by the deacon/priest to a central point before the altar to sing the Praeconium. 

.After this follow the 4 readings from the Books of Genesis, Exodus, Isiah and Deuteronomy.

The first part of the Litany of the Saints follows and then there is the renewal of Baptismal promises. with the sprinkling of the people thereafter.

The second part of the Litany takes place as the altar is being prepared for the first Mass of the Resurrection. 

The bells will again tinkle and chime during the Gloria.

The altar party will stand towards the lady altar to sing the Regina Caeli at the end of Mass.

Sacred Triduum

Thank you to those of you who have contacted me about my mother-in-law, who died very peacefully on Sunday morning. 

The Triduum at St. Patrick's, Bradford is as follows:

Maundy Thursday 6.00 p.m.

Good Friday 3.00 p.m.

Holy Saturday 7.30 p.m.

Easter Sunday 1.00 p.m.

Palm Sunday &c

On Laetare Sunday there was a pastoral letter from Bishop Stock about the Assisted Suicide Bill. His Lordship drew our attention to the very short time the Committee had spent reviewing the evidence and arguments about this matter. (Since then Kim Leadbeater has delayed her pernicious Bill's next reading in Parliament.)  The bishop's message was very clear in his letter,

 "...I appeal to you: even if you have written before,

please make contact now with your MP∗ and ask them to vote against this Bill, not only on

grounds of principle but because of the failure of Parliament to approach this issue in an

adequate and responsible manner..."

The footnote to the letter was the following:

∗ The charity Right to Life UK has a simple online mechanism to help you contact your MP. It takes little more than a few minutes to input your postcode, make sure the suggested text suits your viewpoint and submit your message to ask your MP to stop assisted suicide being rushed into law.

Go to the Right to Life UK website: https://righttolife.org.uk/

If this becomes enshrined in law I have no doubt it will not be long before we have "suicide" on demand. It tells its own story that the original suggested judges are now to be social workers.

A similar path has been trodden with David Steel's Abortion Act. 

Please do as the bishop asks.

Palm Sunday:

The 1.00 p.m. Low Mass at St. Patrick's, Bradford will be be preceded by the blessing of palms and the customary surrounding the church procession round the block. 

As always, we will be using the 1962 missal for the whole of Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum.

It will be Father's third Mass, so we will again have the short Gospel.

Confession at call.

In your prayers, please remember my wife's mother. The hospital has said that she is not now strong enough to fight off the double pneumonia she contracted last week. 

Triduum Times:

Holy Thursday 6.00 p.m.

Good Friday 3.00 p.m.

Holy Saturday 7.30 p.m.

The Sacred Triduum

 

Times of Masses for the Sacred Triduum at St. Patrick's, Westgate, Bradford.

Maundy Thursday: 6.00 p.m.

Good Friday: 3.00 p.m. (Day of fast and abstinence)

Holy Saturday: 7.30 p.m.

Lent V (Passion Sunday)

Sunday's 1.00p.m. Mass at St. Patrick's, Bradford will be a Low Mass. 

Fr. Driver will hear confessions before Mass. 

Passion Sunday is often mistaken for Palm Sunday. It is normal to veil the crucifix and statues from Passion Sunday until the Gloria at the  Easter Vigil to recall Christ hiding Himself and then emerging from the shattered tomb.  

The liturgy is now pruned and omits the Judica me (Psalm 42) at the start of  Mass and is not unlike a requiem. The Judica is next heard on Easter Sunday.

Next week, when it is Palm Sunday, we shall be processing around the streets near the church again, singing All Glory, Praise and Honour. A couple of years ago it touched my heart to see an old Muslim man stop and remove his hat in respect as we processed  back to the church.

I hope to be able to  advertise times of the Triduum's liturgies very shortly. 

 

Laetare Sunday

We are now half way to Easter Sunday. The liturgy relaxes a little and we are encouraged by seeing rose coloured vestments. The introit calls for  rejoicing, just as it does on the third Sunday of Advent. Salvation is at hand. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Mass at St. Patrick's at 1.00 p.m. will be a Low Mass with confessions beforehand.

I hope to be able to publish times of the Masses for the Sacred Triduum very soon.

PLEASE REMEMBER THE CLOCKS GO FORWARD THIS WEEKEND.

Lent III

The 1.00 p.m. Mass at St. Patrick's on Sunday marking the third Sunday of Lent will be a Low Mass and it will be livestreamed. Thanks again to the crew and to Fr. Winn for giving so kindly of their time. 

I received a lot of positive comments after the last occasion and we have also decided on some changes,  now that we realise that only the nose of the altar server with the biggest nose could be seen. Chalk marks on the sanctuary floor will have to mark where the servers should kneel.

Please follow the link and subscribe to the You Tube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@LMSLeeds

Lent II

 

This Sunday is the second Sunday of Lent and the 1.00 p.m. Mass at St. Patrick's will be a sung Mass.

 

Lent I

Mass for the first Sunday of Lent at St. Patrick's on Sunday is at the usual time of 1.00 p.m. The Gospel recalls the temptation of Jesus after his own retreat.

There was a good attendance at Mass on Ash Wednesday and Fr. Driver said he is looking forward to coming back on Sunday.

Confessions at call.

Memento homo, quia pulvis est et pulverem reverteris

The Ash Wednesday Mass at St Patrick's, Bradford,  tomorrow will be a Low Mass preceded by the distribution of ashes at 7.00 p.m.

Confessions available before Mass.

Quinquagesima

This Sunday is Quinquagesima and the Mass at Patrick's will be a Low Mass at the usual time of 1.00 p.m.

Last Sunday's filming of the Mass went really well - thanks to Fr. Simon and the wonderful crew who gave freely of their time to ensure a smooth transmission. I've had various suggestions as to how to improve it next month (March 23rd.) Fr. Simon is more than very proficient in Latin and I admire his talent at it.

Next week is Ash Wednesday. Mass at St. Patrick's will be at 7.00 p.m. Confessions before Mass.

A reminder that we have the Sacred Triduum again this year thanks the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.

My daughter and I and two of my grandchildren will be walking in the footsteps of Monsignor John O'Connor and GK Chesterton from St. Anne's, Keighley to the  Myddleton Calvary at via Sacred Heart, Ilkley on  Saturday 29th. March whilst praying for vocations to the priesthood. 

In your prayers please remember Monsieur Jean Pierre Barriere who used to attend Mass at St. Patrick's with his wife, Pat. Jean Pierre is now seriously ill and receiving palliative care. 

Last but not least please remember Pope Francis in your prayers as he fights double pneumonia in Rome's Gemelli hospital. 

Sexagesima and important new initiative

This Sunday is Sexagesima Sunday and Lent will soon be upon us.

Tomorrow's Mass from St. Patrick's at 1.00 p.m. will be livestreamed on this blog's new YouTube channel. We are taking baby steps and for the next couple of months we will be livestreaming once a month (from tomorrow) until my confidence and expertise in this area increases. 

Please be assured that members of the congregation will not be identifiable as the camera will be focused on the action at the altar and I've told my daughter that she needn't put on her best coat! 

I hope in time to increase the number of livestreamed Masses which will be also available as catchups after the event. 

Please take a look at the link and "subscribe" - it is, of course, free to do this.

https://www.youtube.com/@LMSLeeds

Septuagesima

The pre-Lent season starts on Sunday with the feast of Septuagesima announcing, in the colour of the vestments, that Ash Wednesday and Lent will soon be upon us.  

It's like a warning light to tell us to prepare for 40 days of penance and not to decide to give up chocolate biscuits or alcohol or meat until Shrove Tuesday. 

I always emphasise to my teacher trainees that preparation prevents poor performance and instils us with positive confidence. I think this applies to the spiritual life.

We also need to prepare to make our Easter duties - Confession and Holy Communion from Ash Wednesday until Trinity Sunday.

The Mass on Sunday at St. Patrick's, Bradford at 1.00 p.m. will be a Low Mass with confessions at call.

I am delighted to be able to report that again we will celebrate the Sacred Triduum this year at St. Patrick's  and that each of the ceremonies will be sung. The times will be announced nearer to Holy Week. 

Please remember Gloria Malone in your prayers. Gloria is often at at Mass at St. Patrick's but is suffering from pneumonia in the Infirmary at the moment. 

Update: I understand that her condition is improving.

Epiphany V

Confessions will be available before Sunday's Low Mass for the fifth Sunday of the Epiphany at 1.00 p.m. at St. Patrick's, Bradford.

Next Sunday is Septuagesima Sunday which means we are soon to be on the countdown to Lent.

Candlemas

 

Candles feature widely over the next few days. On Saturday there is the procession through Bradford to mark the feast of St. Blaise which will culminate in the blessing of throats  at St. Patrick's Mission church where we have our regular Sunday Mass. Candles are used for this blessing. 

Sunday is the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, or the Purification of Our Lady, otherwise known as Candlemas. This Sunday's Mass will be a missa cantata and after the blessing of candles there will be a short procession around the church.

Confessions before Mass.

Epiphany III

 Mass for the third Sunday of Pentecost (Jan 26th.) at St. Patrick's at 1.00 p.m. will be a Low Mass.

As you will see from the previous post, the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in Bradford are organising a procession next Saturday (Feb 1st.) in honour of the patron Saint of Bradford, St. Blaise. It will culminate at St. Patrick's where blessings of the throat will be given.

The day after we will have a missa cantata for the feast of Candlemas. There will be the blessing of candles before Mass and the indoor procession which traditionally follows. 

St. Blaise - Patron Saint of Bradford - City Procession

 

Saint Blaise was the bishop of Sebastea and a doctor. The first known record of the saint's life comes from the medical writings of Aëtius Amidenus, where he is recorded as helping with patients suffering from objects stuck in their throat. Many of the miraculous aspects of St. Blaise's life are written of 400 years after his martyrdom in the "Acts of St. Blaise."

Saint Blaise is believed to begin as a healer then, eventually, became a "physician of souls." He then retired to a cave, where he remained in prayer. People often turned to Saint Blaise for healing miracles.

In 316, the governor of Cappadocia and of Lesser Armenia, Agricola, arrested then-bishop Blaise for being a Christian. On their way to the gaol, a woman set her only son, who was choking to death on a fish bone, at his feet.

Blaise cured the child, and though Agricola was amazed, he could not get Blaise to renounce his faith. Therefore, Agricola beat Blaise with a stick and tore at his flesh with iron combs before beheading him.

He is the patron saint of Bradford on account of his links to the iron combs used to help to kill him. Blaise is also the patron saint of woolcombers for the same reason.

Bradford once had a secondary school named after him. Ironically it burned down - long after I'd left. 

St. Blaise now has a parish dedicated to him in Bradford.

Epiphany II

This Sunday's 1.00 p.m. Mass at St. Patrick's, is a Low Mass. 

The Gregorian chant tuition sessions will resume after Mass for about 50 minutes. 

Feast of the Holy Family

Mass for the Feast of the Holy Family on Sunday at St. Patrick's, Bradford at 1.00 p.m. will be a Low Mass. 

Epiphany Sunday

 

This Sunday's Mass for the Feast of the Epiphany at St. Patrick's, Bradford, will be at the usual time of 1.00 p.m. It will be a Low Mass.

Our next Solemn High Mass has now been organised and will be for the Feast of the Presentation, Purification or Candlemas on 2nd February. 

We are also planning an event later in the year to mark the Year of Pilgrimage. Bishop Stock has designated St. Patrick's a mission church to this end. Details in due course.