Chantry Mass

On Wednesday 30th. December there will be a Mass at Wakefield's historic chantry chapel on the Kirkgate bridge at 7.00 p.m. It marks the anniversary of the Battle of Wakefield on 30th. December 1460. This Mass is quite fittingly a sung Requiem Mass.

Local flooding

Having just seen the local news and weather, if you are in doubt about travelling to Mass at the following locations please call  the following after breakfast on Sunday:
  
Sacred Heart, Broughton Tel: 01756 793794
St. Joseph's, Castleford Tel: 01977 552753
St. Anthony's, Clayton, Bradford Tel: 01274 574720

Sunday within the octave of the Nativity

Masses on Sunday are as follows:

11.00 a.m. Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton
3.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford
4.00 p.m. St. Anthony's, Bradford Road, Clayton, Bradford

Happy Christmas

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Christmas Masses

Why is it that when one thing breaks down everything else seems to follow suit? Internet has been off more than on, the television set stopped working (no real worry there) and my laptop keeps dying which means that I could be "cut off" any minute. It has made for a very frustrating start to the holiday. I am however looking forward to Christ's Mass when we behold the infant child in the crib, pure innocence - but not for us - because in a few weeks we see why that child was nailed to a cross.
All the feasting and jollities aside the Christmas message (but not the occasion) should really leave us feeling uneasy and ready for the lengthening days when we can look at ourselves and forward to the candles of baptismal renewal of the Sacred Vigil, when again beautiful light comes into our night liturgies as the light and life of the Saviour are celebrated. The late Father Cresswell used to say that at Mass we have the Incarnation, Birth, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ before us.

Masses for the Feast are as follows:

Thursday  Christmas Eve
                 Notre Dame Chapel, Leeds University Chaplaincy, St. Mark's Avenue, Leeds  7.00 p.m.
                 Sacred Heart Chapel, Broughton Hall, Skipton 11.30 p.m.
Friday      Christmas Day
                 Sacred Heart Chapel, Broughton Hall, Skipton 11.00 a.m.

NO MASS AT HALIFAX ON SATURDAY
               

Advent IV

The last Sunday before Christmas is upon us this weekend and Masses are as follows:

Saturday           (Vigil Mass) St. Mary’s, Gibbet Street, Halifax                  6.00 p.m.

Sunday              St. Anne’s Cathedral, Great George Street, Leeds.             8.00 a.m.

                           Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton.                            11.00 a.m.

                           St. Joseph’s, Pontefract Road, Castleford.                           3.00 p.m. 

I shall post times of our Masses for Christmas early next week. Please do all you can to attend the Cathedral Mass. Following our success at the High Mass it would be great to see an increased number of attendees. 

Advent III

Masses this weekend for Gaudete are as follows:

Saturday
Our Lady of Lourdes (oratory beside the presbytery), Cardigan Road, Leeds, 5.30 p.m.
St. Mary's Gibbet Street, Halifax,  6,00 p.m.

Sunday
Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton, 11.00 a,m,
St. Peter's, Leeds Road Bradford. 3.00 p.m. (Sung Mass)
St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford 3.00 p.m.

Advent II

Masses for the second Sunday of Advent:

Saturday           (Vigil Mass)  St. Mary’s, Gibbet Street, Halifax.                              6.00 p.m.

Sunday              (Sung) Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton.                             11.00 a.m.

                           St. Joseph’s, Pontefract Road, Castleford.                                      3.00 p.m.

Advent 1

This weekend marks the start of Advent.

We have just two Masses on Sunday. THERE IS NO MASS AT HALIFAX.

Sunday 11.00 a.m. Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton
               3.00 p.m. St Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford

From the Cathedral

By courtesy of John Roberts of Wakefield I am reproducing some of his great photos of Saturday's Mass at Leeds Cathedral where we had a Solemn Requiem Mass for Bishop Wheeler. The present Bishop, Marcus Stock was in attendance and presided. This solemn Mass was the first such since the changes of the late 1960s in the cathedral. In the morning the Bishop had raised a man to the diaconate in the same place.

Mgr Moger and his staff could not have been any more helpful on the day and in the weeks leading up to it. Our schola members gave freely of their time and as ever did us proud. Servers were plentiful and able to enjoy concentrating on the Mass with the deacon and subdeacon doing most of the work. Similarly the clergy - Celebrant Fr. Abberton, Deacon Fr. Kravos, Subdeacon Fr. Wiley, Clergy's M.C. Fr. M. Hall, Bishop's Assistant Priest Fr. Crawley and Mr Cortes the deacon to the Bishop, please may I put on the record my sincere thanks to you and of course to Bishop Stock who despite the novelty of the occasion to him (and the rest of us) was able to soon relax into the occasion with grace and humility. I'm certainly not used to ordering the local ordinary around, but after clergy and servers were blessed by him following the Mass in the sacristy I couldn't resist saying to him it was "a piece of cake".   Joking apart the bishop did add to the calmness of the occasion. 

The Bishop has told me before that he is willing to preside or preach at  EF Masses and Sacraments and I was spurred on when he repeated this to me on Saturday and indicated his desire for continued and further involvement in the the extraordinary form.

SOLEMN HIGH MASS WITH BISHOP STOCK

SOLEMN HIGH MASS OF

REQUIEM

in the presence of

Bishop Stock 

LEEDS CATHEDRAL

SATURDAY 14. NOVEMBER

4.00 P.M.

For the repose of the soul of Bishop Wheeler 

Bishop Wheeler became Bishop of Leeds in 1966 until his retirement in 1985. He was Bishop during the Council and  in its hectic aftermath. Ours was a diocese where sanity and saintliness ruled. Bishop Wheeler was grounded in the Blessed Sacrament and our Lady. He was uniquely generous in his provision of the older form of Mass and as such we owe him a debt of thanksgiving and prayerful remembrance.

Remembrance day

Masses this weekend, which is also the fifth remaining after the Epiphany are as follows:

Saturday           (Vigil Mass) St. Mary’s, Gibbet Street, Halifax.                             6.00 p.m.

                          

Sunday              Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton.                                        11.00 a.m.

                           (Sung)  St. Peter’s, Leeds Road, Laisterdyke, Bradford.                3.00 p.m.

                           St. Joseph’s, Pontefract Road, Castleford.                                     3.00 p.m.

All Saints and All Souls

This weekend and Monday see the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls. Masses are as follows:

Saturday           (Vigil Mass)  St. Mary’s, Gibbet Street, Halifax.            6.00 p.m.

Sunday              (Sung) Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton.              11.00 a.m.

                          St. Joseph’s, Pontefract Road, Castleford.                      3.00 p.m.

Monday              Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton. 9.00 a.m.  10.00 a.m and 11.00 a.m.

Please also remember our forthcoming Mass on November 14th at 4.00 p.m. at the cathedral in Leeds in presence of Bishop Stock. It will be a Solemn High Mass of Requiem for Bishop Wheeler.

Mass at Pateley Bridge

We have a sung Mass again at Bewerley Grange chapel near Pateley Bridge in Upper Nidderdale tomorrow (Tuesday 27th October) at 11.30 a.m.
This Mass will be offered for our beleaguered fellow Christians in the Middle East and will be in honour of Our Lady help of Christians. Many thanks to Fr. Parfitt for this.

Christ the King and a reminder

This weekend is the Feast of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest.

Masses are as follows:

Saturday           (Vigil Mass) St. Mary’s, Gibbet Street, Halifax.                       6.00 p.m.

Sunday              Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton.                                  11.00 a.m.

                         St. Joseph’s, Pontefract Road, Castleford.                                3.00 p.m.

                         St. Anthony’s, Bradford Road, Clayton, Bradford. BD14 6HW        4.00 p.m.                           

Apologies for the slightly late post but I have just returned from a few days in Paris and Lille. In the shadow of Notre Dame de Paris on Thursday I picked up a pristine copy of the 1962 Pontificale Romanum for a few pounds at a second hand bookstall. I felt like a dog with two tails for the rest of the day! I would love to know its history. 

If you are in or around Bradford tomorrow please remember that we are having our first Mass for very many years at St. Anthony's, Clayton. Many thanks to Fr. Abberton for this. Mass is at 4.00 p.m. and will be a regular fourth Sunday Mass. Sadly the order of sisters (Franciscans of Littlehampton) who taught at two of the schools I attended recently left the parish.  

Thanks also to Fr. Driver for agreeing to sing Mass again for us at St. Peter's, Bradford next month. St Peter's church in Bradford was bombed during the second world war but the bomb didn't actually explode. The unexploded bomb went through the roof and landed in the body of the church. The church also has the papal coat of arms of Pope John Paul I painted above the sanctuary which is extremely rare in this country. Fr. Driver is also the celebrant tomorrow at Castleford.

Pentecost XXI and news

Please remember that there is no Mass at Halifax on Saturday. Sunday's Masses are as follows:

Sunday              St. Anne’s Cathedral, Great George Street, Leeds         8.00 a.m.

                          Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton.                      11.00 a.m.

                          St. Joseph’s, Pontefract Road, Castleford.                    3.00 p.m.

Our third Sunday Masses continue at the Cathedral and our next event there will be on Saturday November 14th at 4.00 p.m. in the presence of His Lordship Bishop Stock who said earlier this year when we met him that he would be willing to attend our functions. It is not often that I have had the pleasure of requesting that the Bishop attend a Solemn High Mass in his own cathedral church! The Mass will be a solemn high Mass of Requiem for Bishop Wheeler followed by absolution at the catafalque. Details to follow.

Please also note that next we have our first Mass at St. Anthony's, Clayton, Bradford at 4.00 p.m. Thanks to Fr. Abberton for this. I also hope to have news of Mass in another deanery shortly.  

As the synod in Rome enters its third week please remember to pray for the Church at this unusual point in the Church's history.

Pentecost XX

Masses for this weekend the twentieth Sunday of Pentecost are as follows:

Saturday           (Vigil Mass) St. Mary’s, Gibbet Street, Halifax.                          6.00 p.m.

                           (Vigil Mass) Our Lady of Lourdes, Cardigan Road, Leeds.         5.30 p.m.          

Sunday              Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton.                                      11.00 a.m.

                           (Sung)  St. Peter’s, Leeds Road, Laisterdyke, Bradford.             3.00 p.m.

                           St. Joseph’s, Pontefract Road, Castleford.                                  3.00 p.m.

PLEASE NOTE there will be no Mass at Halifax next week.

Pentecost XIX

Masses for this weekend

Saturday           (Vigil Mass)  St. Mary’s, Gibbet Street, Halifax.                    6.00 p.m.

Sunday              (Sung) Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton.                      11.00 a.m.

                          St. Joseph’s, Pontefract Road, Castleford.                              3.00 p.m.

Just seen

Apologies for the late posting of this. I've only just seen it.

Pentecost XVIII

Masses this weekend, the eighteenth Sunday of Pentecost:

Saturday (Vigil) St. Mary’s, Gibbet Street, Halifax. 6.00 p.m.

Sunday              Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton. 11.00 a.m.

                        St. Joseph’s, Pontefract Road, Castleford. 3.00 p.m.

Pentecost XVII and update

Holy Mass this weekend the seventeenth after Pentecost:

Saturday             (Vigil) St. Mary’s, Gibbet Street, Halifax. 6.00 p.m.

Sunday                St. Anne’s Cathedral, Great George Street, Leeds. 8.00 a.m.

                           Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton. 11.00 a.m.

                           St. Joseph’s, Pontefract Road, Castleford. 3.00 p.m.

Thanks to Fr. Driver for so readily agreeing to stand in for Fr. Hall at St. Peter's, Bradford last week when he sang the Mass for us. Fr. Driver will be offering Mass again for us at Castleford on Sunday. 

Also on Sunday is our now regular Cathedral Mass at 8.00 a.m. The long holiday season has also elicited some telephone calls from regulars who are taking advantage of out of term breaks. Bonnes vacances! Please come along if you are curious.

Fr. Abberton who was at Heckmondwike has now established a regular fourth Sunday Mass in his new parish of St. Anthony's, Clayton, Bradford. These Masses will be at 4.00 p.m. The first Mass is on Sunday 25th October.

I am hoping to be able to announce a regular Mass soon  in Fr. Abberton's old deanery encompassing Batley and Heckmondwike, now that Fr. Abberton is no longer at Holy Spirit (and Fr. Wiley and Fr. Hall are no longer at Batley)

There is to be a solemn Mass of Requiem for the repose of the soul of Bishop Wheeler at the Cathedral in Leeds on Saturday 14th. November at 4.00 p.m. There will be no Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes, Leeds on this Saturday.

Mass will be sung again, bearing our suffering Christian brothers and sisters of the Middle East in mind and prayer, at Bewerley Grange chapel, near Pateley Bridge in the October half term. Exact details to follow soon, but it is most likely to be on the Tuesday of the last week of October. As ever I am grateful to Fr. Parfitt and the Anglican custodian Sr. Mary Cuthbert.