Traditionis Custodes - a chilling sign of the times

Below I produce a translation of the new Motu Proprio and the accompanying letter (gratefully lifted from Rorate Caeli), issued today, the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel by Pope Francis. 

I fear that the effects of this unfortunate document will be far reaching and will not be accepted easily by many people - clergy and laity. It also opens up many more questions than it answers and is clearly going to be followed with a clarificatory document which might prove to be even worse or substantially better.  The fact that it is to come into force immediately does add insult to injury as well as more confusion. 

The very good news for us in the Leeds Diocese it is that it is business as usual for the foreseeable future. 

Bishop Stock,  as moderator, promoter, and guardian of the whole liturgical life of the particular Church entrusted to him, contacted me by telephone at home this evening directing me to carry on as we have hitherto in my role as Lay Co-ordinator for the EF.  On behalf of all our clerical and lay devotees of the EF I offer my humble and profound gratitude to the Bishop. 

The Sunday Mass at St. Joseph's and weekday Masses at other churches remain the same. Fr. Hall will be covering again for Fr. Driver on Sunday who is well on the way to recovery. A show of unity at this Mass at 1.00 p.m. would be a great testimony to the faith Bishop Stock has in us and in thanksgiving for the riches of the pontificate of Pope Benedict. The cantors will sing Faith of our Fathers. 

For dioceses where the bishop is less than generous my heart bleeds. I am sorry that things have come to this but it is hardly surprising. I have long worried about the message certain traditionalist groups and individuals send out when wanting more than was given in Pope Benedict's Summorum Pontificum, such as an insistence on the pre-1955 Triduum, the third confiteor etc. - whilst Pope Benedict is even still alive. The Pope seems equally cavalier in considering the feelings of his predecessor in this Motu Proprio. I am loathe to say that I detect more than a meanness of spirit on both sides. 

When I saw the text whilst waiting for my fish and chips at lunchtime my heart sank and after an half-eaten lunch I took a three mile walk to clear my head and try say some prayers. I didn't succeed at either. I haven't had a cigarette for over a month now but today I have come very close to it! 

I understand the utterly essential need to maintain the Unity of the Church - but will the same measures be brought to bear on the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham or the Neocathecuminate Way or the Dominican Rite? Does this drive for unity have eyes on the Byzantine Rite? I doubt it. 

Is the Pope saying that Summorum Pontificum has been done away with because it became a victim of its own success? Was it taking the Church in the wrong direction? Has the Holy Spirit been taking a rest and hiding in darkness as ordinary people have found a life changing discovery which regenerates their spirits and gives them space and time to direct their thoughts and prayers to Almighty God without having the feeling that they are sometimes at a year 2 assembly? 

Ultimately we must pray and continue to place our trust in our Lord and our Lady. 

Fr. Michael Hall sent me  the following short reading when he had read the document from the letter of St. James. Ch.1 vs 2-4 which serves as a timely reminder: 

Consider yourselves happy indeed, my brethren, when you encounter trials of every sort, as men who know well enough that the testing of their faith breeds endurance. Endurance must do its work thoroughly, if you are to be men full-grown in every part, nothing lacking in you.

It behoves us all to be honest and charitable in this time of crisis. We cannot let bitterness prevent us from enduring this and offering real sacrifices again. 

Please remember to pray for Pope Francis and Bishop Stock and for all those who hold and teach the Catholic faith that comes to us from the Apostles.

APOSTOLIC LETTER
ISSUED "MOTU PROPRIO"
BY THE SUPREME PONTIFF

FRANCIS

“TRADITIONIS CUSTODES”

ON THE USE OF THE ROMAN LITURGY PRIOR TO THE REFORM OF 1970

Guardians of the tradition, the bishops in communion with the Bishop of Rome constitute the visible principle and foundation of the unity of their particular Churches.[1] Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, through the proclamation of the Gospel and by means of the celebration of the Eucharist, they govern the particular Churches entrusted to them.[2]

In order to promote the concord and unity of the Church, with paternal solicitude towards those who in any region adhere to liturgical forms antecedent to the reform willed by the Vatican Council II, my Venerable Predecessors, Saint John Paul II and Benedict XVI, granted and regulated the faculty to use the Roman Missal edited by John XXIII in 1962.[3] In this way they intended “to facilitate the ecclesial communion of those Catholics who feel attached to some earlier liturgical forms” and not to others.[4]

In line with the initiative of my Venerable Predecessor Benedict XVI to invite the bishops to assess the application of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum three years after its publication, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith carried out a detailed consultation of the bishops in 2020. The results have been carefully considered in the light of experience that has matured during these years.

At this time, having considered the wishes expressed by the episcopate and having heard the opinion of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I now desire, with this Apostolic Letter, to press on ever more in the constant search for ecclesial communion. Therefore, I have considered it appropriate to establish the following:

Art. 1. The liturgical books promulgated by Saint Paul VI and Saint John Paul II, in conformity with the decrees of Vatican Council II, are the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite.

Art. 2. It belongs to the diocesan bishop, as moderator, promoter, and guardian of the whole liturgical life of the particular Church entrusted to him,[5] to regulate the liturgical celebrations of his diocese.[6] Therefore, it is his exclusive competence to authorize the use of the 1962 Roman Missal in his diocese, according to the guidelines of the Apostolic See.

Art. 3. The bishop of the diocese in which until now there exist one or more groups that celebrate according to the Missal antecedent to the reform of 1970:

§ 1. is to determine that these groups do not deny the validity and the legitimacy of the liturgical reform, dictated by Vatican Council II and the Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiffs;

§ 2. is to designate one or more locations where the faithful adherents of these groups may gather for the eucharistic celebration (not however in the parochial churches and without the erection of new personal parishes);

§ 3. to establish at the designated locations the days on which eucharistic celebrations are permitted using the Roman Missal promulgated by Saint John XXIII in 1962.[7] In these celebrations the readings are proclaimed in the vernacular language, using translations of the Sacred Scripture approved for liturgical use by the respective Episcopal Conferences;

§ 4. to appoint a priest who, as delegate of the bishop, is entrusted with these celebrations and with the pastoral care of these groups of the faithful. This priest should be suited for this responsibility, skilled in the use of the Missale Romanum antecedent to the reform of 1970, possess a knowledge of the Latin language sufficient for a thorough comprehension of the rubrics and liturgical texts, and be animated by a lively pastoral charity and by a sense of ecclesial communion. This priest should have at heart not only the correct celebration of the liturgy, but also the pastoral and spiritual care of the faithful;

§ 5. to proceed suitably to verify that the parishes canonically erected for the benefit of these faithful are effective for their spiritual growth, and to determine whether or not to retain them;

§ 6. to take care not to authorize the establishment of new groups.

Art. 4. Priests ordained after the publication of the present Motu Proprio, who wish to celebrate using the Missale Romanum of 1962, should submit a formal request to the diocesan Bishop who shall consult the Apostolic See before granting this authorization.

Art. 5. Priests who already celebrate according to the Missale Romanum of 1962 should request from the diocesan Bishop the authorization to continue to enjoy this faculty.

Art. 6. Institutes of consecrated life and Societies of apostolic life, erected by the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, fall under the competence of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies for Apostolic Life.

Art. 7. The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, for matters of their particular competence, exercise the authority of the Holy See with respect to the observance of these provisions.

Art. 8. Previous norms, instructions, permissions, and customs that do not conform to the provisions of the present Motu Proprio are abrogated.

Everything that I have declared in this Apostolic Letter in the form of Motu Proprio, I order to be observed in all its parts, anything else to the contrary notwithstanding, even if worthy of particular mention, and I establish that it be promulgated by way of publication in “L’Osservatore Romano”, entering immediately in force and, subsequently, that it be published in the official Commentary of the Holy See, Acta Apostolicae Sedis.

Given at Rome, at Saint John Lateran, on 16 July 2021, the liturgical Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in the ninth year of Our Pontificate.

FRANCIS

________________________

[1] Cfr Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church “Lumen Gentium”, 21 november 1964, n. 23 AAS 57 (1965) 27.

[2] Cfr Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church “Lumen Gentium”, 21 november 1964, n. 27: AAS 57 (1965) 32; Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree concerning the pastoral office of bishops in the Church “Christus Dominus”, 28 october 1965, n. 11: AAS 58 (1966) 677-678; Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 833.

[3] Cfr John Paul II, Apostolic Letter given Motu proprio “Ecclesia Dei”, 2 july 1988: AAS 80 (1988) 1495-1498; Benedict XVI, Apostolic Letter given Motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum”, 7 july 2007: AAS 99 (2007) 777-781; Apostolic Letter given Motu proprio “Ecclesiae unitatem”, 2 july 2009: AAS 101 (2009) 710-711.

[4] John Paul II, Apostolic Letter given Motu proprio “Ecclesia Dei”, 2 july 1988, n. 5: AAS 80 (1988) 1498.

[5] Cfr Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Costitution on the sacred liturgy “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, 4 december 1963, n. 41: AAS 56 (1964) 111; Caeremoniale Episcoporum, n. 9; Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament, Instruction on certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist “Redemptionis Sacramentum”, 25 march 2004, nn. 19-25: AAS 96 (2004) 555-557.

[6] Cfr CIC, can. 375, § 1; can. 392.

[7] Cfr Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Decree “Quo magis” approving seven Eucharistic Prefaces for the forma extraordinaria of the Roman Rite, 22 february 2020, and Decree “Cum sanctissima” on the liturgical celebration in honour of Saints in the forma extraordinaria of the Roman Rite, 22 february 2020: L’Osservatore Romano, 26 march 2020, p. 6.

***

[Accompanying Letter]

Rome, 16 July 2021

Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,

Just as my Predecessor Benedict XVI did with Summorum Pontificum, I wish to accompany the Motu proprio Traditionis custodes with a letter explaining the motives that prompted my decision. I turn to you with trust and parresia, in the name of that shared “solicitude for the whole Church, that contributes supremely to the good of the Universal Church” as Vatican Council II reminds us.[1]

Most people understand the motives that prompted St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI to allow the use of the Roman Missal, promulgated by St. Pius V and edited by St. John XXIII in 1962, for the Eucharistic Sacrifice. The faculty — granted by the indult of the Congregation for Divine Worship in 1984[2] and confirmed by St. John Paul II in the Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei in 1988[3] — was above all motivated by the desire to foster the healing of the schism with the movement of Mons. Lefebvre. With the ecclesial intention of restoring the unity of the Church, the Bishops were thus asked to accept with generosity the “just aspirations” of the faithful who requested the use of that Missal.

Many in the Church came to regard this faculty as an opportunity to adopt freely the Roman Missal promulgated by St. Pius V and use it in a manner parallel to the Roman Missal promulgated by St. Paul VI. In order to regulate this situation at the distance of many years, Benedict XVI intervened to address this state of affairs in the Church. Many priests and communities had “used with gratitude the possibility offered by the Motu proprio” of St. John Paul II. Underscoring that this development was not foreseeable in 1988, the Motu proprio Summorum Pontificum of 2007 intended to introduce “a clearer juridical regulation” in this area.[4] In order to allow access to those, including young people, who when “they discover this liturgical form, feel attracted to it and find in it a form, particularly suited to them, to encounter the mystery of the most holy Eucharist”,[5] Benedict XVI declared “the Missal promulgated by St. Pius V and newly edited by Blessed John XXIII, as a extraordinary expression of the same lex orandi”, granting a “more ample possibility for the use of the 1962 Missal”.[6]

In making their decision they were confident that such a provision would not place in doubt one of the key measures of Vatican Council II or minimize in this way its authority: the Motu proprio recognized that, in its own right, “the Missal promulgated by Paul VI is the ordinary expression of the lex orandi of the Catholic Church of the Latin rite”.[7] The recognition of the Missal promulgated by St. Pius V “as an extraordinary expression of the same lex orandi” did not in any way underrate the liturgical reform, but was decreed with the desire to acknowledge the “insistent prayers of these faithful,” allowing them “to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass according to the editio typica of the Roman Missal promulgated by Blessed John XXIII in 1962 and never abrogated, as the extraordinary form of the Liturgy of the Church”.[8] It comforted Benedict XVI in his discernment that many desired “to find the form of the sacred Liturgy dear to them,” “clearly accepted the binding character of Vatican Council II and were faithful to the Pope and to the Bishops”.[9] What is more, he declared to be unfounded the fear of division in parish communities, because “the two forms of the use of the Roman Rite would enrich one another”.[10] Thus, he invited the Bishops to set aside their doubts and fears, and to welcome the norms, “attentive that everything would proceed in peace and serenity,” with the promise that “it would be possible to find resolutions” in the event that “serious difficulties came to light” in the implementation of the norms “once the Motu proprio came into effect”.[11]

With the passage of thirteen years, I instructed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to circulate a questionnaire to the Bishops regarding the implementation of the Motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. The responses reveal a situation that preoccupies and saddens me, and persuades me of the need to intervene. Regrettably, the pastoral objective of my Predecessors, who had intended “to do everything possible to ensure that all those who truly possessed the desire for unity would find it possible to remain in this unity or to rediscover it anew”,[12] has often been seriously disregarded. An opportunity offered by St. John Paul II and, with even greater magnanimity, by Benedict XVI, intended to recover the unity of an ecclesial body with diverse liturgical sensibilities, was exploited to widen the gaps, reinforce the divergences, and encourage disagreements that injure the Church, block her path, and expose her to the peril of division.

At the same time, I am saddened by abuses in the celebration of the liturgy on all sides. In common with Benedict XVI, I deplore the fact that “in many places the prescriptions of the new Missal are not observed in celebration, but indeed come to be interpreted as an authorization for or even a requirement of creativity, which leads to almost unbearable distortions”.[13] But I am nonetheless saddened that the instrumental use of Missale Romanum of 1962 is often characterized by a rejection not only of the liturgical reform, but of the Vatican Council II itself, claiming, with unfounded and unsustainable assertions, that it betrayed the Tradition and the “true Church”. The path of the Church must be seen within the dynamic of Tradition “which originates from the Apostles and progresses in the Church with the assistance of the Holy Spirit” (DV 8). A recent stage of this dynamic was constituted by Vatican Council II where the Catholic episcopate came together to listen and to discern the path for the Church indicated by the Holy Spirit. To doubt the Council is to doubt the intentions of those very Fathers who exercised their collegial power in a solemn manner cum Petro et sub Petro in an ecumenical council,[14] and, in the final analysis, to doubt the Holy Spirit himself who guides the Church.

The objective of the modification of the permission granted by my Predecessors is highlighted by the Second Vatican Council itself. From the vota submitted by the Bishops there emerged a great insistence on the full, conscious and active participation of the whole People of God in the liturgy,[15] along lines already indicated by Pius XII in the encyclical Mediator Dei on the renewal of the liturgy.[16] The constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium confirmed this appeal, by seeking “the renewal and advancement of the liturgy”,[17] and by indicating the principles that should guide the reform.[18] In particular, it established that these principles concerned the Roman Rite, and other legitimate rites where applicable, and asked that “the rites be revised carefully in the light of sound tradition, and that they be given new vigor to meet present-day circumstances and needs”.[19] On the basis of these principles a reform of the liturgy was undertaken, with its highest expression in the Roman Missal, published in editio typica by St. Paul VI[20] and revised by St. John Paul II.[21] It must therefore be maintained that the Roman Rite, adapted many times over the course of the centuries according to the needs of the day, not only be preserved but renewed “in faithful observance of the Tradition”.[22] Whoever wishes to celebrate with devotion according to earlier forms of the liturgy can find in the reformed Roman Missal according to Vatican Council II all the elements of the Roman Rite, in particular the Roman Canon which constitutes one of its more distinctive elements.

A final reason for my decision is this: ever more plain in the words and attitudes of many is the close connection between the choice of celebrations according to the liturgical books prior to Vatican Council II and the rejection of the Church and her institutions in the name of what is called the “true Church.” One is dealing here with comportment that contradicts communion and nurtures the divisive tendency — “I belong to Paul; I belong instead to Apollo; I belong to Cephas; I belong to Christ” — against which the Apostle Paul so vigorously reacted.[23] In defense of the unity of the Body of Christ, I am constrained to revoke the faculty granted by my Predecessors. The distorted use that has been made of this faculty is contrary to the intentions that led to granting the freedom to celebrate the Mass with the Missale Romanum of 1962. Because “liturgical celebrations are not private actions, but celebrations of the Church, which is the sacrament of unity”,[24] they must be carried out in communion with the Church. Vatican Council II, while it reaffirmed the external bonds of incorporation in the Church — the profession of faith, the sacraments, of communion — affirmed with St. Augustine that to remain in the Church not only “with the body” but also “with the heart” is a condition for salvation.[25]

Dear brothers in the Episcopate, Sacrosanctum Concilium explained that the Church, the “sacrament of unity,” is such because it is “the holy People gathered and governed under the authority of the Bishops”.[26] Lumen gentium, while recalling that the Bishop of Rome is “the permanent and visible principle and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the multitude of the faithful,” states that you the Bishops are “the visible principle and foundation of the unity of your local Churches, in which and through which exists the one and only Catholic Church”.[27]

Responding to your requests, I take the firm decision to abrogate all the norms, instructions, permissions and customs that precede the present Motu proprio, and declare that the liturgical books promulgated by the saintly Pontiffs Paul VI and John Paul II, in conformity with the decrees of Vatican Council II, constitute the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite. I take comfort in this decision from the fact that, after the Council of Trent, St. Pius V also abrogated all the rites that could not claim a proven antiquity, establishing for the whole Latin Church a single Missale Romanum. For four centuries this Missale Romanum, promulgated by St. Pius V was thus the principal expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite, and functioned to maintain the unity of the Church. Without denying the dignity and grandeur of this Rite, the Bishops gathered in ecumenical council asked that it be reformed; their intention was that “the faithful would not assist as strangers and silent spectators in the mystery of faith, but, with a full understanding of the rites and prayers, would participate in the sacred action consciously, piously, and actively”.[28] St. Paul VI, recalling that the work of adaptation of the Roman Missal had already been initiated by Pius XII, declared that the revision of the Roman Missal, carried out in the light of ancient liturgical sources, had the goal of permitting the Church to raise up, in the variety of languages, “a single and identical prayer,” that expressed her unity.[29] This unity I intend to re-establish throughout the Church of the Roman Rite.

Vatican Council II, when it described the catholicity of the People of God, recalled that “within the ecclesial communion” there exist the particular Churches which enjoy their proper traditions, without prejudice to the primacy of the Chair of Peter who presides over the universal communion of charity, guarantees the legitimate diversity and together ensures that the particular not only does not injure the universal but above all serves it”.[30] While, in the exercise of my ministry in service of unity, I take the decision to suspend the faculty granted by my Predecessors, I ask you to share with me this burden as a form of participation in the solicitude for the whole Church proper to the Bishops. In the Motu proprio I have desired to affirm that it is up to the Bishop, as moderator, promoter, and guardian of the liturgical life of the Church of which he is the principle of unity, to regulate the liturgical celebrations. It is up to you to authorize in your Churches, as local Ordinaries, the use of the Missale Romanum of 1962, applying the norms of the present Motu proprio. It is up to you to proceed in such a way as to return to a unitary form of celebration, and to determine case by case the reality of the groups which celebrate with this Missale Romanum.

Indications about how to proceed in your dioceses are chiefly dictated by two principles: on the one hand, to provide for the good of those who are rooted in the previous form of celebration and need to return in due time to the Roman Rite promulgated by Saints Paul VI and John Paul II, and, on the other hand, to discontinue the erection of new personal parishes tied more to the desire and wishes of individual priests than to the real need of the “holy People of God.” At the same time, I ask you to be vigilant in ensuring that every liturgy be celebrated with decorum and fidelity to the liturgical books promulgated after Vatican Council II, without the eccentricities that can easily degenerate into abuses. Seminarians and new priests should be formed in the faithful observance of the prescriptions of the Missal and liturgical books, in which is reflected the liturgical reform willed by Vatican Council II.

Upon you I invoke the Spirit of the risen Lord, that he may make you strong and firm in your service to the People of God entrusted to you by the Lord, so that your care and vigilance express communion even in the unity of one, single Rite, in which is preserved the great richness of the Roman liturgical tradition. I pray for you. You pray for me.

FRANCIS

__________________

[1] Cfr. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church “Lumen Gentium”, 21 november 1964, n. 23 AAS 57 (1965) 27.

[2] Cfr. Congregation for Divine Worship, Letter to the Presidents of the Conferences of Bishops “Quattuor abhinc annos”, 3 october 1984: AAS 76 (1984) 1088-1089.

[3] John Paul II, Apostolic Letter given Motu proprio “Ecclesia Dei”, 2 july 1988: AAS 80 (1998) 1495-1498.

[4] Benedict XVI, Letter to the Bishops on the occasion of the publication of the Apostolic Letter “Motu proprio data” Summorum Pontificum on the use of the Roman Liturgy prior to the reform of 1970, 7 july 2007: AAS 99 (2007) 796.

[5] Benedict XVI, Letter to the Bishops on the occasion of the publication of the Apostolic Letter “Motu proprio data” Summorum Pontificum on the use of the Roman Liturgy prior to the reform of 1970, 7 july 2007: AAS 99 (2007) 796.

[6] Benedict XVI, Letter to the Bishops on the occasion of the publication of the Apostolic Letter “Motu proprio data” Summorum Pontificum on the use of the Roman Liturgy prior to the reform of 1970, 7 july 2007: AAS 99 (2007) 797.

[7] Benedict XVI, Apostolic Letter given Motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum”, 7 july 2007: AAS 99 (2007) 779.

[8] Benedict XVI, Apostolic Letter given Motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum”, 7 july 2007: AAS 99 (2007) 779.

[9] Benedict XVI, Letter to the Bishops on the occasion of the publication of the Apostolic Letter “Motu proprio data” Summorum Pontificum on the use of the Roman Liturgy prior to the reform of 1970, 7 july 2007: AAS 99 (2007) 796.

[10] Benedict XVI, Letter to the Bishops on the occasion of the publication of the Apostolic Letter “Motu proprio data” Summorum Pontificum on the use of the Roman Liturgy prior to the reform of 1970, 7 july 2007: AAS 99 (2007) 797.

[11] Benedict XVI, Letter to the Bishops on the occasion of the publication of the Apostolic Letter “Motu proprio data” Summorum Pontificum on the use of the Roman Liturgy prior to the reform of 1970, 7 july 2007: AAS 99 (2007) 798.

[12] Benedict XVI, Letter to the Bishops on the occasion of the publication of the Apostolic Letter “Motu proprio data” Summorum Pontificum on the use of the Roman Liturgy prior to the reform of 1970, 7 july 2007: AAS 99 (2007) 797-798.

[13] Benedict XVI, Letter to the Bishops on the occasion of the publication of the Apostolic Letter “Motu proprio data” Summorum Pontificum on the use of the Roman Liturgy prior to the reform of 1970, 7 july 2007: AAS 99 (2007) 796.

[14] Cfr. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church “Lumen Gentium”, 21 november 1964, n. 23: AAS 57 (1965) 27.

[15] Cfr. Acta et Documenta Concilio Oecumenico Vaticano II apparando, Series I, Volumen II, 1960.

[16] Pius XII, Encyclical on the sacred liturgy “Mediator Dei”, 20 november 1947: AAS 39 (1949) 521-595.

[17] Cfr. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Costitution on the sacred liturgy “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, 4 december 1963, nn. 1, 14: AAS 56 (1964) 97.104.

[18] Cfr. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Costitution on the sacred liturgy “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, 4 december 1963, n. 3: AAS 56 (1964) 98.

[19] Cfr. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Costitution on the sacred liturgy “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, 4 december 1963, n. 4: AAS 56 (1964) 98.

[20] Missale Romanum ex decreto Sacrosancti Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II instauratum auctoritate Pauli PP. VI promulgatum, editio typica, 1970.

[21] Missale Romanum ex decreto Sacrosancti Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II instauratum auctoritate Pauli PP. VI promulgatum Ioannis Pauli PP. II cura recognitum, editio typica altera, 1975; editio typica tertia, 2002; (reimpressio emendata 2008).

[22] Cfr. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Costitution on the sacred liturgy “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, 4 december 1963, n. 3: AAS 56 (1964) 98.

[23] 1 Cor 1,12-13.

[24] Cfr. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Costitution on the sacred liturgy “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, 4 december 1963, n. 26: AAS 56 (1964) 107.

[25] Cfr. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church “Lumen Gentium”, 21 november 1964, n. 14: AAS 57 (1965) 19.

[26] Cfr. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Costitution on the sacred liturgy “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, 4 december 1963, n. 6: AAS 56 (1964) 100.

[27] Cfr. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church “Lumen Gentium”, 21 november 1964, n. 23: AAS 57 (1965) 27.

[28] Cfr. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Costitution on the sacred liturgy “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, 4 december 1963, n. 48: AAS 56 (1964) 113.

[29] Paul VI, Apostolic Constitution “Missale Romanum” on new Roman Missal, 3 april 1969, AAS 61 (1969) 222.

[30] Cfr. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church “Lumen Gentium”, 21 november 1964, n. 13: AAS 57 (1965) 18.

Pentecost VII - Omnes gentes plaudite manibus

Sunday is the seventh Sunday of Pentecost and is a missa cantata at St. Joseph's. Confessions available before Mass.

Please remember to book a place for the 1.00 p.m. Mass and to wear your mask if you are not exempt.  

It is really lovely to see how many young children and babies are brought to Mass by their parents and families.

Let us hope that we are now only days away from having to dispense with the Covid 19 precautions and that we can begin to enjoy some sort of freedom again. Let us blast out our hearts singing Praise to the Holiest, Holy God, we praise Thy Name, Faith of our Fathers, For all the saints or Glory be to Jesus.

Prayer for the Pope

I read today that the Holy Father has had a serious operation. Let us remember him in our prayers.

Lord Jesus, shelter our Holy Father Pope Francis under the protection of Thy Sacred Heart. Be Thou his light, his strength and his consolation.

Our Lady, Health of the sick, pray for him.

Urgent

 I have only just become aware of this: 

Ask your MP to stop abortion up to birth being introduced – Right To Life UK

God our Father, creator and life-giver, we give thanks to you, who alone have the power to impart the breath of life as you formed each of us in our mother’s womb; grant, we pray, that we whom you have made stewards of your creation, may remain faithful to this sacred trust and constant in safeguarding the rights and dignity of every human life from conception to its natural end. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sunday

 

Last Sunday's baptism of Elise Hannah Lucy Illingworth was a lovely celebration for the young neophyte's immediate family and friends. Godparents Regina Shackleton and Fabian Walker hold the consistently silent baby in the photograph as Fr. Hall pours the water exclaiming the words of baptism. 

This was the second EF baptism this year.

On Sunday July 4th after our regular quiet Low Mass there will follow later in the afternoon the third EF baptism this year at St. Joseph's. Canon Wiley will be the minister for this Sacrament. 

This time, Felicity May Stephens is to receive the cleansing and life-giving water of holy baptism. 

In Bradford I have ascertained that Felicity's great grandad taught at St. Joseph's College, her great grandmother was a teacher at St. Joseph's infant school, other relatives taught at St. Margaret Clitherow, Westgate Hill, St. George's, Cliffe Road, St Brendan's, Greengates, St. Joseph's, Pudsey,  and her grandfather taught at St. John Fisher, Harrogate. 

  

Most interestingly, I discovered that Felicity's maternal great great great great great grandparents were married in this church in the 1880s and that a direct great great great uncle's name is on the St. Bede's school cenotaph having been killed in WWII as well as the gate of St. Luke's CofE parish church in Eccleshill.  Moreover her own great great great grandfather's name is included in the names of those of St. Ann's parish who fell in the great war in 1917 proudly displayed today in St. Joseph's above the font where she is to be baptised.

Please remember to book for the regular Sunday Mass which is that for Pentecost VI.

We had a good number of visitors last Sunday but regular attendee numbers were down slightly. We are generally averaging 70+ per week with youngsters (0 to 16)  making up at least a quarter of the usual congregants. 

Much of the information about Felicity given above is also true for Elise as they are cousins. 

God bless them both.

As Covid restrictions ease I must approach the bishop with requests for confirmation. If you have need of baptism or confirmation, instruction, first confession or Communion for yourself or others, please make yourself known at any EF Mass at St. Joseph's.

Masses this week

Fr. Driver is hoping that he will be able to offer Mass in July in his usual third Sunday slot. Please continue to remember him in your prayers. 

I have already announced that there will be NO Mass in the Extraordinary Form on Tuesday.

Masses for the rest of the week:

Wednesday: St. Winefride's, Wibsey, Bradford - 6.00 p.m.

Thursday: St Anthony's Clayton, Bradford - 9.30 a.m.

Friday: St. John the Evangelist, Buttershaw, Bradford. (I made my First Holy Communion in this church on 16th. June 1974. Fr. Doughty removed the altar rails in the eighties but Mgr Grogan has re-discovered them and they will find their way back to where the architect, Mr. Ronchetti, placed them when the church was built in the mid-fifties.) -  6.00 p.m.

Friday: St. Austin's, Wentworth Terrace, Wakefield - 7.30 p.m. Please note Mass is now offered each Friday in the EF at St. Austin's. Thanks to Mgr. Smith for this.

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour

Sunday is the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in our Diocese and as usual there will be Mass at St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford at 1.00 p.m. 

This Mass will be followed by our second baptism of the year in the EF, as month old Elise Hannah Illingworth becomes a member of the Universal Church. Congratulations to her and her family. 

On a less happy note I'm afraid that Fr. Driver is still in recovery and unable to drive (no pun intended). He was scheduled to offer Tuesday's Mass at St. Joseph's on Tuesday for the feast of Ss Peter & Paul. I have been unable to locate a supply priest -  I am sorry therefore, that we have had to cancel this scheduled holyday Mass. This will be announced at St. Joseph's tomorrow.

Please remember that the obligation has not yet been restored due to Covid 19. Mass on Wednesday evening at St. Winefride's at 6.00 p.m. might offer some succour to the loss. Please pray for a speedy recovery for Fr. Driver. 

That word...

In the last week the word freemasonry has cropped up in various contexts. An ex-pupil of mine expressed his desire on Facebook to become a freemason, a relative of mine was asked to join, a friend has been approached several times in the past and it is a topic which caused Cardinal Heenan a headache having tried to distinguish between good and bad freemasonry. 

This then popped up on somebody's FB page. It is a quote from the CDF in 1983 as a clarification of the reference to secret societies in the new code of canon law. I thought it worth sharing: 

Pentecost IV

This Sunday is the fourth Sunday after Pentecost and we are back to green vestments for the first time since the Sundays after the Epiphany.

After Mass last Sunday at St. Joseph's we had the first EF christening of the year when Fr. Hall baptised four month old Aleksander Marek. The parts requiring a response from the parents were read in Polish by Mr Niczyperowicz to which Aleksander's parents and sponsors replied in Polish. It was a beautiful occasion and made more touching by the fact that this family which regularly comes to Mass at St. Joseph's always migrates towards the stunning shrine of Our Lady Queen of Poland. This solemn shrine of the Black Madonna has been a feature of the church since the 1950s following the arrival of the large Polish community to Bradford after the war and before the Poles acquired a church of their own in Edmund Street. 

Aleksander is baptised. Not a sound from him throughout the entire service.

Mass this Sunday at St. Joseph's at 1.00 p.m. is the fourth Sunday after Pentecost and the celebrant is Fr. Winn who agreed to stand in for Fr. Driver. Fr. Kevin still is recovering from surgery to his foot. I am very grateful to Fr. Winn who has become one of our Bradford stalwarts for agreeing to step in immediately.  Please remember to book - it saves time for the doorkeeper. 

Mass on Wednesday at St. Winefride's, Wibsey at 6.00 p.m. and at St. Anthony's, Clayton on Thursday at 9.30 a.m.

Meanwhile I found this to be a very balanced and objective article from a priest who has never offered the Mass in the EF. I offer it only as an interesting read. Please copy and paste.

https://hughsk.vivaldi.net/2021/06/17/marx-and-the-masses/#more-16861

The External Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Sunday is feast of the External Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The traditional date of course is today - the second Friday after Corpus Christi.

Mass for this glorious feast is on Sunday at St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford at 1.00 p.m. Please book in the usual way and remember to bring a mask.

Mass this Sunday will be followed by another baptism in the traditional rite, with another two in the pipeline.

Corpus Christi Snday

 Mass for the external solemnity of Corpus Christi on Sunday at St. Joseph's, Bradford at 1.00 p.m. 

Mass on Thursday at 9.30 a.m. at St. Anthony's, Clayton but NO MASS at St. Winefride's, Wibsey as he priest is on holiday.

Photographic interlude

I am a great admirer of the French photographer Robert Doisneau whose photographs of Paris captured the spirit of the times in which his photos were taken. I used to have copies of Doisneau's work in my classroom when I was teaching and I have several books of his work.

This afternoon when I came out of church on a beautiful spring day and the faithful were gathered outside chatting I was reminded of two photos taken by Doisneau in Paris in 1945. The first is entitled Les bien-pensantes and the second Sortie de messe à Sceaux. (Sceaux is a suburb of Paris.) The difference between the photos in 1945 and the scene outside St. Joseph's in Bradford today was that there were many children and my heart felt as warm as the lunchtime sunshine.

After the Consecration of the wine today a child squealed as two others were giving their father the runaround. As our eldest daughter sat beside me with her two children and due to give birth to her third child any day now my heart rejoiced. 

A young Polish couple were waiting at the sacristy door after Mass with details of their beautiful little son, Aleksander, who is to be baptised in a couple of weeks. 

Deo gratias!

(Photos from Jean-Claude Gautrand's Icon book published by TASCHEN)

Reminder that we have two Corpus Christi Masses : Wednesday at St Winefride's at 6.00 p.m. and on Thursday at Clayton, St. Anthony's, at 9.30 a.m.

 

Trinity & Corpus Christi

 

This coming week sees two of the most glorious feasts of the entire Church year, Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi is no longer a Holy Day of Obligation, but we have two Masses to celebrate this great feast.

Sunday - 30 May 1.00 p.m. St. Joseph's Pakington Street, where over the coming weeks two of the Masses will be followed by EF baptisms. Please remember to book for this Mass and to wear a mask unless you are exempt.

On Wednesday there will be a missa cantata (a first ever) at 6.00 p.m. at St. Winefride's, Wibsey in anticipation of the Feast of Corpus Christi. Many thanks to Mgr Grogan for offering to sing this Mass. No arm twisting necessary there!

On Thursday there will be Mass at St. Anthony's, Clayton, on the feast as it appears in the 1962 missal at 9.30 a.m. 

On Friday there will be the regular first Friday Mass at St. John the Evangelist, Buttershaw at 6.00 p.m.

I am also very pleased to report that one other priest in Bradford recently offered his first Mass in the old Rite and another is undertaking instruction which I hope will mean more public Masses in Bradford in yet more churches.

Deo gratias!

It was announced today that our former bishop, Archbishop Arthur Roche has been promoted to head the Congregation for Divine Worship following the retirement of Cardinal Sarah. As Bishop of Leeds Archbishop Roche was always very accommodating and never refused to see me or help me when I was the diocesan representative for the LMS.  I wish him every success and happiness in his new role. 

Pentecost

 

This weekend we celebrate the descent of the Holy Ghost on Pentecost Sunday and the birthday of the Church.

Mass on Sunday will be a missa cantata at St. Joseph's, Bradford at 1.00 p.m. Please remember to book at office.stjoseph.bradford@dioceseofleeds.org.uk 

Ascension

 This week marks the feast of the Ascension of our Lord into Glory.

Wednesday - 6.00 p.m. St. Winefride's, Wibsey, Bradford. Rogation Wednesday Mass of the Vigil of the Ascension.

Thursday - 5.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford

Sunday - 1.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford. Please book for this Mass. 

Masses this week

 We have four Masses this week:

Wednesday - 6.00 p.m. at St Winefride's, Wibsey. Bradford

Thursday - 9.30 a.m. at St Anthony's, Clayton, Bradford

Friday - 6.00 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist, Buttershaw, Bradford and  7.30 p.m. at St. Austin's, Wakefield. (Please book for the Wakefield Mass.)

Sunday - 1.00 p.m. at St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford. Please book in advance for this Mass.

The Mass at St. Patrick's, Elland on Saturday went very well. It is a beautiful church and the local parishioners were hospitable and helpful, making everybody feel very welcome. Fr. Hall's conferences were of the cerebral and spiritual standard we have come to expect and the invocations of St. John Eudes relating to St. Joseph recited before each of the the three conferences enabled us to focus our minds and hearts. The day concluded with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.  Thanks again to Fr. Michael for this wonderful opportunity to receive the indulgence attached to the the year of St. Joseph and for all his hard work.  

Change of Mass time this week &c.

The usual Wednesday evening Mass at St. Winefride's has been brought forward a day as Mgr. Grogan has a governors' meeting on Wednesday. The Mass on Tuesday will be at 6.00 p.m.

Mass on Thursday at St. Anthony's, Clayton at the usual time of 9.30 a.m. 

Reminder that there will be Mass at St. Patrick's, Elland at 9.00 a.m. on Saturday May 1st.  followed by a day of recollection in honour of St. Joseph, in this year dedicated to him. The day will include three conferences, parts of the Divine Office and conclude with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 3.00 p.m. Please see the previous post for details. There are still some places available. We are very grateful to Fr. Michael Hall for offering this wonderful opportunity to grow in holiness with one of the Church's greatest saints.  I know he has put a lot of hard work into preparing the day.

Low Mass on Sunday at St. Joseph's, Bradford as usual at 1.00 p.m. Please book beforehand.

In honour of Saint Joseph

Modern technology has broken down for the last three days here. The engineer has got everything back up and running again.

Mass on Sunday at St. Joseph's, Bradford, at 1.00 p.m. 

I am delighted to announce the following:

A day of recollection for the Year of St Joseph

Aimed at the community who celebrate the Traditional Form of the Roman Rite every Sunday at St Joseph's, Bradford, but open to anyone from Brighouse or Elland parishes, there will be a Day of Recollection for the Year of St Joseph held on Saturday May 1st, the feast of St Joseph the Worker, at St Patrick's, Elland.

The day will open with a Low Mass in the Traditional Form at 9am.  There will be three "conferences" provided by Fr. Hall and some elements of the Divine Office of the feast. There will also be time for confessions and silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.  The day will conclude with Rosary and Benediction by 3 pm. All liturgical material will be provided.

Tea & coffee will be provided but you are asked to bring your own lunch or visit local outlets.

Booking is essential. Please e-mail Fr Hall by April 26th on michael.hallATdioceseofleeds.org.uk or text him on 07525 419806

 

Palm Sunday

 

Mass for Palm Sunday at St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford at 1.00 p.m. Please remember to book beforehand and to bring your mask.

Due to Covid restrictions it has again been impossible to arrange to the Sacred Triduum this year. Mass for Easter Sunday will again be at St. Joseph's, Bradford at 1.00 p.m.  

Passion Sunday

Mass on Sunday is Passion Sunday - the start of Passion Week when the veiling of statues begins, to symbolise our Lord's hiding himself before His execution. 1.00 p.m. at St. Joseph's, Bradford. 

The Mass at St. Joseph's, Bradford,  continues to draw a strong and growing regular congregation. We owe a great deal of gratitude to the Parish Priest, Fr. Angel, and to his wonderful staff as well as our celebrants who give so much of their time to offer the Mass for us.

Masses this week: 

St. Winefride's, Wibsey, Bradford on Wednesday 24th. March at 6.00 p.m. This is the Lenten Mass with a commemoration of St. Gabriel the Archangel. 

Mass for the Annunciation - the Incarnation of our Lord is at St. Anthony's, Clayton, Bradford, on Thursday 25th. March at 9.30 a.m. 

Lent III

Mass for the third Sunday of Lent at St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford at 1.00 p.m.

Mass on Wednesday at 6.00 p.m. at St. Winefride's, Bradford and on Thursday morning at 9.30 a.m. at St. Anthony's, Clayton, Bradford.

Next week's change in the liturgical mood marks the start of the march to Passiontide when that mood darkens. 

Masses this week

We have four Masses this week:

Wednesday - 6.00p.m. St Winefride's, Wibsey

Thursday - 9.30 a.m. St Anthony's, Clayton

Friday - 6.00p.m. St. John the Evangelist, Buttershaw AND 7.30 p.m. St. Austin's, Wentworth Terrace, Wakefield (please book).

Lent II

 

Mass this Sunday is the second in Lent and there is Mass at St. Joseph's, Bradford at 1.00 p.m. Please remember to book a place, bring your mask and follow the regulations re. queuing for Holy Communion and hand sanitising upon entering and leaving church.

Lent I

Mass tomorrow for the first Sunday of Lent at St. Joseph's, Bradford at 1.00 p.m. 

Later this week Mass at St. Winefride's, Bradford on Wednesday at 6.00 p.m. and on Thursday at 9.30 a.m. at St. Anthony's, Clayton, Bradford.

Of your charity please pray for the repose of the soul of Fr. Joseph Finan who died recently in Dublin aged 88. Fr. Finan offered the old Mass for us when he was PP in Halifax in the 1980s.

Ash Wednesday

 

Wednesday is a day of fast and abstinence. 

Low Mass with the sprinkling of ashes at St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford at 5.00p.m.

(No Mass at St. Winefride's)

The penitential season of Lent begins this week.

Masses at St. Joseph's, Bradford:

Quinquagesima Sunday at 1.00 p.m.

Ash Wednesday at 5.00 p.m.

No Mass at St. Winefride's on Ash Wednesday

Mass as usual on Thursday at St. Anthony's, Clayton, Bradford at 9.30 a.m.

Candlemas &c

 

We have four Masses this week in Bradford and one in Wakefield:

Candlemas : Tuesday 2nd February, St. Joseph's, Bradford, 5.00 p.m.

St. Blaise   :  Wednesday 3rd February, St. Winefride's, Wibsey, 6.00 p.m.

                      Thursday 4th February, St. Anthony's, Clayton, 9.30 a.m.

                      Friday 5th February, St. John the Evangelist, Buttershaw, 6.00 p.m.                                                                                                  St. Austin's, Wentworth Terrace, Wakefield, 7.30 p.m. (please book)

Please remember to register to attend Sunday Masses at St. Joseph's. This Mass is constantly growing in popularity. http://www.stjosephschurchbradford.co.uk/covid-19/4594982224 

Septuagesima

Enforced isolation for a fortnight has had an unpleasant effect on my mental and physical general well-being. Missing Mass uproots my regular routines and generally impedes me. 

To take my mind off things I have been reading even more than usual and I re-discovered a book I picked up in a charity shop some time ago. It is a copy of the writings of the Servant of God, Dorothy Day. I had read the CTS booklet about her years ago.  Radical social activism and traditional piety are melded in a complex character whom I wish to learn more about in this pre-Lent season. I expect that I will be out of my comfort zone again.

Mass on Sunday for Septuagesima at 1.00 p.m. at St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford.

Important

 There will be Mass at St. Winefride's, Wibsey this evening (20 Jan) but no Mass at Clayton in the morning due to there being a requiem Mass. Apologies for the short notice.

This week

Wednesday sees the requiem and burial of Fr. Parfitt at Skipton. I understand the body was received into the chapel at Broughton this evening in preparation for the Mass there in the morning. Numbers have been strictly limited to the by invitation event because of Covid restrictions. I hope to organise a High Mass of Requiem for Fr. Parfitt when the restrictions are lifted.

Mass in Bradford on Wednesday evening at 6.00 p.m. at Winefride's, Wibsey and on Thursday at 9.30 a.m. at St. Anthony's, Clayton.

 

Epiphany

Wednesday is the feast of the Epiphany and we have two Masses:

5.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford

6.00 p.m. St. Winefride's, St. Paul's Avenue, Wibsey, Bradford

On Thursday Mass at 9.30 a.m. at St. Anthony's, Bradford Road, Clayton, Bradford.

Masses this week

Our Christmas Mass at St. Joseph's, Bradford, was well attended and it was very touching that Fr. Hall offered the Mass for Fr. Parfitt who died on December 19th. I sorely missed Midnight Mass at Broughton and not because of any lockdown measures.

This week there will be Mass in the EF as follows:

Wednesday 30th. December ; 6.00 p.m. St. Winefride's, Wibsey, Bradford.

Thursday 31st. December; 9.30 a.m. St. Anthony's, Clayton, Bradford.

Friday 1st January; 7.30 p.m. St. Austin's, Wakefield. 

Sunday 3rd. January 1.00p.m. St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford.

Advance notice - future feasts:

Masses for the feasts of The Epiphany and Candlemas will be offered at 5.00 p.m. at St. Joseph's, Bradford.

May I take this opportunity to wish those reading this every joy and peace during this Christmastide and more of the same when we land in 2021.

Oremus pro invicem. 

Fr. Geoffrey Parfitt

 I regret to announce that Fr. Geoffrey Parfitt of Broughton in Craven died peacefully just after midnight 19th. September at a nursing home in Grassington following a spell in hospital following a fall at home.

Fr. Parfitt was one of the few priests in the nineteen eighties and nineties who continued to offer the old Mass despite restrictions placed upon its celebration and there are many of us who owe him a great debt of gratitude. There was never any pomp or fussing. No ostentation. Father's sermons were usually of the same sort regardless of the feast. The message was prayer, the Mass and the value of going to confession.

In his younger days he ran the scout troop in Yeadon and recalled the camping trips and and other adventures with great fondness especially when he met some of the former scouts in later life. A man who enjoyed his own company with his sheep dog Bobby he was fond of hill walking and his sitting room had pictures of hills and mountains on the walls. He was also unsurprisingly very interested in the liturgy especially the Benedictine monastic tradition and always made his way to Ampleforth at Easter. He had been the MC during his time at the cathedral and had been told by Bishop Wheeler that he had to be a hard taskmaster. He didn't disappoint as things went like clockwork in the sanctuary.

He offered Mass in the Extraordinary Form daily when he retired and up until the first lockdown still sang the Mass on the first Sunday of the month. He also offered Mass at Markenfield Hall, the place where he received his vocation in the chapel there. We also had trips to Bewerley Grange near Pateley Bridge and he enjoyed recalling that place's link with the Cistercians of nearby Fountains Abbey when following Mass he would lead the Angelus and the singing of the Salve Regina. 

Details of his requiem have not been finalised but it seems likely that it will now be in the new year.

Father Parfitt was a good and faithful servant. May he rest in peace.     

   

Advent IV and Christmas

There will be Mass on Sunday 20th December - the fourth of Advent at St. Joseph's, Pakington Street at 1.00 p.m. Please remember to register for this Mass and to bring your mask. 

Mass for Christmas this year in the EF is reduced to one Mass in the Leeds Diocese:

Again at St Josph's BradfordFriday 25th. December at 1.00 p.m. Please reserve a place only if you can be sure to attend. Due to the regulations numbers are again limited. 

 

Gaudete! And the Year of St. Joseph.

 

On Saturday 12th December we have our Rorate Mass at 6.30 a.m. at St. Joseph's, Martin Street, Brighouse. This candlelit early morning Mass was a great occasion last Advent.

On Sunday the Gaudete Mass at 1.00 p.m. at St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford will be a missa cantata. 

On Wednesday at 6.00 p.m. there is Mass at St. Winefide's, Bradford and on Thursday there is Mass at 9.30 a.m. at St. Anthony's, Clayton.

I can now confirm that there will be NO Christmas Masses at Broughton Hall as in previous years, but there will be Mass at St. Joseph's, Bradford at 1.00 p.m. on Christmas Day.

It has been announced that this coming year is to be in honour of St. Joseph and a plenary indulgence has been attached to this. There are various ways of attaining this indulgence including a spiritual retreat of at least a day which must include a meditation on St. Joseph. We hope to organise such a retreat later in the new year to include, Mass, adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Details when I have them will be published here.

Follow the link for information on the Year of St. Joseph:

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-12/apostolic-penitentiary-plenary-indulgence-year-st-joseph.html#:~:text=Church%20grants%20plenary%20indulgence%20for%20year%20of%20St.,8%20December%202021.%20By%20Vatican%20News%20staff%20writer

  

Quick update

Thanks to Fr. Winn for offering this evening's Mass for the feast of the Immaculate Conception. 

Mass at St. Winefides's, Wibsey will be at 5.45 p.m tomorrow Wednesday 9th.  instead of at the usual 6.00 p.m. 

Mass at St. Anthony's, Clayton on Thursday at the usual time of 9.30 a.m.

Rorate Mass at St. Joseph's, Martin Street on Saturday 12th. December at 6.30 a.m. Last year's beautiful candlelit Mass was a truly memorable occasion.  

Mass on Sunday at St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford for Gaudete Sunday. 

Confessions at call.

In your prayers please remember Fr. Parfitt of Broughton Hall who is not well. 

Advent - post lockdown.

The weeks leading up to the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord are upon us now as we have gone from lockdown to Tier 3 and celebration of public Masses is resumed.

Masses this week:

Wednesday 2nd. December - 6.00 p.m. St. Winefride's,  Wibsey, Bradford

Thursday 3rd. December - 9.30 a.m. St. Anthony's, Clayton, Bradford

Friday 4th. December - 6.00 p.m. St. John the Evangelist, Buttershaw, Bradford

                                      7.30 p.m. St. Austin's, Wentworth Terrace, Wakefield

Sunday 6th. December - 1.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford

and

Tuesday 8th. December - 5.00 p.m. St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford

Saturday 12th. December - 6.30 a.m. St. Joseph's, Martin Street, Brighouse, Rorate Mass. 

Please remember to register for Mass at St. Joseph's on Sunday and to bring your mask.

Lockdown 2

I must confess to feeling dejected by today's vote in the Commons today which prevents public acts of worship for all those of faith communities. 

Our own Bishop Stock has added his voice to that of the Cardinal Nichols and Archbishop McMahon in a letter to Boris Johnson.  The Leeds diocesan website reports the following:  

"The global spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a fast-evolving situation. From Thursday, 5 November to Wednesday, 2 December, the Government has said that places of worship in England, including Catholic churches, will only be permitted to open for private individual prayer and funerals.

Bishop Marcus has contacted the Prime Minister, adding his personal request to the statement made on behalf of all the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales by the CBCEW President and Vice-President, Cardinal Nichols and Archbishop McMahon, that churches be allowed to stay open for worship and religious services throughout the forthcoming period of national ‘lock-down’.

In the letter, the Bishop told Mr Johnson:

‘Our human nature is comprised of body and spirit, and the spirit is sustained by hope. It is in the heart that hope is born and builds within us the resilience we need to face the challenges in our lives. What I ask you is, please help places of worship to sustain hope in the hearts of a great many people of our country.’ 

Bishop Marcus has asked that both lay faithful and clergy circulate his letter and the CBCEW statement and contact their MPs with all speed to request that the Government’s guidance be amended to allow places of worship to remain open for acts of worship and religious services. 

This means that there will be no public Masses in the the EF or OF for a month in our Diocese.

Oremus pro invicem.

All Saints and All Souls

Sunday is the Feast of All Saints.  Monday is the Feast of All Souls.

Mass on Sunday at 1.00 p.m. at St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford and again  on Monday at 5.00 p.m. Confessions at call. 

Please remember the indulgences which can be obtained at this time of year for the Holy Souls in purgatory. 

The annual Mass of Requiem at Leeds Cathedral will go ahead this year on Saturday 21st. November at the main altar at 3.00 p.m. We hope that it will be a missa cantata.  

Christ the King

This Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King - the eternal high Priest. 

This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in his 1925 encyclical Quas Primus.

While the encyclical that established this feast was addressed to Catholic bishops, Pope Pius XI wanted this feast to impact the laity.
“The faithful, moreover, by meditating upon these truths, will gain much strength and courage, enabling them to form their lives after the true Christian ideal. If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by his precious blood, are by a new right subjected to his dominion; if this power embraces all men, it must be clear that not one of our faculties is exempt from his empire. He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God.”

Holy Mass at 1.00 p.m. at St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford. Please remember to bring a mask. Confession available before Mass at request.

Reminder that there is Mass on Wednesday evenings at 6.00 p.m. at St. Winefride's church, Wibsey, Bradford and on Thursday mornings at 9.30 a.m. at St. Anthony's, Clayton, also in Bradford. 

I am hoping to arrange a Mass of Requiem for Bishop Wheeler at Leeds Cathedral in November. Details to follow.

Pentecost XIX -Missa cantata

I'm pleased to announce that we are going to attempt a covidtime sung Mass this Sunday at St. Joseph's, Bradford. This will be the first public sung Mass since March. Holy Communion is distributed on the tongue. l have received some very encouraging comments recently about the EF Mass at St. Joseph's from priests and people. l hope it isn't too long before the Bishop is able to offer Mass and administer the Sacrament of Confirmation according to the books in use in 1962. 

It is pleasing to see the sustained good numbers at Mass. Please remember to register and to bring your masks. It will be good to leave church with the smell of freshly burned incense in the nostrils.

Pentecost XVIII etc

Friday October 2nd - First Friday

Mass - Feast of the Guardian Angels

St. John the Evangelist - Cooper Lane, Bradford  6.00 p.m.

St. Austin's  - Wentworth Terrace, Wakefield  7.30 p.m.

This Sunday -  October 3rd is the Eighteenth Sunday of Pentecost 

Mass

St. Joseph's - Pakington Street, Bradford 1.00 p.m. 

Please remember masks and to make your reservation. Increasing numbers at this Mass suggest we may need to adopt an extra usher even as the darkening evenings of autumn approach. 

We owe Bishop Stock a great deal of gratitude for permitting reception of Holy Communion on the tongue at both Forms of the Mass in this diocese. This privilege has sadly not been afforded to other places.

I hope that traditional missals and prayer books will shortly be available in the repository at St. Joseph's, Bradford. I am going to arrange for Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament after a Sunday Mass in the next few weeks and will post details shortly.  

I am pleased to announce the birth of our sixth grandchild - Felicity May Stephens, who weighed in at 8lb 6oz on Tuesday. Mum and baby both doing fine. 

Pentecost XVII

Mass at 1.00 p.m. on Sunday at St. Joseph's, Pakington Street, Bradford. Please register beforehand and remember facemasks.

Today (Friday) saw the first public Mass in many years at St Robert's, Harrogate. The occasion was the Requiem Mass of Austin Jennings who had been a loyal attendee at the EF Mass for many years. RIP.  His nephew, Mgr Grogan offered the Mass. 

Mgr Grogan offers Mass at 6.00 p.m. at St. Winefride's, Wibsey, Bradford.

The Thursday morning Masses at St. Anthony's, Clayton continue at 9.30 a.m. 

Pentecost XV

Mass on Sunday at St. Joseph's, Bradford at 1.00 p.m. Holy Communion distributed on the tongue.

I have been in Krakow this week in an attempt to improve my execrable Polish and to enjoy the wonderful culture. Again I was able to hear Mass every day. Tuesday's Mass for the feast of our Lady's birthday was a sung Mass and I was moved to be able to join in with missa viii  - de angelis . The hymn to our Lady at the offertory brought a lump to my throat. I have not attended a sung Mass in England since March. 

Reminder that there is Mass on Wednesday evenings at St. Winefride's, Wibsey at 6.00 p.m. and on Thursday mornings at St. Anthony's, Clayton at 9.30 a.m.  

Pentecost XIV - updated

There will be Mass on Sunday at 1.00 p.m. for the fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost at St. Joseph's, Bradford. Please remember your mask! Holy Communion is distributed on the tongue.

From Wednesday 9th. September there will be a weekly evening Mass at St. Winefride's, Wibsey. (This will replace the pre-lockdown Mass there on Tuesday lunchtimes.) These Masses will be at 6.00p.m. now confirmed. Thanks to Mgr. Grogan for his time and patience.

Weekly Thursday Masses at St. Anthony's, Clayton continue with thanks to Fr. Winn.

Of your charity please  pray for the repose of the soul of Austin Jennings who died on suddenly on Monday. Austin was a regular attendee at the EF for many years. RIP.

August 24th and purgatory.

 August 24th is our wedding anniversary and has nothing to do with purgatory! It is also the feast of St. Barthlomew who according to legends was skinned alive and beheaded so he is often pictured holding the knife he was skinned with or holding his own skin. An Apostle and Martyr he must have died an agonising death. This saint's memory is venerated in the Catholic Church and Orthodox and Anglican Communities.

The extremely admirable convert priest, aplogist and writer, Monsignor Ronald Knox died on this day in 1957. In time to come I hope he will be made essential compulsory reading to seminarians. In the meantime I was very pleased to hear Mgr Knox's name mentioned in a beautifully crafted sermon on a sad occasion. The occasion was the requiem Mass for Fr. Hall's own wife, Liz (to whom reference is made in the sermon) who died a few weeks ago in lockdown. May she rest in peace.
I hope Liz is rejoicing in the bus ride and eventual promised destination. (See sermon)

The sermon is reproduced here in full:

Homily for Requiem

What do you think will happen to you when you die?  Not your body - you've probably watched enough episodes of Silent Witness to be quite an expert on that.  I mean your soul - your self?

You may be surprised to know that the New Testament does not go into great detail about this.  St John tells us, "Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when Jesus Christ is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is."  When Jesus is revealed we shall be like him - but does that mean when we die?

St Paul speaks to the Corinthians of a time of testing: "Now people build on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, but also with wood, hay, and straw. The work of each builder will become visible, for the Day of the Lord will disclose it, because the fire will test what sort of work each has done.  If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward.  If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire."  The problem here is that he is talking about the Church, not about us as individuals.

It's in this light that I'd like to talk to you about one of Liz and my favourite books.  I don't know how many we've bought over the years to lend or give to people.

It's "The Great Divorce" by C S Lewis.  The title is Lewis's response to the rather strange poem by William Blake called "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell".  No marriage, says Lewis in his foreword, but a Great Divorce.

The book takes the form of a dream, in which Lewis finds himself in a dismal street, in a grey town, just as the light is failing on a winter's afternoon.  Suddenly, a resplendently shining double-decker bus arrives, and he joins others climbing aboard.  The bus takes him out of the town, in fact out of the world, and to the outskirts of heaven.

They land in a pleasant flower-strewn meadow, and Lewis has a series of surprises.

First, his fellow passengers, who had seemed so real on the bus, now seem transparent, ghost-like, mere smudges on the air.

Secondly, the grass on which he is standing does not bend under his weight - in fact its solidity hurts his feet.

Then, when he tries to pick a flower or a fallen leaf, he finds them far too heavy to lift.  It is as if this new world is much more real than he is.

A further surprise comes when he notices that each visitor from the bus has someone to meet them.  His own welcomer - guide, you might say -  is a Scottish author whom Lewis had admired throughout his life, whose writing, along with that of G K Chesterton, had begun to turn  him as a young man from being an atheist into a believer in God.

You really need to read this short book yourself, but suffice it to say that most of the rest of it is formed of two things: Lewis questioning his guide about the world in which he is in, but also the encounters between other passengers and their guides.

For each one of the visitors to the outskirts of heaven has some thing that is chaining them to the grey town - some thing that is preventing them from moving further into the heavenly land.

It is the guides' job to help the visitors receive freedom and solidity.  Some visitors need healing from spiritual and emotional wounds.  Some need to repent of attitudes that still turn them in on themselves. Some need to receive forgiveness from those they have wronged; others need to forgive those who have wronged them.

Lewis watches as many, many of these visitors lose their chains and move "further in and higher up".  But with great sadness he also sees some who are so turned inwards, so attached to their current state, that they refuse the healing and freedom they are offered, and make their way back to the bus.

Liz and I, from our earliest days as Christians and even more as we began to discover the treasures of the Catholic Church, were confident that heaven would one day be our destination.

But moved by C S Lewis, and by reflecting on the misplaced attachments in our own lives, we both realised that we would need a time of healing, of penance, of purification before we were ready to come into the awesome presence of God.

You will recognise, of course, that what C S Lewis is describing in his book, what Liz and I both anticipated, is what the Church has traditionally called purgatory.  While the Church has given, and still gives, teaching about this intermediary state, answers to the question "but what is it like?" have been left to poets like Dante and authors like Lewis.  Lewis, the Northern Irish Protestant, has been praised by Pope Benedict and by at least one other major Catholic theologian for his fictional depiction of the Last Things.

If that's the case, then what is happening to Liz now, in as much as we can say "now" about the heavenly lands?  Liz died strong in the faith and fortified by the sacraments of the Church.  But using the language of the Great Divorce, she will be growing more solid as she faces up to the things that hold her back, lays down her burdens, and receives healing and forgiveness.

And that it why it is such an important work of mercy for us to pray for Liz and all the departed.  Our prayers, our penance, even perhaps our forgiveness, can help in that solidifying process. 

Let me close by referring to another dream - one written down by St John Henry Newman 20 years after his reception into the Catholic Church, and later set to music by Edward Elgar.

In the Dream of Gerontius an old man approaches his death, strong in faith and hope, and fortified by the prayers and sacraments of the Church.

Knowing that he will have to spend time in purgatory, nevertheless it is his great wish that he might see the face of God first.  Carried up to the highest heaven by his guardian angel, he is granted that vision.

"Now he lies, " says Newman, "Passive and still before the awful Throne.  O happy, suffering soul! for it is safe, Consumed, yet quicken'd, by the glance of God."

Gerontius himself then says,

"Take me away, and in the lowest deep there let me be.  There will I sing, and soothe my stricken breast, that sooner I may rise, and go above, and see him in the truth of everlasting day"

Newman's poem ends with words that describe exactly what we are doing tonight.  The Guardian Angel says,

Angels shall tend, and nurse, and lull thee as thou liest
And Masses on earth and prayers in heaven
Shall aid thee at the Throne of the Most Highest.

Pentecost xii

Mass on Sunday at St. Joseph's, Bradford at 1.00 p.m. for the twelfth Sunday of Pentecost. Please remember your mask. Communion will be distributed on the tongue.

Reminder that there is Mass on Thursdays at 9.30 a.m. at St. Anthony's, Clayton in Bradford. More regular Masses will resume in September and I shall post about these nearer the time.

 

Update

After worrying about how numbers would pick up after such a long period of lockdown I was delighted to see numbers exceeding those which were pre lockdown in the middle of March today at St. Joseph's. Please remember there are no public Masses at Broughton yet but I have been speaking to Fr. Parfitt this evening and he remains in good spirits.

Further resumption of Masses

I now understand that in addition to the regular resumed Masses at St. Anthony's Clayton and St. Joseph's Bradford that the first Friday Mass at St. John the Evangelist, Bradford will resume in September at 6.00 p.m. with the possibility of a regular Sunday evening Mass at St. Winefride's, Wibsey at 6.00 p.m. in the offing. The third Sunday Mass at the Cathedral in Leeds will similarly resume at 8.00 a.m. on the third Sunday of September. There will also be a regular monthly Mass at St. Joseph's in Pontefract starting in September.

I shall relay confirmation of details at other churches in due course.

We are most fortunate in this diocese to have a bishop who permits the reception of Holy Communion on the tongue albeit with strict conditions for the recipient and priest. 

Saturday is the feast of the Assumption of our Blessed Lady - translated to Sunday in England and Wales for observance of the external solemnity.

I hope to be able to report on more Masses according to the Rite of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham when Fr. Stafford is able to resume his duties here in Bradford on his monthly Saturday at St. Joseph's. 

Pentecost X

Mass again tomorrow at 1.00 p.m. at St. Joseph's, Bradford for the tenth Sunday after Pentecost. Please remember to bring a mask. Communion will be distributed on the tongue to those who wish.