Palm Sunday

Holy Week 2013 is almost upon us.

Masses for Palm Sunday

Saturday Vigil 6.30 p.m. St. Mary's, Halifax
Sunday 11.00 a.m. Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton
              3.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford

Passion Sunday

Today sees the veiling of statues until Holy Saturday's Mass. The Judica Me is not said as one of the prayers at the foot of the altar to further prune back the Mass in anticipation of the awesome events we  celebrate at Easter - the liturgy seems to deny itself the extra good things. Instead the psalm forms the Introit of the Mass. 

Masses today:

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

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

4.00 p.m. Holy Spirit, Bath Road, Heckmondwike 

Please think about attending our Sacred Triduum at Notre Dame Chapel this year - details of which are given in the sidebar. Father Kravos, the chaplain and one of our celebrants has been very kind us at the chaplaincy and when he was Parish Priest at Our Lady of Lourdes in Leeds. Our celebrant for the Triduum is again Father Hall who is becoming something of an old hand at this and I am more than grateful to him for his pastoral concern and generosity of spirit. 

It was nice to read on the Leeds University Catholic Chaplaincy newsletter this week that the Latin Mass Society was responsible for renovating the Crucifix outside the chapel. I hope one of our younger members and student at Leeds University responsible for that is reading this! I remember many years ago one of my predecessors as rep, Mrs Rutherford, mounting a very successful campaign to raise funds for the renovation of the statue of our Lady of the Crag at Knaresborough.   

I hope Francis will prove to be a popular name for this year's confirmands.

God bless the Pope!

God bless Pope Francis!

Habemus Papam!

We have a Pope!

White smoke at 6.07 p.m. from the Sistine Chapel signalled to the world that the conclave was over and that a new Pontiff has been elected.

Pope Francis I,  the Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio (SJ) and Archbishop of Buenos Aries

Now gloriously reigning.

Conclave

 

A lot of Catholic and non-Catholic friends and colleagues who know of my interest in these things have asked me whom I would like to see emerge as the next Pope, what name would I like him to take etc.

Of course I have an opinion and a couple of preferences, but those are not for here. I am more certain about whom I would not wish to see and again that is not for here. I have been similarly interested to hear the views of others.

Only God knows who will emerge and it is our duty at this time to pray that the man chosen by the Cardinal electors will lead the Church faithfully and with strength and courage. It is not an easy job as our Pontiff Emeritus has proven and the new Pope will have a heavy cross to carry. Many might wish to see a return to the halcyon days of the early part of the last century or to the heady days of the immediate post-conciliar era. These I would suggest are pipe dreams as times have changed beyond recognition. Godlessness is rampant, secularism, militant atheism and anti-Christianity seem to lacerate society, particularly in Western cultures. South America is being claimed by Protestant sects because the Church there has lost its way and its identity. People are finding a different opium here and in all corners of the earth. Does any of this mean that what the Church actually teaches is wrong and needs to be updated or moderated to fit in with the latest politically correct agenda? No. We don't have a Church which bends to public will like many other Christian denominations including the C of E. Abortion, contraception, women priests, gay marriage and all the other old hot potatoes are not up for discussion. They cannot be. Christ founded His Church on Peter and they didn't nail either of them to a cross because they were nice guys who loved and approved of everything men and women do. There was always going to be conflict with Christ's message and that of his established Church on earth. That the wise man brought myrrh to the manger at Bethlehem and Simeon's words show that it wasn't going to be a lovely holiday. Yes, ours is a Church of sinners - were it not there would be no need for the Sacraments, particularly that of Penance, but this doesn't make the teachings any less true, pure or sacred. Our positive response is our call to personal holiness and most of us regularly fail in this but we keep trying. To change things - to make it all easier and less relevant would be a revolting betrayal of what the Lord entrusted his first Pope with. We will all stand in judgement one day.
Let us pray then that the Holy Spirit gives us a Pope for the needs of today and tomorrow and continues the corrective agenda given to us by recent Popes who have been great teachers of the Faith and morals in light of the direction taken by the authors of the nebulous and often erroneous "spirit of Vatican II" which has been trotted out for far too long. Heterodoxy does not serve Christ or his Church well. It cannot. We need only look at the Reformation in our country and the shambles which is the C of E to see where this leads. Humanae Vitae, Veritas Splendour and Summorum Pontificum are, for example, teaching documents which allow us to look at and accept the reforms of the Council through that hermeneutic of continuity which our most recent Pontiff regularly spoke and wrote.

The above views are entirely mine and do not reflect the views of the LMS.

Laetare Sunday

On Sunday we are at the midpoint through Lent. It is Laetare Sunday and the penitential purple gives way to the rose, the Church's way of saying to us to continue with our penance, fasting, prayer and almsgiving - there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Masses will be as follows:

Saturday (Vigil) 6.00 p.m. St. Mary's, Gibbet Street, Halifax.
Sunday 11.00 a.m. Sacred Heart , Broughton Hall, Skipton.
              3.00 p.m. St. Peter's, Leeds Road, Laisterdyke, Bradford (Sung).
              3.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford.


HOLY WEEK MASSES

23-24 March.  PALM SUNDAY
Vigil 6.00 p.m. St. Mary's, Gibbet Street, Halifax.
         11.00 a.m. Sacred Heart , Broughton Hall, Skipton.     
         3.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford.
25 March 
        9.30 a.m. Sacred Heart , Broughton Hall, Skipton.
26 March
        9.30 a.m. Sacred Heart , Broughton Hall, Skipton.
27 March    Spy Wednesday
         9.30 a.m. Sacred Heart , Broughton Hall, Skipton.
28 March     MAUNDY THURSDAY
         7.30 p.m.  Notre Dame, Leeds University Catholic Chaplaincy, St. Mark's Avenue, Leeds
29 March     GOOD FRIDAY
          3.00 p.m.  Notre Dame, Leeds University Catholic Chaplaincy, St. Mark's Avenue, Leeds
30 March     HOLY SATURDAY
          7.30 p.m.  Notre Dame, Leeds University Catholic Chaplaincy, St. Mark's Avenue, Leeds   
31 March      EASTER SUNDAY
          11.00 a.m. Sacred Heart , Broughton Hall, Skipton.     
          3.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford.

In the meantime let us pray that we have a new Pontiff before the Easter bells peal at the Gloria of the Holy Saturday Mass.

Holy Week

I am delighted to announce that the Sacred Triduum will once again be celebrated this Easter at Notre Dame Chapel, Leeds University Catholic Chaplaincy, St. Mark's Avenue, Leeds. 

Times to follow.

So

Well here we are.
Benedict XVI "EP"* is I pray happily in retirement and at the same time we have no Pope. The silver hammer traditionally used by the Camerlengo to check if a Pope is dead will for our last Pope not now be used.
*EP - Emeritus Pontiff who gave us the EF.

Our thoughts can respectfully return to the matter in hand. A new Pope.

Anybody with an opinion and his brother will know who the next best Pope will be. Even more people will believe that they know what the Church needs and even more will like me have a personal favourite.
But nobody actually knows who will emerge as the next Pope.

Let our next Pope continue to lead us in the Faith to reach our heavenly home.

On Friday evening  Father Wiley offered Mass for the election of a Pontiff and it was a pleasure to see a chap who attended our training day in February serve the Mass with near perfection.
At the end of Mass we sang "Lord for tomorrow and its needs".
Father Wiley commented afterwards on how strange it felt to mention neither the name of the pope nor that of the bishop during the Canon.

This weekend:

Saturday 9.30 a.m. Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, near Skipton

              6.00 p.m. (Vigil Lent III) St. Mary's, Gibbet Street, Halifax
             
Sunday 11.00 a.m. Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, near Skipton- Missa cantata
             3.00 p.m. St Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford
             4.00 p.m. Holy Spirit, Bath Road, Heckmondwike

Gratias tibi ago

Sunday Mass at Broughton Hall

The regular first Sunday Mass at Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall near Skipton will be upon us shortly. Thereafter Mass will be offered EVERY Sunday at 11.00 a.m. instead of at 10.00 a.m. It is hoped that the later time will be more attractive to those who live some distance away from the chapel including those from this side of the Salford and Lancaster dioceses.
As ever thanks to Father Parfitt for this.

Mass for election of a Pope

On Friday we will be truly sede vacante in Leeds - no Pope, no Bishop.

The Mass at Immaculate Heart, Leeds on Friday (1st. March) at 7.30 p.m. will be a Votive Mass for the election of a supreme Pontiff. It would be good to see a good number of people at this Mass to pray for a worthy successor to Pope Benedict - a man, whoever he is, who will need great courage and strength to guide the Church.

Please make an extra Lenten first Friday effort to hear this Mass.

New title

I have just read on the Transalpine Redemptorists' blog that from 7.00 p.m. GMT Pope Benedict will be referred to as His Holiness, Benedict XVI, Bishop Emeritus of Rome. For the announcement copy and paste the following link

 http://papastronsay.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/his-holiness-benedict-xvi-bishop.html

Lent II

Masses this weekend for the second Sunday of Lent are listed below:

Saturday 6.00 p.m. St Mary's, Halifax

Sunday 10.00 a.m. Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton

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

Sunday 4.00 p.m. Holy Spirit, Heckmondwike

This will be a historic week as the Holy Father will abdicate at 8.00 p.m. on Thursday leaving the Church sede vacante. On Friday,  First Friday Masses will be at 

9.30 a.m. Sacred Heart Broughton

7.30 p.m. Immaculate Heart, Moortown, Leeds

At 2.00 p.m. on Saturday 2nd March, Mgr Gordon Read, National Chaplain to the LMS, will be celebrating a Solemn Mass in Westminster Cathedral.  It will be the Votive Mass, pro eligendo Summo Pontifice (for the election of a Pope).

Although a Mass at Westminster Cathedral on this date has been planned for some time, the resignation and Pope Benedict, and the expected calling of a conclave for later in March, has given the event added significance.  Furthermore, I understand that there is a possibility that the Mass will be televised, and therefore reach a wider, possibly worldwide, audience.  

Thank you

Thank you to all who made our training day at Notre Dame chapel possible today (pictured above).

Thanks to Fr. Kravos for so readily permitting us to use the chapel and excellent facilities, to Fr. Wiley for singing the Mass for us and to Mr. Waddington for sharing the tuition with me. It was wonderful for him and me to watch the tutees serve a sung Mass with only the odd mistakes. One gentleman is now going to serve Low Mass the next time his Parish Priest offers Mass in the parish, whilst our youngest participant graduated from Low Mass server, to candle bearer to thurifer and carried out this function with great precision at the Mass.

Reminder that later this week there will be a sung Mass for the second Thursday of Lent at Bewerley Grange chapel, Pateley Bridge on (CORRECTION) February 21st. at 11.30 a.m. (Photo - Fr. Parfitt at Bewerley)

On a sad note I learned from Fr. Kravos of the death of Canon Dennis Tangney who was the first priest to offer the Sunday indult Mass at Killingbeck Cemetery chapel back in 1988. On that occasion he was not particularly happy about it. When he retired many years later it was like us losing a member of the family. Canon Tangney was a pastoral priest and a very fine preacher whom I always looked forward to hearing. The late Gerry Lyons often recounted the occasion when Gerry had gone early to Killingbeck and there was a terrible snow storm. Mass was due to start and only Gerry was there, until he saw a muffled figure walking up the drive to the chapel. It was Canon Tangney who had abandoned his car and walked to say the Mass. He vested as if nothing was amiss and proceeded to offer the Mass. After the Gospel he turned to Gerry, who was serving and the only other person there and said, "I'll preach if  you  like."
Canon Tangney died on Friday night at 6.30 p.m. at the home of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Headingley.  
May he rest in peace.

Quadragesima

Tomorrow (Saturday) we have our server training day at Notre Dame chapel, Leeds University Chaplaincy, St. Mark's Avenue,  Leeds. The doors will be open from 10.00 a.m. for a prompt start at 10.30 a.m. Please bring a packed lunch and something to drink.
Mass will be at around 3.30 p.m. and will be in anticipation of Quadragesima.

6.30 p.m. vigil Mass at St. Mary's, Gibbet Street, Halifax.

Sunday

10.00 a.m. Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton.
3.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford. I shall ask Fr. Driver to sign a Mass card for me to send directly to the Holy Father on behalf of the LMS in Leeds as suggested by Fellow Rep Mr. O'Neill, Hexham and Newcastle. (see sidebar)

Please note the scheduled Mass at Heckmondwike, Holy Spirit, will now be next week at the usual 4.00 p.m.
Please do anything you can to support Fr. Abberton's Masses at Holy Spirit. I was ashamed to hear that attendance there earlier this month was down to only 3 people. Let's hope it was the weather to blame.

 God bless the Pope!

Shock

I must confess to having been extremely shocked today when I checked the blogs in my coffee break this morning. I even thought that perhaps I'd not realized it was April 1st and not February 11th. I had to leave the school premises and have a cigarette or two to get my head round what I'd read.
Whilst listening to the BBC news on Radio 4 at 5 o'clock on my way home and I heard the pope's address in Latin I had to choke back a tear or two. One of my daughters had already rung home from University to say that she had been similarly moved. We had both had front row seats at Birmingham when his Holiness visited our country.
This said I do have to admire the Holy Father's courage in breaking with a tradition which is centuries old. I saw on the internet that he had left his pallium at the tomb of Pope Celestine V at Aquila in 2009 after the devastating earthquake there. Pope Saint Celestine resigned the papacy in 1294 aged 79. No doubt Pope Benedict saw first hand the effects of the ill-health suffered by his predecessor, Blessed John Paul,  and moreover the effects it had on the Church in that suffering Pontiff's final years on earth.
Benedict has taken a courageous step forward - in humility and more importantly in Faith - faith that it is the Holy Spirit who guides the Church. There can be little doubt that the Pope's physical frailty is something he does not wish to hinder the progress of the Church especially in these dreadful times in which we live. He is to all extents and purposes still a man with a mission but is wise enough to know that there are others who can take forward his reforms whilst he starts to live a life more accustomed to someone in their mid-eighties and out of the spotlight and flash of cameras everywhere he goes. A natural teacher and not the Rottweiler he had been dubbed at his election, it is strange that this crass tag soon fell into the oblivion it deserved.
How things will develop with a Pope emeritus and who will now lead the Church remain to be seen. The Pope has obviously given this matter no little thought and prayer.

We here in Leeds Diocese, will I believe, for the first time be hearing Mass where no Bishop or Pope is named in the Roman Canon from March 1st 2013.
In the meantime we will soon be having a Votive Mass 'Pro Eligendo Summo Pontifice': the Mass 'Suscitabo mihi', which seems very odd given that we still have a Pope, who many of us love and who will be mentioned in the Roman Canon, the norm being that the Church is usually in mourning when this Mass is offered.
God Bless Pope Benedict XVI and may Joseph Ratzinger have a long and happy retirement.

Success in Harrogate

A congregation of over 70 came to our first Mass at St. Joseph's, Bilton and I would like to thank Father Byrne, the Parish Priest and the celebrant Fr. Smith, who is an army chaplain. I would hope that we will be able to return to St. Joseph's in the future.

On Saturday we shall be having our training day at Notre Dame, Leeds University Catholic chaplaincy, St. Mark's Avenue, Leeds. We will be starting at 10.30 a.m. prompt and concluding with Mass at 3.30 p.m. I am working on the premise that this will be a sung Mass in anticipation of the first Sunday of Lent. Please bring a packed lunch.

Masses for Quinquagesima

Masses this Sunday, the last before Lent begins are as follows:

Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton, 10.00 a.m.
St. Peter's, Leeds Road, Laisterdyke, Bradford. 3.00 p.m. (sung)
St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford. 3.00 p.m.
AND
St. Joseph's, Skipton Road, Bilton, Harrogate, 4.00 p.m.

Mass for Ash Wednesday at Broughton Hall at 11.00 a.m.

Saturday is our server training day at Leeds University Catholic chaplaincy. 10.30 a.m.- 4.00 p.m. More details later this week.

St. Blaize

 

As well as being the feast of Sexagesima yesterday it was also the feast of St. Blaize and so throats were blessed after each of our Sunday Masses.
St Blaize is also the patron saint of wool combers and hence Bradford, because of the city's link with the production of fine quality worsted wool. There is a statue of St. Blaize in the city's wool exchange (see picture), now an excellent bookshop and one of the few quality shops left in the city. There was a secondary modern/middle school of the same name (which ironically burned down in a terrible blaze) and there is now a parish dedicated to him in Bradford.
He is the patron saint of Bradford on account of his atrocious martyrdom where wool combs were used to bring about his demise. He is often pictured holding a wool comb.

St. Blaize, pray for us.
St. Christopher, protect us.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. (From the daily prayers for pupils at St. Blaize school in the 1960s and 1970s.)

Busy weekend

Tomorrow is the first Friday of February. (Memo to self - go to confession)

Masses tomorrow:
Sacred Heart,  Broughton Hall Mass at 9.30 a.m.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, Moortown, Leeds at 7.30 p.m.      (Confessions at call at both Masses)

Saturday is the Feast of the Purification or Candlemas - and the Mass involves the blessing of candles and a procession - it is a simply beautiful feast.
Mass at Sacred Heart, Broughton, Skipton at the later time of 11.00 a.m.

Vigil Mass for Sexaguesima at St. Mary's, Halifax at 6.00 p.m. Mgr Smith is back from his recent break.

Sunday:
Sacred Heart,  Broughton Hall Mass at 11.00 a.m. Missa cantata.
St. Joseph's, Pontefract at 3.00 p.m.
Holy Spirit, Bath Road, Heckmondwike at 4.00 p.m.

Laus Deo semper!

Septuagesima

Christmastide is rapidly drawing to an end and tomorrow Lent begins to cast its shadow on the Liturgy as we celebrate Septuagesima.
Mass on Saturday, for Candlemas will be at the later time of 11.00 a.m. at Broughton Hall and there will be the newly established first Friday Mass at Immaculate Heart, Harrogate Road, Leeds at 7.30 p.m.

Tomorrow:

Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton, 10.00 a.m.
St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford, 3.00 p.m.

Vigil Masses at  at St. Mary's, Halifax resume next Saturday at 6.00 p.m.

Extra Masses

Please note that for the next two Saturdays only the Masses at Halifax, St. Mary's, have been cancelled.

Extra Masses on the horizon are as follows:
A new venue - Sunday 10th. February at 4.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Skipton Road, Bilton, Harrogate.
Another venue- First Fridays of the month - 7.30 p.m. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Moortown, Leeds.              
               
There will be Mass at Pateley Bridge's Bewerley Grange chapel in the February half term - details in due course.

Masses this weekend;
Sunday 10.00 a.m. Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton
              3.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford
              4.00 p.m.  Holy Spirit, Bath Road, Heckmondwike

Please do what you can to attend any of the Masses above - especially the Harrogate Mass which may be a force to help us establish ourselves in the Harrogate deanery. Masses in this deanery are generally restricted to those offered publicly at Markenfield Hall usually by Fr. Creighton-Jobe and Fr. Parfitt.
I am also wondering if it is time to resurrect the Knaresborough Pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of the Crag. If you have any thoughts about this please e-mail me. Address in sidebar.

Photo - St Joseph's, Bilton, Harrogate.

Feast of the Holy Family

Masses on Sunday for the Feast of the Holy Family are as follows:

10.00 a.m. Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, nr Skipton
3.00 p.m. St. Peter's, Leeds Road, Laisterdyke, Bradford (sung)
3.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford

I have news of new Mass venues which I will publish later this week.

Leeds Lecture

Fatima 1917

On Wednesday 9th January there is to be a lecture at Wheeler Hall, Leeds Cathedral at 7.00 p.m.
Donal Foley will speak about apparitions of Our Blessed Lady in history.

Something to consider

I saw the following on Fr. Zuhlsdorf's blog:

The Latin Mass is like beer. You have to drink it in a few times to like it. My challenge would be for you to attend the Latin Mass for four Sundays in a row before making a decision. Give it that long. Here’s why.
You will slowly make a shift in the way that you assist at Holy Mass. Your concept of Active Participation will transform in your heart. There is a lot of quiet “space” in the Latin Mass. The first time or so, you’ll be sitting there doing nothing and thinking, “What’s going on? Why aren’t we doing anything?”
When you’ve reached that point, you’re getting close. It’s like drinking beer for the first time. “This tastes terrible? What’s the hype? I don’t understand.” But then you come to realize that beer is more than just the taste.

Follow the link for the entire post  http://wdtprs.com/blog/2013/01/the-latin-mass-is-like-beer-you-have-to-drink-it-in-a-few-times-to-like-it-why-taylor-marshall-attends-the-tlm/

I do not know who Taylor Marshall is, but at one time there were two local breweries here - Taylor's and yes, you've guessed it - Marshall's!

Epiphany

 

Masses for this holy feast on its traditional day are as follows:

Saturday  5th January - St Mary's, Gibbet Street, Halifax at 6.00 p.m.
Sunday  6th January - Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton at 11.00 a.m. (Sung)
                          St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford at 3.00 p.m.
                          Holy Spirit, Bath Road, HECKMONDWIKE (not Pontefract!) at 4.00 p.m. Due to a special request this Mass will now continue throughout the winter - many thanks to Fr. Abberton for this. 

In Hallam Diocese
There will be a *Solemn High Mass in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday, 12th January 2013 at 10:00 a.m.* in St Marie's Cathedral (Blessed Sacrament Chapel), Sheffield. The Mass will be celebrated by Rev. Fr Adrian Tomlinson. He will be assisted by Rev. Mr Kieran Fletcher (Deacon) and Rev Fr David Stafford (Sub-Deacon).                                

Happy New Year

2012 has seen a lot of firsts for us and a lot has happened in that time. This year saw another sung Easter Triduum, Masses on most days of the year including all Sundays, high days and holydays, the visit of Bishop Rifan and the first Pontifical High Mass since the changes when 18 men and boys and a portly bishop squeezed onto the sanctuary at Immaculate Heart, Leeds. The chaplain to the University of Leeds learned to celebrate the EF Mass and sang Masses at Notre Dame and at Wakefield's historic chantry chapel for the feast of the Assumption - executing both beautifully.
We had solemn High Masses for the feast of Ss Peter and Paul and to celebrate Mgr Smith's silver jubilee in December. Several children were baptized in several churches and we had First Holy Communion celebrations. Two sung Masses in the Dominican Rite were offered at Hinsley Hall organized by the Schola  Gregoriana of Cambridge and we were able to welcome back Fr. Lew OP who was the celebrant. Fr. Parfitt retired as Parish Priest of Broughton but remains as a daily celebrant at the Sacred Heart chapel, bringing our number of regular Sunday Masses to three but with up to five for some Sundays of the month.

I hope that 2013 sees as much if not more activity and that we get a worthy successor to Archbishop Roche who has taken up a desk job in Rome. Increasingly people who not long ago were new faces are now commenting on other new faces. We have people of all ages, colour and class and a very good number of priests willing and able to offer Mass if requested. I have had two priests say they wish to offer more Masses in this Rite and moreover we are hosting a servers' training session at the Leeds University Catholic Chaplaincy in February. 

May I take this opportunity to wish everybody all good things in the new year. Mass for New Year's Day is at Sacred Heart chapel, Broughton Hall, Skipton at 11.00 a.m.

Weekend Masses

Saturday 29th December - 6.00 p.m. at St Mary's, Halifax.
Sunday 30th December - 10.00 a.m. at Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton.
                                     -   3.00 p.m. at St. Joseph's, Castleford.
                                     -   7.00 p.m. at Wakefield chantry chapel, Kirkgate Bridge, Wakefield


Tuesday 1st January 2012 - 11.00 a.m. at Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton.

Shambolic, a shambles, a sham

Not my words, but those of the Archbishop of Westminster who did not mince his words in commenting upon Cameron's bizarre efforts to redefine marriage.
Bishop Davies of Shrewsbury also took the opportunity to put the traditional Catholic perspective on this appalling decision to curry favour with homosexualists and which did not appear in any manifesto.

Our seedy little country is looking increasingly seedier.

In other news the LMS Chairman, Dr. Joseph Shaw appears to be having a bit of a set to with our dear old friend Basil Loftus via the pages of the ghastly Catholic Times re the issue of female priests. There is a little taster on Dr. Shaw's blog http://www.lms.org.uk/around-the-country/oxford_rep
I think it was a blood crazed ferret journalist who once described Basil as a world class bore, which was quite mild for this journalist.

Information about weekend Masses will follow tomorrow, but there will be NO MASS at Leeds University chaplaincy on Saturday afternoon but there will be an extra Mass on Sunday at Wakefield at 7.00 p.m. in the chantry chapel on the Kirkgate bridge.

Hodie Christus natus est, alleluia

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all our members and friends.

Masses this evening at Notre Dame, Leeds and Sacred Heart, Broughton have both been very uplifting experiences and I should like to extend my thanks to our servers singers and to Fathers Kravos, Hall and Parfitt.

Mass on Christmas Day at Broughton at 11.00 a.m.

Advent IV, more congratulations and Christmas

Mass last Saturday for Monsignor Smith's Silver Jubilee was a very fine and memorable occasion. I am hoping that the gentleman who filmed the Mass will contact me soon with details of how to locate the film on You Tube. Monsignor asked me again to extend his thanks to the Rudgate Singers and the servers.

Masses for Advent IV on Sunday -

10.00 a.m. Sacred Heart,  Broughton Hall, near Skipton
3.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford (Tickets for the Mass at Wakefield's Chantry chapel next Sunday will be available at this Mass)

Congratulations to Mgr Canon Hugh Boyle, former administrator of Glasgow Cathedral and a dear friend to the Latin Mass Society - especially in this diocese and to Una Voce Scotland. For as long as I can ever remember Monsignor Boyle has been spending his holidays in Yorkshire and celebrating the Mass for us. He was the celebrant at the first High Mass in this diocese since the council, at St. Joseph's in Bradford. He was celebrant at the first Mass at Killingbeck following the issue of Summorum Pontificum and for many years led a summer pilgrimage and offered Mass at the shrine of St. Margaret Clitherow in York in very desperate times. Mgr Boyle celebrates his Golden Jubilee today and I would like to salute him on behalf of us all and say ad multos annos Fr. Hugh! Those who know the Canon will agree that his intelligence is matched only by his kindness and his candour. I have sent him a card and have requested Fr. Parfitt to offer Mass for him and his intentions on behalf of us all.

.

Masses for Christmas.

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


 Please take time out to go to confession in these next few days - no priest who offers the Mass for us will refuse confession at call in good time before or after Mass.

 The above photo is from the Una Voce Scotland website http://www.unavocescotland.org.uk/index.html
I trust they will not mind my using their photograph.

REMINDERS

This weekend we have a SOLEMN HIGH MASS at St. Mary's, Gibbet Street, Halifax at 6.00p.m.
This Mass will be for Monsignor David Smith's Silver Jubilee. I remember when the embryo monsignor was ordained at Goole and the joy this gave to the then PP at St. Thomas, Old Goole, the late Father Charlie Holmes. Father was very proud to have a new priest from his parish. I know that Mgr Smith himself often recalls, with no little pleasure, the usual extravagant preparations Fr. Holmes made to make the event a memorable occasion - including the carpet upon which the ordinand was to prostate himself. Fr. Holmes was the priest whose practicality impressed Bishop Wheeler by producing a Jif lemon squeezie to cleanse his Lordship's fingers following a confirmation ceremony and a slice of diagonally cut Slimcea bread to dry them on!

On Sunday there will be 3 Masses:

10.00 a.m. Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, near Skipton.
3.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford.
4.00 p.m. Holy Spirit, Bath Road, Heckmondwike. (This Mass will be suspended after this until warmer weather in March)

CHRISTMAS MASSES

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

On Sunday 30th. December there is to be an extra Mass on that day. The Mass will be a Requiem to mark the exact date of the battle of Wakefield and for the repose of the souls of all those who were killed as the Lancastrians defeated and killed the Duke of York. This was advertised in Mass of Ages and I have now received a couple of requests for tickets. Please let me know if you would like tickets for this. As the catafalque seems to be back in vogue - so the Mass will be followed by absolutions at same. Very fittingly again we will be guests at the Chantry Chapel, on the Kirkgate Bridge in Wakefield. This chapel was in existence even before the Battle of Wakefield. Sung Mass at 7.00 p.m.

Advent II

I have been off colour for the last week but am now feeling much perkier.

Masses this weekend

Sunday;

Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, near Skipton at 10.00 a.m.
St. Peter's, Leeds Road, Bradford at 3.00 p.m.
St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford at 3.00 p.m.

Next weekend marks the start of the Silver Jubilee celebrations of Monsignor Smith of Halifax. The Rudgate Singers will be coming along to sing at the Solemn High Mass which will be a votive Mass of Our Lord Jesus Christ Eternal and High Priest. This Mass will be at 6.00 p.m. on Saturday 15th. December at St Mary's, Gibbet Street, Halifax. Ad multos annos Monsignor.